Visiting Beijing Guide: Everything I Wish I Knew
Visiting Beijing for the first time can be both exciting and overwhelming.
Here are the essential travel tips and practical information I wish I knew before my first trip, along with lessons I’ve learned from visiting.
These basics will help you navigate Beijing more easily and make the most of your time in the city.
My Recommendations for Your Beijing Trip
📶 China eSIM card — eSIM I used that includes access to apps like Google, Instagram, etc.
🚐 Airport ride — schedule a pickup for stress-free arrival
🏨 Best hotels in Beijing: Booking.com | Trip.com (what I use for China)
🎫 Top Beijing day tours — most popular picks for first-timers
Why Visit Beijing?
▢ Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a rich history dating back over 3,000 years. It’s the capital of China and one of its largest cities, with over 22 million people.
▢ Beijing is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
▢ Getting around Beijing is easy, with an efficient and simple subway system.
▢ Streets are generally well-paved, flat and great for leisurely walks.
▢ You can experience a time hop with Beijing’s historical sites and hutongs, which are traditional alleyways that Beijing is famous for.
▢ Visit the many and impressive grand imperial parks and gardens in Beijing.
Some Cultural Differences in Beijing
▢ There is no tipping culture in Beijing, and China in general.
▢ Beijing is largely digital and most people use apps for transactions.
▢ Security guards and ID checks are common throughout Beijing.
▢ Most bathrooms only have one sitting toilet. The rest will be squatting toilets.
▢ Even during a lower season, main tourist places will be packed. Though, crowds didn’t feel rushed or chaotic.
Main Travel Tips for Visiting Beijing
▢ Bring your passport everywhere you go. You will need it to buy tickets, for checkpoints, and to enter main tourist sites in Beijing.
Locals usually scan their IDs on a machine. You can just hand your passport for them to check.
▢ Most people use apps for everything, especially to pay.
▢ There are public toilets everywhere, usually with one sitting toilet available. Always take tissue paper with you just in case a bathroom doesn’t have toilet paper.
▢ Motorcycles are quiet and pass through alleyways. Be mindful of when walking.
▢ Food is permitted in parks and major tourist sites, including the Great Wall, where trash and recycling bins are provided.
▢ During peak seasons like summer, book tickets to popular destinations ahead of time.
You can book most tickets on Trip.com. Otherwise, book on official tourist sites or buy in person.
Top Tours When Visiting Beijing:
🚌 Great Wall of China daily group tour (what I did)
🚙 All-inclusive private day tour of Beijing
🎫 4-Hour small group tour to Forbidden City (tickets included)
Best Times to Visit Beijing by Season
I visited during the first week of November, and it got quite chilly (as someone from California). I had to buy a scarf as I only brought a jean jacket.
- Spring: March to May
- Summer: June to August
- Autumn: September to November
- Winter: December to February
Spring offers mild weather and is cherry blossom season.
Summer reaches hight 20°Cs (80s°F) and is also rainy season, so expect some rainy days.
Autumn is a perfect time to see China’s autumn foliage.
Winter turns Beijing into a winter wonderland with snow and frozen lakes.
Best Areas to Stay in Beijing
Beijing is a large city and where you stay makes a real difference for how much time you spend commuting each day. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main areas:
1. Qianmen / Dashilar — This is where I stayed and where I’d recommend for first-timers. It’s walking distance from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and Qianmen Street itself is a great place to walk at night. A good mix of traditional feel and convenience, with more local restaurants and fewer international chains than Wangfujing.
2. Dongcheng / Wangfujing — The most central and tourist-friendly area in Beijing. You’re within walking distance of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the National Museum of China. Wangfujing Street has good shopping and a famous snack street.
3. Gulou / Drum Tower — Near the hutong neighborhoods and Houhai Lake, this is the more atmospheric and local side of Beijing. Good independent cafes and shops tucked into ancient alleyways.
🏨 Best hotels in Beijing on Booking.com
🏨 Best hotels in Beijing on Trip.com
Top 5 Places to Visit
For the full blog post, read my Top Things to See in Beijing China for First-Timers.
These are in order of recommendation for visiting Beijing:
1. Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China stretches over 21,000 km (13,000 miles), making it the longest wall in the world, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cost: Varies | Book in advance on Viator (what I did)
2. Qianmen Street
Qianmen Street (where I stayed) is a famous pedestrian street filled with beautiful but modern traditional-style shops, restaurants, and traditional Chinese tea houses.
3. Palace Museum / Forbidden City
The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, from 1420 to 1912.
Cost: $5 USD | Book Palace Museum Tickets
4. Summer Palace
The Summer Palace in Beijing is a large lakefront palace of Chinese landscape garden design, natural landscapes, pavilions, halls, palaces, temples, and bridges.
Cost: $3-4 USD for general admission, $7-8 USD for pass | Book Summer Palace Tickets
5. Tiananmen Square
One of the largest city squares in the world at 440,000 sq. meters.
The square has great cultural significance as it was the site of several key events in Chinese history
Other favorites: 798 Art Zone and Beihua Park.
Apps You Will Need When Visiting Beijing
Download and sign up for these apps before you go to China in case you have any issues signing up.
Alipay
▢ Alipay is one of the main apps to pay for tickets, restaurants, metro, etc.
▢ Alipay also includes mini apps, like the Didi taxi app that you can use instead of downloading the separate Didi app. It’s faster and more convenient to sign up for the Didi app in Alipay.
See my full China Travel Guide on how to use Alipay.
▢ While not absolutely essential, WeChat is one of the main communication and payment apps used in China.
▢ During my Great Wall tour, the guide offered to add them on WeChat in case we needed to contact them or have questions.
▢ Locals also use WeChat to buy tickets and reservations. For visitors, it will be easier to book tickets on Klook or Viator.
Google Translate or Papago
▢ Use translate apps like Papago to communicate with staff and locals if needed. Papago can be used without a VPN.
Transit Apps
▢ Amap is the best transit app I’ve used in China. It’s available in English and provides correct directions.
▢ Apple Maps also provides accurate directions to use the subway, which can be used without a VPN.
▢ Baidu Maps is the most popular transit app in China, though all in Chinese.
Add a Beijing Tour to your trip:
🚌 Great Wall of China daily group tour (what I did)
🚙 All-inclusive private day tour of Beijing
🎫 4-Hour small group tour to Forbidden City (tickets included)
Getting Around Beijing
Beijing Airport
▢ You can either take the train, bus, taxi or prebook a private transfer out of the airport.
▢ There is no Uber in China. They use DiDi, which you can easily book within the Alipay app.
▢ An hour taxi ride into the city costs around $14 USD.
▢ The DiDi taxi pickup area at the airport is not located at the exit. To get there, you cross the street after exiting the airport to a big white building that says “Lost and Found.” Take the elevator to B2 and look for the taxi pickup area.
▢ Don’t trust the pickup spots shown on the Didi App. Taxis will only go to the designated pickup spot in the garage.
Subway
▢ The subway system in Beijing is simple and easy to navigate.
▢ 6 stops on the subway cost 4 yuan, or 55 US cents.
▢ You can use Apple Maps or Amap to get subway directions.
▢ Once you’re on the platform, you can see which side to take by looking at any of the signs posted, which indicates the next stop.
▢ Use the Transit QR code on Alipay app to pay for metro and buses.
▢ There are also ticket machines to buy one-way tickets where you can pay with cash. Select instructions in English, then choose your destination and input the amount.
▢ Some stations in Beijing had ticket machines where a local ID was required. In that case, you go to a counter, tell or show them your destination, then they will activate a ticket for you. You can pay with cash or Alipay.
▢ Transfers are easy. Just follow the signs for your number line. Apple Maps show which exit to take (written in letters) which are clearly posted on the subway.
▢ Subways can get cramped during peak hours in the morning and around 5pm.
Walking
▢ Sidewalks and paths are generally flat, well-paved, and easy to walk in Beijing. For a lot of my trip, I just walked, even when it was a 40-minute + walk away.
▢ It felt safe walking at night, though some areas are not quite well-lit at night, including parks that were open late.
Average Beijing Travel Costs
Beijing travel guide tips for money:
▢ Most restaurants, small shops, and vendors accept digital payment apps like Alipay and WeChat.
While I took out some Chinese Yuan at the airport just in case my internet was lagging, I mostly used digital payment apps when visiting Beijing.
Average Costs:
▢ Basic fare for subway and buses: $0.45 USD.
▢ 5-day + 1GB eSIM for $5 USD, and a local prepaid SIM card for 6 GB / 10 days for $20 USD.
▢ Hostels: $20 USD.
▢ Mid-range hotel: $50 USD.
▢ Higher-end hotel: $75+ USD.
▢ Taxi ride from Beijing Capital International Airport to downtown: $14 USD.
▢ Inner-city taxi ride: Starting from $2 USD.
▢ Food costs will vary. An average meal at a local restaurant may be $7-11 USD per person.
Note: These costs are approximate and can vary based on the specific location within Beijing and the time of year.
I hope this Beijing travel guide was helpful!
Have a great time visiting Beijing!
Beijing Travel Quick Links:
📲 China eSIM card from Airalo
🚊 Ride from the airport: prebook a transfer
🏨 Top-rated hotels in Beijing
🎟 Beijing Palace Museum Ticket (The Forbidden City)
🎫 Book the most popular tours in Beijing
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