Beijing is an ancient capital with a history of over 3000 years. Different dynasties have different titles. The history, culture, and natural landscape are very rich. Famous attractions such as the Palace Museum, Badaling Great Wall, and Xiangshan are must visit places in Beijing. How many times have you checked in at the top ten famous tourist attractions in Beijing? Come on, harvest a Beijing you haven't seen before!
01 Tiananmen Square → Palace Museum
Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum are one of the must visit attractions for first-time visitors to Beijing. They are located on the central axis of the city center, with the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum on the east and west sides of the square, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and Tiananmen Square on the north and south sides. After passing through Tiananmen Square, there is the Meridian Gate, which is the south gate of the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City. It is a world cultural heritage site and is a 5A rated wooden ancient building with the largest scale and best preserved in the world. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is one of the three major temples in China.
Scenic Area Tickets: The Palace Museum costs 60 yuan during peak season and 40 yuan during off season
02 Great Wall - Badaling - Juyong Mutianyu
The Great Wall is known as one of the seven wonders of the world and a world cultural heritage. In Beijing, Badaling Juyongguan Mutianyu is a famous section, especially the Badaling Great Wall, which was the first section of the Great Wall opened to tourists in the Ming Dynasty, is the most essence of the Great Wall, and is known as the first part of the majesty. For example, giant dragons shuttle in the mountains to show the majestic wind. Juyongguan Great Wall is the closest Great Wall to Beijing. In fact, it is just a circular pass, known as the first grand pass of the Great Wall. Since ancient times, it has been a battleground for military strategists. The Mutianyu Great Wall is known as the most beautiful. The Great Wall is surrounded by pine and cypress trees, making it the most beautiful scenery in the Great Wall.
Scenic Area Tickets: Badaling Great Wall Peak Season 40 yuan, Off Season 35 yuan
Juyongguan Great Wall costs 45 yuan during peak season and 40 yuan during off-season
Mutianyu Great Wall 45 yuan
03 Royal Gardens - Summer Palace
The Summer Palace was a royal garden of the Qing Dynasty. Its predecessor was Yiyuan, based on West Lake in Hangzhou and drawing on the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens. The large-scale landscape garden constructed is a world cultural heritage site, and the national 5A level scenic area is one of the four major gardens in China. The Summer Palace boasts the charming Suzhou Street of Jiangnan, the Seventeen Arch Bridge by Kunming Lake, the Jade Belt Bridge, exquisite and rich colorful paintings, garden corridors, and ancient architecture of Wanshou Mountain. Mainly around the areas of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, one can freely choose and adjust their itinerary.
Scenic Area Tickets: Summer Palace Peak Season 30 yuan, Off Season 20 yuan, Peak Season Union Ticket 60 yuan, Off Season 50 yuan.
04 Temple of Heaven Park
The Temple of Heaven is a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the heavens and prayed for a bountiful harvest. It is a world cultural heritage site and a national 5A level scenic spot. The Temple of Heaven is a collective term for the two altars, the Round Hill and the Prayer Valley. It has two altar walls, forming the inner and outer altars. The altar walls are round in both north and south, symbolizing the place where the sky is round. The emperor jade is used as a deity in the worship ceremony, continuing to pray northward. After the prayer gate, this is the core building of the Temple of Heaven. The prayer hall is supported by a three-layer white jade fence base, integrated with heaven and earth, and the momentum of the caisson is grand, with the most stunning being the large red pillars. The Temple of Heaven also has a unique landscape, with echo walls and circular walls. The space is small, allowing sound to reflect back, which is very worth visiting.
Admission to the scenic area: 15 yuan during peak season and 10 yuan during off-season,
Joint ticket: 35 yuan in peak season and 30 yuan in off-season
05 Xiangshan Park
Xiangshan is a royal garden with mountain and forest characteristics. The highest peak is Xianglu Peak, with an altitude of 557 meters. It is currently a national 4A level scenic spot. Although the mountain is not very high, there are many scenic spots in the area. There is a Shuangqing Villa here, which was Mao Zedong's residence when he entered Beijing. It welcomed the victory of the People's Liberation War. There are also many scenic spots, such as Xiangshan Temple, Zhaoji Temple, Yuhua Xiu, and Qinzheng Hall. The best season to visit Xiangshan is when autumn arrives. Red leaves are everywhere on the mountain, and a beautiful picture attracts many citizens and tourists to take photos and check in.
Admission to the scenic area: 10 yuan in peak season and 5 yuan in off-season for Xiangshan Park
06: Ming Thirteen Tombs
The Ming Thirteen Tombs are a complex of tombs for thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, a world cultural heritage site, and a national 5A level scenic spot. However, the Thirteen Tombs scenic area is now open to tourists. The Ming Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun's Dingling, the Ming Yongle Emperor Zhu Di Changling, and the Ming Muzong Zhu Zailong Zhaoling are the only open underground tombs in the Thirteen Tombs. However, Dingling has been destroyed by the Li Zicheng fire. The Zhudi Changling has golden nanmu, but the underground palace has not been excavated. It is best for tourists to choose self driving in the Thirteen Tombs scenic area. After all, the distance between the tombs is a bit far.
Scenic Area Tickets: Shenlu Peak Season 30 yuan, Off Season 20 yuan, Dingling Peak Season 60 yuan, Off Season 40 yuan, Changling Peak Season 45 yuan, Off Season 30 yuan, Zhaoling Peak Season 30 yuan, Off Season 20 yuan.
07 Beihai Park
The three seas of Beihai Park, collectively known as Zhonghai Nanhai. Belonging to ancient Chinese royal gardens, originally built during the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, it was a royal garden during the Ming and Qing dynasties. When it comes to Beihai, our ears ring, allowing us to sway the beautiful melody of our paddles. With childhood memories and visions, we visit Beihai Park, where there is the famous White Pagoda. Climbing to the top of the mountain, you can overlook the entire Beihai. With its unique design and Suzhou garden style, the five colored glass inlaid with the Nine Dragon Wall is worth checking in. If you play slowly, it really takes half a day.
Scenic Area Ticket: Beihai Park Peak Season 10 yuan, Off Season 5 yuan, Peak Season Union Ticket 20 yuan, Off Season 15 yuan
08 Beijing Zhoukoudian Site
The Zhoukoudian Site in Beijing is a world cultural heritage site. Since its excavation in 1921, the site has unearthed artifacts of Beijing people from 700000 to 200000 years ago and cave dwelling people from 30000 to 11000 years ago. It can be traced back to new human remains dating back to 18000 to 11000 BC. At present, the Beijing site of Zhoukoudian is divided into two parts: the site area and the museum. There are many fossil sites in the site area, such as the famous Ape Cave Xindong Peak Cave. The museum has a total of 7 exhibition halls, each with a large number of precious cultural relics, and showcases the historical value and cultural connotations of the Zhoukoudian site to tourists through illustrated displays.
Scenic Area Ticket: Beijing Zhoukoudian Ruins 30 yuan
09 Olympic Park
The Olympic Park was the main stadium of the 29th Olympic Games in 2008. It is currently a national 5A level scenic area with 10 Olympic venues, including the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. This is a very good attraction. In order to open for free, the external landscape of the venue can be seen within the park, featuring architectural features, a garden dragon water system, and three Bird's Nest D art galleries. The Olympic Tower can also be climbed to overlook Beijing, and the night view is also a major feature, especially the Bird's Nest at night. The Water Cube building is more prominent and brightly colored, making it very worth a visit.
Scenic Area Tickets: Free, Venue Fees
10 Yuanmingyuan
Yuanmingyuan, a royal garden of the Qing Dynasty, is adjacent to the Summer Palace and consists of Yuanmingyuan, Changchun Garden, and Wanchunyuan. It is also known as the Three Yuanmingyuan Gardens. To the south is Chunyuan, to the west is Chunyuan, and to the east is Changchun Garden. Spring Garden is mainly a water landscape garden, composed of multiple lakes and hills, dotted with multiple small buildings, with unique scenery. The famous Western style architectural ruins are located in the northern part of Changchun Garden, especially the Dashuifa site. The tour takes a long time and is fully completed, taking half a day. Visiting the Old Summer Palace, the scenery is the most beautiful in summer. The lake and lotus flowers are in full bloom, and you will feel that the scenery is everywhere, step by step, the lake is beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Ticket prices: 10 yuan for the Old Summer Palace, 25 yuan for a combined ticket
