Beijing: Where a Thousand Years of History Beats with Modern Energy

Dear Traveller,

Have you ever imagined stepping inside three thousand years of living history? A city where you can press your hand against the stone of a Ming dynasty palace wall and, moments later, feel the pulse of an Olympic stadium? Beijing — home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites — is opening its arms to travellers around the world with the unique appeal of a city that has hosted two Olympic Games.

In 2026, more than 2.55 million foreign visitors entered Beijing through its border checkpoints, up 33.6 percent year on year. Of those, 957,000 arrived under visa-free or temporary-entry permit policies, accounting for 70.8 percent of all foreign arrivals. As one international visitor put it: "This is a city that takes your breath away — the depth of an ancient civilisation and the energy of a modern metropolis, perfectly fused, impossible to leave behind."

Beijing, as China's capital, carries the full weight of Chinese civilisation's long history while showcasing four defining cultural identities to the world: ancient capital heritage, revolutionary history, the distinctive flavour of traditional Beijing life, and a spirit of innovation. National Geographic named Beijing one of the "World's Best Travel Destinations" for 2026, praising its "epic history, cultural treasures, and exciting day trips." With its incomparable richness and depth, Beijing is an essential stop for every international traveller.

Part One: A Journey Through Civilisation — the City with the Most World Heritage Sites

Beijing holds eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites — more than any other city on earth. These monuments read like a story carved in stone, tracing an unbroken thread of civilisation from the earliest human origins, through imperial palace architecture, state rituals, royal tomb culture, engineering achievements, and city planning, all the way to the present day. Together they reveal the breadth and brilliance of Chinese civilisation.

1. The Palace Museum (Forbidden City): The Pinnacle of Ming and Qing Imperial Architecture

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Forbidden City is the supreme example of ancient Chinese imperial architecture and one of the largest and best-preserved timber-frame building complexes in the world. Covering 720,000 square metres and containing nearly 10,000 rooms, this palace complex witnessed the reigns of 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties, representing the absolute peak of imperial Chinese architectural achievement.

The layout is strictly symmetrical: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Imperial Garden, and other core structures all embody the ancient Chinese philosophy of harmony between humanity and heaven. In 2026, advance booking through the official platform is required seven days ahead of your visit — off-season tickets cost 40 yuan and peak-season tickets cost 60 yuan. The palace's central axis runs from south to north, aligning perfectly with Beijing's broader Central Axis — a masterpiece of traditional urban planning.

In 2026, the Palace Museum launched a special program called "Dragon Quest," using three-dimensional palace models and an interactive discovery booklet to help visitors explore the Forbidden City's architectural beauty and historical stories in greater depth. Stand before the Hall of Supreme Harmony and feel the grandeur of a court that received tribute from across the known world; explore the Hall of Mental Cultivation and imagine the Yongzheng Emperor poring over state documents — history coming alive before your eyes.

2. The Great Wall: The Spiritual Symbol of the Chinese Nation

The Great Wall is China's largest surviving cultural heritage site and one of its most iconic symbols. Beijing's section stretches 520.77 kilometres across six districts — Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, Changping, Yanqing, and Mentougou — and is the best-preserved and most significant stretch of Ming dynasty wall anywhere in the country.

From April 30, 2026, Badaling opened a night visit experience, featuring interactive performances and themed dance shows combined with immersive theatre, light and shadow spectacles, and a range of cultural activities. From 7:20 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Wall glows under lights like a shimmering dragon coiled across the mountains. You can interact with performers playing the legendary Lady Meng Jiang, hear stories of the border garrison soldiers, and transform from a spectator into a participant.

The Badaling cable car takes you directly up to Tower Seven on the north section, with just a ten-minute walk from there to Tower Eight — the legendary Hero Slope — on a gentle gradient perfectly manageable for families with elderly visitors or children. In summer, the temperature here runs five to eight degrees cooler than in the city below, with mountain breezes sweeping across the battlements — a wonderful place to escape the heat. In winter, the Wall under snow is a sight of majestic beauty.

3. The Beijing Central Axis: A Masterpiece of Ancient Urban Order

On July 27, 2024, the Beijing Central Axis was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Stretching 7.8 kilometres from the Bell and Drum Towers in the north to Yongdingmen Gate in the south, it comprises 15 heritage components including Jingshan Park, the Forbidden City, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, Tiananmen Square and its surrounding buildings, Zhengyang Gate, the Temple of Heaven, and the Altar of Agriculture. This axis embodies the wisdom of ancient Chinese city planning, following the traditional principle of "symmetrical layout with the centre as supreme" — a profound synthesis of astronomy, geography, and cultural ritual.

In 2026, Beijing introduced a Central Axis sightseeing bus, making it easier to visit the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Drum Tower, and the Bell Tower — all landmark examples of ancient Chinese urban design. Choose to ride in the early morning or at dusk to avoid daytime crowds and catch the ancient buildings in their most beautiful light.

4. Summer Palace: The Pinnacle of Classical Chinese Garden Design

As China's largest surviving imperial garden, the Summer Palace covers 2.9 million square metres, with Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, and a rich complex of palaces and pavilions as its centrepiece — one of the celebrated "Three Hills and Five Gardens" of the Qing dynasty. In 2026, the Summer Palace launched a Royal River Cultural Cruise, where you can listen to a guide recount tales of Empress Dowager Cixi's garden excursions, then climb the Tower of Buddhist Incense and join a storytelling trail to identify scenes from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West among the more than 14,000 painted scenes in the 728-metre Long Corridor.

In summer, the Summer Palace is a perfect retreat from the heat. Enter from the North Palace Gate, walk through Suzhou Street and the Four Continents complex as you ascend to the Tower of Buddhist Incense — the garden's highest point — then stroll the Long Corridor admiring the paintings, before crossing Kunming Lake by boat to Nanhu Island and looking back at the Seventeen-Arch Bridge as the setting sun shines through all its arches simultaneously. In winter, the garden under snow offers its own quiet, otherworldly beauty.

5. Temple of Heaven: The Sacred Ground of Imperial Heaven Worship

The Temple of Heaven was the site where Ming and Qing emperors conducted the great ceremonies of heaven worship and harvest prayer. Covering 2.73 million square metres — four times the area of the Forbidden City — it is the finest surviving example of ancient Chinese ceremonial architecture. The circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests embodies the ancient concept of "heaven is round, earth is square," and the acoustic properties of the Echo Wall continue to astonish visitors to this day.

The Temple of Heaven is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. — an hour and a half earlier than the Forbidden City — giving visitors an ideal early-morning option. Arrive at 6 a.m. and you will find local residents practising tai chi in the ancient cypress groves — a wonderful glimpse into Beijing's everyday life. A combined ticket is recommended (15 yuan in the off-season); without it, you cannot enter the main heritage structures.

6. The Ming Tombs: The Model of Ancient Imperial Funerary Culture

The Ming Tombs are the collective resting place of 13 Ming emperors from the Yongle Emperor through to the Chongzhen Emperor, along with other historic remains within the surrounding protected area. They are a vital resource for understanding ancient Chinese burial traditions and architectural art. The underground palace of Dingling Tomb is accessible entirely on level ground, making it particularly suitable for older visitors.

7. The Grand Canal — Beijing Section: Witness to China's Great Waterway

Beijing's section of the Grand Canal forms a key part of the Grand Canal, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. It stands as testament to ancient China's feats of hydraulic engineering, the rise and fall of the north-south grain transport system, and the cultural exchange between northern and southern China. On April 24, 2026, Beijing launched Yun Shang Xing — the city's first moving water-theatre experience — themed around Grand Canal culture. Using cruise boats and the riverside embankments, it combines light installations, live scenery, and performance to create an immersive theatrical experience where water, vessel, bridge, and bank all play a part.

Along a 3.5-kilometre canal route, you can marvel at water-borne light sculptures by master artist Han Meilin — the Dragon Boat, the Five Fortune Moon, and Green Waters Blue Mountains — as well as water-curtain projections, laser displays, and a digitally transformed ship cabin. You can also stroll along the 1.3-kilometre waterside lifestyle promenade on the canal's west bank, combining waterfront leisure, cultural experiences, sport, and shopping.

8. Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site: A Milestone in Human Evolution

The Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site is one of the richest, most systematic, and most valuable early Palaeolithic human sites in the world. It documents the journey of human evolution from ancient apes to Homo sapiens. In 2026, the Zhoukoudian Site Museum introduced English-language guided tours to help international visitors explore the story of early human activity.

Part Two: Dual Olympics City — Where Sport and Culture Meet

Beijing is the world's only city to have hosted both a Summer Olympics (2008) and a Winter Olympics (2022). The International Olympic Committee described Beijing as having "set a new benchmark for Olympic legacy use," and the remarkable heritage left by both Games has become an accelerator for the city's sustainable development.

1. Olympic Park: The World's Only Dual-Olympics Venue Cluster

Covering 11.59 square kilometres, Olympic Park is the world's first and only dual-Olympics venue cluster. It has evolved far beyond its original role as a sports complex into a vibrant, all-hours urban park at the heart of the capital. It brings together seven national-level sports venues — including the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube (now the Ice Cube), and the National Speed Skating Oval — alongside eight leading cultural and technology facilities, forming an architectural ensemble without equal.

In 2026, Olympic Park launched a Robot Innovation Park, centred on the National Speed Skating Oval and focused on cutting-edge technology, hosting the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games. From athletic competition to technological contest, Beijing's Olympic legacy is stretching toward an ever broader horizon.

2. National Speed Skating Oval "Ice Ribbon": An Olympic Legacy Open Year-Round

The National Speed Skating Oval is the signature venue of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Its ice surface uses carbon dioxide direct refrigeration technology, making it the world's first Olympic speed-skating venue to operate in all four seasons. Visit in summer for a cool, refreshing ice sports experience, or come in winter for ice art performances — the Olympic spirit in living form.

3. Winter Sports in the Beijing Countryside

Yanqing District, on the outskirts of Beijing, offers abundant winter sports resources and is an excellent destination for cold-weather travel. In winter 2026, a full programme of snow and ice activities opens across the area — snow scenery at the foot of Badaling Great Wall, the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival, and skiing at Yudu Mountain — with skiing, skating, and ice lantern viewing all on offer.

Yanqing District has also launched a glamping programme at the World Horticultural Expo site, where you can fall asleep under the stars and wake up in the morning light. Adults can experience outdoor camping across twelve constellation-themed pitches; children can run free in the 5,000-square-metre Qibabu Paradise, an iQIYI-branded family entertainment space designed around play and discovery.

Part Three: Old Beijing's Living Spirit — Hutong and Courtyard Life

Beijing's hutongs and siheyuan (traditional courtyard houses) are a living portrait of old Beijing life and one of the best windows into traditional Chinese ways of living. In 2026, "hutong home visits" became the experience most popular with international visitors. Step into a courtyard, drink tea, listen to traditional music, fold dumplings, share a home-cooked meal, and watch a cricket fight — a genuine encounter with everyday Beijing.

1. Hutong Walks and Home Visit Experiences

Guowang Hutong in Dongcheng District is a favourite destination for international visitors, where the sound of a guqin zither playing "Jasmine Flower" drifts through the air. Inside the courtyards, you can chat with local residents and learn how Beijingers live from day to day. China Youth Travel International's "Hutong Home Visit" programme invites international visitors into courtyard homes to experience old Beijing life through tea ceremony, dumpling-making, and calligraphy — writing the character for good fortune — and has been warmly embraced by visitors from around the world.

You can also join a "Be a Beijinger for a Day" programme, accompanying a local to the market and folding dumplings together in a courtyard kitchen. Visitors from Australia have stood beneath the red walls of the Drum Tower, experienced tai chi to the sound of drumming, and chatted with pedicab drivers in English along the Houhai hutongs — discovering the warmth and humanity of old Beijing life.

2. Traditional Food — the Taste of Beijing

Beijing's food culture is celebrated across China, from Peking duck and mutton hot pot to noodles with fermented soybean paste and doujir (fermented mung bean juice) — each dish carries the memory of generations of Beijingers. In 2026, Beijing has 98 Michelin-listed restaurants, including 32 starred establishments. Among them are two three-starred restaurants — Chao Shang Chao in Chaoyang and Xin Rong Ji on Xinyuan South Road — alongside several two-starred venues including Black Swan and Lan Zhai.

For food lovers, Beijing's Michelin dining scene offers a true feast for the palate. Chao Shang Chao's Chaoshan cuisine, Black Swan's modern French cooking, Lan Zhai's refined vegetarian tasting menus, and Rong Pao's Sichuan dishes together showcase the premium, diverse, and tradition-driven new character of Beijing's restaurant scene.

For those who prefer street-level everyday food, Beijing has plenty to offer as well. Daoxiangcun's traditional pastries (look for the "Three Grain" logo), Siji Minfu's Peking duck with a view of the Forbidden City, Fangzhuan Chang Number 69's noodles with fermented soybean paste, and zhizi roasted meat are all essential stops for anyone wanting to taste the authentic flavours of old Beijing.

Part Four: Modern Beijing — an International City Full of Energy and Style

Beijing is not only an ancient capital steeped in history; it is also a dynamic international city. As China's leading district for international engagement, Chaoyang hosts nearly 90 percent of the city's foreign embassies and 80 percent of its international organisations and chambers of commerce, and has fostered distinctive international communities including Wangjing, Sanlitun, and Maizidian.

1. Sanlitun: Fashion, Nightlife, and Urban Cool

Sanlitun is the hub of Beijing's fashion, entertainment, and contemporary lifestyle. It is packed with luxury boutiques, avant-garde galleries, international restaurants, and buzzing bars. Open plazas and pedestrian paths create a free, relaxed atmosphere — the ideal place to feel the pulse of modern Beijing.

2. Liangma River International Waterfront: Evenings on the Water

The Liangma River International Waterfront is one of Beijing's newest lifestyle destinations. In 2026 it launched a daily "browse the market by day, enjoy the waterfront by night" experience. By day you can explore a creative market for cultural goods; by night, take a boat along the river to watch the light show reflected on the water and take in the city's nighttime skyline — the romantic mood of night Beijing at its best.

3. Pop Mart City Park: A Window into Trendy Culture

Pop Mart City Park is a showcase of Beijing's contemporary pop culture, bringing together signature IP attractions including MOLLY Castle, Panda Roll Park, and the Xing Xing Ren installation. In 2026, the park launched exclusive limited-edition products featuring the Labubu and Xing Xing Ren characters, making it a favourite shopping destination for international visitors.

4. Chaoyang Park: Urban Green Space and Cultural Events

Chaoyang Park is one of Beijing's largest urban parks. From May 15 to 24, 2026, it hosted the "Play Without Limits — Chaoyang Welcomes You" fair, with a recommended route connecting Peace Wharf to Fangzhou Lake Pier by water. From the boat, you can take in the Liangma River light show, architectural illuminations, and evening art installations along the way.

Part Five: Four Seasons of Beijing — Something Special at Every Time of Year

1. Spring (March to May): Flowers Across Beijing

In spring 2026, Beijing launched a "Flowers Across Beijing" series, including three major international flower exhibitions. In Chaoyang District, Beixiaohe Park planted 5,900 cherry trees along a 4.2-kilometre riverside corridor; in Fengtai District, the Beijing International Flower Show brought floral displays into the heart of the Lize Financial and Business District, where over 800 years of flower-growing heritage met a modern, international neighbourhood.

Spring temperatures in Beijing are mild, averaging 12°C to 20°C — ideal for outdoor sightseeing. But avoid the Qingming Festival holiday (April 4 to 6) and the May Day holiday (April 29 to May 3), when visitor numbers at popular sites are very high — advance booking is essential during these periods.

2. Summer (June to August): Lush and Cool

Summer temperatures in Beijing run high — averaging 25°C to 35°C — but the city is at its most vibrantly green. Beijing's urban greenery coverage rate has reached 49.84 percent, with around 16.6 square metres of parkland per person. Olympic Forest Park, Urban Green Heart Forest Park, and other large parks are ideal summer escapes.

For summer visitors, a recommended itinerary combines Badachu Park, Shunyi Olympic Water Park, Chateau Bolongbao (with its French country ambience and underground wine cellar and wine museum), Wucai Qianshan scenic area, and a mountain-view boutique guesthouse. The South Cai Ginkgo Garden features nearly 67 hectares of ginkgo trees whose green-to-gold transition has a gentle, dreamy quality; Shunyi Olympic Water Park offers a mix of active and peaceful water-based beauty; and Chateau Bolongbao's cool underground spaces provide welcome relief from the summer heat.

You can also choose a summer route along the Grand Canal in Tongzhou, featuring the Yun Shang Xing canal journey — a cruise along 3.5 kilometres of Grand Canal waterway past Han Meilin's water-borne light sculptures.

3. Autumn (September to November): Golden Season

September to November 2026 is Beijing's best travel season, with average temperatures of 12°C to 22°C — bright, clear, and beautifully comfortable. The Beijing Bureau of Landscape and Forestry has curated 100 autumn viewing spots, including the Summer Palace, the National Botanical Garden (North Garden), Wenyu River Park, and Tanzhe Temple's ancient ginkgo grove — from city parks for a leisurely afternoon to mountain forests for a dramatic autumn panorama.

Beijing's ginkgo trees are expected to reach peak colour in early November. Recommended viewing spots include the Forbidden City, Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace), Zhongshan Park, and Pofengling. In Yuanmingyuan, a nearly one-kilometre ginkgo avenue stretches from where the three sections of the garden meet to the western entrance of the Western Mansions ruins — by deep autumn it becomes a golden photographic landmark.

Around October 28, the National Botanical Garden, Tsinghua University, Dongba Park, and Sanlitun East Fifth Street ginkgos reach peak colour; around October 30, the ginkgos in Shijingshan begin to turn gold; by around November 1, major parks including the Summer Palace, Xiangshan, Badachu, Cheng'en Temple, and parks in Fengtai, Changping, Shunyi, Tongzhou, Fangshan, Daxing, Dongcheng, Xicheng, and Haidian all join the golden cascade.

4. Winter (December to February): Ice, Snow, and Festival Spirit

Winter temperatures in Beijing are cold — averaging minus 10°C to 5°C — but the season offers a wonderful opportunity to experience ice and snow culture and the deep traditions of Chinese New Year. At Badaling you can watch the Great Wall under snow in all its grandeur; at Shichahai you can skate on the frozen lake, a quintessentially old-Beijing winter pleasure.

During the Spring Festival period (January and February), Beijing's temple fairs are a highlight — including the Longtan Temple Fair, Ditan Temple Fair, Grand Capital Temple Fair, and Haidian Science and Technology Temple Fair — all offering a taste of authentic Chinese New Year traditions. In spring 2026, visitors from Australia included hutong tours and courtyard meals alongside visits to the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Great Wall, and Forbidden City.

Around the New Year, you can also visit Beijing's traditional temple fairs, skate on Shichahai's frozen lake, ride ice sledges, and admire ice lanterns — the full flavour of a northern Chinese winter.

Part Six: Planning Your Beijing Trip

1. Suggested Itineraries

We have put together several itineraries for different interests and time frames:

Classic Culture — Four Days:

Day One: Tiananmen Square for the flag-raising ceremony → Palace Museum (follow the Central Axis, avoid peak entry hours) → Jingshan Park to look down over the Forbidden City
Day Two: Badaling Great Wall (cable car up and down, avoid the busiest tour-group hours) → Great Wall Museum
Day Three: Summer Palace (boat across Kunming Lake) → Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace ruins, with historical context)
Day Four: Temple of Heaven (Echo Wall acoustic experiment) → Qianmen Street (Tongrentang traditional Chinese medicine, Zhang Yiyuan tea house)

Family — Five Days and Four Nights:

Day One: Arrive in Beijing; check in to a boutique hotel inside the Third Ring Road; afternoon at Qianmen Street and Dashilar for traditional snacks
Day Two: Early morning flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square → Palace Museum (Central Axis route) → dusk at Jingshan Park for the panoramic Forbidden City view → evening stroll along Shichahai and through Yandai Xiejie
Day Three: Full day at Badaling Great Wall (cable car up, gentle walk down) → evening at Olympic Park to see the Bird's Nest, Water Cube, and Ice Ribbon lit up at night
Day Four: Morning at Summer Palace, boat ride across Kunming Lake to avoid midday heat → afternoon at Yuanmingyuan ruins and lotus pond → evening stroll through the Temple of Heaven, including the Echo Wall and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
Day Five: Free morning for local shopping and Daoxiangcun pastries as gifts → afternoon departure

2. Recommended Length of Stay

For first-time international visitors, we recommend at least four to five days — enough to take in the depth of Beijing's history and the energy of its modern character. If time allows, extending to six or seven days lets you explore Beijing's seasonal rhythms and special events in greater depth.

3. Travel Tips

Advance booking: Most of Beijing's popular attractions operate a timed-entry booking system. The Forbidden City requires booking seven days ahead; the National Museum, Summer Palace, and others require three days' notice — plan well in advance.
Transport: Beijing's metro network covers 909 kilometres, reaching all major attractions. Foreign credit cards can be used to tap in and out of the subway. Chinese transport apps are increasingly available in English.
Payment: Major shopping areas and tourist sites accept a range of payment methods including Alipay, WeChat Pay, and international credit cards.
Visa-free access: China offers unilateral visa-free entry for citizens of 50 countries for stays of up to 30 days. Citizens of 55 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada can enter Beijing visa-free for up to 10 days.
Language: Major attractions and hotels offer multi-language services including English, French, and Japanese. For a deeper experience of Beijing's culture, a private guide is worth considering.

Part Seven: Beijing's International Appeal — a Global Favourite

Beijing, with its unique cultural depth and high standard of modern service, has become the top choice among international visitors for experiencing China. During the 2026 May Day holiday, Beijing welcomed 128,000 inbound visitors — up 22.3 percent year on year — generating 1.38 billion yuan in visitor spending, a rise of 22.6 percent. International visitors are drawn not only by Beijing's historic and cultural treasures, but by the quality of its modern infrastructure and the ease of getting around.

As China's centre of international engagement, Beijing hosts a concentration of foreign embassies and international organisations (including the UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Office), and has served as the stage for major global events including the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the World Horticultural Exposition. Through the "Beijing Welcomes You" city brand and platforms such as Palace Museum cultural products and the Beijing International Film Festival, Beijing's cultural voice reaches ever further around the world.

In 2026, Beijing ranked third on the TAOTIE Asia Cultural Tourism Cities Top 100 list, behind only Singapore and Tokyo — a strong affirmation of its standing as an international travel destination. With its rich cultural heritage, diverse tourism offerings, and attentive visitor services, Beijing has become the first-choice destination for international visitors seeking to experience Chinese culture.

Part Eight: Beijing — a City Worth Discovering for Yourself

Beijing, with its eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, presents four defining faces to the world: ancient capital heritage, revolutionary history, the distinctive flavour of traditional Beijing life, and a spirit of innovation — all woven together in a city that is at once ancient and young, traditional and inventive, diverse and open. From the red walls of the Forbidden City to the neon of Zhongguancun, from the signal towers of the Great Wall to the cruise boats of the Grand Canal, this city speaks to the world in many voices at once.

Beijing's value lies not only in the exceptional resources it was born with, but in its ever-improving ability to share them. When the red walls of the Forbidden City catch the glow of Zhongguancun's neon signs, when the Great Wall's beacon towers send their light across to the Grand Canal's cruise boats, this city is telling China's story to the world in a language that is both ancient and entirely its own.

Beijing is a city worth discovering for yourself. Here, you will encounter a millennium of imperial history, feel the energy and innovation of a modern capital, walk the everyday life of old Beijing's neighbourhoods, taste food with centuries of character, watch the natural world shift through all four seasons, and be moved by the singular charm of Chinese culture.

As the city in the world with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Beijing is incomparably rich and distinctive — an essential stop on every international traveller's map. Whether you love history and culture, prefer contemporary urban exploration, or travel for food and shopping, Beijing will meet your expectations and give you an unforgettable journey through the East.

Beijing is showing the world what it looks like when tradition and modernity, livability and convenience, all come together — a city with warmth, surprise, and an open door for every visitor.

Now is the time to book your flight and discover Beijing for yourself.

Wishing you a wonderful journey,

Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism May 2026