Five days in Beijing lets you breathe. You can see the Forbidden City without rushing, spend a proper morning at the Great Wall, and still have time to wander hutongs without an agenda. This itinerary is designed for first-time visitors who want depth rather than a checklist — structured days that leave room for the unexpected.
Beijing is large and its traffic is genuinely challenging. The metro is the answer to most transportation problems. This guide is built around metro access, with taxi alternatives noted where they save meaningful time.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Before You Arrive
Tickets to book in advance:
- Forbidden City — book at guگن.dpm.org.cn. Required for entry; sells out days or weeks ahead during peak season (May holidays, October Golden Week)
- Mutianyu Great Wall — book at mutianYuwall.com or through your hotel
- Temple of Heaven — available at entry but book online (¥35) to skip ticket queues
Getting there: Capital Airport (PEK) → Airport Express → Dongzhimen metro (¥25, ~25 min). Daxing Airport (PKX) → Daxing Line → Caoqiao metro (¥35, ~35 min).
Stay: Dongcheng or Xicheng for maximum access to historical sites. Sanlitun for nightlife proximity. Budget 3 nights near Nanluoguxiang to wake up in the hutong atmosphere.
Day 1: Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City
Start at 7:30am. Beijing’s most popular sights are best in the early morning before the tour groups arrive.
Morning: Tiananmen & Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) is free and requires 20-30 minutes. Walk through the square south to north, past the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Mao Mausoleum (open limited hours, free), ending at the gate with Mao’s portrait.
Forbidden City (故宫, ¥60) — plan 3.5-4 hours minimum for the main south-north axis. The central route takes you through increasingly magnificent halls: Meridian Gate, Gate of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Supreme Harmony (the throne room), then through the Inner Court residential halls to the Imperial Garden. Branch into the side halls — the Western Garden is quieter and gives a more intimate sense of palace life. The Treasure Gallery (¥10 extra) and Clock Exhibition Hall (¥10 extra) are both worth visiting.
Exit north through Shenwu Gate, then climb Jingshan Park (¥2) for the aerial overview of the Forbidden City. This is the best single photograph in Beijing.
Afternoon: Wangfujing & Temple of Earth
Wangfujing (王府井) shopping street is a 10-minute walk east. The snack alley (Donghuamen Night Market area) has street food worth trying for lunch: jianbing, tanghulu, sanzi. Walk the main street then turn into the snack lanes for the affordable options.
Evening: Houhai Lake
Houhai (后海) in Xicheng is a 20-minute taxi from Wangfujing. This lake area surrounded by bars, restaurants, and hutongs is one of Beijing’s most pleasant evening spots. Grab dinner at one of the traditional courtyard restaurants around the lake (¥80-150/person for proper Sichuan or Beijing cuisine), then walk the lakeside path after dark.
Day 2: Summer Palace & Yuanmingyuan
Morning: Summer Palace
Summer Palace (颐和园, ¥30 for park, ¥30 more for all buildings) — China’s most impressive imperial garden, spread across Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. The full circuit of the lake takes 2-3 hours. The Long Corridor (长廊) is the most photographed element — a 728-meter covered walkway painted with 14,000 scenes from Chinese history and mythology.
Climb Longevity Hill for views over the lake and the city skyline. The Hall of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁, ¥10 extra) at the summit is the dominant structure.
Metro: Line 4 to Beigongmen Station (north gate) or Xiyuan Station (east gate).
Allow 3-4 hours. Arrive at 8am opening.
Afternoon: Yuanmingyuan
Yuanmingyuan (圆明园, ¥15 for park, ¥25 for European Palace Ruins section) is adjacent to the Summer Palace — the “Old Summer Palace” destroyed by British and French forces in 1860. The ruins of the European-style fountains and palaces have been left deliberately unrestored as a historical reminder. The contrast between the surviving Chinese architecture and these crumbled baroque ruins is thought-provoking.
The park also has lotus-covered lakes beautiful in summer (July-August).
Evening: Haidian & Tech Village
Haidian District surrounds the two palaces and is Beijing’s university and tech neighborhood. Wudaokou (五道口) is the student area — cheap food, lively cafes, and bars with younger crowds. Multiple Korean and international restaurants cluster here due to the large student population.
Day 3: Great Wall at Mutianyu
An early start day. Leave your hotel by 7:30am.
Full Day: Mutianyu Great Wall
Getting there:
- Metro Line 2 to Dongzhimen → Bus 916 Express to Huairou North Street (¥12, ~75 min) → shuttle minibus to Mutianyu (¥10-15)
- Or: book a private car through your hotel for ¥250-400 round trip — worth it if you’re a group
Tickets: ¥65 entry + ¥100 cable car up + ¥55 toboggan down = ¥220 full experience. The chairlift is ¥55 if you prefer.
Mutianyu offers 22 towers on a preserved Ming Dynasty section with stunning ridge scenery. The full walkable section between Tower 6 and Tower 23 (northeast-most) is about 4km and takes 2-3 hours. Tower 14 is the highest point and the main photography spot.
Return by 4pm to get back to Beijing by 6pm. Dinner in Sanlitun or near your accommodation.
For dinner tonight: try Peking Duck at Siji Minfu (四季民福) near the Forbidden City (¥120-160/person) — one of Beijing’s best duck restaurants without the white-tablecloth prices of Da Dong.
Day 4: Temple of Heaven & Panjiayuan Market
Morning: Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven (天坛, ¥35 through-ticket) opens at 6am. Come at 7am — the park surrounding it fills with locals playing instruments, doing tai chi, singing, and playing badminton. This daily morning culture in a 600-year-old imperial ceremonial park is uniquely Beijing.
The main structures: Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) — the circular three-tiered hall. Echo Wall (回音壁) — a circular wall with unusual acoustic properties. Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) — the open-air altar where emperors performed heaven-worship ceremonies.
Allow 2-2.5 hours.
Metro: Line 5 to Tiantan Dongmen Station.
Afternoon: Panjiayuan Antique Market
Panjiayuan Market (潘家园旧货市场) is Beijing’s most famous antique and flea market — 4,000 stalls of furniture, ceramics, calligraphy, Cultural Revolution memorabilia, jade, folk art, and general curios. Most items are reproductions but the market is fun to browse regardless.
Metro: Line 10 to Panjiayuan Station.
Best arrived between 10am-2pm. Serious antique collectors should research before buying — the market has improved its standards but fakes remain common for high-value items.
After Panjiayuan, the Guomao CBD area (国贸) is a 10-minute walk — a dramatic contrast of gleaming corporate towers. The observation bar in the China World Tower (¥80) gives city views.
Evening: Qianmen Street
Qianmen Street (前门大街) is the traditional commercial street south of Tiananmen — extensively renovated but historically significant. The side lanes (particularly Da Zha Lan, 大栅栏) have century-old shops: Ruifuxiang Silk (瑞蚨祥, silk and traditional clothing), Zhang Yiyuan Tea (张一元, established 1900), Tongrentang Pharmacy (同仁堂, traditional medicine).
Day 5: 798 Art District, Hutong Lunch & Farewell Dinner
Morning: 798 Art District
798 Art District (798艺术区) in Dashanzi is free to enter. Allow 2-3 hours for the main galleries and the street art installations. The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art (¥65) and Pace Beijing gallery are the most consistently strong exhibition spaces.
Metro: Line 14 to Jiangtai Station, then 20-minute walk or taxi (¥15).
Afternoon: Hutong Lunch & Afternoon Walk
Return to the hutong area around Nanluoguxiang or Dongsi for a proper Beijing lunch. The 元 dynasty hutong network here is some of Beijing’s densest. Order zhajiang mian (炸酱面 — noodles with thick bean paste and meat sauce, ¥18-25) at a streetside noodle shop — this is the most authentic Beijing noodle dish.
Walk the side hutongs branching off Nanluoguxiang — Mao’er Hutong, Ju’er Hutong, Banchang Hutong are particularly well-preserved. These residential alleyways are living neighborhoods: courtyard houses, local convenience stores, bicycles parked outside. The most interesting parts of Beijing for most visitors.
Evening: Farewell Dinner & Sanlitun
For your last Beijing dinner, choose between:
- Da Dong Roast Duck (大董, ¥200-350/person) — regarded by many as the city’s finest duck, with a tea-smoked preparation different from most. Book ahead.
- Lost Heaven Beijing (花马天堂, ¥120-200/person) — Yunnan cuisine in a beautiful venue in Dongcheng
- A bowl of Beijing noodles at Lao She Teahouse (老舍茶馆, ¥60-100) with a traditional Beijing opera performance — touristy but genuinely entertaining
Drinks at Sanlitun (三里屯) — the most international bar district. Bar Street (酒吧街) has everything from expat sports bars to cocktail lounges.
Practical Information
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Forbidden City | ¥60 |
| Summer Palace (full access) | ¥60 |
| Great Wall Mutianyu (all-in) | ¥220 |
| Temple of Heaven | ¥35 |
| 798 UCCA gallery | ¥65 |
| Jingshan Park | ¥2 |
| Metro single journey | ¥3-6 |
| Street food lunch | ¥20-40 |
| Restaurant dinner | ¥80-200/person |
| Budget accommodation | ¥150-300/night |
| Mid-range hotel | ¥400-800/night |
Weather: Best in September-October (clear, warm, 15-25°C). April-May is also excellent. Summers (June-August) are hot and occasionally smoggy. Winters are cold (-5 to 5°C) but clear and significantly less crowded.
Getting around: The Beijing metro covers all the sites in this itinerary. The subway map looks daunting but navigation is easy with Google Maps (needs VPN) or Baidu Maps. Taxis are inexpensive when the meter runs — use Didi for predictable pricing.
Apps to download before arrival: Didi (ride hailing), WeChat/Alipay (payment), VPN of your choice, Baidu Translate (camera translation function is invaluable for menus).