When it comes to tourism, Beijing is undoubtedly the top destination. The city boasts numerous high-quality, famous attractions. Remarkably, many of these attractions either have no entrance fee or charge a nominal fee, which reflect Beijing's grand generosity.

The Palace Museum

If you come to Beijing and miss the Forbidden City, your visit would be incomplete. The Forbidden City embodies Beijing's rich history and cultural heritage, representing the pinnacle of the city's ancient grandeur.

The Forbidden City is vast, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, with a building area of about 150,000 square meters. It consists of over 70 palaces and more than 9,000 rooms. Among all ancient architectural complexes in China, the Forbidden City is the largest and most luxurious.

Opening hours:

April 1 to October 31: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

November 1 to March 31: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

The Forbidden City is a 5A tourist attraction, with an entrance fee of 60 yuan.

Badaling Great Wall

The Great Wall is China's iconic defensive structure, stretching over 21,000 kilometers and spanning 15 provinces. The section of the Great Wall within Beijing is primarily built of brick and stone and is generally the best preserved.

Beijing's Great Wall sites are the most representative and famous. There are nine Great Wall sites in Beijing: Badaling, Juyongguan, Mutianyu, Shuiguan, Huanghuacheng Lakeside, Jiankou, Simatai, Jinshanling, and Gubeikou. Among them, the Badaling Great Wall is the most renowned and the top choice for viewing the Great Wall.

Badaling Great Wall is located in Yanqing District and is an important pass of the Ming Great Wall. The section open to tourists is 3.7 kilometers long and includes 16 watchtowers.

Opening hours:

April 1 to October 31: 6:30 AM - 4:30 PM

November 1 to March 31: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Badaling Great Wall is a 5A tourist attraction, and the ticket price is 40 yuan.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is a site for national ceremonies, not a specialized tourist attraction, but it is a must-visit for tourists. The morning flag-raising ceremony draws large crowds of visitors.

Tiananmen Square is rectangular, measuring 880 meters long and 500 meters wide, with a total area of 440,000 square meters, accommodating up to one million people for gatherings. Along the central axis of the square, from north to south, stand the flagpole, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, and the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower.

Opening Hours:

April 1 to October 31, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

November 1 to March 31, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Tiananmen Square is a free attraction, but visitors need to make a reservation in advance and pass a security check to enter.

National Museum of China

Many visitors to Beijing overlook the National Museum, which is a real pity. To truly appreciate the grandeur and depth of Chinese history and culture, the National Museum is a must-visit.

Located on the east side of Tiananmen Square, the National Museum of China is the core institution for the country's collection of cultural relics. The museum boasts a collection of 1.4 million items, including many well-known national treasures such as the Human-Face Fish-Patterned Basin, the Great Yu Tripod, the First Dragon of China, the Stork, Fish, and Stone Axe Jar, and the Shanghoumuwu Cauldron.

Opening Hours:

Daily 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, closed on Mondays (except for national holidays)

Ticket: Free

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is the most well-preserved imperial garden in China, covering an area of 3 square kilometers, with three-quarters of it being water. It is a landscape garden modeled after Hangzhou's West Lake, utilizing the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens.

Throughout history, the Summer Palace has suffered multiple instances of destruction, yet many ancient structures remain intact. With restoration efforts, it has retained much of its original appearance.

Opening Hours:

April 1 - October 31: Opens at 6:00 AM, last entry at 7:00 PM, closes at 8:00 PM

November 1 - March 31: Opens at 6:30 AM, last entry at 6:00 PM, closes at 7:00 PM

The Summer Palace is a 5A-rated tourist attraction, with an entrance fee of 30 RMB.

Dongjiaomin Xiang

Dongjiaomin Xiang is not a dedicated tourist area, but it is a significant and meaningful tourist site. It is arguably the most famous hutong in Beijing.

Located in the Dongcheng District, the lane is 1.6 kilometers long. It was formed during the Yuan Dynasty and became a hub for government offices during the Ming Dynasty.

In the late Qing Dynasty, foreign embassies were established in Dongjiaomin Xiang, turning it into an area where China had no jurisdiction. During the Republic of China period, embassies moved to Nanjing, but the area still retained its consulates.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, sovereignty over the lane was restored, and it became a residential area. However, the European-style buildings, including embassies, churches, banks, residences, and clubs, remained. This is the only area in Beijing with such a concentration of modern Western architecture. It was designated as a historical and cultural protected area in 2000.

Entrance to Dongjiaomin Xiang is free.

Translator: DING Hongwei

Reviewer: JIANG Wenyi