Beijing in 4 days

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Arrival, Tiananmen, museums

   Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) is best in the morning before heat and crowds build. Walk the full axis from Tiananmen Gate south to Front Gate (正阳门) to appreciate the scale — 440,000 square metres. The National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆) on the east side of the square is one of the world's largest museums; the Ancient China permanent exhibition covers Neolithic through Qing artefacts and requires 2–3 hours. Book timed entry online. Evening on Wangfujing pedestrian street or at a Peking duck restaurant (Quanjude has branches in the area). Transport: metro Line 1 runs along Chang'an Avenue; the airport express to Dongzhimen takes 35 minutes from Capital Airport.

   Attractions: tiananmen-square, national-museum-china

2. Day 2 · beijing

   Forbidden City and Jingshan

   Book Forbidden City (故宫, Gù Gōng) timed-entry tickets online at least a week ahead. Enter through the Meridian Gate (午门) at opening (8:30 AM) to get 90 minutes before the tour groups arrive. The south-north route through the three ceremonial halls is the standard path; the eastern and western wings house the clocks-and-watches exhibition and the painting galleries, which are less crowded and worth the time. Exit through Shenwu Gate north to Jingshan Park (景山公园) — a small hill with an elevated view over the entire palace complex, best photographed in morning light. Afternoon options: the Drum Tower and Bell Tower neighbourhood immediately north of Jingshan, or Beihai Park (北海公园) to the west. Photography tip: the jade-coloured roof tiles of the Forbidden City are most saturated before 11 AM; the north gate view from Jingshan is the classic composition.

   Attractions: forbidden-city

3. Day 3 · beijing

   Great Wall — Mutianyu

   Mutianyu (慕田峪) is the best Great Wall section for independent visitors: fully restored, walkable for 5–6 km of ridge, less crowded than Badaling, and served by cable cars up and a toboggan option down. Take a dedicated tourist bus or hire a driver for ¥300–500 return; allow 90 minutes travel each way. Arrive at the base by 10 AM; the upward cable car (¥80) avoids the steep stair climb. Walk eastward from the lift exit for increasingly unrestored sections with better photography and fewer people. Pack lunch — site food is overpriced. Allow 3 hours on the Wall; back in Beijing by 5–6 PM. Evening rest at the hotel or a low-key dinner in the Sanlitun bar district for a quieter night after a physically demanding day.

   Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu

4. Day 4 · beijing

   Temple of Heaven, hutongs, 798

   Temple of Heaven (天坛) is best in the early morning when Beijing residents use the park for tai chi, badminton, and communal singing — the surrounding park is as interesting as the Circular Mound Altar and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Allow 90 minutes; enter early at 6 AM when the park opens. Metro Line 5 south. Move north to the Houhai lake district (后海) for a hutong walk — the lanes east of the lake (Nanluoguxiang, Beiluoguxiang, Ghost Street) offer a genuine feel for old Beijing courtyard residential life. Lunch at a hutong courtyard restaurant. Optional afternoon: 798 Art District (798艺术区) in the northeast — former military factory complex converted to contemporary galleries, studios, and cafes. Transport: metro Lines 1/5/10 cover most of the day; 798 requires a taxi or metro Line 14 plus a walk.

   Attractions: temple-of-heaven, houhai-lakes, 798-art-district

Budget guide (CNY per day)