Attraction guide
Forbidden City故宫博物院
How foreign visitors can book Forbidden City tickets, enter with a passport, plan the south-to-north route, and avoid the most common Beijing itinerary mistake.
4–5 hoursMeridian Gate (south)
Beijing for foreign visitors
Plan Beijing around what actually gets you through the gate.
12 attraction guides and 7 practical planning guides built around passports, official reservations, real entrances, realistic travel time, and the backup you need when Beijing changes the plan.
12 attraction guides7 planning guidesOfficial sources checked August 13, 2026
Lock scarce reservations
Book the Forbidden City first, then Tiananmen, the National Museum, and your chosen Great Wall day.
Build days by geography
Follow Beijing’s actual gates, exits, subway lines, and one-way visitor routes—not a generic top-ten list.
Keep a working backup
Use flexible parks, hutongs, and art districts when weather, sellouts, or temporary controls change the plan.
Book these first
Beijing’s reservation order matters.
A free attraction can still require a real-name time slot, while a paid park may offer on-site purchase. Learn the venue-by-venue system before sharing passport details or paying a reseller.
Open the Beijing reservation checklist- 1Forbidden City
- 2Tiananmen Square
- 3National Museum
- 4Great Wall transport
12 core attractions
Every major sight, planned from ticket to exit.
Each guide answers the foreign-visitor questions generic destination pages skip: which passport route to use, what the ticket includes, where you enter, where you leave, and what still works if the plan fails.
Attraction guide
Temple of Heaven天坛公园
A practical Temple of Heaven guide covering combo tickets, the best route, foreign-passport purchase options, Monday closures, entrances, and visit timing.
2–3 hoursCombo for main monuments
Attraction guide
Summer Palace颐和园
Plan a Summer Palace visit with the right ticket, passport purchase options, gate-by-gate route, opening-hour differences, and realistic walking time.
3–5 hoursEast Palace Gate
Attraction guide
Mutianyu Great Wall慕田峪长城
A foreign visitor’s guide to Mutianyu Great Wall tickets, transport, cable-car choices, walking routes, passport entry, weather closures, and day-trip timing.
Full dayAbout 70 km from central Beijing
Attraction guide
Badaling Great Wall八达岭长城
Plan a Badaling Great Wall trip with official ticket guidance, passport entry, train and bus options, north-versus-south routes, crowd strategy, and realistic timing.
Half to full dayPublic transport access
Attraction guide
Tiananmen Square天安门广场
How foreigners reserve Tiananmen Square, use passport details, choose a time slot, handle security, and coordinate separate Forbidden City or museum tickets.
Free reservationCheck 1–7 days ahead
Attraction guide
National Museum of China中国国家博物馆
How to reserve the National Museum of China with a passport, choose a time slot, enter at the correct gate, plan the galleries, and avoid a missed reservation.
Free with reservation3–5 hours
Attraction guide
Lama Temple雍和宫
Plan a respectful visit to Beijing’s Lama Temple with real-name ticket guidance, passport tips, temple etiquette, subway access, and a practical walking route.
1.5–2 hoursLines 2 and 5
Attraction guide
Jingshan Park景山公园
How to visit Jingshan Park for Beijing’s classic Forbidden City view, with gate choice, passport ticket options, sunset strategy, walking time, and nearby pairings.
1–2 hoursAfter Forbidden City
Attraction guide
Shichahai & Hutongs什刹海
A practical self-guided route through Shichahai, Houhai and nearby Beijing hutongs, with subway access, realistic timing, respectful behavior, and scam-aware tips.
2–4 hoursPublic area is free
Attraction guide
798 Art District798·751园区
Plan a Beijing 798 Art District visit with gallery-opening caveats, a useful walking route, transport choices, free-versus-paid spaces, and nearby pairings.
2–4 hoursFree
Attraction guide
Universal Beijing Resort北京环球度假区
Plan Universal Studios Beijing with dated tickets, passport entry, official app setup, reservation checks, subway access, queue strategy, and a realistic full-day plan.
Full dayDated product
Plan the whole stay
Itineraries, hotels, airports, transport and ticket problems.
Planning guide
Beijing 3-Day Itinerary
A realistic three-day Beijing itinerary combining the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, hutongs, and one Great Wall day without ignoring reservations or transport time.
First visitFull but realistic
Planning guide
Beijing 5-Day Itinerary
A five-day Beijing itinerary for foreign visitors covering the imperial core, Great Wall, Summer Palace, hutongs, art, reservations, and smart geographic grouping.
Balanced first visitModerate
Planning guide
Where to Stay in Beijing
Compare Wangfujing, Qianmen, Dongsi, Shichahai, Sanlitun, Guomao and Universal Resort areas by sightseeing access, nightlife, airport routes, and trip style.
Wangfujing / Dongsi / QianmenSanlitun
Planning guide
Beijing Airport to City
Compare airport express, taxi, DiDi and shuttle bus from Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) or Daxing Airport (PKX), with payment and Chinese-address tips.
Northeast of central BeijingSouth of central Beijing
Planning guide
Beijing Subway & DiDi
How foreign visitors use the Beijing subway, international bank-card tap-to-ride, Beijing Pass, Alipay transit, DiDi, Chinese addresses, and station exits.
SubwayDiDi
Planning guide
Beijing Reservation List
A foreign visitor’s reservation checklist for the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, National Museum, Great Wall, municipal parks, Lama Temple and Universal Beijing.
Forbidden CityTiananmen and NMC
Planning guide
Beijing Tickets for Foreigners
How foreign passport holders buy Beijing attraction tickets when a Chinese phone number, WeChat mini program, real-name verification, or local payment blocks the process.
Official English pageOriginal passport
Something already went wrong?
Fix a Forbidden City booking problem.
These focused guides start with the failed step—no long Beijing introduction—then show the official route, what to screenshot, and what still works next.
Need the plan to work in real life?
Send us the booking screen, Chinese message, pickup point, or ticket problem.
China Trip Care helps with the local execution—before departure or while you are moving through Beijing.
Ticketing, hours, transport and access rules can change. Each guide links to the official sources used and shows when the operational details were last checked.