The yellow roofs of the Forbidden City seen from Jingshan hill, with the Shenwumen gate in the foreground
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Beijing in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 9.1 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days you can finally step inside the Forbidden City rather than just circling it. Day one revolves around the palace and ends by the Shichahai lakes; day two heads south into merchant Beijing and adds two temples that show how the imperial court worshipped. The pace is brisk but manageable – ideal if you want the big names without giving up on getting lost in the hutongs.

Day 1The emperor and his lakes

Start early with “Beijing highlights: around the Forbidden City”: Tiananmen Gate, Changpu Canal and the view from Jingshan hill give you a map of the palace before you go in. Then head down to Qianmen for shaomai at Duyichu and walk north across Tiananmen Square to the Meridian Gate, where your booked visit begins. Leave by the north gate, take a short taxi ride to Shichahai and do the lakes-and-bells route at sunset. Round off the day with griddled lamb at Kaorou Ji.

  1. Morning

    Beijing highlights: around the Forbidden City

    Mixed · 3.5 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. Tiananmen GateThe entrance to the Imperial City, from which edicts were announced and the People's Republic was proclaimed in 1949.
    2. Changpu Canal ParkAn imperial canal that spent half a century buried, and a stone archive where the dynasty's secrets were kept.
    3. Donghuamen, the East GateThe gate through which imperial coffins left, with one row of studs fewer than the others and a rebellion that reached its very doors.
    4. The north-east corner towerNine beams, eighteen pillars and seventy-two ridges: the palace's most photographed tower and the legend of a cricket cage.
    5. Jingshan hillA hill made by hand to protect the palace, the best view of the Forbidden City and the tree where the Ming dynasty ended.
    6. Beihai lake and the White DagobaThe oldest imperial garden in the city, a jade island around which Kublai Khan built his capital.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Duyichu shaomai at Duyichu (都一处). Qianmen Dajie, 36, Dongcheng, Pekín

  3. Afternoon

    Tiananmen Square

    One of the largest public squares in the world, with the Monument to the People's Heroes at its centre, Mao's mausoleum to the south, and the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum on either side. Cross it south to north after lunch; there's a passport check.

    Directions

    Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

    Home to the Ming and Qing emperors, completed in 1420 and a museum since 1925: courtyards, throne halls and gardens stretching almost a kilometre. You enter at the Meridian Gate and leave by the north gate. Book ahead with your passport; usually closed on Mondays, so check.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Lakes and bells: the secrets of Shichahai

    Mysteries & legends · 2.9 km · 2 h 10 min

    1. Prince Gong's MansionThe house built by the most corrupt minister of the Qing dynasty, and the character for happiness he is said to have hidden there.
    2. Yinding Bridge and the bomb of 1910A little bridge shaped like a silver ingot, the best view of the Western Hills and a plot against the regent that nearly changed history.
    3. Wanning Bridge and the Fire God TempleThe final port of the Grand Canal, stone beasts that watch over the water and a temple built to keep the palace safe from flames.
    4. The Drum TowerThe tower that told the whole city the time with 108 strikes, and a drum that still bears the slashes of 1900.
    5. The Bell Tower and the legend of the bell maidenA bronze bell more than five metres tall, and the legend of the young woman who is said to have thrown herself into the molten metal.
    6. Nanluoguxiang, the centipede streetA hunchbacked lane with sixteen legs, the home of an ill-fated empress and the mansions of generals who switched sides.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Kaorou, Beijing-style griddled lamb at Kaorou Ji (烤肉季). Qianhai Dongyan, junto al puente Yinding, Shichahai, Xicheng, Pekín

Day 2Merchants, lamas and heaven

Spend the morning on “Gates, legations and guilds: Beijing's southern city”: the old Legation Quarter, Zhengyangmen gate and the century-old shops of Dashilar, ending among the calligraphy brushes of Liulichang. Have baodu for lunch at Baodu Feng, just off Dashilar, then take the metro north: the Lama Temple tends to close earlier, so go there first. From there, Line 5 takes you straight to the east gate of the Temple of Heaven, whose park stays open after the halls have shut. End your trip strolling among the cypresses.

  1. Morning

    Gates, legations and guilds: Beijing's southern city

    History · 2.7 km · 2 h

    1. Dongjiaominxiang, the Legation QuarterA quiet street with a Gothic church where, in 1900, hundreds of foreigners and Chinese Christians held out through a 55-day siege.
    2. The old Qianmen railway stationBeijing's iron gateway: a British-looking station through which kings, generals and modern times arrived.
    3. Zhengyangmen, the Qianmen gateThe tallest gate in Beijing's city wall, split in two by an avenue and lined up with the imperial throne.
    4. Qianmen Street and its great archwayThe shopping avenue of the central axis, with a five-bay archway, a vintage tram and restaurants that have been roasting ducks for a century and a half.
    5. Dashilar, the street of century-old shopsA wooden barrier, a fire that wiped out a district, and the pharmacies, silk merchants and shoemakers still open since imperial times.
    6. Liulichang, the scholars' streetWhere the palace's golden roof tiles were once fired, booksellers, painters and brush makers later moved in.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Baodu, quick-boiled tripe at Baodu Feng (爆肚冯). Langfang Ertiao, Dashilar, Xicheng, Pekín

  3. Afternoon

    Lama Temple (Yonghegong)

    Once the residence of the prince who became the Yongzheng Emperor, it has been a working Tibetan Buddhist monastery since 1744. Through a succession of incense-filled courtyards you reach the last hall, home to a Maitreya Buddha some 18 metres tall, carved from a single sandalwood trunk.

    Directions

    Temple of Heaven

    This is where emperors prayed for good harvests. The round Hall of Prayer, with its three tiers of blue roof, is one of Beijing's great icons and a World Heritage Site. The surrounding park is where locals gather to dance, sing and play cards.

    Directions

The map

Beijing in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Beijing in 2 days

  • Book the Forbidden City as soon as you know your dates: tickets sell out, are issued in your name and tied to your passport, which you'll show at the gate. It's usually closed on Mondays except public holidays, so if your first day is a Monday, rearrange the plan.
  • The metro is the best way from Qianmen to Shichahai or the Lama Temple: fast, cheap and signposted in English. Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay, which now accept foreign cards, and keep your passport handy – there are security checks at the entrances.
  • Google, WhatsApp and many Western websites don't work in China without a VPN. If you need them, install one and test it before you leave home, and download offline maps of Beijing so you're not relying on it.

Questions

Beijing in 2 days: your questions

Are two days enough for Beijing?

For the centre, yes: this plan covers the Forbidden City inside and out, Tiananmen, the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple, Qianmen and the Shichahai hutongs. What doesn't fit is the Great Wall or the Summer Palace, which need at least a third day.

How far will I walk in 2 days?

The routes add up to about 9.1 km: 6.4 on day one (3.5 around the palace and 2.9 in Shichahai) and 2.7 on day two. On top of that come the Forbidden City, which you cross end to end, and the Temple of Heaven park, so expect quite a bit more.

How do I book Forbidden City tickets?

Online, through the official Palace Museum website or its WeChat mini-program, using your passport number. Book several days ahead, especially during Chinese holidays. Don't count on buying at the gate: as a rule, there are no tickets on sale there.

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