Attractions in Beijing

The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex, spanning 72 hectares with 980 surviving buildings and 8,728 rooms. Built between 1406 and 1420, it served as the imperial residence for 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties over nearly 500 years.

Tiananmen Square is one of the world's largest public squares, measuring 440,000 square meters — large enough to hold 600,000 people. Flanked by major institutions and monuments, it is the symbolic heart of the People's Republic of China.

The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of Ming-dynasty architecture and landscape design, set within a 273-hectare park that is nearly four times larger than the Forbidden City. Emperors came here to perform elaborate rituals praying for good harvests and divine favor.

The Summer Palace is China's largest and best-preserved imperial garden, covering 297 hectares of which three-quarters is Kunming Lake. It was the preferred summer retreat of the Qing court and represents a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.

The Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was once considered the greatest imperial garden in the world — the 'Garden of Gardens.' Today its hauntingly beautiful ruins stand as a powerful reminder of 19th-century colonial destruction.

The Mausoleum of Mao Zedong sits at the center of Tiananmen Square, where the embalmed body of Chairman Mao lies in a crystal coffin. It is one of the most visited memorial halls in the world.

The Ming Tombs are the burial grounds of 13 of the 16 Ming-dynasty emperors, set in a feng shui-perfect valley ringed by mountains about 50 km northwest of central Beijing. The UNESCO-listed complex spans 120 square kilometers.

The Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple) is Beijing's most spectacular Tibetan Buddhist temple, renowned for its towering sandalwood Buddha and vibrant religious atmosphere. It is one of the few active Tibetan Buddhist monasteries outside Tibet and draws both worshippers and tourists.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), nicknamed 'The Egg,' is a titanium-and-glass dome designed by French architect Paul Andreu, rising dramatically from an artificial lake just west of Tiananmen Square.

Badaling is the most famous and most visited section of the Great Wall, located about 70 km northwest of central Beijing. Fully restored with modern walkways and facilities, it offers an accessible introduction to the wall for visitors of all fitness levels.

The Marco Polo Bridge (Lugou Qiao) is a 266-meter stone arch bridge dating to 1192, famous for its 501 individually carved lion sculptures and for being praised by Marco Polo as 'the finest bridge in the world' in his 13th-century travels.

Niujie Mosque is Beijing's oldest and largest mosque, founded in 996 AD. Its unique architecture blends traditional Chinese palatial design with Islamic religious function, making it one of the most architecturally distinctive mosques in the world.

The Bell Tower stands 47 meters tall just 100 meters north of the Drum Tower, forming the northern terminus of Beijing's historic central axis. Built entirely of brick and stone, it is one of the sturdiest ancient structures in the city.

White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan) is Beijing's oldest and most important Taoist temple, serving as the headquarters of the Quanzhen (Complete Reality) school of Taoism. Founded in 739 AD, it remains an active center of Taoist practice.

The Drum Tower is a 47-meter Ming-era timber-and-brick tower that once served as the city's official timekeeper, with 25 massive drums beaten at precise intervals to mark the hours for the citizens of imperial Beijing.

Mutianyu is one of the best-restored and most scenic sections of the Great Wall near Beijing, stretching 5.4 kilometers along forested ridgelines about 70 km northeast of the city center. It sees far fewer visitors than Badaling while offering equally dramatic scenery.

Prince Gong's Mansion is the largest and best-preserved princely residence of the Qing dynasty, covering 3.1 hectares in the heart of Beijing's hutong district. Its elaborate gardens and halls are considered a model of traditional Chinese residential architecture.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao) is a solemn Ming-era ceremonial complex where emperors performed ancestral worship rites. Located just east of Tiananmen Gate, it is now known as the Working People's Cultural Palace.

The Temple of Confucius in Beijing is the second-largest Confucian temple in China, exceeded only by the one in Confucius's hometown of Qufu. Built in 1302, it served as the site of imperial sacrifices to Confucius for nearly 700 years.

Jinshanling is a semi-wild section of the Great Wall about 130 km northeast of Beijing, renowned for its dramatic watchtowers, photogenic crumbling battlements, and relatively uncrowded hiking trails. It is the preferred section for serious photographers and hikers.

Tanzhe Temple is Beijing's oldest Buddhist temple, founded in the 3rd century, set deep in the Western Hills about 45 km from central Beijing. An old Beijing saying states: 'First came Tanzhe Temple, then came Beijing.'

The China Millennium Monument is a futuristic sundial-shaped memorial and art museum built to mark the year 2000. Its distinctive tilted cone structure houses temporary exhibitions and a rotating gallery of Chinese cultural heritage.