Discover Beijing: The Forbidden City, Hutongs and Peking Duck
Travel guide · editorialRed palace walls, golden roofs, and beyond them alleys where retirees stroll with their birdcages: Beijing has been China's capital for more than 700 years and the stage for much of its history. A city break in Beijing takes you to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the hutongs.
Capital of the Emperors
In the 13th century, Kublai Khan had the capital Dadu built on this site. Starting in 1420, the Ming emperors rebuilt the city with the Imperial Palace at its center, a north-south axis and mighty walls. The Qing dynasty ruled here until 1911. In 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic from the Gate of Heavenly Peace. The 2008 Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Games have transformed the city, bringing new stadiums, subway lines and high-rise districts such as the Central Business District.
Beijing Sights
The heart of the city is the vast Tiananmen Square, home to Mao's Mausoleum and the National Museum. To the north lies the Forbidden City, the largest surviving palace complex in the world, now the Palace Museum with halls, courtyards and imperial treasures; you should reserve tickets online in advance. From Jingshan Park just behind it, you look out over the golden roofs. To the south is the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors prayed for good harvests; in the morning, hundreds of people practice tai chi, sing and play cards here. The Summer Palace in the northwest, with Kunming Lake and the Long Corridor, is an expansive landscaped garden. The Lama Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery with an 18-meter-tall sandalwood Buddha statue, is one of the liveliest temples in the city.
Hutongs and Neighborhoods
The hutongs, narrow alleys lined with courtyard houses, are old Beijing. Around the lakes of Shichahai with the Drum and Bell Towers, you can ride through the alleys by bike or rickshaw, and Nanluoguxiang is lined with cafés and shops. The area around Donghuamen near the Forbidden City combines tradition with shopping streets such as Wangfujing. To the east lies Sanlitun, the neighborhood of embassies, bars and designer boutiques. Jianwai and the Central Business District in Chaoyang District show modern Beijing with skyscrapers such as the CCTV Headquarters. In the 798 art district, a former factory complex in the northeast, galleries and studios have set up shop.
The Great Wall
A visit to Beijing without the Great Wall is hard to imagine. The best-known stretch is the restored section at Badaling, which is often overcrowded. Quieter and more scenic are Mutianyu, with its cable car and toboggan run, as well as Jinshanling and Simatai, where the wall runs along steep ridges. The Ming Tombs on the way there are easy to combine with a visit. It's best to start early in the morning to get ahead of the tour groups; on weekends and during the holiday weeks in May and October, the crowds are especially large. If you're feeling adventurous, you can hike unrestored sections such as Jiankou, but you should bring experience, sturdy footwear and a local guide.
Eating in Beijing
The most famous dish is Peking duck: the crispy skin is carved at the table and eaten with pancakes, scallions and sweet bean sauce. Equally typical are zhajiangmian, noodles with soybean paste, jiaozi, dumplings, and in winter the Mongolian hot pot with mutton. For breakfast there's jianbing, savory crêpes from street stalls. In the evening, it's worth taking a stroll along Guijie, the "Ghost Street" in Dongcheng District, where hundreds of restaurants serve crayfish and hot pot until late at night. Beijing's restaurants also offer the cuisines of every province, from spicy Sichuan to the Muslim food of the Uyghurs.
Getting Around and Best Time to Visit
Beijing has two major airports: Capital in the northeast and the new Daxing in the south, both connected to the center by express rail. The subway is the best way to get around, and app-based bikes are handy for the hutongs. High-speed trains reach Shanghai in about four and a half hours. Payment is mostly by app; Germans can currently enter visa-free for short stays, but you should check the current rules. The best time to visit is spring and fall, especially October with its clear skies. Summer is hot, and winter is dry and icy.