One day 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)

      Walk the side courtyards to the east and west of the central axis, which are far quieter, then climb Jingshan Park opposite the north gate for the view over the roofs. Allow Half a day.

   2. Late morning

      Tiananmen Square

      Bring your passport; there are security checks at every entrance and identity is checked on the way in. Allow 1 hour.

   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

      Visit right after the Forbidden City, or come in late afternoon when the sun lights the palace roofs. Allow 45 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of China

      Head straight for the Ancient China exhibition on the basement level; it is the strongest part of the collection. Allow 2–3 hours.

   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.

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.
• 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 9–11 hours of visiting over one day, 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

• 2 days in Beijing
• 3 days in Beijing
• 5 days in Beijing

Questions travellers ask