A traveler's guide to Beijing
Beijing is huge and the sights are far apart. One great site a day, plus food, is a successful day.
Beijing is the court city: vast squares, lanes that still hold a neighborhood, and food that is heartier than the south. The Forbidden City needs a morning and a ticket. The hutongs need the afternoon. Do not try to do the wall as an afterthought on the same day.
When to go
Autumn is the classic season, with clear skies and tolerable air. Spring is lovely and sometimes dusty. Summer is hot. Winter is cold, dry, and striking if you like stark courtyards. National holidays empty the hotels into the sights.
Neighborhoods
The palace and Jingshan for the overview. The hutongs north of the palace for scale that is human. 798 if you want contemporary art. The summer palace as a separate half-day. The wall from Mutianyu or a quieter section, not as a blur after the palace.
Eating
Dumplings, noodles, hot pot, and duck in a room that is famous for a reason or quietly excellent. Breakfast markets still exist if you look. The hotel buffet is how you miss the city.
If you only remember this
- Book the Forbidden City ticket before you fly.
- The subway is vast and useful. Everything is farther than it looks.
- Air quality can cancel a wall day. Have a museum backup.
- Courtyard hotels are atmospheric and sometimes hard for taxis to find.