6 Days in Beijing and Beyond
Six days is enough to stop treating Beijing as a closed loop. The visa and rail logistics that got you into China make the last day easy: leave the city entirely, by train, and come back for dinner.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Visa check, Forbidden City, Jingshan, Tiananmen |
| 2 | Great Wall at Mutianyu |
| 3 | Temple of Heaven, real hutongs |
| 4 | Summer Palace, Lama Temple |
| 5 | 798 Art District, Sanlitun |
| 6 | Tianjin, by rail |
Book these before you go:
- A Mutianyu Great Wall tour with cable car on GetYourGuide .
- A hotel near Dongcheng on Agoda .
Landing Logistics, Handled Once
Confirm the 240-hour visa-free transit rule applies to you before booking anything: 55 nationalities, entry through Capital Airport or Daxing, a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, clock starting at midnight the day after arrival. The US isn’t on the separate 30-day visa-free list that roughly 50 other countries get, so check both against your passport via the National Immigration Administration rather than assuming the more generous rule applies. Test your VPN before you fly, and bind a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay ahead of time.
Day 1: Forbidden City, Jingshan, Tiananmen
Book Forbidden City tickets the moment your dates are locked, they release at 8pm Beijing time exactly seven days ahead through the official site or WeChat. ¥60 peak, ¥40 low season. Jingshan Park (¥2) directly after. Tiananmen Square runs on its own separate reservation and security line. Dinner at Siji Minfu for duck done properly.
Day 2: The Great Wall
Badaling is the closest section and the busiest by a wide margin. Mutianyu, about 90 minutes out, entrance ¥45, is well-restored with noticeably lighter crowds, cable car up (¥100 one-way, ¥140 return), toboggan down.
Day 3: Temple of Heaven and the Real Hutongs
Temple of Heaven in the morning (¥15 park-only, ¥34 combined peak), calmer than anything from Day 1. Skip Nanluoguxiang, wander Wudaoying, Fangjia, or the backstreets around Houhai instead.
Day 4: Summer Palace and Lama Temple
Summer Palace (¥30 peak, ¥20 low) in the morning. Lama Temple (¥25 flat) in the afternoon, timed-entry booking required online for every visitor now.
Day 5: 798 Art District and Sanlitun
A day with no monument on it, and you’ll want one by now. 798 Art District in the morning, free to wander, metro to Wangjing South plus a short taxi. Sanlitun in the afternoon and evening, Taikoo Li for shopping, the bar street for a night out. Use DiDi over a street-hailed taxi, linking your card through Alipay or WeChat first.
Day 6: Tianjin, By Rail
Skip the rushed Great Wall-plus-Ming-Tombs combo tour every operator tries to sell, cramming both into one day means rushing the Wall and speed-walking the tombs. The better use of your last full day is Tianjin. High-speed rail from Beijing South runs roughly 230 train pairs a day, fastest journey about 30 minutes, tickets from around ¥55-70. Real-name ticketing applies here too, book with your passport number through 12306 , China’s official rail platform, and carry the actual passport through station security, same as the Forbidden City gate. Walk Tianjin’s old Italian and colonial concession streets along the river, then ride back for dinner in Beijing.
Practical notes. The combo tour that jams the Great Wall and Ming Tombs into one rushed day exists to sell a package, not to serve you. You already gave the Wall its own proper day on Day 2. If Tianjin convinces you the rail network is worth more of your trip, our Beyond Beijing guide covers the longer hops to Xi’an and Pingyao; the 7-day itinerary adds a slower final day at Qianmen and the Silk Market.