7-Day Beijing Itinerary

TL;DR — This 7-day Beijing itinerary for first-timers covers: Day 1 — Imperial Beijing (Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Jingshan, Wangfujing), Day 2 — Temple of Heaven + Hutongs + Olympic Park, Day 3 — Summer Palace 颐和园, Day 4 — Great Wall (Mutianyu), Day 5 — Day trip: Chengde 承德 OR Datong 大同 OR Tianjin 天津, Day 6 — Beijing suburbs (Fragrant Hills, Beijing Zoo, 798 Art Zone), Day 7 — Final museums + shopping + last meal. 7 days is the sweet spot for a first Beijing visit.

Why 7 days?

Beijing is huge — 16,410 km², 21+ million people, 5+ UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The 2-day plan covers the highlights but skips the depth. 7 days lets you see the major sites without rushing and includes 1 day trip + 1 free day for shopping, jet-lag recovery, or unexpected discoveries. For neighborhood-level detail, see our Beijing city guide.

When should I go?

• Best: April–May and September–October (15–25 °C, dry, blossoms / autumn leaves).
• Avoid: March sandstorms (黄沙), June–August (35 °C + humidity), National Day week (Oct 1–7) and Spring Festival (chaotic, prices triple).
• Winter (Nov–Feb) is cold (-5 to 5 °C) but dry, fewer tourists, beautiful snow on the Wall.

Pre-trip checklist (do 1–2 weeks before)

• Forbidden City tickets (60 CNY peak / 40 CNY off-peak): book 7 days in advance on WeChat mini-program "故宫博物院" or gugong.ktmtech.cn. Slots release 00:00 Beijing time on day 7. Sells out within hours.
• Tiananmen entry: free, timed reservation on same mini-program, 1 day ahead.
• Summer Palace tickets: 30–60 CNY (peak), book on WeChat or Trip.com.
• Mutianyu shuttle / tour: 200–300 CNY round-trip, book via hostel, Klook, or Viator.
• Beijing Subway / bus cards (see our Beijing metro card guide) or Apple Pay setup.
• Alipay / WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card (see our payment guide).
• Passport for every purchase.
• VPN (Astrill, ExpressVPN, LetsVPN — installed BEFORE China; once you're in mainland China, the App Store is locked).

Day 1: Imperial Beijing

07:00 — Breakfast

• Local breakfast: doujiang (豆浆) + youtiao (油条) + jianbing (煎饼) = 15–25 CNY.

08:00 — Tiananmen Square

• Tiananmen East metro (Line 1), 30 min security — full details in our Tiananmen Square guide.
• 1 hour, free.

09:00 — Forbidden City 紫禁城

• Through Tiananmen → Meridian Gate → 3 main halls → Imperial Garden → exit.
• 3 hours. Add 10 CNY for the Clock Gallery + 10 CNY for the Treasure Gallery — both worth it.

12:00 — Lunch: Peking Duck

• Da Dong 大董烤鸭 (Dongcheng): 280–400 CNY / person.
• Quanjude 全聚德 (Wangfujing original): 200–300 CNY / person.

14:00 — Jingshan Park 景山公园

• North of Forbidden City, 2 CNY entry, climb to the famous Forbidden City rooftop photo.
• 1 hour.

15:30 — Beijing National Art Museum 中国美术馆

• Free, timed ticket, 1.5 hours.
• 1.5 hours. (Closed Mondays.)

18:00 — Wangfujing Snack Street

• 1 hour. (Skip the snacks; window-shop only.)

19:00 — Dinner: Jingya Hotpot

• Jingya 井格老灶火锅: 100–180 CNY / person, Beijing-style spicy hotpot.

Day 2: Temple + Hutongs

08:00 — Temple of Heaven 天坛

• 34 CNY combo ticket (incl. Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Wall, Circular Mound Altar); park-only entry 15 CNY.
• 2–3 hours: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Wall, Circular Mound Altar.
• Local life bonus: arrive at 07:00 to see locals doing tai chi and morning exercise.

11:00 — Beijing Temple of Heaven area + Longtan Park 龙潭湖公园

• Walk 30 min north to Longtan Park (2 CNY) — much less crowded than Temple of Heaven, beautiful old-style park.

12:30 — Lunch: local Beijing food

• Fangshan 仿膳饭庄 or Huguosi 护国寺小吃: 60–100 CNY / person.
• Try: douzhi 豆汁 (fermented mung bean drink, an acquired taste), ludagunr 驴打滚 (rolled donkey), aiwowo 艾窝窝 (steamed rice cake).

14:00 — Hutong tour

• Nanluoguxiang 南锣鼓巷: 1.5 km, 1 hour.
• Yandai Xiejie 烟袋斜街: 200 m, 30 min.
• Bell and Drum Towers 钟鼓楼: 30–40 CNY, 1 hour.
• Houhai 后海 lake: 1 hour walking.

17:00 — Yandai Xiejie

• Free, beautiful alley.

19:00 — Dinner: mutton hotpot

• Donglaishun 东来顺 (the 1903 original): 100–200 CNY / person, classic Beijing mutton hotpot.

21:00 — Houhai night view

• Free, 1 hour.

Day 3: Summer Palace 颐和园

08:00 — Subway Line 4 to Beigongmen 北宫门

• 1 hour from city centre.

09:00 — Summer Palace 颐和园

• 60 CNY peak / 50 CNY off-season entry; the combo ticket includes the Tower of Buddhist Incense and Suzhou Street. Kunming Lake boats are optional extras.
• The largest royal garden in China, 290 hectares, 70%+ lake.
• Route: East Gate → Hall of Benevolence and Longevity → Long Corridor (728 m, the longest painted corridor in the world) → Tower of Buddhist Incense (included in the combo ticket) → Marble Boat (no, don't board, just photo) → Suzhou Street → exit.
• 3–4 hours.

13:00 — Lunch near Summer Palace

• Haiyue 海月 or any local Peking duck: 100–180 CNY / person.

15:00 — Old Summer Palace 圆明园 (Yuanmingyuan)

• 10 CNY entry, 1.5–2 hours.
• The ruins of the imperial garden destroyed by British and French troops in 1860. 1.5 hours is enough to see the Western-style ruins.

17:00 — Tsinghua / Peking University campus

• Free but timed entry (book via the universities' official WeChat). 1 hour. Beautiful campuses.

19:00 — Dinner: Peking Duck (the second one)

• Try a different style: Bianyifang 便宜坊 (the original 1416, "menlu" method): 150–200 CNY / person.

Day 4: Great Wall — Mutianyu 慕田峪

06:30 — Departure

• Tour bus from Dongzhimen: 80 CNY round-trip (departs 07:00 / 08:30, returns 15:00 / 16:30).
• Private car: 600–800 CNY round-trip.
• DiDi: 500+ CNY each way — the most flexible option.

09:00 — Arrive Mutianyu

• Entry 45 CNY (Apr–Oct) / 35 CNY (Nov–Mar).
• Round-trip cable car 120 CNY, or cable car up + toboggan down 100 CNY.
• Walk the wall: 2.5 hours.

13:00 — Lunch

• Inside scenic area: 60–100 CNY / person.
• Or pack your own.

15:00 — Return to Beijing

• 1.5 hours.

17:00 — Wangfujing / Sanlitun

• Sanlitun Taikoo Li 太古里: 2 hours of shopping / people-watching.

19:00 — Dinner: Fangshan 仿膳 (inside Beihai Park)

• 200+ CNY / person, the imperial-cuisine restaurant since 1925, 12 dishes at ¥250+ per person.

Day 5: Day trip

Choose one:

Option A: Chengde 承德 (Mountain Resort 避暑山庄)

• About 1.5 hours by high-speed train, tickets from about 100 CNY (check times on 12306.cn).
• The largest imperial garden in China, 564 hectares, summer retreat for Qing emperors.
• 130 CNY entry, 4–5 hours including the Puning Temple 普宁寺 (40 CNY) and Putuo Zongcheng 普陀宗乘 (40 CNY, "Little Potala Palace").
• Return: 21:00 last train.

Option B: Datong 大同 (Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟)

• 1 h 42 min by high-speed train from Beijing North (10+ trains daily), 153 CNY second class.
• Yungang Grottoes are a UNESCO site, 252 caves of Buddhist sculptures carved 460–525 AD, 5th-century.
• 120 CNY entry + 15 CNY shuttle inside.
• Add 1.5 hours for Huayan Temple 60 CNY (a 1,038-year-old Liao-dynasty wooden temple).
• Return: 19:00 last train.

Option C: Tianjin 天津

• 30 min by high-speed train from Beijing South (100+ trains daily), 60 CNY second class.
• Italian-style old town 五大道 + Ancient Culture Street 古文化街 + Porcelain House 瓷房子 (50 CNY) + Tianjin Eye 天津之眼 (70 CNY ferris wheel at night).
• Day trip possible: leave 09:00, return 22:00.

Day 6: Beijing suburbs

Option A: Fragrant Hills 香山

• 30 km west, 1 hour by metro Line 6 + bus.
• 10 CNY entry (autumn Nov 1–15, special red-leaf season ticket 100 CNY).
• The 4 most popular red-leaf viewing mountains in China (along with Nanjing's Qixia, Suzhou's Tianping, Changsha's Yuelu).
• Half-day to full-day depending on hike intensity.

Option B: Beijing Zoo + Aquarium

• 19 CNY + 120 CNY aquarium.
• Has pandas (real ones), 14,000+ animals.
• 2–3 hours.

Option C: 798 Art Zone 798艺术区

• Free entry, 2 km² of converted military factory turned art district.
• 1.5 km walk, cafes, galleries, design shops, 3–4 hours.

Option D: National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆

• Free, timed entry, 1 of the largest museums in the world (3 million artifacts).
• 4+ hours if thorough.

Day 7: Last day

09:00 — Capital Museum 首都博物馆

• Free, 1.5–2 hours.
• Highlights: Beijing history from 3,000 years ago to present.

11:00 — National Centre for the Performing Arts 国家大剧院

• 40 CNY tour, the egg-shaped glass opera house by Paul Andreu, 1 hour.
• Or see an opera / ballet / concert: 200–800 CNY.

13:00 — Lunch: Halal food at Niujie 牛街

• Beijing's Muslim Quarter — Hongbinlou 鸿宾楼, the classic halal house, 100–200 CNY / person.
• Try: lamb skewers, beef pies, hand-pulled noodles.

15:00 — Last shopping

• Liulichang 琉璃厂 antique street: traditional Chinese arts, books, calligraphy tools.
• Pearl Market 红桥市场: pearls (real and faux, bargain hard, start at 30% of asking).
• Yashow Market 雅秀: clothes / bags, bargain hard.

18:00 — Last dinner

• Donglaishun 东来顺 mutton hotpot (the original) OR Haidilao 海底捞 (English menu, fun experience).
• Or the TRB Forbidden City 紫禁书院 at the Forbidden City for an upscale last meal (500+ CNY / person).

Budget

Mid-range totals assume two people sharing one room; solo travelers should budget toward the top of each range.

Common mistakes

• Don't book Forbidden City tickets on the morning of — they sell out 7 days ahead.
• Don't go to the Great Wall on a Sunday — packed, 1+ hour queue for cable car.
• Don't try to fit 2 day trips into one day — pick one.
• Don't bring a single full-sized bag to the Forbidden City — security check rejects large bags.
• Don't hail taxis at the airport — use the airport express train (25 CNY) or Didi.
• Don't buy "antiques" at Wangfujing — 99% are fakes. The Liulichang antique street has real ones at real prices.

FAQ

Is 7 days in Beijing too long? No. Seven days covers the imperial core, the Great Wall, one day trip, and a buffer day for weather or jet lag. The whole plan runs about 4,500–8,000 CNY per person, mid-range, excluding flights.

Do I need a visa for Beijing? Most nationalities can use China's 240-hour visa-free transit: enter with a passport and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. Otherwise apply for an L tourist visa — check the current eligibility list before booking flights.

How far ahead should I book the Forbidden City? Exactly 7 days ahead, on the official mini-program or gugong.ktmtech.cn. Slots release at 00:00 Beijing time and sell out within hours; your passport is the ticket.

Can I pay with a foreign card? Yes — link your foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly. Cash is rarely needed, and metro gates take the same QR codes. See our Beijing metro card guide for fares and setup.

Mutianyu or Badaling for the Great Wall? Mutianyu: fewer tour groups, better-preserved watchtowers, and a toboggan ride down. Entry is 45 CNY plus 120 CNY for the round-trip cable car. Badaling is closer but far more crowded.

Only have 3 days? Use our 3-day Beijing itinerary — it compresses this plan into the imperial core plus one Great Wall day.

Verdict

7 days is the right amount for a first Beijing visit. You can see the major sites without rushing, take 1 day trip, and have 1 buffer day for jet lag or weather. Don't try to fit Hong Kong or Xi'an in the same trip — Beijing alone is enough for 7 days.

Verify before you go on visitbeijing.com.cn, gugong.ktmtech.cn (Forbidden City), and 12306.cn (train tickets).

Source: Beijing Tourism Bureau, Forbidden City Museum official site, UNESCO World Heritage register, on-site visits in 2025–2026. Last verified 2026-10-19.