Beijing, the capital of China located in the north, is a popular tourist destination. If you want to climb the famous Great Wall of China, immerse yourself in the Forbidden City, or simply want to explore, then Beijing is the place for you!

Before deciding what you want to do in Beijing, it is important to think about transportation and accommodation. A flight from Shanghai takes around 2 hours, whereas a high-speed rail takes about 4 hours and 40 minutes. The prices will vary depending on when you decide to travel and when you buy the tickets. For my party, we decided to book a flight from Shanghai to Beijing, which cost 730 RMB per person. We also booked a flight back to Shanghai, but our flight got canceled. Because of this, we went back by train, which cost 662 RMB per person. For reference, we went on the trip in late December, when traveling was less popular. For hotels, I would recommend one in a more central area, making it more convenient to visit different places in Beijing. We shared a room between three people and paid 2485.80 RMB total for six nights. I thought that the room was a bit small, but I think it is considered normal in a city like Beijing. There are various platforms you can use to book these, but the platforms I used were 12306 for plane and train tickets and Meituan for the hotel.

The planned trip overall is for six nights and five and a half days, costing less than 4000 RMB. The prices for the attraction tickets mentioned below mostly include the student discount, which you can get using your student ID booklet. If you do not have a student ID booklet, you can try using your NYU ID. You may want to purchase some attraction tickets in advance to avoid running out of spots. The tickets that I bought beforehand were for the Ruins of Yuanmingyuan Park 圆明园 (10 RMB), Great Wall of Badaling 八达岭长城 (17.50 RMB), Prince Gong’s Mansion 恭王府 (20 RMB), Tiananmen Square 天安门广场 (19 RMB), The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) 故宫博物院 (30 RMB), Summer Palace 颐和园 (50 RMB), and the Temple of Heaven 天坛 (28 RMB).

Many attractions close early, at around 4-5 p.m. (at least when I went in the winter), so make sure you plan your schedule accordingly. I would also not recommend being out after sunset for your safety, especially in areas with less people.

Since our flight arrived in the afternoon, we did not have many activities planned for the first day. We went to Jingshan Park 景山公园, which overlooks the Forbidden City. You can see a nice view after a short hike.

On the first full day of our trip, we went to the Great Wall. There are actually many segments of the Wall that you can choose to go to, but the one we went to was the Great Wall of Badaling. We decided to spend 140 RMB per person to go on the cable car. You can actually climb the whole thing if you want, but I would not recommend it in the winter. The steps and slopes are very steep, and you must hold onto the railing if there is ice and snow on the path to reduce the chance of slipping.

We went to the Great Wall by calling a cab. For more remote areas, such as the Great Wall, cab drivers may request an additional fee on top of what the platform charges you or completely cancel your ride on the platform and ask you to pay directly. In our case, the driver claimed there were no cabs available to return to the city and wanted 600 RMB to drive there and back, despite the app saying the one-way ride was around 180 RMB. Since we were running late, we agreed after negotiating a payment of 540 RMB. However, I still do not think this was a good deal, so I would recommend other methods of transportation if possible.

After some food, we went to the Olympic Green, the Beijing Olympic Park, which consists of the Bird’s Nest 鸟巢, the Water Cube 水立方, and the Folding Fan 折扇. We only viewed the structures from the outside, but going inside these buildings is also an option. After exploring the Olympic Green, we went to Shichahai 什剎海, an area with lakes. The sky was dark when we were there, so we could not really see anything. I would recommend going earlier in the day to view the scenery.

On the third day, we went to Yonghe Temple 雍和宫, also known as Lama Temple. After that, we went to the National Museum of China 国家博物馆, which also has some memorials nearby if that is something you are interested in. Museums are usually closed on Mondays, so make sure that you do not schedule this on a Monday. To finish off our day, we went to the Beijing Zoo, which has famous pandas.

On the fourth day, we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. This is also in the same area as the National Museum of China, so you could go on the same day if you wanted. However, the Forbidden City is very large and would take a long time to fully explore. There are museums inside the Forbidden City that you can visit and also some restaurants where you can eat at.

On the fifth day, we went to the Summer Palace and the Ruins of Yuanmingyuan Park. On our final day, we went to the Temple of Heaven and Prince Gong’s Mansion. These are all great places to go if you like seeing history, scenery, or architecture.

Depending on how much time you have, when you arrive, and your personal interests, you can adjust your schedule accordingly. This guide contains all the major attractions of Beijing, but if you want to explore more or have extra time, you can consider these places: Xiangshan Park 香山公园, Ming Tombs 明十三陵, Sanli Tun 三里炖, and Beihai Park 北海公园.