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7-Day Beijing Itinerary

7-Day Beijing Itinerary

TL;DR — A 7-day Beijing (北京) plan for first-timers: 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 to Ming Tombs + 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.

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 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.
  • 1 hour, free.

09:00 — Forbidden City 紫禁城

  • Through Tiananmen → Meridian Gate → 3 main halls → Imperial Garden → exit.
  • 3 hours. Add 40 CNY for Clock Gallery + 10 CNY for 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

  • 35–45 CNY (combined entry incl. Hall of Prayer).
  • 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

  • Dongmen 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: Shandong cuisine

  • Jindingzhen 晋阳 or 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

  • 30 CNY (off-peak) / 60 CNY (peak) entry + 20 CNY Suzhou Street boat + 40 CNY boat on Kunming Lake (optional).
  • 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 (climb, 10 CNY) → 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

  • Hostel shuttle: 200–300 CNY round-trip.
  • Private car: 800–1,200 CNY / day.
  • DIY: 916 bus + local shuttle: 30–40 CNY but 2+ hours each way.

09:00 — Arrive Mutianyu

  • 45 CNY entry.
  • Cable car up + toboggan down: 120 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)

  • 1.5 hours by high-speed train from Beijing North station, 100 CNY.
  • 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)

  • 1.5 hours by high-speed train from Beijing North, 150 CNY.
  • 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, 55 CNY.
  • 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, the Hou Mian 鸿宾楼 or Hongbinlou is the best halal restaurant, 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

  • Accommodation (6 nights): 2,400–4,500 CNY (mid-range), 4,500+ CNY (upscale).
  • Transport: 600–1,000 CNY / person.
  • Tickets: 700–1,200 CNY / person.
  • Food: 800–1,400 CNY / person.
  • Total per person: ~4,500–8,000 CNY (mid-range, 7 days, excluding flights).

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.

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.