Beijing is at the core of China and an essential travel destination. Once serving as capital to six ancient dynasties, this historical and cultural mecca offers something for all travelers to see and do.

Top attractions in Beijing include the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven. In addition, pedicab tours allow for exploration of hutong neighborhoods that include passageways and courtyards filled with traditional compact homes. Cathay Pacific’s international routes now include Chicago to Beijing.

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, better known as the Palace Museum, should be on every Beijing visitor’s must-see list. This vast complex was home to 24 emperors for 500 years from 1420 until Puyi was forcibly deposed by revolutionary forces in 1911; since then it has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and serves as an iconic national symbol, featuring on China’s official seal.

Although the Forbidden City is vast, you should be able to visit its most significant sights within two hours if you stick to its central axis. To maximize enjoyment while exploring museums, gardens, and palace structures located off this main route.

Keep this in mind when planning your itinerary: the Forbidden City is closed every Monday. For optimal experience, plan on visiting early to avoid tour buses that drop off hordes of tourists all day long. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water during summer when temperatures can easily hit 100.

Once finished exploring the Forbidden City, exit via either its North or East Gate. From either end you can walk across Jingshan Park for stunning panoramic views of the imperial palace; or from either Gate head towards Beihai Park or Wangfujing Street near Beihai Park/Wangfujing Street to take public transit buses directly to other major attractions such as Great Wall/Summer Palace/Temple of Heaven/Great Wall etc. If taking public transport instead, Tiananmen Square is less than a minute away from Forbidden City/Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is one of the world’s most well-known public spaces and an integral part of Chinese history and culture. Situated at the center of Beijing, this must-see attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists is home to several landmarks as well as having hosted political demonstrations, student protests and other special events during its century of existence.

Tiananmen Square’s most visited tourist spots include Tiananmen Tower, Monument to People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People and Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Each year millions of visitors visit this stunning square in order to admire its exquisite architecture and attend its National Flag Raising Ceremony.

Visiting the Square on a weekday? Be sure to arrive early so as to avoid large crowds and witness its spectacular flag raising ceremony at sunrise; this event truly offers something unforgettable!

There are various means of reaching Tiananmen Square, including taxi, metro and bus services. If taking a taxi ride to get there, tell the driver “Please take me to Tiananmen.” Alternatively, use Beijing Metro Line 1 and exit at Tiananmendong or Qianmen (Tian an men dong and Tian an men xi).

Tiananmen Square is just one of the top tourist spots in Beijing; others can include the Beijing Railway Museum with its historical locomotives and switchposts from centuries past to contemporary times, tracing China’s railway development from ancient to modern era.

Jingshan Park

Jingshan Park was first developed as an imperial garden during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and is situated along Beijing’s Central Axis with five peaks crowned by elaborate pavilions. On clear days it provides 360 degree views of both old and new Beijing – truly remarkable views!

As soon as you step through the front gate, you are welcomed by an exquisite Qiwang Pavilion nestled amidst green cypresses. Once used by Emperors to honor Confucius’ memorial tablet, this two-story pavilion features white marble balustrades and an eye-catching golden-glazed roof topped with golden glazes.

The park also houses many historic structures such as the Holy Hope Tower or xiwanglou, where coffins and portrait deposits for members of the Qing Dynasty’s imperial family were stored; Shouhuang Temple where sacrifices to their ancestors were offered by emperors; Yongsi Hall, Guande Hall and Huguozhongyi Temple which promote China’s culture of filial piety; as well as Yongsi Hall Guande Hall Huguozhongyi Temple to name just a few of their historic structures; each year in spring/early summer the park becomes one of its most popular horticultural exhibitions with blooming peonies among many varieties of other flowers and shrubs that also decorate its borders.

As you walk towards the eastern side of the park, two stone slabs set before a locust tree will mark where Emperor Chongzhen, when assassinated, hanged himself from its branches. Unfortunately, however, due to Cultural Revolution it was uprooted. Another iconic landmark in this park is Jiejing Pavilion built by Emperor Qianlong to commemorate his wedding anniversary and opened to the public in 1928.

Gubei

Gubei is a new Beijing attraction that blends the Great Wall and traditional water town culture together into one unique attraction. Situated in Miyun county and surrounding Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir, it also stands at the base of Simatai Great Wall; more aptly dubbed as Wuzhen in the North for its combination of mountains, lakes, ancient villages and hilly areas with quadrangle dwellings.

The architecture of this town exudes old-world simplicity and elegance, featuring long Hutong streets lined with old quartzite streets decorated with river channels. By nightfall, its entirety becomes an eye-catching spectacle – with over ten theme areas dedicated to China’s history and culture for visitors to experience, such as Blocks of the Republic of China Region, Water Streets Park Region, Wolongbao Folk Culture Park Region, Old Village at Tang River Region and Local Accommodation Region.

Many of the attractions in town are historical in nature, such as Yinghua Academy, Yang Wudi Temple and Zhenyuan Safeguard Agency. Visitors can watch demonstrations of ancient safeguards at Yinghua Academy as well as learn about local traditions at Eight Banners Guild Hall.

The town offers an abundance of hotels and restaurants serving traditional Chinese cuisine, in addition to having a spa and hot spring for visitors looking for some relaxation after touring the Great Wall. Homestays allow them to experience daily life inside a Chinese family. There are over 40 boutique hotels and local inns with various themes as well.

Houhai

Houhai Lake Park offers scenic lake area where you can indulge in an assortment of leisure activities during the daytime and becomes one of the city’s liveliest areas at night, filled with bars and restaurants where people come to relax with drinks or enjoy entertainment.

Qianhai (Front Lake), Houhai and Xihai (“Western Lake”) make up part of Shichahai lake area in Beijing. Surrounded by winding hutong lanes, these manmade lakes are popular for recreational boating in spring and summer and skating/biking on frozen lakes in winter. Hutongs are popular with Beijingers while many residences along the lake’s edge have been converted into restaurants, cafes or bars.

History enthusiasts will find two of the best museums in the region conveniently nearby: Madame Soong Ching-ling’s former residence is just steps away, and Prince Gong Mansion can also be found nearby.

Additionally, there are numerous cafes and bars nearby, with Pass By Bar being particularly notable. Established in 1999 as the city’s first travel-themed bar, its decor consists of simple old furniture combined with green plants for an ideal spot to unwind over cocktails or read a book.

This area is a favorite destination among both Chinese and foreign visitors alike, both locals and travelers. It provides visitors with a chance to experience Beijing’s true culture while getting away from its hectic city center, with fantastic sunset views over Lake Taihu. Furthermore, it makes a romantic spot for dinner dates with that special someone!