Beijing

Beijing was China’s imperial capital for most of the past 700 years. The density of significant sites is extraordinary: the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Summer Palace, and several Great Wall sections are all within a reasonable day-trip radius of each other. The city is also 21 million people, severe traffic, and summer air quality that can vary from clear to visibility-obscuring within a week. Planning the daily geography and checking the AQI (air quality index) before going outside are the two most important practical adjustments.

The Forbidden City

The Imperial Palace complex was built between 1406 and 1420 for the Ming dynasty and served 24 emperors until 1912. 8,728 rooms across 980 buildings, surrounded by a 10-metre wall and a 52-metre moat. Advance ticket reservation at gugong.com.cn is mandatory; walk-up purchase is not available. Daily visitor capacity is capped at 80,000. Book at least 8 to 10 days ahead for peak season (April through October). The complex is closed Mondays.

The main north-south axis is what most visitors follow: the Three Great Halls (Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, Hall of Preserving Harmony) for imperial ceremonies, then the Inner Court residences. The more rewarding sections are off the axis: the east and west wings contain the domestic spaces where emperors actually lived, and the Treasure Gallery in the northeast has the state regalia collection. Allow three to four hours minimum.

Tiananmen Square and the National Museum

The square is 440,000 square metres, the largest urban plaza in the world, flanked by the Mao portrait on the north and the National Museum of China on the east. The museum is free but requires advance passport registration; the Ancient China exhibition and the Bronze Age collection are the best sections. Allow two to three hours.

The Great Wall

Multiple sections accessible from Beijing, with very different characters.

Mutianyu (70 km northeast): well-restored, cable car option, toboggan run down. Less crowded than Badaling. A full day round trip from Beijing.

Badaling: the most visited section in China, accessible by direct train from Beijing Qinghe Station (50 minutes, CNY 23). Crowded on weekends and public holidays; the restoration and visitor infrastructure are excellent.

Jinshanling (100 km northeast): partially restored and partially wild. The 3 to 4 hour walk from Jinshanling to Simatai passes wall sections in varying states of repair and gives the most honest sense of the original scale. Requires a private car or tour.

Where to Eat

Peking duck is the dish. Quanjude (open since 1864) does the classical whole roasted duck with pancakes, cucumber, and hoisin. Dadong takes a lighter, modern approach. Jianbing (egg crepe with crispy crackers, chilli sauce, and hoisin) is the correct Beijing breakfast from hutong street vendors for around CNY 10.

Practical Notes

A VPN must be configured before arrival; it cannot be downloaded once you are in China and you will need it for most Western internet services. The Beijing subway covers all major tourist sites and is always preferable to taxis in traffic. Advance booking is mandatory for the Forbidden City. Check aqicn.org for daily air quality; days above AQI 150 are museum days. Tea house scams and ticket touts near the Forbidden City are a known issue.