The capital of China, the beating heart of this thriving and bustling country. We all know the population of China is insanely huge and rapidly growing each day. I don’t know about yourself, but Beijing (China in general) overwhelms to a point of anxiety. I have heard the rumors, seen the stories of how the population size of China is taking over the streets themselves. Within one weekend (three to four days) I believe it is possible to get a taste of both ancient and new through the streets of China’s unique capital city; weave in and out of thousands of years of imperial history masked together with the thriving scenes of the 21st-century society.
Day 1: arrive & check in & eat & markets & wander
The first day is always the best day to explore your surroundings, wander through the neighborhood in which you are staying in, stock up on the necessities (such as water and cookies), gawk at the fact that you are in Beijing, China. Follow your nose to the first restaurant you smell and randomly pick something off the menu.
WHERE TO STAY:
We stayed at Leo’s Hostel in the heart of Xicheng Qu, within walking distance from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Can’t complain about this accommodation solely for the fact that the location was beyond perfect. Walking distance to some of the main attractions and to the metro, the gateway to the rest of the city.
The hostel was kind enough to host a Christmas festivity for all the travelers staying there.
PEARL MARKET
Beijing is filled with all sorts of markets; a great place to practice your haggling skills as well. These Chinese markets are specifically for just about anything and everything you need, want or can think of. One of these markets is catered towards the design and sell of pearls. pearls earring, pearl necklaces, pearl strings, pearl rings, pearl everything. BUT only the top floor, the rest of the floors are just about anything you want to purchase: cameras, chopsticks, purses, plugs, panda dolls and so much more. You can spend a solid few hours just roaming up and down the aisles of all the goods while everyone yells at you to buy their merchandise.
Luckily for us, the hostel that we were staying at; had a festive celebration for those travelers that celebrate Christmas. Holidays singing, dumpling making and a mannequin challenge!
Day 2: The Great Wall of China
a whole day should be dedicated to this massive masterpiece of history. I not only dedicated a day to it but also a blog post with how we spent the day at the Great Wall and which entry was the best. Here are some teasers:
Night Food Market:
be adventurous, if you dare!
Day 3: Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven isn’t just one temple dedicated to the Emperor. It is a 15th century park filled with beautiful architecture that was built as a sign of respect towards the gods.
It costs rough 28-30 RMB at the main gate and that allows you entry into all the temples inside. It is a beautiful park, filled with exotic colors and beautiful landscapes. In the early morning you will see locals practicing tai chi or playing games.
Day 4: The Forbidden City & Tienanmen Square
Tienanmen Square is the fourth largest square in the world and attracts foreigners as well as locals for all sorts of reasons. For many Chinese people, this square is dedicated to their leader Mao, his portrait is largely displayed in the square. The square leads into the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City
The city was constructed between 1406-14020 and is over 950 acres with around 9,900 rooms. It is actually a city. During its prime (for some 500 years) this served as the heartbeat of China’s political power ruled by the Ming Dynasty up through the Qing Dynasty. Walk back in time, through the architecture and art wonders of the Ming and Qing Dynasty.
The Imperial Gardens
Jammed packed weekend into order to see some of what Beijing has to offer and there is still sooooo much more to see. China is a HUGE HUGE country with very different cities and country sides. Four days, four weeks, four months probably isn’t enough time to explore the Chinese land, culture and lifestyle. But four days in these hotspots is enough to tease you for a longer journey in the future. The visa is good for ten years so you might as well come back in the future 😉
until next time Beijing ✌🏽!
Have you been to Beijing before? What was your favorite part?
You packed SO much into so few days! Great itinerary. I think you ticked off all the must-dos…so then you can get into the “everything else” stuff! The way I see it, the must-dos are “must-do” for a reason, right? Then you can find your own unique adventure 🙂
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I agree, I try to visit all the must dos and see of a place then hopefully with days left over I can just get lost in the city and discover the real untouristy side of it. One day I will have to go back to China and explore it properly with a much longer itinerary! thanks for the comment 😀
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I want to visit China soooo badly! I really hope I can soon. Can’t wait for your post about the Great Wall! You smile on the pics shows that you had a wonderful time! 🙂
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oh my, thank you so much for your sweet words! that means so much to me! You defs have to visit China! it is full of surprises!
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Some great advice here! It looks like you had so much fun. I’ve been to China but not Beijing and it’s definitely somewhere I want to go!
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thank you for your kind words! it was an amazing trip! you should defs go one day! it is quite a remarkable city!
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You did all that in just 4 days?! I had never really considered Beijing as a short stop option so that’s awesome! Absolutely love your photos – they remind me a lot of the time I spent in South Korea many years ago.
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Thanks so much! That means a lot to me!! It was hard to shove it all into four days, but we were determined (and exhausted at the end). Oh man, I bet South Korea would be just AMAZING! It is on my list so hopefully one day I can visit!
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It looks like there is a ton to do there and you managed to maximize your time! Is the visa really good for ten years!? Do you get it ahead of time through the mail?
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So much to do in Beijing, we crammed as much as we could into what time we had. The visa is good for ten years or until your passport expires. Luckily when I applied I was living in Spain and they have a great Chinese consulate! Are you planning on going?!
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Ive never been to china, but while scrolling through your amazing photos, I was thinking I want to visit! The great wall, night markets, tiennaman, so iconic! I love the santa hats on the great wall.
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Oh it is definitely a trip you should add to you bucket list! Hehehe thanks! I could spend Christmas Day without a Santa hat!
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Beijing is so beautiful! I love the architecture; it is absolutely stunning. The food looks wonderful, and I would love to spend time at the market. I would also want to devote a day to the Great Wall. It looks like you had an awesome trip!
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I wish I had more time in Beijing, Stacey! You are so right, the markets and the food are just out of this world!! If I could go back I would do more than one trip to the Great Wall, it was insane!
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You have some very enticing and amazing pictures through this post – I’ve been in countries around the world for Christmas time but I bet being on the great wall was an awesome but weird feeling. China is a country I’ve not been to yet but definitely on my list – I’m gonna bookmark this for when I do go 😀
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Looks like you had ton of fun! I would probably spend a whole day at the Great Wall as well. The pictures of the noodle and siomay (food in a bamboo steam basket), makes me crave for them as is now!
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Great pictures of the food and markets, can’t wait to read your post about the Great Wall.
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