Top things to do in Beijing
Attractions, tours, and activities in Beijing
Beijing: the city's best neighborhoods
Find a great area to stay in Beijing
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Central Business District
4.4 miles from downtown
In Beijing's CBD, sharp-suited businesspeople march into countless skyscrapers. The area is filled with hotels, high-end malls and restaurants. Stroll through the pedestrian village Jianwai SOHO, a newly built development that has a well-earned reputation for cool-and-casual East-West dining, or find clothes and food at China Central Mall.
Places to stay from $61 a night
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Hai Dian
5.6 miles from downtown
Say "hi" to Haidian, a district with intellectual life at its core. Students studying at Tsinghua University, Peking University and the Renmin University of China love to zone out in the area’s picturesque parks. Study the whimsical bridges and ancient Qing-era ruins in Yuanmingyuan Park, or try Beijing Botanical Garden for fields of flowers.
Places to stay from $39 a night
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Xicheng
1.1 miles from downtown
See the picturesque imperial gardens the way they're meant to be seen – by bike. Beihai Park is one of Beijing’s most beautiful, with its glistening lake and majestic hilltop pagodas. Ride past the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Beijing’s oldest Catholic church, then go temple-spotting in Zhongnanhai, adjacent to the Forbidden City.
Places to stay from $26 a night
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Chaoyang
4.3 miles from downtown
Shop and dine at Solana Mall, or blow your fabric budget on Silk Street. Show your skills at the Olympic Green, or head to Chaoyang Park for swimming, amusement parks – or just to smell the roses. Shop for contemporary art in the Dashanzi Art District (798 Art Zone) or just lounge around in the bars on Sanlitun Bar Street.
Places to stay from $22 a night
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Dongcheng
1.4 miles from downtown
The ubiquitous "hutong" (traditional alleys) in Nanluoguxiang complement the skyscrapers, endless malls and tourists in and around Tiananmen Square. Wangfujing is charming for shopping, particularly for popular local brands. For culture, try the Poly Art Museum, a must-see for its collection of 3,000-year-old Shang Dynasty bronzes.
Places to stay from $12 a night
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Houhai
1.8 miles from downtown
Houhai is one of three areas in Shichahai, where traditional life flourishes in "hutong" (traditional alleys). Don't miss the stunning pagodas in Houhai Lakeside Park, a relaxing place to stretch and stroll. The Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling is a museum with gorgeous gardens and ponds. Retreat to Houhai Bar Street for a delicious hot pot.
Places to stay from $19 a night
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Sanlitun
3.3 miles from downtown
Time flies while exploring Sanlitun’s luxurious shopping areas. You’ll find a million reasons to shop in the international brand-name stores, and the restaurants take a splash of traditional, a dash of Western, and a bit of variety to serve up a choice selection of high-end dining. It’s also the best place to get your groove on after dark!
Places to stay from $68 a night
About Beijing
Including tips for the best time to visit Beijing
China’s sprawling capital of Beijing is jam-packed with attractions such as historical temples, royal gardens and bustling food markets. In this megacity, visitors can discover a way of life that is ancient and modern, peaceful and spirited.
Beijing’s history is celebrated through a huge collection of monuments – many of which listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There’s the Forbidden City, a palace that dates back to 1406 and presides over Tiananmen Square. Here, you can admire the striking traditional Chinese architecture outside and browse historical artworks at the Palace Museum inside. There’s also the Temple of Heaven, a captivating religious complex known for its symbolic layout and design. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, annual ceremonies were held wherein Emperors would pray to the gods for a good harvest.
Out of all Beijing’s stunning sceneries, none of them are more breathtaking than the Summer Palace. This vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces offers a truly indescribable serenity. While work began on this peaceful retreat in about 1153, it wasn’t completed until 600 years later. The dedication shows, and nowadays, visitors are able to see a perfectly preserved oasis from a bygone era.
A visit to Beijing isn't complete without exploring its exciting narrow hutong alleyways, most of which are filled with delicious foods. Check out Wangfujing Snack Street for a variety of local and exotic street foods and deserts. Afterwards, walk towards Wangfujing Pedestrian Street to discover a range of retail and souvenir stores.
Tonight
From $46 per night
This weekend
From $85 per night
Next weekend
From $92 per night
| Most popular time to visit | October-December |
| Cheapest time to visit | January-March |
| Local currency | CNY 10 = $1.40 |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Average weekend price | $124 per night |
| Average weekday price | $122 per night |
| Average stay | 2 nights |
Points of interest in Beijing
Stay near the top sightseeing spots in Beijing
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Forbidden City
0.1 miles from downtown
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Tiananmen Square
0.7 miles from downtown
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Wangfujing Street
1.1 miles from downtown
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Sanlitun Barstreet
3.7 miles from downtown
Beijing reviews
What other travelers say about Beijing
Excellent sight seeing, especially the Great Wall, Forbidden...
November 15, 2023
Excellent sight seeing, especially the Great Wall, Forbidden City Tiananmen Square. We were one of the first western tour groups since before Covid and were so warmly welcomed by local people who were so friendly and wanted to take selfies with us. We had a wonderful trip.
Beijing is very historical and BEAUTIFUL
October 24, 2023
Beijing is very historical and BEAUTIFUL A minimum of 1 week stay is a MUST... so much to see, do and the FOODS...galore Transportation - metro, buses, taxis, trains... cheap, modern, clean, safe convenience beyond words I even had a free ebike ride *rescue* from a good samaritan local Chinese gentleman
Travelling by subway is easy with clear signs &...
October 8, 2023
Travelling by subway is easy with clear signs & directions. Many interesting huge sightseeing locations such as Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Beihai Park, Confucious Temple & Imperial Academy, Mutianyu Great Wall, Olympic Park with Bird's Nest Stadium & Aquatic Water Cube etc. Lots of walking on uneven ground at sightseeing places. Temperature varied from low of 17C to 27C and surprisingly quite hot & humid most of the time until one perspired easily. Most challenging is the air pollution most of the days except for only 2 days that I stayed for 20 nights. Had to wear surgical mask. Ironically, the best place to escape from the hot & humid environment is the aircon restrooms which are cleaned & well maintained. Lots of spicy food but there are also a few Japanese & Westen restaurants too.
Traffic is horrible.
September 22, 2023
Traffic is horrible. All day you will get stacked by traffic. We later preferred using metro instead of taxis. Lots of famous sightseeings are required to book tickets on line in advance which is not convenient for tourists at all.
Try to avoid it for tourist during the summer holidays, so...
July 31, 2023
Try to avoid it for tourist during the summer holidays, so crowds in metro and the major tour areas , I suggest you to travel to enjoy Beijing out of the school holiday time ! It is a beautiful city .
Beijing is a great city.
July 28, 2023
Beijing is a great city. The people are friendly and polite. They are helpful in giving directions. We travelled around by subway which is very frequent and efficient. The trains are airconditioned and signages are good. The cost of transportation, both public and taxis, is low. The Chinese cuisine restaurants are good and reasonably cheap. Peking duck is a signature dish here. We enjoyed the food and the stay in Beijing. It was a very effective holidays. As foreigners we find it difficult to prebook entry into places like summer palace, forbidder city etc. We have good experience using Discover Beijing for private guided tour of Summer Palace and Beijing Night time sight seeing. We can still use cash and credit cards in Beijing.
Popular places to stay in Beijing
Stay in some of the best accommodations Beijing has to offer
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Xinxiang Yayuan Beijing Sihe courtyard with sky garden terrace Near Tiananmen Square Forbidden City Wangfujing Pedestrian Street and the subway Dongcheng, Beijing
From $181 per night
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Zhe·Yi Boutique Guesthouse Fengtai, Beijing
From $50 per night
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Mumian Beijing Daxing International Airport Daxing, Beijing
From $113 per night
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base-Wangfujing Serviced Apartment Dongcheng, Beijing
From $72 per night
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Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel Dongcheng, Beijing
From $152 per night
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