Top Ten Places to See when Travelling in Beijing

Get a Full Experience of China’s Capital on a Short Holiday

Oct 14, 2009

Catch the Peking Opera, climb the Great Wall of China, or stroll through Tienanmen Square or the Forbidden Palace and much more in fall, the best time to visit Beijing.

Beijing is unarguably one of the most visited places in the world. Every year millions of people travel to China’a capital city of old and new which was also the seat of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors until the formation of a republic in 1911. As such it is rich in historical sites and important government institutions.

It takes some time to take in everything Beijing has to provide. If on a short stay, here are some must-see places not to be missed. A trip in autumn is best as the days are comfortable and sunshine-filled.

A trip to Beijing City is not complete without visiting its museums. If time is restricted, it is an option to focus on a tour to the Beijing Capital Museum. It showcases 850 years of the city's history as a capital. Best features are timeline of the city's primitive beginnings, and a top floor with scale replicas of courtyard houses, hutongs, and a Peking Opera theater.

Peking Opera is a pure form of Chinese opera dating to 1790 when four local opera troupes from Anhui Province came to Beijing to perform at the imperial court. There are various performances to pick from, and the daily show at Li Yuan Theatre is a popular option where the stage is big enough for real martial arts.

This area, also known as the 798 Art District, is one of Asia's largest contemporary art zones with industrial Bauhaus architecture, contemporary art galleries, cafés, boutiques, and performing arts spaces. It is located inside the 5th ring road, a $5 taxi ride from the city center.

Forbidden City (the Imperial Palace)

The world's largest courtyard-style house, a staggering 180-acre imperial compound, is an ideal place to begin exploration of Beijing. It was built in the early 15th century and was a seat of power during Ming and Qing dynasties, containing over 9,000 rooms. It is highly recommended to have a guide or rent a multi lingual guide recorder.

Great Wall at Simatai or Jinshanling

Climbing the Great Wall is a must! Two rugged, relatively unrestored places to view the Great Wall about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) northeast of Beijing is Simatai or Jinshaling. Simatai has steep climbs on crumbling stones, often without handrails and an amazing view. Jinshanling is less gravity-defying, but visitors can camp there overnight.

Panjiayuan Antique Market (Dirt Market)

Over 3,000 vendors in 60,000 square yards (50,168 square meters) of organized outdoor space in Panjiayuan Antique Market with a smorgasbord of real and fake jade bracelets, lavish opera costumes to satin slippers, ornate birdcages, and souvenirs ranging from antiques, jade, and Mao memorabilia. Located at Third Ring Road at Panjiayuan Qiao.

The Temple of Heaven built in the 15th century, situated south of Beijing, is one of the real highlights of the capital. Twice the size of the Forbidden City, the surrounding park is a lovely surprise with hundreds of lively locals out as early as 6am to practice tai chi, play the erhu, compete in chess, sing Chinese opera, dance with ribbons and fans, or just to stroll.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square , the world's largest (99 acres) public square—surprisingly devoid of trees, benches, and other boundary-setting details—is unarguably a must-see when in Beijing. This was the place where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Ming Tombs ( 13 tombs in Ming Dynasty )

Located 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Beijing, the 13 Tombs is the burial area of 13 out of 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 and the final dynasty in China administered by ethnic Hans. At present there are only two tombs which have been dug and open to the public: Dingling Tomb and Changling Tomb.

Hutong Pedi Cab Tour ( Shichahai Area )

Experience a Pedi cab ride in well preserved old Beijing hutong areas. An experience on this kind of old transportation is now still kept for tourists as the typical transportation when travelling the hutong, Beijing’s old city alleys. The neighbourhoods of narrow, twisting streets represents real life of ordinary Beijingers with small narrow passageways linking to courtyards of traditional connected homes.

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