What are the top things to do in Beijing?

Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Beijing?

Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang and Sanlitun, Haidian. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Beijing?

April, May, September balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Beijing?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Beijing and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Beijing China

Things to do in Beijing

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

Beijing is a northern China capital built on imperial axes, ring roads, hutong lanes, subway corridors, and mountain passes north of the plain. Dongcheng and Xicheng hold Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, hutongs, and temples; Chaoyang handles Sanlitun and embassies; Haidian points to universities, the Summer Palace, and old imperial gardens.

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About Beijing

City overview

Food & drink

Beijing food is wheat, roast, and street-snack heavy: Peking duck is carved into thin pancakes with scallion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce, zhajiangmian covers noodles with soybean-paste pork sauce, and jianbing folds egg, herbs, and crisp cracker into a breakfast crepe. Guijie in Dongcheng, Qianmen-Dashilar, Wudaoying Hutong, Sanlitun, and old duck restaurants such as Quanjude or Dadong add hotpot, lamb skewers, dumplings, donkey burgers, lvdagun, wandouhuang, and tea.

Top sights

Ranked for suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

Map of Beijing with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
4.6★ · 16,635
The Ming and Qing imperial palace sits north of Tiananmen Gate on Beijing's central axis, with halls, courtyards, gates, and collections spread across the walled complex. It served emperors from the early 15th century until 1912.
Tickets are date-limited and ID-linked; reserve before arrival and bring the passport used for booking.
2
Tiananmen Square
4.4★ · 6,712
The enormous public square south of the Forbidden City is framed by the Great Hall of the People, National Museum of China, Monument to the People's Heroes, and Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Security checks and closures can change access routes.
Wikipedia
3
Temple of Heaven
4.6★ · 3,650
The Ming emperors used the southern altar complex for annual heaven-and-harvest rites, and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests remains the signature round building. Subway Line 5 stops nearby at Tiantan Dongmen.
Wikipedia

Show 7 more sights

4Summer Palace
5Great Wall at Mutianyu or Badaling
6Yonghegong Lama Temple
7Hutongs around Nanluoguxiang, Qianmen, and Liulichang
8Beihai Park
9National Museum of China
10798 Art District

Neighborhoods

1
Dongcheng
Dongcheng is central-axis Beijing, with Wangfujing, Tiananmen approaches, the Forbidden City edge, Lama Temple, Gulou, Nanluoguxiang, and many hutongs.
2
Xicheng
Xicheng holds Beihai, Houhai, Qianmen, Dashilar, Liulichang, financial streets, and older neighborhoods west of the imperial core.
3
Chaoyang and Sanlitun
Chaoyang is modern and international, with Sanlitun, embassies, Workers' Stadium, 798 Art District, hotels, offices, and nightlife.
4
Haidian
Haidian is university-and-garden Beijing, with Peking University, Tsinghua, Wudaokou, Zhongguancun, the Summer Palace, and Old Summer Palace ruins.
5
Gulou, Houhai, and Shichahai
Gulou and Houhai mix drum-and-bell towers, lake walks, hutong bars, courtyard hotels, and bikeable lanes north of the Forbidden City.
6
Qianmen and Dashilar
Qianmen and Dashilar feel commercial and historic, with pedestrian streets, old brands, snack shops, theatre lanes, and quick access to Tiananmen security zones.

Day trips

75km / about 1.5-2h by car or tour bus from central Beijing
Great Wall at Mutianyu
Restored wall, watchtowers, cable cars, and wooded mountain views make Mutianyu the balanced first Wall trip. Start early to beat tour buses and return traffic.
70km / about 30-40min by high-speed rail from Qinghe to Badaling Great Wall station, plus transfers
Great Wall at Badaling
Badaling is the most developed and accessible Great Wall section, with heavy crowds but simpler public transport than many alternatives.
45km / about 1.5h by car or bus from central Beijing
Ming Tombs
The imperial burial valley north of the city includes the Sacred Way and several accessible tomb areas. It pairs naturally with a Great Wall trip if time is tight.

Getting around

The Beijing Subway covers the core with numbered lines, airport expresses, ring Line 10, Line 1 for Tiananmen-Wangfujing, Line 5 for Temple of Heaven and Lama Temple, and Line 8 for Drum Tower, Qianmen, and Olympic Park. Use a Beijing Transportation Card, Alipay/WeChat transit QR where available, or station tickets; taxis need addresses in Chinese characters.