Beijing in 4 DaysPartially verified 8/40 · rest are estimates
Four days, four clusters: Day 1 stay around Qianmen after you land; Day 2 walk the imperial axis (Tiananmen → Forbidden City → Jingsian overview); Day 3 temples and hutongs south-to-north; Day 4 the Great Wall in the morning, airport by evening. No crossing the city twice.
Beijing in one line: a city built to be walked north-to-south along its axis — and one where booking ahead decides everything. The Forbidden City is the single most gatekept attraction in China.
Weather cells are placeholders — do a final check 3 days before departure; swap the Great Wall day if storms are forecast.
Visa-free entry — do you qualify? (2026-10-09 checked)
China currently runs two visa-free lanes: ① 30-day unilateral visa-free entry for ordinary-passport holders of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and dozens more countries; ② 240-hour (10-day) transit visa-free for 55+ countries entering through designated ports (Beijing Capital and Daxing both qualify) with an onward ticket to a third country. Check your nationality against the current list before booking — policies have been expanding quarter by quarter. Your passport needs 2+ blank pages; the 12-page US emergency passport is not accepted.
Countdown
- T-7, 20:00 Beijing time — Forbidden City booking window opens. Book it the same night (passport works as ID for foreigners; WeChat mini-program “The Palace Museum” is the only channel).
- T-5 — Mutianyu reservation (official “慕田峪长城” WeChat mini-program) + Great Wall transport ticket.
- T-3 — Set up Alipay with your foreign card; download offline maps + this book's offline copy.
- T-1 — Weather final call: storms = swap the Great Wall day with the hutong day.
Packing for this trip
Trip-specific: your passport (it is your ticket into every attraction), a portable battery, comfortable shoes (Day 2 alone is 15,000+ steps), and pollution mask if you're sensitive — Beijing AQI swings. Power adapters: China uses Type A/I, 220V.
Offline survival kit: this book offline, an offline map app (Maps.me/Organic Maps with Beijing downloaded), your hotel name in Chinese characters (show it to taxi drivers), and emergency numbers saved: police 110, ambulance 120.
Routes & transport
Airport → city
Capital Airport (PEK): Airport Express train about ¥25 to Dongzhimen/Sanyuanqiao【estimate】. Daxing (PKX): Airport Express to Caoqiao, about ¥35【estimate】. A taxi/didi from PEK to Qianmen runs about ¥100-130【estimate】 — worth it with luggage.
Getting around
The subway is your spine: rides cost ¥3-9 by distance, Alipay/WeChat QR codes work at all gates with a foreign card attached. Rush hour (07:30-09:00, 17:30-19:00) — avoid Line 1 through Tiananmen with a backpack. Taxis are metered and honest; drivers rarely speak English — show the Chinese address.
| Leg | Mode | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEK → Qianmen | Airport Express + Line 2 | ~60 min | Transfer at Dongzhimen; ¥25 + ¥4-5【estimate】 |
| Qianmen → Forbidden City | Line 2 → Line 1, or 20-min walk | 15-25 min | Walk up the axis from Qianmen if weather is kind — it's the point of Beijing |
| Qianmen → Temple of Heaven | Line 8 or taxi | ~15 min | East gate is the quiet entrance |
| Dongzhimen → Mutianyu | Tourist bus / through-ticket coach | ~90 min | Direct coaches and ticket+transport bundles exist (2026-10-09 checked); first departures ~08:00 |
Arrival & Qianmen
◉ todayTiananmen → Forbidden City
◉ todayTemple of Heaven & Hutongs
◉ todayMutianyu Great Wall & Departure
◉ todayOptional extras
Summer Palace (half day): lake-and-hill imperial garden, gate about ¥30【estimate】. Swap in for Day 3 afternoon if temples aren't your thing.
Lama Temple (¥25【estimate】): Beijing's most alive temple — working incense, not a museum piece. Pairs naturally with Nanluoguxiang (same Line 2/5 corner).
798 Art District: galleries in a decommissioned factory quarter; a half day northeast, best on a clear afternoon.
Peking opera / acrobatics: Liyuan Theatre evening shows about ¥100-280【estimate】 — book via your hotel front desk, which is the foreigner-friendly channel.
Tickets & booking
| Sight | Price | Booking | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbidden City | ¥60 peak / ¥40 off; galleries +¥10 (2026-10-09 checked · official) | WeChat mini-program “故宫博物院” only — passports work; sales open 7 days ahead at 20:00, sell out in minutes | Closed Mondays; no on-site sales |
| Mutianyu Great Wall | ticket+shuttle+cable bundles from ~¥155 (2026-10-09 checked) | Official “慕田峪长城” mini-program — real-name, passport OK; book 3+ days ahead in peak season | Through-ticket coaches from Dongzhimen save the transfer hassle |
| Tiananmen Square | Free | Reservation mini-program “天安门广场预约参观”, 1+ day ahead | ID/passport check at security |
| Temple of Heaven | ~¥34 combined【estimate】 | On-site or official account; park itself from ~06:00 | Morning is the show |
| Jingshan / Bell-Drum towers / Lama Temple | ¥2-25 each【estimate】 | On-site | Cash rarely needed — QR everything |
The one booking that can kill this itinerary is the Forbidden City — treat the 20:00 release like a concert sale. 【estimate】= not verified to official source on 2026-10-09; re-check before you go.
Tips & pitfalls
Google doesn't work here. Maps, Search, Gmail — all blocked in mainland China. Download an offline map before flying, and remember this book works offline: that's what it's for.
Alipay is your wallet. Add a foreign card in the app (takes 5 minutes, works for the vast majority of cards since 2023). Street vendors to subway gates — one QR. Keep ~¥200 cash as backup only.
Passport = your ticket. Every reservation above is real-name. Carry the passport every day; a photo of it does not pass security checks at sights.
Monday is museum day — literally. The Forbidden City and most museums close Mondays. If your trip includes one, put the Great Wall or hutongs there.
Trains need passport collection. If you add a high-speed rail leg (e.g. to Xi'an — 4.5h), buy on 12306 with your passport number and collect paper tickets at the station's passport machine, 30+ minutes early.
The 20:00 alarm. Set a daily 19:55 alarm during your trip-week: Forbidden City tickets for 7-days-later drop at 20:00 sharp. Miss it once, fine; twice, no palace.
Footwear is equipment. Day 2 alone covers 15,000+ steps on stone. Dress shoes have ruined more Beijing trips than rain.
Taxis are honest, drivers are monolingual. Meters always run; have your destination in Chinese characters (every stop in this book: copy it). Didi (the app) lets you type English and pay in-app.
Where to stay
| Area | Per night (double) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Qianmen / Dashilar | ¥400-700【estimate】 | On the historic axis, walking distance to Day 2's start, hutong atmosphere at night. Default pick for a first visit. |
| Wangfujing | ¥500-900【estimate】 | Central, hotel-heavy, English-friendly; one stop from the axis. Slightly more sterile. |
| Houhai / Nanluoguxiang | ¥350-650【estimate】 | Courtyard boutique hotels in real hutongs; charming, but subway access is a 10-min walk. |
Location logic: this itinerary radiates from the central axis — Qianmen minimizes transit on 3 of 4 days. Don't stay by the airport to save ¥100; you'll pay it back in subway hours.
Three questions when booking: ① can they store luggage after checkout (Day 4 needs it)? ② does the front desk speak any English (they'll help with mini-program bookings — this matters)? ③ is the booking platform one that accepts foreign passports?
Light sleeper note: Qianmen's hutong hotels put you inside the atmosphere — and inside the 06:00 delivery scooters. Ask for a courtyard-facing room. Prices are shoulder-season estimates; national holidays double【seasonal】.
Budget
| Item | Per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel 3 nights | ¥600-1,050【estimate】 | Double room split, Qianmen area |
| City transport | ~¥120 | Subway ¥3-9/ride + airport express ~¥25【estimate】 |
| Tickets | ~¥300 | Forbidden City ¥60 + Mutianyu bundle ¥155-200 + misc (2026-10-09 checked for the two big ones) |
| Food 4 days | ¥600-900【estimate】 | Street food to one Peking duck dinner |
| Hidden costs | ¥100-300 | Toboggan at the wall, drinks, museum extras; souvenirs excluded (most elastic) |
Reference rate: 1 USD ≈ ¥7.1, 1 EUR ≈ ¥7.7【estimate】 — card settlements will vary. Tax refunds for tourists: China piloted departure-tax-refund at major ports; ask for the refund form when buying souvenirs over ¥500 in tax-free shops (2026-10-09 checked, policy in rollout).
If things go wrong
🌧 Storm forecast
The Great Wall in a storm is closed cable-car territory. Swap Day 4 with Day 3 the night before; hutongs and museums absorb rain, the wall doesn't.
🎫 Palace sold out
Keep trying the 20:00 release (returns re-enter); meanwhile National Museum + Jingshan + Beihai make a respectable imperial day. Don't buy “guided entry” from street touts — that's the classic scam.
🚕 Lost / no English
Open Didi, set destination, show the driver the plate number — the app does the talking. Emergency: police 110, ambulance 120. Your embassy's number goes in the offline book before you fly.
💳 Payment dead
Card declined in Alipay — open WeChat Pay and try there; then any Bank of China ATM for cash. Foreign cards work at virtually all ATMs, rarely at small merchants' POS.
Food list
| Meal | Where | Place | Order | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 dinner | Dashilar | Menkuang Xiejie stalls | jianbing (crepe) + lamb skewers | ¥40-70【estimate】 |
| D2 lunch | Near Jingshan | Siji Minfu (roast duck) | half duck + pancakes | ¥100-150【estimate】, queue 30-60min |
| D2 dinner | Wangfujing | food alley + noodle shop | zhajiang noodles + tanghulu | ¥40-80【estimate】 |
| D3 lunch | Nanluoguxiang | hutong courtyard café | noodles or dumplings | ¥50-90【estimate】 |
| D3 dinner | Houhai | lakeside Yunnan or hotpot | hotpot for two | ¥100-160【estimate】 |
| D4 lunch | Mutianyu base | the wall's canteen or foot-town restaurants | simple noodle bowl | ¥40-80【estimate】 |
| Breakfast · flexible | Qianmen | street jianbing / hotel | jianbing + soy milk | ¥10-25【estimate】 |
| Tea break | hutongs | courtyard teahouse | jasmine tea set | ¥40-120【estimate】 |
One rule: duck queues are real — Siji Minfu at 11:30 not 13:00. QR ordering in restaurants has English buttons; when it doesn't, point at the next table and smile.
Souvenirs
| Type | Pick | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea | Jasmine or loose-leaf pu'er, sealed tins | ¥60-200【estimate】 | Ten Fu chains or the mall opposite Qianmen; avoids fake-leaf risk |
| Silk & cloth | Silk scarf / canvas panda anything | ¥50-300【estimate】 | Wangfujing department stores — fixed prices, no haggling shame |
| Snacks | Daoxiangcun pastry gift boxes | ¥40-120【estimate】 | Their own stores, look for the queue of locals |
| Mao-era kitsch | propaganda-poster prints, enamel mugs | ¥20-150【estimate】 | 798 Art District or Dashilar design shops |
Don't buy at the attraction gate: “Great Wall stamps” and jade at exit shops are the two classic markups — the same jade bead string is a third of the price in city shops. Ask for the tax-refund form at proper stores (see Budget note).