Destination OS · Imperial axes, hutong lanes, long distances
Beijing 北京
Beijing is big and spread out: do one district per half-day, book the Forbidden City by passport before you fly, ride the subway or a taxi between districts, and expect security checks and QR payment everywhere.
- Cash
- 3/5
- Heat
- 3/5
- Stroller
- 2/5
- Friction
- 64/100
Rules in force · 6
- China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
- China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
- China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
- China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
- China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.
- North China ↗Great Wall sections are exposed and steep: wind, ice and midday heat change the day. Go early and pick the section by the weather, not the brochure.
Overview
Beijing's sights are on a grand north-south axis with wide roads, security checks and long walks between gates. The trips that go wrong pay for it in three ways: the Forbidden City closed or sold out on the day, a suitcase in a hutong that cars cannot enter, and a phone that cannot pay or load a map. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; two airports and a car ride make the arrival the main risk.
Fits
- History and palace trips
- Food and hutong evenings
- Short city breaks with a Great Wall day
Does not fit
- Strollers and wheelchairs in hutongs
- Travellers without a working payment app
- Anyone who needs Google services
- 2 days
- Forbidden City morning, Wangfujing evening; Temple of Heaven the next morning
- 3 days
- Four clusters, one per half-day
- 5 days
- Four clusters + Great Wall day + one slow day
- Don't confuse
- Beijing has two main airports on opposite sides: Capital (PEK) is north-east, Daxing (PKX) is 46 km south; check your ticket.
Decide
You will like
- Imperial sights
- Roast duck and noodles
- Cycling the hutongs
You will hate
- Security queues
- Winter cold and dust
- Summer heat and storms
When
Very cold and dry; Spring Festival some years.
Cold; Spring Festival closures some years.
Cold, dusty; Two Sessions security.
Mild; blossoms; Qingming long weekend.
Warm and dry; May Day week is crowded.
Hot; afternoon storms start.
Hot, humid and rainy.
Hot, heavy rain.
Clear and mild; a good month.
Best weather, but National Day week is at peak crowds.
Cool, dry and clear.
Cold, dry; air quality varies.
Money
- Budget
- ¥250–450 excl. bed / day
- Mid
- ¥450–1,000 excl. bed / day
- High
- ¥1,000+ excl. bed / day
- IC card
- No transit card needed: the subway takes a QR code in Alipay or WeChat, or single tickets from machines and counters.
- Cash rule
- Keep ¥300 in small notes as a backup; withdraw at Bank of China or ICBC ATMs inside banks or malls.
Arrive
PEK to central Beijing: a taxi or DiDi straight to the door, 40–70 minutes; the cheaper Airport Express train runs only until late evening, so treat the car as the plan.
PKX to central Beijing: 46 km south, a taxi or DiDi in 60–95 minutes to the door; the airport express trains stop earlier than flights land, so check your ticket for the right airport before you book the hotel.
Move
- Default
- Walk inside a cluster; subway or DiDi between clusters; car for bags and late nights.
- Passes
- No pass. A subway ride is about ¥3–7; a short taxi starts near ¥14.
- Last trains
- The subway stops around 23:00; after that use a taxi or DiDi. Check the last train in Amap.
- Other modes
- Other modes (Rome2Rio)
Luggage
- Lockers
- Lockers at Beijing railway stations and some subway stations; hotels hold bags after check-out.
- Forwarding
- Some hotels arrange bag delivery to the airport; ask before you fly.
- Dead zone
- Late check-out flights: ask the hotel to hold bags; carry your passport, not the bag, to the ticket desk.
Clusters
Morning cluster: security and passport checks at the square, then the palace from its timed entry; long open axes with little shade, so go in the first slot.
rescue coverage 95% · max p90 6.9′ · half
Evening cluster: the pedestrian street, the snack lane and the malls; flat and air-conditioned, so it is the rain and heat fallback.
rescue coverage 91% · max p90 7′ · half
Late-afternoon and evening cluster: lanes off Nanluoguxiang and the Drum Tower square; low buildings, uneven paving, cyclists, no cars in the narrowest lanes.
rescue coverage 94% · max p90 7′ · half
Early-morning cluster: the park fills with locals from 06:00; walk the axis from the Hall of Prayer south to the Circular Mound before the tour groups; long, flat and shaded by cypress.
rescue coverage 99% · max p90 6.8′ · half
Days
Palace at its timed slot, temple at opening, hutongs at dusk; the last day ends with the bags already in the car.
Places
Book a timed ticket with your passport before you fly and take the first slot; 3 hours through the central axis; closed on Mondays outside holidays and summer.
Go at opening, when locals do tai chi and sing under the cypress; 90 minutes along the axis; buy the combined ticket through the park's official channel.
Eat
Peking duck in a small courtyard in the hutongs south of Tiananmen; book ahead through your hotel or a booking agent, because seating is small.
Sleep
Slower nights in a courtyard guesthouse; cars stop at the lane mouth, so expect a walk with the bags — ask the host for a night contact and check the desk hours.
Desk: unknown
First-timers: the Forbidden City is 25 minutes on foot and the subway is at the door; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk that accepts foreign guests.
Desk: staffed 24h
Survive
Safety
- Cross at signals; electric scooters and turning cars ignore lines.
- Winter and spring: check air quality; carry a mask on bad days.
- Emergency: 110 police, 119 fire, 120 ambulance; tourist hotline 12301.
Red lines
- Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City: security checks, passport at the gate, no flags or banners.
- Do not photograph military sites or police.
- Temples: do not step on thresholds; silence in prayer halls.
Practical
- Public toilets are in parks, stations and malls; carry tissues.
- Tap water is not for drinking.
Nearby: North China trips
Sources
- Visit Beijing (official tourism) (official)
- Palace Museum (Forbidden City) (official)
- Wikivoyage - Beijing (secondary)