We stayed in Beijing for 5 days, and honestly, this is enough time to see all the most important places. But before you plan your itinerary, here are some things you really need to keep in mind: Important Things to Know Before Visiting Beijing

1. Beijing is MASSIVE

Beijing is huge. Sometimes driving just 5 km took us almost 1 hour because of traffic. Distances are far, so plan enough time between places.

2. Not a Very Walkable City

There are areas where you can walk around, but then suddenly there’s nothing else nearby. So you will mostly rely on taxis.

3. Taxis – Use Didi

Didi works perfectly and taxis are cheap. Airport → city is around 12–15 euros. But be careful with scams — if someone approaches you and asks you to follow them to a “taxi,” walk away. Official taxis are booked in the app or found in designated taxi areas.

4. Restaurants = Waiting Lines

Most popular restaurants don’t take bookings (unless your hotel can book it for you). Waiting 1–2 hours is completely normal in Beijing.

5. Payments – Cards Don’t Work

You cannot use Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay… basically anywhere except hotels. Download Alipay and WeChat Pay. Add more than one card because there are limits, and the verification process can take up to 24 hours. Do that beforehand especially the verification.

6. Internet

We used Airalo eSIM, and it worked everywhere. Hotel & café WiFi was terrible, so don’t count on it.

7. Apps Access

With Airalo, we could use Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat etc. without a VPN.

8. Weather

A “clear” sky on the weather app often still means grey because of pollution, so don’t expect beautiful sunrise shots — we definitely didn’t get one.

9. Tiananmen Square

You must pre-book tickets — otherwise security won’t even let you walk through the area. You can book through the official Tiananmen Square Reservation page (your hotel can help too).

10. Passports

You need your passport everywhere — even in some stores. Carry it with you the whole time.

11. Hotels

We stayed at:

• Sunworld Dynasty Hotel Wangfujing

• Legendale Hotel

  
  

Both are in great areas with lots of shops and restaurants around. If I had to choose → Legendale wins.

If your hotel or Airbnb doesn’t offer trip services, just walk into a bigger hotel — they all have concierge desks that can book trips for you like visiting the Great Wall of China. We did not book that trip beforehand and it wasn't a problem.

12. Safety

Beijing is very safe to walk around to a point where I left my airpods to a restaurant and went back few days later and they still had them.

Top Places You MUST Visit in Beijing

The Great Wall of China

Close to Beijing there are 3 popular sections:

• Badaling – most famous but very crowded

• Jinshanling – beautiful but cable cars close in the colder months

• Mutianyu – the perfect option (less crowded)

We chose Mutianyu. It was a 1.5-hour drive, and we booked a car through our hotel for 100 euros (driver waited 4 hours). Tickets + cable car were around 7–8 euros per person.

We went at 6 AM hoping for a sunrise, but pollution made the sky grey. Still, the Wall was incredible. From 6–9 AM there were maybe 20 people — amazing for photos.

➡️ Tip: Go early. 4 hours is enough.

Mutianyu, The Great Wall of China, Beijing

Summer Palace

A beautiful, peaceful area with lakes, temples, and gardens. You can buy tickets at the entrance or online. From central Beijing, it’s a 35-minute taxi ride.

Tickets cost around 5 euros.

➡️ If you visit Mutianyu in the morning, it’s very easy to go straight to Summer Palace afterward.

Summer Palace, Beijing

The Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square

A must-see. The Forbidden City is huge and impressive — every part gets better as you walk through.

You can buy tickets online or at the gate. Morning visits are best.

Tiananmen Square is usually visited right after, but you must book your Tiananmen entry online in advance.

Tickets are only a few euros.

The Forbidden City, Beijing

Temple of Heaven

Another beautiful historic site, around 20 minutes from the center. Tickets are cheap and the area is very peaceful.

➡️ Bonus: Nearby is Taoranting Park, a lovely place for photos and a quiet walk.

Panjiayuan Market

A huge flea market known for antiques, ceramics, calligraphy, jewelry, old Chinese decorations, and unique souvenirs.Perfect if you want something different from regular tourist shops.

Wangfujing

The main shopping street with Nike, Apple, Huawei, Zara, restaurants, street food, and more.Perfect for an evening walk.

Qianmen Street

A lively historic street full of street food, small shops, and local snacks.Very authentic atmosphere and close to Tiananmen Square.

The BIG Vintage Store – Friendship Store

On the 3rd floor you’ll find the biggest vintage shop in Beijing, full of luxury brands at really good prices.I absolutely loved this place.

Beijing Duck

You can’t leave Beijing without trying the famous duck.

We loved Siji Minfu Roasted Duck Restaurant.There was a long waiting line, but it was worth it!

Universal Studios Beijing

If you enjoy theme parks — go! Tickets were only 50 euros per person and there were almost no waiting lines.

 Taoranting Park (1 picture), Siji Minfu Restaurant (2 picture) & Qianmen Street (3 picture)

Final Thoughts

Beijing is huge, busy, and different from any other city — but it’s worth seeing at least once. With the right planning, 5 days is more than enough to enjoy all the must-see places without stress.

Let me know if you have any questions!