China/Beijing

Nearby Attractions

Real admission fees for popular attractions, with the nearest subway station for each.

Planning your visit

Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable windows for a city built around outdoor plazas and hutong walking, while summer brings heavy heat and humidity and China's October 1–7 Golden Week turns even a walk down Wangfujing into a shuffle through a crowd. Advance, passport-linked booking has become the default at major sights rather than an option — the Forbidden City and the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall both require a real-name reservation tied to the exact passport used to book, checked at the gate, and tickets for popular dates can disappear days ahead. The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the hutong lanes cluster into one walkable old-town core, but the Great Wall and Summer Palace sit well outside the city and effectively claim a separate half or full day each with a car or tour. There's no citywide sightseeing pass that changes this calculus — planning mostly comes down to booking each major site individually and building in a dedicated day for anything outside the center.

Forbidden City

Imperial Palace

The Ming and Qing imperial palace complex at the heart of Beijing, with nearly 1,000 surviving buildings.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 1 · Tiananmen East

Admission feeCN¥60

Closed: Closed Mondays, except public holidays

Peak season (Apr 1-Oct 31) ¥60; off-peak (Nov 1-Mar 31) ¥40. Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery are +¥10 each. Online, real-name (passport) advance booking only — tickets release 7 days ahead and sell out.

View on map ↗

Great Wall at Mutianyu

Great Wall Section

A well-preserved, less-crowded Great Wall section ~70km northeast of central Beijing, reachable by cable car, chairlift, or on foot.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 2/Beijing Subway Line 13/Beijing Subway Airport Express · Dongzhimen

Admission feeCN¥45

Closed: None — open every day

Entry ¥45. Cable car/chairlift ¥100 one-way, ¥140 round-trip (two separate operators run the two systems, so a mixed up/down trip costs ¥200 total). Toboggan descent ¥100.

View on map ↗

Temple of Heaven

Imperial Temple Complex

A Ming-dynasty imperial complex where emperors performed annual rites for good harvests, famous for the round Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 5 · Temple of Heaven East Gate

Admission feeCN¥34

Closed: None — open every day

Combined ticket (park + Hall of Prayer, Circular Mound Altar, Echo Wall, etc.): ¥34 peak (Apr-Oct) / ¥28 off-peak (Nov-Mar). Cheaper park-only ticket (excludes the halls): ¥15 peak / ¥10 off-peak. Real-name reservation via the 'Beijing Parks' or 'Temple of Heaven' WeChat account, 1-7 days ahead.

View on map ↗

Summer Palace

Royal Garden

A vast imperial garden and lake estate built around Kunming Lake, once the summer retreat of the Qing-dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 4 · Beigongmen

Admission feeCN¥30

Closed: None — open every day

General admission: ¥30 peak (Apr-Oct) / ¥20 off-peak. 'Through ticket' adding Wenchang Gallery, Suzhou Street, and the Tower of Buddhist Incense: ¥60 peak / ¥50 off-peak.

View on map ↗

Tiananmen Square

Public Square

One of the largest public squares in the world, flanked by the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, and the gate to the Forbidden City.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 1 · Tiananmen West

Admission feeFree

Closed: None — open every day

Free, but entry requires a mandatory real-name reservation (passport) via the 'Tiananmen Square Visit Reservation' WeChat mini-program, booked 1-7 days ahead; no walk-up entry. Four daily slots tied to the flag-raising/lowering ceremony.

View on map ↗

Nanluoguxiang Hutong

Historic Hutong Neighborhood

An 800m Yuan-dynasty alleyway lined with courtyard houses, now packed with shops, cafes, and bars — Beijing's best-known hutong strip.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 6/Beijing Subway Line 8 · Nanluoguxiang

Admission feeFree

Closed: None — open every day

View on map ↗

Lama Temple (Yonghegong)

Buddhist Temple

Beijing's largest and most active Tibetan Buddhist temple, a former Qing-dynasty imperial residence converted into a monastery.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 2/Beijing Subway Line 5 · Yonghegong Lama Temple

Admission feeCN¥25

Closed: None — open every day

¥25 standard, ¥12 half-price. 100% pre-booked timed-entry via WeChat mini-program or on-site with passport — no walk-up tickets.

View on map ↗

798 Art District

Art District

A former state electronics-factory complex turned contemporary art hub, packed with galleries, studios, and street art.

🚇 Beijing Subway Line 12 · Gaojiayuan

Admission feeFree

Closed: None — open every day

Free to walk around; individual galleries and special exhibitions inside may charge their own entry fee.

View on map ↗