We had the challenge of creating an itinerary in Beijing for just two days before moving on to Shanghai. That being said we managed to see quite a bit and had enough time to simply enjoy. I am the type of traveler that wants to see the “must-see” sights without sacrificing time to simply contemplate, enjoy a coffee, or simply take it all in. During our stay we stayed at Sandalwood Shichahai Hotel, a historic hutong or traditional mansion. To our surprise, there are central areas in Beijing with districts full of these traditional homes complete with courtyards where you can stay comfortably! For visiting this ancient city I completely recommend you give a hutong stay a try.

Day 1 –  The Great Wall (Mutianyu)

We woke up super early (7 AM) for our day tour at one of the sections that are open to tourists. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation we chose to go to Mutianyu vs. Badaling, which is most popular and very touristy! There are many other options including Jinshanling and Jiankou, which are more remote and further out from Beijing. There are plenty of tour group options depending on what you’d like including multi-day hiking tours, etc. But we chose a simple day-long tour with round-trip bus transfers. We found this Klook tour to be most cost effective (not sponsored). This tour lasted between 7 AM – 4 PM, which seems pretty standard. If you choose to do a private tour (which is much more expensive) you can add other sights as well including the Ming Tombs or the Summer Palace. 

The Wall itself was inexplicably impressive and looks just as beautiful as I had expected it would. But like all of the wonders of the world I have seen yet, like the Taj Mahal, it is like a mirage of perfection and seems unreal. Every angle, tower, and outlook you gaze from is stunning. For amateur photographers this is a dream. A friend had told me that it only snows once or twice a year in Beijing at most so we were very lucky to be able to witness a snowy Great Wall. The sky was a searing blue and just a day after fresh snow had fallen. 

Check out my full post for more details on our snowy day in Mutianyu! 

Day 2 – Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City

We visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City first thing on the second day of our trip. These two sites should be seen together as they are right by each other. In fact, Tiananmen Square leads you directly to the entrance of the Forbidden City (the only one), which is the Southern Gate. There are two other main site in Tiananmen Square including the Great Hall of the People and Mao Zhe Dong Memorial Hall. But considering our time constraints we decided to move straight ahead to the Forbidden City. 

Note that the security is high in this area. To enter Tiananmen Square you will have to go through a security check. Be sure to bring your passports as a form of identification. While Chinese tourists will show their national identity cards you can show the passport. Also, in order to purchase your ticket for the Forbidden City itself you need to provide passports. Note that although Chinese citizens must purchase tickets to the Forbidden City online ahead of time, foreigners can simply purchase them the day of. They shouldn’t sell out as most of the tourists are not foreigners. 

The Forbidden City is incredibly impressive and having been to Korea, Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung palace comes to mind. I am reminded of the fact that Korea and Japan used to be tributary states way back when and culture influences flowed openly between these countries. The grandness of space felt in the courtyards as well as the various halls where the Emperor held important meetings is still palpable today. While the Emperor was allowed to enter the main Southern gates, the Empress, imperial consorts, and concubines were made to enter through the Northern gates, which is the back “exit” today. It is quite interesting to notice how the women’s quarters also located towards the back feels like a maze, with its cluster of smaller courtyards and rooms. 

After returning from my trip, I was inspired to read an interesting but controversial book on Cixi, the last Empress Dowager of China. If you are into biographies I completely recommend this book. Take it with a grain of salt as apparently most people in China today portray Cixi as a negative figure in history. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between. Also, prior to visiting the Forbidden City I had rewatched The Last Emperor, a childhood favorite with fresh eyes. It has some stunning shots of the palace grounds and gives an interesting context into the political struggles at the time of the last dynasty including the Japanese occupation. 

Peking Duck Lunch

Afterwards we located a great Peking Duck restaurant nearby, Siji Minfu. Although it was not directly next to the Forbidden City if you have access to Google Maps (VPN anyone?!) its quite straight forward to get there. Although we had Peking Duck for dinner the night before we wanted to have another taste before we left for Shanghai in the evening. Also since it was my birthday I thought I deserved a real treat! For more in-depth information on where to try Peking Duck, including Siji Minfu, in Beijing check out my full post. 

We had planned initially to then see the Temple of Heaven, which is an important historical landmark in Beijing. It is where the former Emperors used to pray for a bountiful harvest year to year. In the morning it is supposed to be particularly lovely with lots of locals biding their time, doing various activities an exercises. If you appreciate people watching this is a must-see. However, considering the long lunch wait and our early evening flight to Shanghai we decided to head back to the hotel.

Although two days is not nearly enough for Beijing we had an incredible time! As I always tell myself, not seeing everything simply means there is an excuse to come back a second time! Fully intend on doing so in the coming years and explore even more of China. What are some of your favorite sites in Beijing? To check out our three-day itinerary for Shanghai check out my post!