Things to Do in Beijing

1. Climb to Great Wall Of China: You can choose from many sections of the Great Wall of China in Beijing and climb it. If you want an easy walk while enjoying the sights, you can go for the section of the Great Wall located in Mutianyu. However, for a more challenging and adventurous climb, you can hike on the walls of Jiankou or even Jinshanling. Try to plan the climb at the end of the day to witness the breathtaking view from the Great Wall at night. For the difficult climbs, visit at early hours to beat the harsh afternoon sun. You can also opt for tour guides who can show you the important places in the Great Wall of China but keep in mind that they can be a bit costly.

Location: Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, Simatai and Jiankou
Price: 20 yuan

2. Visit the Forbidden City: If you were contemplating on What to Do in Beijing City, an easy answer would be to visit the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Beijing city. It is essentially a palace complex located right at the centre of the Imperial City of Beijing. The place is surrounded by numerous imperial gardens, parks, and temples, including the famous sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Before the Forbidden City's declaration as a world heritage site, it served as a home to the Chinese emperors and was the political hub of the government for over 500 years. The cost to visit this location depends on the time you see it. The tickets can cost anything between 40 Yuan to 60 Yuan.

Location: Dongcheng District
Price: 40 yuan to 60 yuan

3. Admire the beauty of the Temple of Heaven: Situated in the southeastern part of Beijing city, visiting this Temple of Heaven is another one of the most popular things to do in Beijing city. The temple is an imperial complex of several religious buildings where the emperors of the Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty used to visit. The emperors used to attend annual ceremonies and pray to heaven for a good harvest, hence the name, Temple of Heaven.

Location: Tiantan E Rd, Dongcheng
Price: 28 yuan to 34 yuan

4. Experience a Rickshaw Ride Through the Hutongs: The hutongs are traditional courtyard homes and alleyways that once was how most people in Beijing lived earlier. With the rapid expansion of modern architecture in this city, only a few of these Hutongs have survived.

Taking a rickshaw ride through the hutongs in places like Shichahai and Dashilar is another of the most entertaining Activities to Do in Beijing City. It will give you a glimpse of the authentic local life of the people of Beijing. You can buy some souvenirs and try some authentic Chinese food in these hutongs.

Location: Shichahai and Dashilar (has most number of hutongs)

5. Explore Summer Palace: If you were wondering what to Do in Beijing City, which gives you a sense of serenity and aesthetic pleasure, you could explore Beijing's Summer Palace. The Summer Palace, located in the Haidian District, is a massive conglomeration of gardens, lakes, and palaces.

Relax by the calming Kunming Lake full of pristine blue water and explore the quiet natural beauty of the location's back hill. This Summer Palace has been declared as one of the greatest masterpieces of Chinese landscape garden design.

Location: Haidian District
Price: 20 yuan to 30 yuan

6. Explore the 798 Art District: If you are a budding artist and hope to get some more artistic inspiration from the picturesque city of Beijing, be sure to include the 798 Art District in your list of What to Do in Beijing City. From contemporary art galleries, space gallery to stretches of street art pieces and popular restaurants and pubs, this Art District is one of the most incredible places you can spend a calming afternoon in. You can get your hands on some of the most unique and inventive souvenirs one can find in all of China.

Location: Chaoyang

7. Visit the Lama Temple: A magnificent instance of Chinese architecture is the Lama Temple, located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing. This monastery is home to three Guinness World Record items: the giant wooden Buddha, the 500-Arhat-Hill, and the bronze Buddhas of past, present, and future.

Apart from these, you can also check out the Chinese sacrificial activities and praise the beautiful Tibetan architecture. You can see all the essential things in this temple and complete your visit in about an hour or two. Afterwards, you can enjoy hutong tours nearby as they are abundant in this area and relish authentic Chinese cuisines.

Location: Yonghegong St, Dongcheng
Price: Free for children, 25 yuan for adults

8. Explore the Old Summer Palace: The Old Summer Palace was a complex of gardens and palaces located in the Haidian District of Beijing. Explore the ruins and remnants of the grand park in the Old Summer Palace, which was destroyed in a devastating fire that lasted for several days. This is one of the best things to do in Beijing City if you happen to be a history enthusiast or appreciate ancient architectural styles. The entry fee of this place is just 10 Yuan, much lesser than the adjacent Summer Palace.

Location: Haidian District
Price: 10 yuan

9. Visit the Ming Tombs: The Ming tombs are located 50 kilometres northwest of Beijing City. There are a total of 13 tombs for all the 13 emperors of the Ming dynasty. The mausoleums for each of these tombs have different sizes and vary in the overall structure's complexity. Although there are thirteen of these tombs, only the Changling Tomb, Dingling Tomb, Zhaoling Tomb and the Sacred Way is open for the public to come and visit.

Location: Changping District
Price: 20 yuan to 60 yuan

10. Beijing Food Tour: Last but for sure, one of the most entertaining activities to Do in Beijing City is to book any Beijing Food Tours and enjoy the city's authentic cuisines for a full day. This is especially fun for all the food bloggers and enthusiasts looking to try and know more about the Chinese cuisines prevalent in Beijing.

You can find a food tour in any famous tourist places and choose one that seems the most interesting to you. These tours can cost you anywhere between 60 dollars to 100 dollars.

1. Visit the Beijing Chaoyang Theater Acrobats: Visit the Chaoyang Theater and get a glimpse of the gut-wrenching acrobatics show. You kids will love the flashy costumes and impressive stunts performed by the acrobats there. It is one of the most entertaining Activities to Do in Beijing City with your kids.

2. Have fun at the Chaoyang Park: You can come to this park with your family at any season of the year. You can fly kites and rent boats in the summer and ski during the winters. The park also has a small amusement park within it.

3. Taste the Street Food of Beijing in Snack Streets: You can find several snack streets in Beijing full of unique and not quite normal bites of food. Visiting one of these snack streets with your kids is an ideal thing to do and should be a part of your itinerary.

4. Get a glimpse of Ling Ling (the Giant Panda) at the Beijing Zoo: If you go out of things to do in the city and need someplace where you can find peace, visit the Beijing zoo with your kids and observe the beautiful animals kept there, including the famous giant panda or the Ling Ling. If you plan to visit the zoo, make sure that you head there first as it can get a bit busy at times.

1. Check out the stunning colours at Chang’An Avenue & Tiananmen Square: At night, Chang'An Avenue & Tiananmen Square buildings will be lit up into beautiful colours and present to you a wondrous sight. Do not miss this sight if you visit Beijing.

2. Click pictures in front of the Qianmen Street: Another street that lights up in fabulous colours is Qianmen Street. You can click some very Instagram worthy pictures here and get a glimpse of the beautifully lit up entrance gates.

3. Visit the Luxurious Mall: The Place: The Place in Beijing is just another shopping mall in the city, but the visuals of this mall's building is spectacular. Its main attraction is the colossal screen attached in the middle of two luxury buildings. The screen lights up with unique colours giving a perfect background for some fantastic pictures.

4. Eat authentic Chinese food at the Ghost Food Street: Another exciting place that you can visit at night to eat authentic cuisines is Ghost Food Street, where almost all the restaurants have a red decor style and thus, the whole street glows a stunning red colour.

March to May and September to October are the best months to visit Beijing as this is when the climate is most favourable, and the sights are colourful.

To reach Beijing from India, you have to catch a flight from any international airports from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, or Kolkata via flight carriers such as Air India, Etihad Airways and Malaysia Airlines and then fly to the Beijing Capital International Airport. The flight takes roughly around 13 to 14 hours from India to Beijing.

It is recommended to stay at least a week in the city to experience complete authenticity. However, to see the popular tourist attractions and enjoy with your family, three to four days are rough to cover the entire city.

To apply for a tourist visa to Beijing, you need to fill out a Visa Application Form. You also need to send your passport with at least one empty page. The key should be valid for six months beyond the dates of the trip. It would help if you also had a two by 2-inch photograph of yourself.

If you visit Beijing for the first time, it is recommended that you stay there for at least three days. This gives you enough time to go through all things to do in Beijing city and see all the famous landmarks of the city while experiencing the town's local life as well.

Beijing is known for many things, including its rich heritage of Chinese Architecture, the world-famous roasted Peking Duck, its Copper craftwork or Cloisonne, and Huong. It is also famous for the most extensive and best-preserved ancient architectural complex globally, which is the Forbidden City.