Beijing has been an imperial capital, on and off, for eight centuries, and the scale of that history is visible immediately, the Forbidden City's nearly 1,000 buildings, Tiananmen Square's sheer size, and a Great Wall that's visible, in sections, within day-trip distance of the city.
The Forbidden City and Hutongs
The Forbidden City requires advance online booking (tickets are capped daily and sell out, especially in peak season) and easily fills half a day, enter from the south at Tiananmen and exit north into Jingshan Park for a panoramic view back over the palace roofs.
The hutongs, narrow alleyways of traditional courtyard housing, are disappearing under redevelopment, but neighbourhoods like Nanluoguxiang and the areas around the Drum and Bell Towers still preserve genuine (if increasingly commercial) examples, a pedicab tour through the quieter lanes gives the best sense of how they once functioned.
The Great Wall
Mutianyu, about ninety minutes from central Beijing, is the best-restored and least crowded major section of the wall accessible as a day trip, with a cable car and a toboggan run down for the descent. Badaling, closer and more famous, is significantly more crowded.
For a wilder, unrestored experience, Jiankou section requires more effort (steep, occasionally requiring scrambling) but rewards with dramatically crumbling watchtowers and far fewer visitors.
Recommended Stay · Beijing · Near Forbidden City
The PuXuan Hotel and Spa
A design hotel blending traditional Chinese elements with contemporary interiors, a short walk from the Forbidden City's north gate, quiet, understated, and well positioned for both the palace and nearby hutongs.
