Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
Vast palace complex where Ming and Qing emperors lived and ruled for about five centuries. Gates, courtyards, halls with golden-yellow roofs and imperial treasures fill the walled city.
Beijing
The Great Wall is an easy day trip from the capital of China, which holds the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
Attractive locations
Tiananmen Square
One of the world's largest public squares, flanked by the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum, with the Gate of Heavenly Peace on its north side. Entry involves security checks.
Temple of Heaven
Ming-era complex where emperors prayed for good harvests, set in a large park. Its blue-roofed, round Hall of Prayer is among the best-known sights of the capital.
Summer Palace
Imperial garden on Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, with temples, bridges, a marble boat and a long painted corridor. A relaxing day out from the busy centre.
Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple)
Active Tibetan Buddhist temple with ornate halls, incense smoke and a very tall carved wooden statue of Maitreya. Visitors are asked to be quiet and respectful.
Beihai Park
Former imperial garden around a lake, with a white dagoba on an island, pavilions and willows. Locals row boats, paint, sing and dance here.
Jingshan Park
Hill park just north of the Forbidden City. A short climb to the pavilion on top gives a view across the golden palace roofs and the city.
Olympic Green
Main park of the 2008 Olympics, with the Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube swimming centre. It is especially striking when lit up at night.
Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
Ruins of a grand imperial garden with European-style palaces, left damaged after the 1860 attack by British and French troops. Broken marble columns now stand among lakes and lawns.
National Museum of China
Huge museum on the east side of Tiananmen Square, with collections of ancient bronzes, ceramics and jade as well as exhibitions on the country's modern history.
Mutianyu Great Wall
A well-restored section of the Great Wall north of Beijing, winding over forested ridges with watchtowers every short distance. A cable car, chairlift and toboggan run serve the climb.
Badaling Great Wall
The best-known stretch of the Great Wall, restored with sturdy ramparts and watchtowers climbing a steep ridge. It is the closest main section to the city and gets very busy.
Airports
Beijing Capital International Airport PEK
It is about 25 km in a straight line from Beijing.
Beijing Daxing International Airport PKX
It is about 45 km in a straight line from Beijing.
Tianjin Binhai International Airport TSN
It is about 118 km in a straight line from Beijing.
Getting around
From Capital Airport
Per Beijing Tourism, the Airport Express goes from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and then to Sanyuanqiao and Dongzhimen; reaching Dongzhimen takes about 21 minutes from Terminal 2 and about 30 from Terminal 3. A night bus express serves downtown from the airport, and a taxi to the centre takes about 45 to 60 minutes. That page dates from 2021, so check the current operating hours.
- Source: Beijing Tourism: Transportation of Beijing Capital International Airport (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Tourism: Airports in Beijing (checked 4 Nov 2026)
From Daxing Airport
At Daxing, Beijing Tourism lists the New Daxing Airport Express, which reaches Caoqiao Station in about 19 minutes, and the Beijing-Xiong'an intercity railway, which gets to Beijing West Railway Station in roughly 20 to 35 minutes. Xinghang shuttle bus Lines 1 to 5 serve major Beijing hubs, with Line 6 operating at night. Beijing's government adds that airports have designated ride-hailing pick-up areas and that taxis are available around the clock.
- Source: Beijing Tourism: Airports in Beijing (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Transportation, essential tips for new arrivals (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Subway and city buses
All 27 subway lines and Suburban Railway Line S2 accept Tap to Ride, Beijing's government says. The city has over 1,500 regular bus routes and 36 overnight routes. Both networks work with the Beijing Pass, a smart card sold at airport international arrival terminals, and subway ticket machines offer English settings. Bus drivers do not have change.
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Transportation, essential tips for new arrivals (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Tap cards and Beijing Pass
There are several ways to pay for the subway, according to Beijing's government: tap certain UnionPay QuickPass cards, overseas-issued Mastercard and Visa cards, or linked phones and watches; use the Beijing Pass smart card; show an Alipay Metro QR code; or buy at ticket machines or staffed counters. Staffed counters accept international cards and cash, and the machines take WeChat Pay and Alipay.
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Transportation, essential tips for new arrivals (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Scams and safe taxis
Licensed Beijing taxis
A licensed Beijing taxi is typically yellow with a dark blue, green or purple roof, according to the city government, with company logos on the doors and roof light and a meter above the console. A taxi lacking these is probably unlicensed. Flag one down at the roadside or a taxi stand, never at intersections or on ring roads and expressways. Once you are inside, the driver may not refuse you. Have your destination printed in Chinese.
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Taxi (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Transportation, essential tips for new arrivals (checked 4 Nov 2026)
DiDi in Beijing
DiDi is the car-hailing app with an English interface that Beijing's government names. Using it requires an active phone number for ID verification plus a payment method such as a bank account, WeChat Pay or Alipay; the city says it is not cash-friendly. The app translates quick messages to drivers automatically, and airports have designated pick-up areas. An older city page also lists Dida and Meituan.
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Transportation, essential tips for new arrivals (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Municipal Government: Taxi (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Teahouse and art invitations
Busy tourist areas such as Tiananmen Square are named by Canadian advice as places where strangers may ask to practise English or invite visitors to an art gallery, teahouse or other venue, and then demand an exorbitant bill. Beijing Tourism's older travel tips, from 2017, describe the same teahouse and art student scams. Politely decline invitations like these.
- Source: Government of Canada travel advice: China (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Tourism: Beijing travel tips (2017) (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Black cabs and tour touts
Taxi drivers sometimes overcharge, especially at airports, and Canadian advice says to stick to licensed taxis or reputable ride-hailing apps. Beijing Tourism's older travel tips, from 2017, caution against following unlicensed 'black taxi' drivers who approach arriving passengers, and direct people to the official taxi line outside the arrival doors. They also warn of people near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City who hand out cards for cheap Great Wall tours that later add extra fees.
- Source: Government of Canada travel advice: China (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Beijing Tourism: Beijing travel tips (2017) (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-5.2 °C2 mm
- Feb-1.8 °C6 mm
- Mar5.1 °C9 mm
- Apr13.2 °C24 mm
- May20.5 °C38 mm
- Jun24.8 °C84 mm
- Jul26.6 °C151 mm
- Aug25.0 °C109 mm
- Sep19.8 °C64 mm
- Oct11.9 °C30 mm
- Nov2.9 °C14 mm
- Dec-4.0 °C2 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: Jun, Jul, Aug.
Costs
Prices here are about 47% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
festival
Chinese New Year
With rising prices and filling hotels, early planning is wise for this event, one of the biggest the country holds yearly.
culture
Dragon Boat Festival
Zongzi rice dumplings accompany the dragon-boat races.
culture
Golden Week (National Day, 1-7 October)
Famous sights get very crowded in what is the busiest travel week in China.
festival
Chinese New Year
With rising prices and filling hotels, early planning is wise for this event, one of the biggest the country holds yearly.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 110. Ambulance 120. Fire 119.
ngo
Red Cross Society of China
Helps with: China's national Red Cross society. Its site covers emergency rescue and disaster relief, first aid training, humanitarian assistance, and blood and stem cell donation. The site is in Chinese only.
Who qualifies: People in China affected by disasters or needing its humanitarian services; contact the head office or a provincial branch.
Phone: 010-84025890
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) China
Helps with: The UN migration agency, with an office in Beijing. In China its work covers migration management, crisis response, international cooperation and partnerships.
Who qualifies: Migrants and government or other partners working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +86-10-59799695
Address: 北京市朝阳区塔园外交公寓9-1-82 100600
embassy
Foreign embassies in Beijing (Beijing government list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Beijing government's English site lists foreign embassies by letter, with chancery addresses and phones.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy. The list is for Beijing only and its page addresses are dated 2020.
local government
Beijing 12345 citizen hotline
Helps with: Beijing's government service hotline, with services in 10 languages including English. It covers help with transport, residence and medical services. For emergencies use the police, ambulance or fire numbers instead.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Beijing needing city services or advice, including foreign residents and visitors.
Phone: +8610 12345
local government
Beijing police emergency number 110
Helps with: Beijing's government 12345 hotline page lists 110 for police, 119 for fire, 120 for medical emergencies and 122 for traffic accidents. Use 110 to report a crime or an urgent danger.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Beijing who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 110