Beijing is a city of contrasts in constant evolution in which it is very common to find large skyscrapers next to traditional houses. The first vision to reach the city is that of an extremely overcrowded city, with its more than 21 million inhabitants and with a lot of pollution. Although this may initially subtract some charm, we can assure you that there are so many incredible places, sure, this feeling will last a few minutes. Places like the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, taking an excursion to the Great Wall of China or touring the ancient hutongs, makes it worthwhile to spend several days in the city. There are a lot of things what to see and what to do in Beijing, although we have chosen the ones we liked most of the 5 days in Beijing that we spent on the trip to China in 25 days, in which we made a route from Beijing to Hong Kong, which we can say, was fascinating.
1. Smell incense in the Temple of the Lamas, a Tibetan Buddhist temple that was our first visit in Beijing and one of the ones we liked the most. You can book this ticket without queues in advance.
2. Go up to the Drum Tower to have Beijing at your feet and see the huge bronze bell, one of the best things to see in Beijing.
3. Haggle the price to a rickshaw driver and walk the hutongs or alleys with the traditional Chinese means of transport.
4. Make a dent between the Wangfujing market stalls to try the skewers of scorpions, snakes ...
5. Have a good lacquered duck for dinner at the Siji Minfu restaurant.
6. Visit the Forbidden City first thing in the morning, one of the wonders of Beijing. We recommend you book this ticket in advance to save yourself the long lines or this guided tour in Spanish to learn about its interesting history.
The prohibited city
7. Haggle non-stop at the Silk Market, full of fakes of clothing brands, watches, bags ...
8. Leave our backpack at a box office and visit the Mao Zedong Mausoleum in Tiananmen Square, where the embalmed body of the founder of the People's Republic of China is located.
9. Cross the bridge of the 17 arches on Kunming Lake, which connects the island of Nanhu with land in the Summer Palace.
10. Go up to the Drum Tower to see the 25 drums that were used to play the daylight hours and enjoy its views over Beijing.
More things to see and do in Beijing
11. Have a good traditional tea at the Laoshe Teahouse in Qianmen.
12. Take the subway to visit the Olympic Village of Beijing at night with its incredible National Stadium, shaped like a bird's nest, and the National Aquatic Center.
13. Climb up to the Wancheng Ting Pavilion in Jingshan Park, also called the Coal Hill, with incredible views of the Forbidden City and one of the best things to see and do in Beijing.
14. Stroll through Art District 798, full of art galleries, fashion stores, restaurants, bookstores ... This is what is considered to be the bohemian area of Beijing.
15. Take the excursion to the Great Wall, one of the essential places to visit in China. We recommend the Simatai and Jinshanling or Mutianyu sector, less restored and with much less people than the Badaling area.
The Great Wall of China
16. Stroll along Qianmen Street, full of shops, bars and restaurants, one of the best things to do in Beijing.
17. Disconnect from Beijing through the Summer Palace, with a large lake and full of beautiful temples, gardens and palaces. You can book this ticket without queues in advance.
18. Eat the best dim sum or dumplings in Beijing, steamed dumplings, at Din Tai Fung.
19. If we do not want to miss any of the most important visits of the city we can make a guided tour in Spanish to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven or this private tour of Beijing.
20. Be surprised to find the Marble Ship that Empress Cixi used to celebrate parties at the Summer Palace.
21. One of the best tips for traveling to China if we are going to take a taxi or other transportation, is to ask the hotel to write the address in Chinese since very few speak English.
22. Visit the Temple of Confucius, near the Temple of the Lamas, a dedicated temple dedicated to the Chinese thinker and his teachings.
If you prefer to forget about preparations or have little time, you can book the best tours and excursions in Beijing in Spanish
If you prefer to forget about preparations or have little time, you can book the best tours and excursions in Beijing in Spanish23. Taste the flavors of local food at the Little Yunnan restaurant.
24. As in New York in Beijing you can also book the Contrast tour, with a guide in Spanish we will travel from the traditional hutongs to the most modern Beijing.
25. Visit the Temple of Heaven, our favorite place in the city and one of the best things to see and do in Beijing. You can book this ticket without queues in advance.
Temple of Heaven, one of the best things to see and do in Beijing.
More places to see in Beijing
26. A good place to stay is in some area of hutongs. Here we will have peace of mind and if we have a nearby subway exit it will be easy for us to move around the city. We stayed at the 161 Hotel, 5 minutes from the subway and with free wifi. Highly recommended.
27. Watch a Kung Fu show at the Red Theater in Beijing.
28. Take night photos of the Tiananmen Gate, where Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949 and one of the places to see in Beijing.
29. Eat a great Hot Pot: a set of meals that are cooked in a hot broth that is located in the center of a table, in the BeiJing Haidilao restaurant
30. Enter the National Museum of China for free, you must carry your passport. It is immense with good rooms to learn about the history and development of China.
31. Relax in Beihai Park next to Coal Hill, with a large lake and temples that will help you disconnect from the noise and stress of the city.
32. See outside the spectacular design of the Grand National Theater of China, also known as "The Egg", in which there is no outside door and you have to enter through an underground tunnel.
33. Watch the movie of The last Emperor by Bernardo Bertolucci, before visiting The Forbidden City.
34. See the houses and traditional life walking through the hutongs, before they disappear. One of the best things to see in Beijing.
Beijing Hutongs
35. Do not despair with queues, especially in The Forbidden City. You have to find out if it is a local party since we can find more than 3 hours of queue.
36. Buy some souvenir in Liulichang, Beijing's antique street, full of souvenir shops.
37. Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
38. Take a boat ride on Lake Houhai in the Shichahai area.
39. Find The Wall of the 9 Dragons in The Forbidden City.
40. Risk life by taking a bike tour through the chaotic traffic of the city.
More things to do in Beijing
41. Watch an acrobatic show at the Chaoyang Theater, there are few better than the Chinese in this discipline.
42. Go out for dinner or have a drink in the Sanlitun area.
43. Take a boat to explore the canals of Beijing until you reach the Summer Palace, one of the best things to do in Beijing.
44. Go up to the Television Tower to have the best panoramic views of Beijing.
45. Pass the security checks and enter the historic Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Gate, one of the places to see in Beijing
46. Go on a Saturday or Sunday to the market market of Panjiayuan, there you can find all kinds of crafts, antiques, Chinese paintings, calligraphy, vases ...
48. Eat delicious boiled and fried dumplings at Mr. Shi's Dumplings restaurant.
49. Take the subway to Nanluogu Xiang Street, a colorful shopping street full of original clothing stores, street food and a great atmosphere.
50. Beware of scams, both in illegal taxis, rickshaws, English learners who want to take you to try tea, improvised guides that tell you that a place is closed and take you to a store ... Surely if you don't fall anywhere these, you will be counting the days to return to Beijing.
* Book your transfer Airport ⇆ Beijing Center here
If you feel like helping us complete the list of 50 things to see and do in Beijing, add yours in the comments.
