The Forbidden City
Enter Meridian Gate, exit Shenwu / Donghua
From¥60
CITY GUIDE · CHINA
Beijing
Six centuries of imperial capital stacked along a single north–south axis — where a Ming palace, a hutong breakfast, and the Great Wall all fit inside one long weekend.
Sights in Beijing
Filter by what kind of trip this is for.
Tiananmen Square
Book ahead + bring your passport for security
FromFree
Great Wall (Mutianyu)
Cable up, toboggan down — open every day
From¥40
The Summer Palace
East Gate in, North Gate out
From¥30
Temple of Heaven
Open every day — even Mondays
From¥15
Old Summer Palace
The ruins — paired with the Summer Palace
From¥10
Jingshan Park
Climb for the Forbidden City rooftop panorama
From¥2
Beihai Park
White Pagoda + lake at dusk, before it closes
From¥10
Prince Gong's Mansion
The best-preserved princely residence in the city
From¥40
Lama Temple (Yonghe)
Pair with the Confucius Temple next door
From¥25
Experiences in Beijing
Beyond sights — the walks and day-out routes that tie a trip together.
Hutong Walk
Nanluoguxiang → Shichahai → Yandai Xiejie
FromFree
Mutianyu Great Wall Day
Charter a car 1.5–2h, cable up + toboggan down
From¥300 car
Qianmen & Dashilan Stroll
Old-name shops, lunch + Beijing Fang + PageOne
FromFree
What to eat in Beijing
The classics, plus the halal quarter.
Peking Duck
The dish the city is named for
Avg¥150–300
Instant-Boiled Mutton Hotpot
Copper pot, plain broth, sesame dip
Avg¥120–200
Zhajiangmian
Fried-bean-sauce noodles — Beijing's everyday bowl
Avg¥20–40
Niujie Beef Shaobing
Beef-stuffed sesame buns in the halal quarter
Avg¥10–20
Where to stay — pick the zone first, hotel second
5 zones. Filter by who you are.
Wangfujing
Walk to the Forbidden City — the first-timer's pick
5★¥1,300–1,320
4★¥900–1,200
Select¥780–900
Hutong North (Nanluogu / Shichahai)
Hutong atmosphere + Line 8 straight to the lanes
4★¥1,100–1,200
Select¥780–950
Qianmen (South)
Modern + value, walk to the Temple of Heaven
4★¥900–1,050
3★¥500–700
Xidan / Fuxingmen (West)
Line 1 west — a luxury flagship plus value malls
5★¥1,388
4★¥850–950
Select¥350–500
Chaoyangmen / Dongdaqiao (East)
East side — mall-connected comfort, taxi to the sights
4★¥900–1,000
Notes & image credits
- Hero (Forbidden City corner tower), Forbidden City (palace roofs panorama), Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace (Long Corridor), Beihai (White Pagoda), Prince Gong's Mansion, Hutong Walk, Qianmen & Dashilan — SINOGO original (Gloria's photos).
- Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Old Summer Palace, Jingshan Park, Lama Temple — Wikimedia Commons, various authors, CC BY / CC BY-SA.
- Peking Duck, Instant-Boiled Mutton Hotpot, Zhajiangmian, Shaobing — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.
- Where-to-Stay zone maps — © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by CARTO (light basemap). Gold dot = zone, dark dot = the Forbidden City for orientation.
- Hotel price ranges = late-Aug / Sept 2026 sticker prices from Gloria's hotel research (Trip.com). Final per-hotel picks live in each zone's detail panel.
- Paused until photos exist: Transport (Subway / bikes / DiDi / Wall car) and Day Trips (Badaling / Jinshanling), plus the imageless sights (National Museum, Shichahai, Nanluoguxiang, Drum & Bell, Confucius Temple, Tsinghua & PKU).