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Originally the venue for annual winter solstice sacrifices, which were performed by successive emperors to ensure ample harvests, the temple remains Beijing’s most recognizable icon (see Temple of Heaven).

The name refers to a vast complex that encompasses a large, marble sacrificial altar, the iconic three-story Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the smaller Imperial Vault of Heaven, and many ancillary buildings, all set in a landscaped park. This is one of Beijing’s most absorbing sights. Allow at least a half day to take in everything (see Temple of Heaven).

Temple of Heaven

A visit to the wall is an absolute must. The closest section to Beijing is at Badaling, and you can get there and back in half a day. However, if you suspect that your appreciation of this matchless monument would be improved by the absence of coach-loads of fellow tourists, then considering traveling that little bit farther to the sites at Mutianyu, Huanghua Cheng, and Simatai (see Great Wall of China).

“Great” is something of an understatement; the wall is nothing less than spectacular. Clamber up the perilously sloping carriageways to one of the crowning watchtowers and the experience is also quite literally breath-taking (see Great Wall of China).

The Ming Tombs are the resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming emperors. These are Confucian shrines and follow a standard layout of a main gate leading to a series of courtyards and a main hall, with a “soul tower” and burial mound beyond. The tombs are not as colorful and elaborate as Buddhist and Daoist structures, and only three have been restored and are open to the public, however the necropolis is definitely a worthwhile stop-off as part of an excursion to the Great Wall (see Ming Tombs).

Spirit Way at the Ming Tombs

Spirit Tower, Ming Tombs

Thirty miles (45 km) northwest of Beijing is the vast burial site of 13 of China’s 16 Ming emperors. One of the underground tombs can be visited but most impressive of all is the Sacred Way, with its 12 pairs of stone guardians (see Ming Tombs).

The world’s largest public square is not pretty, but it is surrounded by august cultural and political institutions, and it is also the final resting place of Chairman Mao Zedong (see Tian’an Men Square).

This the Chinese parliament building, home of the nation’s legislative body, the National People’s Congress. Regular tours visit the banquet room where US President Nixon dined in 1972 and the 10,000-seat auditorium with its ceiling inset with a massive red star. The building is closed to the public when the Congress is in session.

The Forbidden City is Beijing’s top “must-see” sight. A seemingly endless collection of pavilions, gates, courts, and gardens, the complex encompasses five centuries of colorful, occasionally lurid, imperial history. Trying to see everything in one go will bring on a severe case of Ming fatigue and it is recommended that you tackle the palace over at least two visits (see Forbidden City).

After wandering around the Forbidden City, call by this nearby museum to see all the bits of imperial Beijing that didn’t survive. The walls and gates that once encircled the city, along with literally dozens of vanished temples, are revisited through a great many maps, models, and photographs (see Imperial City Museum).

Running west off the northern end of Qian Men Dajie is Dazhalan Jie, an old hutong area that is great for exploring on foot or by rickshaw. It is full of quaint Qing-era specialty shops selling pickles, silks, tea, and traditional Chinese medicine. To the west of Dazhalan is Liulichang Jie, with more restored buildings and many fascinating antique shops.

Liulichang Jie

Kabob, noodle, and soup stalls fill a narrow alley off the bottom end of Wangfujing Dajie.

A line up of 40 or 50 stalls entice and repulse in equal measure with meat kabobs but also flame-grilled snake and scorpions.

Beijing’s main shopping street is filled with department stores and giant malls (see Shops, Malls, and Markets), as well as stores selling silk, tea, and shoes. However, the highlight is the Night Market with its range of open-air food stalls (see Wangfujing Night Market). A little to the north is St. Joseph’s, one of the city’s most important churches, recently restored at a cost of US$2 million (see St. Joseph’s Church).

Wangfujing Dajie shopping street

It’s a long 45-minute taxi ride from central Beijing to the Summer Palace, but it is a sight that should not be missed. The grounds are arranged as a microcosm of nature, with hills and water complemented by bridges, temples and walkways. It manages to be both fanciful and harmonious at the same time (see Bei Hai Park).

Long Corridor ceiling, Summer Palace

Marble Boat, Summer Palace

Beijing summers are unbearably hot, so the imperial court would exchange the Forbidden City for this semi-rural retreat with its ornate pavilions, gardens, and temples, ranged around the cool expanse of Kunming Lake (see Summer Palace).

The name Yuanming Yuan derives from a Buddhist term and can be translated as “Garden of Perfect Brightness”. This was the largest and most elaborate of all the summer palaces of the Qing era. It once contained private imperial residences, pleasure pavilions, Buddhist temples, a vast imperial ancestral shrine, pools for goldfish, and canals and lakes for pleasure boating. The Qianlong emperor even added a group of European-style palaces designed by Jesuit missionary-artists serving in the Qing court. Today, all that’s left are graceful, fragmentary ruins after the complex was razed to the ground during the Second Opium War (1856–1860). A small museum displays images and models of the place as it was.

This dates from 1745 and replaces an earlier tower that burnt down. The great 42-ton (42,674-kg) bell it contains used to be rung to mark the closing of the city gates in the evening. During Spring Festival visitors are allowed to ring the bell for a donation of ¥100. The views from both the Drum and Bell Towers over the neighboring hutongs are well worth the exhausting climb.

Drum towers (gu lou) were once found in all major Chinese towns. They housed large drums that were beaten to mark the hour, keeping the city’s civil servants on time for work. There has been such a tower on this site since 1272, although the current structure dates to 1420. Visitors can clamber up the torturously steep steps to inspect some 25 drums and be entertained by a troop of drummers that delivers skin-thumping performances on the hour.

During the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism was a dirty word and its temples were converted to other uses, or just abandoned. Recent years have seen a U-turn, with Confucian values being touted anew by Beijing’s leaders, but this important temple remains neglected (see Confucius Temple).

Formerly one of the most notable centers of Buddhism outside Tibet until it was shut down during the Cultural Revolution. It was reputedly saved from destruction by the intervention of the president, Zhou Enlai. With Buddhism enjoying a resurgence in popularity the precincts are once again home to around 70 monks (see Lama Temple).

Completed in 2006, Beijing’s new opera house is already a major city landmark. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, it is built of glass and titanium and takes the form of a giant parabolic dome – earning it the nickname the “Giant Egg.” The high-tech lighting that illuminates the exterior is reflected in a moat, while the entrance is through an underwater tunnel.

Beijing’s oldest hotel reopened in summer 2006 after a massive refit as part of the famed Raffles group. Excellent location at the bottom of Wangfujing, a short walk from Tian’an Men Square.

Lots of restaurants specialize in Beijing’s most famous dish, and debate rages endlessly over who serves the best fowl. This place is less over-blown and over-priced than many of its rivals, and for that it gets our vote (see Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant).

Preparing Beijing duck

Tea plus acrobatics, magic tricks, and Beijing Opera.

Beijing’s most famous duck restaurant has several branches but this is the most convenient, just a few steps off southern Wangfujing.

Possibly the best souvenir store in town, filled with silks ceramics, jade, calligraphy, and paintings (see Beijing Arts & Crafts Central Store).