2 days in Beijing

Day by day

1. Day 1: Forbidden City (Palace Museum) and Tiananmen Square

   Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park and National Museum of China, then Shichahai lakes and hutongs in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

      Visitors enter from the south through the Meridian Gate and exit north, passing the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the inner residential palaces; side galleries hold clocks, ceramics and treasures.

   2. Late morning

      Tiananmen Square

      The flag-raising ceremony at sunrise draws large crowds.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Peking duck

      Specialist duck restaurants around Qianmen, Wangfujing and Dongcheng; book ahead or expect a queue at popular ones.

   4. Afternoon

      Jingshan Park

      The entry fee is nominal and the climb takes about 10 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of China

      Temporary exhibitions often feature loans from regional museums.

   6. Evening

      Shichahai lakes and hutongs

      Agree the price and route of any rickshaw tour in writing before you set off, or simply walk the lanes yourself.

2. Day 2: Great Wall at Mutianyu and Temple of Heaven

   Great Wall at Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), then Olympic Green in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Great Wall at Mutianyu

      A cable car or chairlift climbs to the wall, and a toboggan slide offers a fun way down.

   2. Late morning

      Temple of Heaven

      The surrounding park is one of Beijing's best places to see morning life: tai chi, choirs, dancing, chess and kite flying.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Noodles with soybean paste

      Old Beijing noodle restaurants across the city, especially in Dongcheng and around Qianmen.

   4. Afternoon

      Summer Palace

      Boats cross the lake, and the Suzhou Street canal on the north side is a quieter corner.

   5. Late afternoon

      Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)

      Its last hall holds an 18-metre Maitreya Buddha carved from a single sandalwood trunk, and the courtyards fill with incense and worshippers.

   6. Evening

      Olympic Green

      Come at dusk to see the stadium and aquatics centre illuminated from the plaza at no cost.

Before you go

• Forbidden City (Palace Museum): Tickets are sold online only, with a daily cap and passport registration, and sell out days ahead in peak season.
• Great Wall at Mutianyu: Tickets for the wall and cable car can be booked online; a private driver or organised tour is the easiest way to get there.
• Tiananmen Square: Entry is free but usually requires an advance reservation with your passport number, especially at weekends and holidays.
• National Museum of China: Entry is free but requires an advance online reservation with your passport number.

If it rains

• Swap in Peking opera performance (Qianmen and Dashilar): Arrive early to watch the performers apply their make-up, which some theatres allow before the show.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 22–29 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 15 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The subway runs from about 5am until around 11pm.

More or fewer days

• One day in Beijing
• 3 days in Beijing
• 5 days in Beijing

Questions travellers ask