The Most Scenic Spots in Beijing
From centuries-old palaces to ultra-modern architectural marvels, Beijing is a feast of spectacular sights that will make your Instagram followers green with envy.
Palatial parks. Beautiful Buddhist temples. Colossal Communist constructions. Avant-garde architecture. The Chinese capital is home to more than 20 million people and an array of scenic sights. Don’t know where to start? Here are 20 Instagram-worthy places that’ll have your followers clicking that like button.
1. The Forbidden City
Building, Monastery, Museum, Art Gallery, Architectural Landmark
2. Jingshan Park
Park
Looming over the Forbidden City, this man-made mound provides the best panoramic views in Beijing. Jingshan was made out of rubble left over from the construction of the Imperial Palace, providing the perfect platform to admire the wonder from above.
4. The Lama Temple
Buddhist Temple
The most famous Buddhist temple outside Tibet is also Beijing’s most spellbinding religious monument. Located just north of the city centre, the Lama Temple attracts a steady stream of tourists to its decorative roofs, colourful frescoes and giant statues of Buddha.
5. Gui Jie
Market
Head a few blocks south and you’ll find a one-kilometre stretch of road bathed in red light. Gui Jie comes alive after the sun sets, when thousands of lanterns and neon-lit shopfronts glow with China’s lucky colour.
6. Beihai Park
Park
This thousand-year-old park on the north-west corner of the Forbidden City is dominated by the huge white pagoda on its hilltop. But explore more of Beihai Park and you’ll spot architecture imitating landmarks from around the country, such as Taihu’s serene lake, the classical gardens of Suzhou, and pavilions from Hangzhou and Yangzhou.
7. Shichahai
Park
Follow the water north to Shichahai, which means ‘Ten Temple Lake’ in Chinese. Although not all 10 temples remain standing, there’s no shortage of ornate religious buildings, historic hutongs and charming courtyards lining the waterfront of the Houhai, Qianhai and Xihai lakes.
8. 798 Art District
Art Gallery, Building, Museum, Store
This Bauhaus-style military complex on the north-eastern outskirts of town was built by East German architects in the 1950s – but soldiers and guns have made way for artists and paintbrushes in the new millennium. The 798 Art District is brimming with avant-garde galleries, while the sculptures and murals down every street feel like an al fresco art museum.
9. Tiananmen Square
Park, Building
Connected to the Imperial Palace, Tiananmen is the largest inner-city square in the world, spanning the size of 60 football fields. The plaza is loaded with Socialist landmarks – the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong – but Tiananmen’s sheer vastness is what makes it so scenic.
10. The PuXuan Hotel
Architectural Landmark
Only a couple of blocks from Tiananmen Square lies one of Beijing’s most mesmerising modern masterpieces. The PuXuan Hotel is the brainchild of cutting-edge German architect Ole Scheeren – a luxury hotel that fuses space-age geometric design with traditional Chinese touches.
11. Yuyuantan Park
Park
Sitting in the shadow of the Central Radio and TV Tower, this park comes alive every spring when thousands of cherry trees bloom. Photographers flock to Yuyuantan Park each April and May to see the blossoming pink petals, a gift from the Japanese government back in the 1970s.
12. The Summer Palace
Historical Landmark
Perched on the Kunming Lake in north-west Beijing, this royal palace of the Qing Dynasty is a masterpiece of imperial Chinese architecture. The immaculate gardens are fit for an emperor, while the 17 Arch Bridge glows gold at sunrise and sunset.
13. The Place
Shopping Mall
Like a little slice of Las Vegas transplanted in the Chinese capital, this luxury mall in the heart of the upscale Chaoyang district boasts the biggest LED screen in Asia. The hanging screen projects a dazzling display of moving images above shoppers every evening, which is especially impressive in winter when the light shimmers off the pop-up ice-skating rink.
14. Shihua Cave
Natural Feature
An hour’s drive west of the Chinese capital, Shihua is nicknamed the Stone Flower Cave for the gleaming colours that illuminate its stalagmites and stalactites. The caves plunge eight storeys underground, and visitors can delve into the first four levels.
15. National Centre for the Performing Arts
Theatre
The National Centre for the Performing Arts was unveiled in 2007 and quickly earned a reputation as one of Asia’s premier opera houses… as well as one of Beijing’s most Instagrammable landmarks. Found just west of Tiananmen Square, you can’t miss this giant theatre – it looks like a huge metallic egg parked in the middle of a lake.
16. The Temple of Heaven
Building, Hindu Temple, Park, Historical Landmark, Architectural Landmark
17. Sanlitun Dongwujie
Park
Looking for a place to take a great pic of Beijing in autumn? Look no further than this shady street in Beijing’s embassy district. It turns into one of the capital’s most scenic spots every October, when bushes full of ginkgo leaves glow gold in the sunlight.
18. Beijing Stone Carvings Art Museum
Museum
This Ming Dynasty-era Buddhist temple on the edge of Beijing Zoo now houses a collection of antique stone carvings sourced from all over the country. The 600 tablets, statues and tombstones sprinkled around five towering pagodas make up one of China’s most attractive open-air museums.
19. CCTV Headquarters
Building, Architectural Landmark
Located in the heart of Beijing’s financial hub, this gravity-defying structure looks more like an MC Escher sketch than a real-life building. The glitzy glass towers were completed in 2012, meeting at the top to form what looks like a giant pair of trousers, according to the local nickname.
20. The Great Wall of China
Architectural Landmark
This UNESCO World Heritage List wonder is a must-see when you’re in Beijing. Only an hour’s drive north of the city, every inch of the Great Wall is scenic – but escape the crowds at the Jiankou and Jinshanling sections to see the fortification at its raw, rugged and unvarnished best.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.