7 Days in Beijing: The Ultimate First-Timer Itinerary

Beijing rewards slow travel. Seven days is enough to see the imperial sights, hike a less-crowded section of the Great Wall, eat through the hutongs, and still have time to recover from jet lag. This itinerary assumes you're a first-time visitor, traveling mid-range, and want to experience both the classics and real local life.

Day 1: Arrival & Wangfujing

Don't plan anything ambitious on day one. After landing at Capital Airport (PEK) or Daxing (PKX), take the Airport Express or a Didi to your hotel. We recommend staying around Wangfujing or Qianmen — central, walkable, and close to subway lines 1 and 2.

Evening: wander Wangfujing Snack Street if you must, but skip the touristy skewers and head to Jiumen Xiaochi for proper Beijing snacks — douzhi (fermented mung bean drink), ludagun (glutinous rice rolls), and baodu (tripe soup).

Day 2: Forbidden City & Jingshan

Buy your Forbidden City ticket 3–7 days in advance on the official WeChat mini-program or website — tickets sell out, especially on weekends. Enter at the Meridian Gate (south), walk north through the central axis, and exit at the Gate of Divine Might.

Right outside the north exit is Jingshan Park. Climb the hill (10 minutes) for the best panoramic photo of the Forbidden City roofscape. Late afternoon light is perfect.

Evening: dinner at Sichuan Restaurant (方砖厂69号) for zhajiangmian, or wander Nanluoguxiang hutong — but note the main alley has become a tourist strip; the side lanes are where Beijing still lives.

Day 3: Great Wall at Mutianyu

Skip Badaling. It's crowded, commercial, and 50% tour groups. Mutianyu is the best balance: restored, scenic, with a cable car up and a famous toboggan slide down.

How to get there: take bus 916 Express from Dongzhimen to Huairou, then transfer to the Mutianyu shuttle. Or book a private car (around ¥600–800 round trip) — worth it if you're two or more. Start early (7–8am) to beat the crowds and heat.

Bring water, wear sturdy shoes, and skip the "certificate of bravery" vendors at the top.

Day 4: Temple of Heaven & Qianmen

Morning at the Temple of Heaven park — arrive by 8am to see locals doing tai chi, flying whistling diabolo, and dancing. The Circular Mound and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests are the highlights.

Afternoon: Qianmen Street and the old city moat area. For Peking duck, walk to Da Dong Roast Duck (Nanxincang branch) — the skin is cut tableside and the quality is consistent. Book ahead.

Day 5: Summer Palace & 798 Art District

Morning: Summer Palace. It's huge — give it 3–4 hours. Take the boat across Kunming Lake if the weather is good.

Afternoon: 798 Art District in the old Factory 798. Housed in repurposed Soviet-style industrial buildings, it's Beijing's best contemporary art zone. Free to enter, galleries cost a few yuan.

Day 6: Lama Temple & Confucius Temple

Yonghegong (Lama Temple) is Beijing's most important Tibetan Buddhist site — the 18-meter sandalwood Buddha is staggering. Next door, the Confucius Temple and Imperial College are quieter and often missed by tour groups.

Evening: Guijie (Ghost Street) for late-night hotpot or crayfish. Order the mala crayfish (麻辣小龙虾) if you can handle heat.

Day 7: Flexible Buffer

Use this day for whatever you skipped, or for a day trip:

• Museum of the Great Wall at Badaling if you didn't get enough wall
• Fayuan Temple for a quiet morning
• Peking University & Tsinghua campuses (book in advance via WeChat)
• Or simply eat your way through Haidian and stock up on souvenirs

Practical Tips

• Transport: Buy a Yitongxing (市政交通一卡通) card or use Apple Pay/Google Pay on the subway. Didi is cheaper than taxis and English-friendly.
• WiFi: Get a Chinese SIM (China Unicom) at the airport, or rent a pocket WiFi. Google services are blocked — download a VPN before arrival.
• Cashless: Most places take Alipay or WeChat Pay now. Link a foreign card in the app — it works for most vendors.
• Best time: April–May or September–October. Summer is brutal, winter is freezing but the sights are empty.