Category Archives: Beijing Attractions

Juyongguan Great Wall

Juyongguan is a famous gate along the Great Wall. It is known as one of the three major gates of the Great Wall. It is built along the mountain and is very steep. On the tower of Juyongguan, there is a plaque of “天下第一雄关”, where people like to take photo. Moreover, the mountains are beautiful and the trees are layered on top of each other. The “Juyong Pinnacle” is also the famous scenery around the capital.

When visiting Juyongguan, most people focus on climbing the Great Wall and enjoying the scenery on the top of the mountain. You need to walk in the scenic area. It takes about three hours to climb to the highest point of the beacon tower. It requires a certain amount of physical strength. You must be psychologically prepared before playing the Juyonguan Great Wall.

To get to the scenic spot, you must first come to the Juyongguan Scenic Square at the foot of the mountain. There is a stone gate named Yuntai, which is a treasure of Tibetan Buddhist architecture with a white stone structure. Bodhisattva statues are carved on both walls of the internal passage of the Yuntai, which is beautiful and unique.

After purchasing tickets at the gate of Guancheng, you can enter the scenic spot. There are many cultural attractions in the scenic spot, which enshrine ancient celebrities and record the history of Juyongguan. There is also a small lake next to it, you can visit one by one. At the same time, you can admire the tall and majestic towers underneath the south and north gates of the scenic spot.

After visiting the tower, you can start the journey of climbing the Great Wall. It usually takes two to three hours to climb to the top beacon, which is a physical challenge. But after climbing to the top of the mountain, you can see the continuous green mountains in the distance, and the wide view is so refreshing. After climbing the Great Wall, you can choose to go back the same way, or you can go down the mountain from the other direction of the Great Wall and return to the scenic square.

Birds Nest

Located at the northern end of Beijing’s central axis, the Birds Nest (National Stadium) is the main stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It has become one of Beijing’s new landmarks in recent years due to its high-end atmosphere and numerous international competitions and the unique appearance.

The exterior of the stadium is woven into a “bird’s nest” by the intertwined steel. The curved lines of the high and low undulations make it look like a rhythmic life. The shape is very visually impactful. The Xiangyun Torch Tower, originally placed at the top of the Birds Nest, is now moved to the Torch Plaza on the northeast side of the Birds Nest and can be seen outside the stadium.

For the internal point of view, the interior of the Birds Nest is densely packed with nearly 100,000 red auditoriums. At the same time, some exhibitions that are related to the construction of the Birds Nest and the Olympic theme are displayed. This is the content that can be visited inside the Birds Nest by purchasing a 50-yuan ticket.

If you buy a 80-yuan Birds Nest Air Corridor (referred to as “Dingmei”) ticket, in addition to the above content, you can also take the elevator at the fifth floor to the top of the Birds Nest: the place where the original Xiangyun Torch Tower was located. Through the steel nest eyes under the foot, the vertical and horizontal steel structure, and the landscape inside the Birds Nest are unobstructed; and you will have a panoramic view of the surrounding Linglong Tower and the Olympic Park landscape avenue; you can also overlook the Beijing City. If the weather is good, you can even see the outline of Jingshan Park in the south.

If you buy a VIP ticket of 110 yuan, then in addition to visiting the content of the 50 yuan ticket tour, the Birds Nest air corridor, and there will be additional VIP area, golden hall, golden passage, magnificent and elegant lounge, which will make your tour in the Birds Nest wonderful.

Simatai Great Wall

The Simatai Great Wall is the only ancient Great Wall in China that preserves the original appearance of the Ming Great Wall. The Great Wall was built along the ridge of the mountain which looks like a knife and axe, and it is extremely dangerous. It also has created the diversity of the wall of the Great Wall. There are 16 enemy buildings in the eastern section of the Great Wall and 18 in the west. The scenic area currently only opens 10 enemy buildings in the eastern section (up to the enemy building on the 10th building in the east).

Since February 2014, the Simatai Great Wall tickets will not be sold separately at the scenic spot. Only the ticket package of “Simatai Great Wall + Gubei Water Town” will be sold. Tourists who purchase the package can enter the Great Wall during the opening hours of the scenic spot. When there are too many tourists, flow control will be carried out sometimes, and tours will be opened in batches.

For those who only visit Simatai Great Wall, the scenic spot is subject to reservations and batch tours. There are three batches of tours per day: 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 (there may be changes during different seasons, and it is subject to the notice received at the time of booking). In addition, there is no longer a separate arrangement for entering the Great Wall. Each batch of tourists needs to take a free sightseeing bus to the foot of the Simatai Great Wall under the leadership of the staff. And you can make an appointment by calling 010-81009999.

Simatai Great Wall is the latest Great Wall attraction that is open to the public in Beijing. It is located at the junction of Beijing and Hebei. Compared with the Great Wall attractions such as Badaling Great Wall, it is farther away from the city. There are not many tourists coming to Simatai Great Wall. There are less crowded people in the Simatai Great Wall.

Every autumn, the red leaves in the Simatai Great Wall attracts many tourists. On the ancient Great Wall, watching the red leaves of the mountains is completely different from the feeling of seeing the red leaves in Xiangshan.

Jinshanling Great Wall

The Jinshanling Great Wall is located at the junction of Luanping County of Chengde City and Miyun County of Beijing. It is about 130 kilometers away from the Beijing area. It is a section of the Great Wall built by Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-mite in the Ming Dynasty. This section of the Great Wall was built along a lot of mountains and windings. It is a winding and beautiful place. The view is very broad and spectacular after you climb up the top of the Jinshanling Great Wall. It is the most beautiful and magnificent part of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the Jinshanling Great Wall has not been rebuilt, and it still maintains its original appearance when compared with the Great Wall in other parts of Beijing. It shows a kind of simple and pure feeling. There are not many tourists here, and it is quiet and comfortable when you are touring there. It is an excellent choice for visiting the Great Wall in the suburbs of Beijing.

The entire Jinshanling Great Wall is about 10.5 kilometers long and covers a sightseeing area of about 5-6 kilometers in the scenic area. The Great Wall is east-west on the ridgeline on the south side of the scenic spot. Corresponding to the north side of the Great Wall, it is an approximately parallel road, and the starting point on the east side of the road is the entrance to the scenic spot.

In recent years, shooting sunrise and sunset at the Jinshanling Great Wall is also popular. Photographers can consider staying nearby for one night to take the photos of the beautiful views in the Jinshanling Great Wall. There are several farmhouses at the entrance of the scenic spot. The price of the standard room is about 100 yuan, and you can dine at the same time. There are a number of hotels available for accommodation in Simatai New Village, which are 4-5 km south of the scenic spot. The hotel standard room price is about 200 yuan.

Mutinyu Great Wall

The Mutianyu Great Wall has a unique architectural style and there are dense enemy buildings. The Mutianyu Great Wall mostly were built on the steep side of the outer side of the cliff to take the advantage of the mountain. The wall of the Mutianyu Great Wall is seven or eight meters high, and the top of the wall is four or five meters wide. The building materials are mainly granite, which is majestic and sturdy. There are 22 enemy buildings in the 2,250-meter section of the Great Wall. There are 4 enemy buildings from the 1st tower to 4th tower within the distances of less than 500 meters. This dense distribution pattern of enemy buildings is not available in other Great Walls.

Most tourists walked up the Great Wall on the trail of climbing the mountain. There are two trails in the scenic spot, starting from the two ticket gates in the north and south. You can walk from the north ticket gate to the 10th and 8th tower to climb the Great Wall. Or you can walk from the south ticket gate to the 8th and 6th tower to climb the Mutianyu Great Wall. The distance between these two trails is similar, about 1500 meters. If you don’t want to spend too much energy on the trail, you can choose to take the cableway next to the North ticket gate. The cableway station is located near the 14th tower.

The Mutianyu Great Wall features the most beautiful scenery among the whole Great Wall, no matter from the majestic momentum of the Great Wall or the experience of tourism, it has completely surpassed the Badaling Great Wall. Therefore, choosing the Mutianyu Great Wall tour will let you experience the charm of the Great Wall.

In short, if you don’t want to get crowded during your visit in Great Wall, the Mutianyu Great Wall is your best choice. The Mutianyu Great Wall is not too steep. The young people who have plenty of time can also climb the mountain there without taking the cableway. You will enjoy your trip in Mutianyu Great Wall.

Hutong Alleyways

Hutong is Beijing’s most distinctive folk architecture, which is different from the Forbidden City and other royal gardens. It is still home to many Beijing natives. The quaint buildings and their living conditions are intertwined together. It is a good place to stay quiet in the city of Beijing. There are many hutongs in old Beijing, which are very story-like; there is a feeling of entering the real side of Beijing in the alleys.

In old Beijing Hutong, you can really feel the life of local residents, but the premise is not to go to the alleys recommended in the travel guide online, as they are too commercial. And do not have to specifically listen to the recommendation by other people, you just have to play in Beijing for a few days, do not worry about cannot find the Hutong. The Dongcheng District and the Xicheng District are full of hutongs. Traveling alleys is an indispensable part of your trip in Beijing. It is best to ride your own bike and walk slowly. You can also rend a tricycle and listen to the driver to explain the various stories happened in the Hutong. It costs 30 yuan per person, you can also rent a bicycle in Shichahai, but you cannot enter the attractions, and it is not recommended if your time is not enough for your trip there.

The hutongs in Beijing have the unique flavor of old Beijing; if you like the sense of that time, it is worth to take a look. After entering into Hutong, there is a feeling of crossing the time, and separating the city, but you can go out of it in an instant. Hutong culture, whether it is on foot, riding bicycle, or riding a tricycle, is worth a visit.

A random hutong in Beijing has a heavy sense of history. Although modernization gradually erases its historical features, you can still sense the life of Beijing people when you walk into the hutong. Therefore, for your Hutong tour, it is suggested walking freely, because any hutong will give you a very different surprise.

Tiananmen Square

Beijing, especially the Tiananmen Square, is very strict in terms of security check. First of all, the ID card must be carried with you. Secondly, don’t bring large luggage, because everything has to go through the security check machine, so the more luggage, the more trouble. You may need to pass several security checkpoints and pass several underground passages before arrive at the Tiananmen Square. Although it is just a flag drop, you will feel that it is already crowded. It is completely foreseeable how terrible the crowds will be when it is the flag-raising ceremony.

If you would like to see the flag-raising, you should go early so that you can see it. Otherwise, you should bring a selfie stick, because if you are behind, nothing can be seen. Even it is the flag-dropping ceremony, you will feel it very shocking. And you will feel that in the world is really only the People’s Liberation Army can do this, and they are really handsome. This kind of shock really needs to be felt on the spot.

There will be a lot of people to see the flag-dropping ceremony. When you arrive at the square, don’t forget to find a position and wait to see the flag. Compared to Beihai Park, the children are very interested in seeing the flag, and they are very excited. After the flag-dropping ceremony is over, you can go back to the hotel and rest, if the next day you still want to look at the flag-raising ceremony. Have a rest at about 21:00 in the evening, and set the alarm clock at three o’clock in the morning. Get up at 3:00 o’clock on time, immediately go to Tiananmen Square to see the flag-raising ceremony.

Many people have been there at Jinshui Bridge. Just immediately go to the waiting point on the east side of the square from the underground passage on the east side of Tiananmen Square. After four o’clock, you can smoothly enter the square and stand in the first row of the flagpole south side. Then you can see the spectacular Tiananmen flag raising.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1998 and is one of Beijing’s landmarks. It is recommended to buy a joint ticket, otherwise the most spectacular Hall of Prayer will not be seen.

If your time is tight during your tour in Beijing, then this attraction can actually be skipped, but if you have plenty of time, you will not be disappointed having a visit there. But don’t forget buying a joint ticket, otherwise, you can only see the wonderful part from a distance, especially the Hall of Prayer, if your tour in the Temple of Heaven does not include the Hall of Prayer, why you buy a ticket to the Temple of Heaven, you can just buy a ticket to walk around the park.

The Hall of Prayer is still very beautiful, and it looks good no matter from a close look or from a distance. Several other attractions are also worth seeing, but let’s be honest, for this place where ancient sacrifices were put, the visual effect will be better in the past ages, and it was solemn, but after all kinds of huge buildings we have seen today, the feeling of shock is a lot worse.

Many people like the cypress forest outside of the Temple of Heaven. And if you make your travel there in the fall, and there will be already a lot of fallen leaf outside, and the Temple of Heaven is still lush. And the woods are really big, you can’t see the end, when walking in it, there are only the sound of birds and the sound of the wind blowing the leaves, you will feel that the mind has to be evolved. This feeling can’t be described. Do you say that cypress has anything to look at? But the reason that most of the attractions are shocking, is nothing more than two words, big and many, this is not what you felt on the TV. You will be very happy to come to the Temple of Heaven on the last day of your Beijing Tour and pain a perfect ending for your trip to Beijing.

Badaling Great Wall

A lot of travel guides said that there are many people in the Badaling Great Wall and said it is better to go to the Mudaling Great Wall. But still there are a lot of people insist that you must go to the Badaling Great Wall, as it is really very majestic and it is worthy visiting!

There are several ways to go to Badaling Great Wall. There are buses to take near the bus stop directly opposite the road to the Zhengyang Building on the north side of Tiananmen Square. Or you follow the advice of the navigation to go to Badaling Great Wall by car. Or you can consider taking the subway to Deshengmen, then taking the No. 877 bus. Keep in mind that don’t listen to people who are not in work clothes, and just line up with the bus queues even though you don’t take the cable car! When taking the No.877 bus, it will cost 6 Yuan if you have the transportation card, and remember to slot card when you get on the bus and get off the bus. And if you don’t have the transportation card, it will cost twelve Yuan.

Although it is high speed, it really takes more than two hours to arrive at the Badaling Great, because there is the traffic jam. You can look at the scenery along the way or make up your sleep. It seems to be more than an hour if take the train to Badaling Great Wall. The No.919 bus seems to be stopping at certain stations. Anyway, the No.877 is the direct access to the Badaling Great Wall! Before going to climb the Badaling Great Wall, it is recommended to have a full stomach and prepare plenty of water, so that you can physically climb the Great Wall and go down the mountain yourself. It is very fulfilling!

If you reach Badaling Great Wall too late, you can take the pulley, with 100 RMB for one way and 120 RMB for round trip! The pulley closed at 16:30 p.m, and the cable car closed at 17:00 o’clock!

It is recommended that if you have enough time, just go from first Building of the north to the bottom of the Great Wall. Feel the slowness and steepness between different towers! Do your best, remember to grab the armrest by the right and walk slowly. While experiencing the temperament of the Great Wall, experiencing the architectural power of the ancient builders when you are taking pictures of the amazing scenery!

The Summer Palace

It is known to all that the Summer Palace is the most well-preserved Royal Palace, and it is known as the Royal Garden Museum. The area is quite large, and it takes about five hours to fully visit it. It is recommended to enter from the East Gate, where you will first visit Wenchang Center and Deheyuan. It is mainly a place to worship and watch the opera. Among them, there are several lofts that are scattered in order and it is a residence of Cixi, Emperor and the Emperor’s wives. Then you can walk along the longest corridor in the world to the center of Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha. If you are tired, you can choose to take a boat to Suzhou Street and exit from the North Palace Gate. If you are interested, you can continue to go west along the promenade, which is made up of the imitation. There are also six bridges. Walk along the west bank along the lake and reach the 17-hole bridge. You can choose exiting from the new palace gate, or you can continue to go north to return to the East Gate.

Ticket for the Summer Palace is 30RMB/person, and the joint tickets are 60RMB/person, the price cost-performance is extremely high.

If you take the subway to the Summer Palace, after you get off, you can enter from the North Palace Gate, and then enter Suzhou Street, which is a shopping street and it is a water street dedicated to build for the emperor and his wife to go shopping in the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, it was burned by the British and French forces and later it was just rebuilt. Directly through the Cifu archway you can climb on Wanshou Mountain.

In general, climbing Wanshoushan is from the “Yunhui Yuyu” archway on the mountain foot, through the PaiYunmen, Ergongmen, Dehui Hall, Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha, to the wisdom of the sea on the top of the mountain, forming a layer of rising central axis. You can also climb from the back hill to the forest, all the way through the stone steps rockery to enjoy the temple, tower, church, pavilion. Then go down the mountain to Kunming Lake. The long dike divides the lake into two parts. The West Lake is small and exquisite. The East Lake is wide. There are poplar and willow on both sides of the embankment. There are arch bridge pavilions between the hundred steps. Walking on the long embankment to enjoy the lake and mountains, without looking at the iconic Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha, it is like walking through the West Lake in Hangzhou.