Top 15 Beijing Tourist Attractions, Beijing Sightseeing 2024
What to see, to buy, to experience in Beijing? What are the best you should never miss, and what are the feature activities only the locals know?
To help you plan your Beijing vacation and explore the real life of this city, here we have collected the TOP 15 Beijing Attractions where you can get a better understanding about the past and present of Beijing and learn more about Chinese culture and history. We have also selected 6 recommended featured activities you can choose to add more fun to your Beijing trip.
- Top Attractions
- Featured Activities
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No.1: Forbidden City
Type: Historic Site, landmarks
Recommended Length of Visit: 2-3 hours
Forbidden City is absolutely the top must-see place in Beijing, which will show you what the Chinese culture and Dynasty is all about. Consisting of more than 9,000 rooms and spreading over 250 acres, it is once reserved only for the Emperors in 15-18th century. Once you enter the palace, you have stepped in the centuries' old history of China's imperial dynasties. Learn more >>
☛ Recommended Forbidden City Tours
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No.2: Great Wall
Type: Historic Site, Landmarks, Hiking Trails
Recommended Length of Visit: about 3 hours' hiking
Hiking the Great Wall is always a must for Beijing first-time visitors. From the continuous line of the Wall, there are some famous sections for visitors to go near Beijing city, including the most famous Badaling Great Wall, the less crowded Mutianyu Section and Simatai section, the beautiful Jinshanling, steep Jiankou, war-striken Gubeikou, strategic Juyongguan, unique Huanghuacheng, etc. Learn Which Sections of the Great Wall to Visit
☛ Recommended Great Wall Tours
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No.3: Temple of Heaven
Type: Historic Site, Parks, Religious Site
Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hours
Temple of Heaven is the largest building for religious worship in China with a total area of 270 acres. It is where the Ming and Qing emperors to pay homage to Heaven and pray a rich harvest for the next year. Nowadays it has become a leisure park, where you can see many beautiful temple buildings and halls with colorful decorations on them. Learn more >>
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No.4: Hutong
Type: Historic Walking Area
Recommended Length of Visit: about 2 hours
Beijing is famous for its centuries-old alleys known as hutongs. What is charmful to visitors is the 'real life' of Beijing in these neighborhoods of narrow, twisting alleys. Houhai area is the best place to explore the Hutong culture. The most-visited Nanluoguxiang and the oldest commercial street Yandaixie Street are both near Houhai. Learn more >>
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No.5: Summer Palace
Type: Hisotric Site, Parks
Recommended Length of Visit: 2-3 hours
Summer Palace, called Yiheyuan in Chinese, used to be the summer retreat for emperors majorly consisting of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. But now it is a park for both locals and tourists. You can stroll around the ancient pavilions, temples, bridges and huge lakes to enjoy the amazing view of this royal garden. Learn more >>
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No.6: Tian'anmen Square
Type: landmarks, Square
Recommended Length of Visit: less than 1 hour
Tiananmen Square is a vast open concrete expanse at the heart of modern Beijing. Here you can see the national flag raised at dawn and lowered at dusk every day, and the locals, as well as visitors strolling about at ease. The most famous site, Tian'an Men is where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Learn more >>
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No.7: Beijing Olympic Park
Type: Arenas
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour
Beijing Olympic Park, also called Olympic Green, is a spacious park built for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It contains 10 Olympic venues, 7 non-competitive venues, and a forest park, some of which have become landmarks of Beijing and representative works in architectural history such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. The best time to visit there is in the afternoon till night, for the splendid colorful lights will add more unforgettable memory to your Beijing trip. Learn more >>
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No.8: Jingshan Park
Type: Parks, Historical Sites
Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hours
Jingshan Park, located in the central axes of Beijing and adjacent to Forbidden City, is the highest point of Beijing Old Imperil City. It offers a fantastic panoramic view of Forbidden City as well as modern Beijing. There are ancient towers and colorful flowers for sightseeing and many local people playing interesting traditional instruments. Learn more >>
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No.9: Universal Studios Beijing
Type: Amusement Parks, Resorts
Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 days
Universal Studios Beijing, the fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world and the second world-class amusement park in inland China after Shanghai Disneyland, has recently become a must-hit destination for Chinese and foreign tourists visiting Beijing. Featuring themes from Hollywood blockbusters, each zone unlocks a new world for adventurers filled with joy, magic, sci-fi, excitement, and awe. Learn more >>
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No.10: Gubei Water Town
Type: Holiday Resorts
Recommended Length of Visit: Half day
Gubei WaterTown, located at the foot of Simatai Great Wall, is the northeast gateway of Beijing. It is a theme resort of ancient northern architecture built by a lake. Though it is not a historical water town, it has developed into a large-scale tourist's destination for sightseeing, night tour, boating, great wall hiking, and hot spring spa, etc. Learn more >>
☛ Recommended Gubei Water Town Tours
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No.11 Ming Tombs
Type: Historic site, Monuments
Recommended Length of Visit: 2 hours
Ming Tombs, called Chang Ling in Chinese, is the resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming emperors. In Ding Ling, the only tomb opened to the public, you will see the treasures and Chinese Feng Shui alignment. The highlight is the Sacred Road leading to the tomb with hundreds of small stone animals. Only 30 km northwest of Beijing city, Ming Tomb is always companied with the tour to Great Wall. Learn more >>
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No.12: Lama Temple
Type: Religious & Historic sites, Museums
Recommended Length of Visit: 1-2 hour
Lama Temple, also called Yonghegong in Chinese, is the highest-standard Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing. The buildings are a combination of Han and Tibetan styles. Here you can learn more about Tibetan Buddhism while appreciating the excellent architectures and impressive Buddha statues, one of which is an impressive fifty-four-foot high Buddha carved from one complete piece of Tibetan sandalwood. Learn more >>
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No.13: Confucius Temple
Type: Cultural site, Museum
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour
For Confucius fan, you will never miss the trip to Confucius Temple and Guozijian Museum. Less crowded than other sites, you can learn a lot about Confucius while enjoying the quiet atmosphere here. Even you know nothing about Confucius, you will know more about him and his spirit in the East and the West Halls that talked about Confucius's life, philosophies, impact, legacy, etc. in perfect English.
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No.14: National Museum of China
Type: Museums
Recommended Length of Visit: 2-3 hours
With over 1 million precious and rare artifacts, covering Chinese history from 1.7 million years ago till the present, National Museum of China is the third largest and the second most visited museum in the world. It is located on the east side of Tiananmen Square and the south side of East Chang'an Street, right at the city center of Beijing. Learn more >>
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No.15: 798 Art District
Type: Art Galleries, Photography
Recommended Length of Visit: 2 hours
A bunch of once-abandoned factories has now become synonymous with art and originality. 798 Art District is one of the most avant-garde places in Beijing. No matter you are an art enthusiast or not, 798 Art District will show you a different Beijing. You can attend upscale exhibitions, find many creatively designed architectures, stylish boutiques, cafes and restaurants here. Learn more >>
How to Plan Your Travel in Beijing
To explore Beijing's highlights, such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall (with Mutianyu as the top recommendation), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beijing Hutongs - plan for about 4 days, including arrival and departure.
☛ 4 Days Classic Beijing Tour Package
☛ 3 Days Beijing Essential Highlights Tour
If you have extra days, consider hiking the scenic Jinshanling Great Wall, enjoying the stunning night views of Simatai Great Wall, or visiting other sections like Huanghuacheng, Gubeikou, and Juyongguan.
☛ 4 Days Beijing Essence Tour with Simatai Great Wall Night Sightseeing
☛ 4 Days Classic Beijing Tour with Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking
Families with children should not miss Universal Beijing Resort, while museum enthusiasts should visit the National Museum of China, home to the nation's most valuable treasures.
☛ 5 Days Beijing Family-friendly Tour with Universal Studios Fun
☛ 5 Days In-depth Beijing Tour with History and Culture Discovery
As a major transportation hub, Beijing offers easy access to other top destinations in China by flight or train, such as Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu, and Tibet. China Discovery provides a variety of tour packages from Beijing, or we can customize an itinerary to suit your preferences.
Recommended Beijing Tours with Other Top Cities in China:
☛ 6 Days Classic Beijing Xian High-speed Train Tour
☛ 8 Days Best of China Tour (Beijing - Xian - Shanghai)
☛ 10 Days Classic China Tour from Beijing (Beijing - Xian - Guilin - Shanghai)
We have helped many global travelers enjoy their memorable wonderful trips to Beijing for the past few years. Among them, a special team of over 50 VIPKID teachers from North America traveled with us to see their dear studends in China with amazing experience in Beijing and shared us their special travel story! Travel with China Discovery to create your great China trip memories!
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