Beijing

For more than seven centuries under the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Beijing was designed as a physical diagram of imperial order. A straight Central Axis runs north to south through the heart of the capital, aligning the Drum and Bell Towers, Jingshan Park, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven in a deliberate geometry of earth and sky. Beyond the concentric ring roads, the forested ridges of the Yanshan and Taihang mountains carry the stone ramparts of the Ming Great Wall at Mutianyu, Jinshanling and Simatai.

Compared with the riverfront treaty-port banks and glass towers of Shanghai, Beijing feels monumental in scale, grounded in northern courtyard tradition and sharply seasonal. Between broad boulevards, grey-brick hutong alleys still wind around Shichahai's three lakes, Nanluoguxiang's side lanes and Dashilar, where locust trees shade courtyard doorways and jujube wood smoke drifts from roast duck ovens. Begin with our practical overview and top experiences.

Beijing is served by two major international gateways: Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) to the northeast and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) to the south. Both link directly to the Beijing Subway via dedicated express rail lines, while high-speed bullet trains from Shanghai, Xi'an and Chengde arrive at modern main-line terminals connected to the underground grid. Read how to get to Beijing.

Staying inside the Second Ring Road in Dongcheng puts you within walking distance or a two-stop Subway hop of the palace moat, Wangfujing and the courtyard alleys around Wudaoying and Gulou. East of the Second Ring Road, Chaoyang District trades historic tiled roofs for diplomatic avenues in Sanlitun and skyscraper views in the Guomao CBD. Compare six neighbourhoods in where to stay in Beijing.

Walk south to north through the vermilion halls of the Forbidden City and climb Jingshan Hill for the classic rooftop panorama, admire the triple-gabled Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven, hike between Ming watchtowers at Mutianyu or Jinshanling, and pair Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace with incense courtyards at the Lama Temple and contemporary galleries in the 798 Art District. Browse the full list in things to do in Beijing.

Beijing cooking brings together imperial court technique, Shandong foundational stocks, Hui Muslim lamb craft and hearty northern wheat staples. Anchor your trip around fruitwood-roasted Peking duck, charcoal-heated copper-pot mutton hotpot, hand-pulled zhajiangmian noodles and dumplings, morning jianbing crepes, halal pastries in the Niujie Muslim Quarter and late-night lanterns on Ghost Street.

Traditional Beijing life centres on the walled four-sided courtyard home (siheyuan) and the hutong lanes first laid out under the Yuan dynasty, alongside ritual park culture where retirees practise tai chi, water calligraphy and shuttlecock kicking beneath ancient cypresses. Explore painted-face roles at Peking Opera guild halls, symphony concerts inside the National Centre for the Performing Arts and scented jasmine infusions in Beijing tea houses.