2 Days in Beijing: Everything You Should Know

Two days in Beijing might not seem like a long enough amount of time to explore this city fully, but it's enough time to have a comprehensive tour of Beijing. From exploring the glorious and well-preserved Forbidden City to listening to the stories behind this city, which is over 800 years old, you will find Beijing fascinating in many aspects. How can you arrange your 2-day visiting route to make it more worthwhile? Here, we have listed details and tips according to the experiences from our native Chinese team who love to travel.

Top 10 Things to Do in Beijing in 2 Days

1. Behold the Great Wall of China, which seems like a huge dragon running across North China.
2. Make a point of visiting the Chinese emperors' home — the Forbidden City.
3. Explore the Temple of Heaven, the main place where emperors went to pray for blessings for their country in ancient times.
4. Roam around the royal members’ entertainment getaway — the Summer Palace.
5. See the beautiful venues built for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games from a distance — the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.
6. Enjoy the full extent of the Forbidden City from the top of Jingshan Park.
7. Catch a look at Tian'anmen Square, the largest public square in the world.
8. Eat some local specialty dishes with nice colors, smells, and flavors.
9. See the shining night scene in this busy city.
10. Try to join in with local fun activities you are interested in, such as dancing in a square or doing physical exercises. The locals will welcome you if you want to try.

Itinerary for the First Day in Beijing

Explore the solemn Forbidden City in the morning, hike the majestic Great Wall in the afternoon, have a big meal for dinner, and relax in a local bar. What a nice day to have as your first in Beijing. Try to visit your favorite places in the first day in case you're too busy during the second day. How can you plan your trip for the first day? Here are some details for 1 Day in Beijing: Everything You Should Know.

Itinerary for the Second Day in Beijing

In order to help you arrange your travel details, here is an itinerary for the second day of your trip in Beijing according to our 2-Day Beijing Boutique Tour.

6:30am to 7:30am: Have a Beijing-Style Breakfast

As a famous Chinese saying goes: the early bird catches the worm. Early risers will have a longer time to enjoy more sights. Depending on which experiences you did on your first day, you can have breakfast near your accommodation first.

7:30am to 11am: Visit the Imperial Garden — the Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is a representative collection of ancient architecture in China. It was built to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Qianlong's mother. Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake are the primary components of the Summer Palace, and the man-made lake covers almost three-quarters of this imperial garden. Surrounded by clear water and lush vegetation, you can experience both the atmospheric royal garden and the beautiful natural views.

• Admission: From April 1^st to October 31^st, it costs 60 yuan for a combined ticket (this includes the entrance ticket and the tickets for Wenchang Courtyard, the Garden of Harmonious Pleasures, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, and Suzhou Street).
• From November 1^st to March 31^st, it costs 50 yuan for a combined ticket.

• Opening times: April 1^st to October 31^st, 6:30am to 6pm
• November 1^st to March 31^st, 7am to 5pm

11am to 1pm: Enjoy Lunch

You must feel slightly tired after spending half a day walking and exploring. A tasty lunch will drive away all your fatigue. How can you choose an authentic local restaurant? The following six restaurants have received good reviews from many travelers:

1. Go to Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant to taste Beijing roast duck.

Address: 30 Qianmen Street

2. Go to Jubaoyuan Restaurant to taste a Beijing-style hot pot.

Address: 5–2 Niujie Street

3. Go to Huda Restaurant to enjoy spicy Sichuan cuisine.

Address: 233 Dongzhimen Inner Street

4. Go to Grandma's Home to taste the light Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines.

Address: 138 Wangfujing Street

5. Go to the 100-year-old TRB Hutong to enjoy French food.

Address: 23 Shatan North Street

6. Go to Four Leaves Sushi to enjoy fresh sushi.

Address: 2 Sanlitun South Street

1pm to 4pm: Explore a Holy Chinese Temple — the Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was a specialized altar used by emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties to pray for blessings. The north side of the altar is round while the south section is square, symbolizing that "heaven is round and the Earth is square". The Temple of Heaven When you visit the Temple of Heaven, you can not only admire ancient and elaborate Chinese palaces but you can also experience the wonderful Echo Wall and Triple Sound Stone. You will gasp in admiration at the ancient Chinese people's intelligence.

• Address: 1 Tiantan East Road, Dongcheng District
• Opening times:
• 6am to 10pm, from April 1^st to October 31^st;
• 6:30am to 10pm, from November 1^st to March 31^st
• Admission:
• 34 yuan (about 5 USD) for a combined ticket, from April 1^st to October 31^st
• 28 yuan (about 4 USD), from November 1^st to March 31^st

4pm to 6:30pm: Overview of the Forbidden City at Jingshan Park and Watch a Golden Sunset

Jingshan Park lies at the north of the Forbidden City, which was an imperial palace during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The imperial garden is over 800 years old and features excellent man-made and natural surroundings. Located in the heart of old Beijing, Jingshan Park is the highest place in Beijing. One of the most exciting things to do at Jingshan Park is to stand at the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons and enjoy the aerial view of the Forbidden City. When the sunset is at the corner, the Forbidden City seems more golden and splendid.

6:30pm to 9pm: Enjoy Dinner and Beijing's Night Scene

No matter wheth er it’s your first day or second day, choose a night to enjoy the other side of Beijing. There are many things you can do at night: have a local dinner, drink some excellent wine in a romantic bar, watch a Beijing opera show, or admire the brightly colored nighttime views. Beijing’s Olympic venues (the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube) are beautiful at night. They are close to Beijing Olympic Park. Having a nighttime stroll around the area and seeing the nighttime view is relaxing after dinner.

• Address: Jingshan Front Street, Xicheng District
• Opening times: 6:30am to 9pm, from April 1^st to October 31^st; 6:30am to 8pm, from November 1^st to March 31^st
• Admission: 2 yuan
• Address: 1 National Stadium, Chaoyang District
• Opening time: The venues are closed during the night, but you can see the beautiful and colorful appearances from the outside. Lights on the venues’ exteriors are turned on at night.

Travel Tips for Your 2-Day Trip in Beijing

1. Recommended area for accommodation: Staying in the city center (close to the Forbidden City) is very convenient and means you are close to many attractions, such as Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Lama Temple.
2. Listen to the Beijing weather forecast in advance. No matter whether you are visiting the Forbidden City or hiking the Great Wall, you need to do outside activities during your trip.
3. Take some bottled water with you. In China, tap water is not clean enough to drink, unless it is boiled.
4. Take some toilet paper with you. You may not be able to find any toilet paper in Beijing’s public washrooms.
5. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Two days’ walking can be exhausting if you want to see many sights in Beijing.
6. In order to conserve your energy, try to pack your bag lightly.
7. Prepare cash to pay for admission tickets, food, or bottled water.
8. Prepare small change (1 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, and 20 yuan) to take the subway or buy bottled water.
9. Buy a VPN to access China’s Internet. If not, you will be unable to use Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, or Google.
10. Hire a professional guide. A local guide is necessary if you want to learn about the Chinese culture or save time to do more exploring.

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