Beijing 5-Day Itinerary: Palaces, Great Wall, Art and Courtyards

With five full days in Beijing, you can explore the National Museum, linger in Beihai Park and Prince Gong's Mansion, pair the two Summer Palaces, and tour the 798 Art District.

Day 1: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan & Wangfujing

Start in the morning at Tiananmen Square, then walk north through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City, giving yourself four unhurried hours to see the central ceremonial halls, the Treasure and Clock Galleries, and the Six Western and Eastern Palaces. Exit the north gate to climb Jingshan Park for the rooftop view, walk down through Donghuamen and Wangfujing past St Joseph's Church, and finish with a tableside Peking roast duck feast.

Day 2: Temple of Heaven, Qianmen, Dashilar & National Museum (or NCPA)

Start at the Temple of Heaven and nearby Hongqiao Pearl Market. Ride two stops north to walk Qianmen Street and browse the bookshops and letterpress studios of Dashilar and Yangmeizhu Byway over a bowl of zhajiangmian noodles. Spend the afternoon in the Ancient China gallery of the National Museum of China, then photograph the National Centre for the Performing Arts dome at dusk or catch an evening Peking Opera performance.

Day 3: A Full Day on the Great Wall (Mutianyu or Jinshanling)

Dedicate the entire day to the northern mountains: choose either the cable car, 23 watchtowers and toboggan at Mutianyu, or the longer three-to-four-hour half-wild Ming brick ridge hike at Jinshanling. Back in the city, pause at the illuminated Olympic Park before dining on copper-pot mutton hotpot.

Day 4: Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) & Shichahai Lakes

Ride Subway Line 4 northwest to spend the morning around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill at the Summer Palace, followed by a quiet early afternoon among the baroque stone ruins and lotus waterways of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) one stop east. Return to the Second Ring Road to visit Prince Gong's Mansion or the White Dagoba in Beihai Park, climb the Drum and Bell Towers, and walk the willow banks of Shichahai and Nanluoguxiang's side hutongs.

Day 5: Lama Temple, Confucius Temple, 798 Art District & Sanlitun

Begin after a street jianbing breakfast (or a morning food walk in the Niujie Muslim Quarter) at the Lama Temple and the neighbouring Temple of Confucius and Guozijian, stopping for coffee along Wudaoying Hutong. Spend the afternoon exploring UCCA and the Bauhaus halls of the 798 Art District (or Caochangdi), then finish your final evening along the Liangma River in Sanlitun or on a high terrace overlooking the Guomao CBD skyline.