7 Days in Beijing and Beyond
A week from Beijing is enough to see the capital properly and still get one genuine taste of the rail network that makes this city a gateway, not just a stop.
| 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 |
| 7 | Qianmen, Dashilan, Silk Market |
Book these before you go:
- A Mutianyu Great Wall tour with cable car on GetYourGuide for day 2.
- A hotel near Dongcheng on Agoda .
Landing Logistics, Handled Once
Confirm the 240-hour visa-free transit rule applies to you: 55 nationalities, entry through Capital Airport or Daxing, a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, clock starting at midnight the day after arrival. A separate 30-day visa-free scheme covers roughly 50 other countries, not the US, check both against your passport via the National Immigration Administration . 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 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, actual passport at the Meridian Gate. Jingshan Park (¥2) directly after. Tiananmen Square on its own separate reservation and security line. Duck dinner at Siji Minfu.
Day 2: The Great Wall
Badaling is the closest section and the busiest by a wide margin. Mutianyu, about 90 minutes out, entrance ¥45, 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). 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 now.
Day 5: 798 Art District and Sanlitun
A day with no monument on it. 798 Art District in the morning, free to wander. Sanlitun in the afternoon and evening for shopping and a proper night out, DiDi over a street-hailed taxi.
Day 6: Tianjin, By Rail
High-speed rail from Beijing South runs roughly 230 train pairs a day, fastest journey about 30 minutes, tickets from around ¥55-70. Book through 12306 , China’s official rail platform, with your passport number, and carry the actual passport through station security. Walk Tianjin’s old Italian and colonial concession streets along the river, then ride back for dinner in Beijing.
Day 7: Shopping Streets and a Slow Exit
Morning: Qianmen and Dashilan, the restored pedestrian street south of Tiananmen with century-old shops like Neiliansheng and Ruifuxiang still trading. Afternoon: Silk Market for souvenirs. Build in real buffer time for the airport, taxi queues at PEK and PKX run long, and a DiDi booked through an Alipay- or WeChat-linked card usually beats the rank.
Practical notes. If a week here convinces you the wider country is worth more time, our Beyond Beijing guide covers the longer hops to Xi’an and Pingyao that a single week doesn’t fit. For the depth this trip only gestures at, our Beijing guide covers the imperial core in full.