Top 11 Must-See Attractions in Beijing

Beijing plays an important role in the world's economic network and hence known as a global power city. It is one of the leading centers for culture, business, economics, politics, education, language, diplomacy and science, and technology.

The city offers a long list of things to do in Beijing, such as visiting luxurious palaces, ancient temples, tombs, walls, gates, and walking around the beautiful parks and garden. There are hundreds of popular places that are worth visiting, but it is not possible to tour all of them in one go. With our picked list of best things to do in Beijing, you can cover all the major places and know about the culture and tradition of this vibrant city.

Yonghe Temple, a place regarded for peace and harmony, is also known as the Lama Temple or the Yonghe Lamasery. This is a temple and monastery located in the Dongcheng district of Beijing. During the Qing Dynasty of China, in 1694, the construction work of the building started. Since then, it was used for many different purposes and finally closed 1949 for almost 32 years. It was opened to the public in 1981, and now it is one of the most visited temples by locals as well as visitors and highly popular tourist attractions of Beijing.

In the building and artworks of the temple, you can see a great influence of Tibetan and Han Chinese style. Each section of the temple has a specific name, and you can visit them one by one. Courtyards separate all these halls. The Hall of Harmony and Peace is the entrance to all the four halls and the main building of the temple. Visit this place to see different kinds of artworks. You cannot miss taking a tour of the highly popular tourist attractions of any city, so add this place in your things to do in Beijing list and enjoy your trip.

It opens every day (Monday to Sunday) from 9 am to 5 pm. But the closing time differs according to the season. In the summer season, it remains open for an extra 30 minutes. So, it is advisable to check the opening and closing time before you are leaving for the Yonghe temple.

Address: 12 Yonghegong St, Dongcheng, China, 100007

Prince Gong's Mansion is another famous tourist attraction in Beijing located in the north of the Shichahai lake in Xicheng district. Prince Gong's Mansion is a museum which is also known as the Prince Kung Mansion. This is one of the best-preserved imperial mansions of the city spread over a total area of 60,000 square meters. This place has served as homes to many royal families.

In the complex of the mansion building, you will get to see several courtyards, a grand Peking opera house, and two-story buildings. In some of the courtyards, you will see a temporary art exhibition while some of them exhibit a permanent museum showcasing the history of the mansion. You will see a beautiful garden near the complex which is surrounded by artificial mountains. This place offers a lot of cultural things. Even local people of china visit this place with their families, especially kids. You might find this place a little crowdy on weekends, so plan accordingly. Add this place in your things to do in Beijing list and have lots of fun.

There are two seasons to visit this place; On-season and off-season. In on-season (April 1 - October 31), the mansion opens from 8 am to 5 pm, and in the off-season (November 1 - March 31), it opens from 9 am to 4 pm.

Address: 17 Qianhai W St, Shi Cha Hai, Xicheng, Beijing, China

Ming tombs reflect the work, art, architecture, lifestyle, and culture of the Ming Dynasty of China. In Ming tombs, you will see a collection of mausoleums that were built by the emperors of this dynasty. Collectively the Ming tombs are known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Beijing as well as China. This place lies under the World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO and covers a total area of 120 kilometers.

Witness the precious art, stone carvings, and exhibition rooms amidst the beautiful nature. Nature enhances the beauty of this place in the spring season.

You need to dedicate half-day touring this beautiful historical place of China. This place has a historical significance, and you will be amazed to see the impressive natural landscape surrounding the tombs. You cannot miss this place while you are in Beijing or china. You have to see this place and so add it to the top of the list of things to do in Beijing.

It opens every day (Monday to Sunday) from 8 am to 5:30 pm. But during different seasons, the opening and closing time might differ a bit. In on-season (April 1 - October 31) the tomb opens at 8 am and closes at 5:30 pm while in the off-season (November 1 - March 31), it opens at 8:30 pm and closes at 5 pm. Also, ticket sales stop 30 minutes before the closing time.

Address: 212 Provincial Rd, Changping, China

The Old Summer Palace, called the Yuanming Yuan (in Chinese), is situated at the Haidian district of Beijing. It was built during the 18th and 19th centuries as a complex of palaces and gardens. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty used to handle state affairs from this place as this was the main imperial residence for them. This imperial garden was made up of three gardens; Garden of Perfect Brightness, Garden of Eternal Spring and Garden of Elegant Spring.

Here you can see an extensive collection of gardens, architecture, numerous arts, and historical treasures like temples, pavilions, halls, and many more. The western mansion is the most visible architectural remains of this place, which you must see. In the scattered ruins of this place, you will see a profound beauty that does justice to the effort of the visitors who come to this public park. Visit this palace by adding this in things to do in Beijing list.

All around the year, the palace has different opening and closing timings for the visitors. From January-March and November-December, the palace opens at 7 am, closes at 5:30 pm and the ticket sale ends at 4:30 pm. In April, September, and October, the Palace opens at 7 am, closes at 6 pm and the ticket sale ends at 4:30 pm. From May-August, the ticket sale ends at 4:30 pm, and you can visit the palace from 7 am to 7 pm.

Address: No. 28, Qinghua West Road, Haidian District, Beijing

The Confucius Temple and The Imperial College Museum are the two famous ancient buildings in Beijing. Both of the buildings share a similar kind of themes and are located near each other. So, it is easy for visitors to tour both of them together in one go.

The Confucius temple was built during Yuna, Ming, and Qing dynasties. You need to have 1-2 hours to tour the entire Confucius temple as the temple is really big. You can see the rare ancient architecture of the Yuan dynasty in this temple. Two more important things to see in this temple are the stone tablets in the courtyard and the traditional ritual and music dance “teaching ritual and music” that depicts the ancient traditional art and culture, and it is performed several times a day in the temple.

During the Ming and Qing dynasty, the imperial college was the highest institution for higher education in the country. You can see permanent exhibitions at Imperial College.

May-October is the high season to visit this place, and you can visit this Museum from 8:30 am to 6 pm during this season. During the low season, that is November-April, you can visit here from 8:30 am to 5 pm. It remains closed on Monday during the low season. Visit this temple by adding it to things to do in Beijing list.

Address: No. 15, Guozijian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Have you ever wondered how the largest imperial palace in the world looks like? It looks exactly like the Forbidden City. During Ming and qing dynasties, this place served as the Chinese imperial palace. After the end of the ancient rulers, this place served the Chinese government as their ceremonial and political center for almost 500 years. UNESCO has declared this place as the World Heritage Site, and it was listed as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

There is a total of 980 buildings that comes under this complex, and it is spread across 72 hectares. There is a Palace museum inside the Forbidden City which where you can see an extensive collection of artworks, artifacts, and the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Do visit this place if you are an art fan and witness around one million of art exhibited in this place.

During the high season (April-October), the entry to the Forbidden city starts at 8:30 am and ends at 5 pm. Whereas during the off-season (November- March), the complex opens at 8;30 am and closes at 4:30 pm. The ticket sale ends one hour before the closing time, and the entry to the complex is stopped 50 minutes before the closing time. The Forbidden City opens every day from Tuesday to Sunday, and it remains closed on Monday throughout the year. Visit this city by adding it in your things to do in Beijing list.

Address: No. 4, Jingshanqian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Jingshan Park is an imperial park located within the Forbidden City in Beijing. The park covers an area of 23 hectares. During, Yuan, Qing, and Ming dynasties, this park was originally an imperial garden which turned into a public park.

There is a 43-meter high mountain inside the park from which you can overlook the panoramic view of the Forbidden City. From this mountain, you can get a view of many famous attractions in Beijing like the ancient Drum and Bell Towers and hill-top White Pagoda of Beihai Park. There is a planted area of about 1,300 square yards that boasts some charming natural scenery. If you are in Beijing during May, then you can see 200 varieties of peony roses that bloom in this month. People come here to spend leisure time in beautiful surroundings.

From April-October, the park opens at 6:30 am and closes at 9 pm, from January-March, the park opens at 6:30 am and closes at 8 pm. The ticket sale stops 30 minutes before the closing time of the park, so don't be late. Add this place in things to do in Beijing list.

Address: 44 Jingshan W St, Xicheng, Beijing, China, 100009

The Temple of Heaven is a religious building situated in central Beijing. During Ming and Qing dynasty, the temple was the complex which was visited by the emperors only for annual ceremonies of prayer for a good harvest. It is a dignified complex built amidst the gardens and is surrounded by the pine woods that cover an area of 2,700,000 square meters. According to the legends, the temple symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven or in simpler words relationship between the human world and God's world.

In the complex, you can see three different types of constructions, each of them built according to strict philosophical requirements. These are the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the circular mound altar. The surrounding park and garden of the temple consist of playgrounds, exercise, and game areas where local people come regularly. Include this place in your things to do in Beijing list and see a place decorated by lavishly carved dragons.

There are four doors to enter this complex. During high season (April - October), the Temple of Heaven opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm. But during the low season (November- March), it opens 30 mins late, which is at 6:30 pm and closes at the same time. It opens every day from Monday to Sunday.

Address: 1 Tiantan E Rd, Dongcheng, China, 100061

The bell and the drum tower are the two different towers in Beijing that stand near each other, and it is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Beijing. You must be thinking that why this place is so popular among the visitors. Well, to know this, continue reading.

In ancient china, drum and bells were the musical instruments that were used later to announce the time by the government and the communities. And in this way, the bell and drum tower became central to official timekeeping during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Still, the tower continues to function as the official timepiece of Beijing, but the only difference is that now you will need a western-styled clockwork for official time-keeping. You can enjoy the drumming rhythms at every hour, starting from 9.30 am to 4.45 pm. The drumming performance is the replica of what was done during the ancient period. Go to this place and watch a different color of the culture that is still being carried there.

It opens every day, from Monday to Sunday at 9 am and closes at 5 pm.

Address: No. 9 Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing