Beijing
北京VERIFIED 2026.09.29
The imperial capital, still the center of the story.
Three days minimum. Beyond the Forbidden City and the Wall, Beijing's real texture is the hutongs — the old alley neighborhoods — plus a food scene that runs from ¥8 jianbing breakfast crepes to ceremonial duck dinners.
Arriving
PEK (Capital) or PKX (Daxing) — both 45–60 min to center by express train or DiDi.
Getting around
Massive, English-signed, ¥3–9. Alipay transport code works everywhere.
Sleep here
Dongcheng (hutong atmosphere, walkable to sights) or Chaoyang (modern, subway hub).
The five that matter
- 01Forbidden City + Jingshan sunset
- 02Great Wall at Mutianyu
- 03Temple of Heaven at 7am
- 04Hutong walk: Nanluoguxiang → Gulou
- 05798 Art District
Day trips
Mutianyu Wall (half–full day); Summer Palace (half day, inside the city); Tianjin by 30-min bullet train (underated European-quarter day out).
Skip it
Badaling Wall section at midday (crush of tour groups); Wangfujing snack street (tourist-priced).