Last updated on April 13th, 2024
Emperor Temple, Forbidden City, © Can Stock / buch
Visit Beijing – Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is the most popular city destination for those who visit Beijing. The square is named after Tiananmen Gate – the Gate of Heavenly Peace. Tiananmen Gate is at the northern end of Tiananmen Square. You enter the Imperial City through the Tiananmen Gate before you can enter the Forbidden City. The Ming Dynasty built the Tiananmen Gate in 1415.
Tiananmen Square Military & Tourist
The Zhengyangmen or Qianmen Gate, the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and the Monument to the People’s Heroes are at the south end of Tiananmen Square. To the east the square is bordered by the National Museum, while to the west its border is the Great Hall of the People. The National Centre for the Performing Arts is behind the Great Hall. The National Centre for the Performing Arts is an impressive dome built in a man-made lake. You get inside the dome by going through an underwater access tunnel.
Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, © Can Stock / aussie
North Americans are familiar with Tiananmen Square because of the protests in the square on June 4, 1989 when soldiers opened fire and killed more than 400 protesters. The picture of a protester blocking 4 tanks while holding a shopping bag captured international attention prior to the massacre. Today China strictly forbids any photos or discussion of the event.
Forbidden City, © Can Stock / zhuda
Visit Beijing – the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is at the north end of Tiananmen Square. You can enter the Forbidden City by walking through the Tiananmen Gate into the ancient Imperial City. Then you walk through the Meridian Gate to enter the Forbidden City. This was the imperial palace for the Ming through Qing Dynasties. It was built in the early 1400s and contains almost 1,000 buildings. In ancient times, common people were forbidden to enter this area. The Forbidden City was the home of Chinese emperors for 500 years. The Palace Museum has managed the Forbidden City since 1925 and it became a World Heritage site in 1987.
Summer Palace, © Can Stock / urbanlight
Visit Beijing – Summer Palace
The Imperial Summer Palace is another standard stop for those who visit Beijing. The Summer Palace is all about gardens and water. It contains terraces, pagodas, gazebos, stone bridges and a marble boat. The marble boat is a lakeside pavilion known as the Boat of Purity and Ease.
Don’t miss the Ruins of the Yuanmingyuan (The Garden of Perfection and Light) when you visit the Summer Palace. These are ruins of the Qing Dynasty Gardens. The Summer Palace is about 45 minutes from Tiananmen Square, so most people visit on an organized tour.
Birds Nest National Stadium, © Can Stock / larryye
Visit Beijing – 2008 Olympics Sites
The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing. The Olympic Sports Center is about 20 minutes north of the Tiananmen Square. The two most popular buildings to visit at the Olympic Sports Center are the:
- Bird’s Nest National Stadium
- Water Cube National Swimming Centre
Panda Bears, © Can Stock / lucidwaters
Visit Beijing – Hotels
- Novotel Beijing Peace
- The Peninsula Beijing
- Fairmont Beijing Hotel
Great Wall of China, © Can Stock / vgalanis
Visit Beijing – the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China has many sections just outside the city limits of Beijing. The Chinese Empire built the Great Wall for protection from nomads, such as the Mongolians. Construction began in the beginning in the 5th century BC. The wall was maintained and sections were rebuilt up until the 16th century. The Great Wall is roughly 4,000 miles long. Most of the Great Wall remaining today was built during the Ming Dynasty in the 1400s.
Peoples’ Heroes Monument, © Can Stock / jorisvo
The nearest section of the Great Wall to Beijing is about an hour drive from Tiananmen Square. The most visited and busiest section is Badaling, while other popular sections include Mutianyu, Simatai, Jinshanling and Juyongguan. Mutianyu and Badaling both have gondolas up to the wall.
Gate of Heavenly Peace. Tiananmen Square, © Can Stock / rssfhs
Visit Beijing – More Sights
The Imperial Vault of Heaven – 15 minutes south of Tiananmen Square.
Kublai Khan built the Drum and Bell Towers in the 1200s. The Drum and Bell Towers are a few minutes north of Tiananmen Square.
Marco Polo Bridge (Lugouqiao) – Marco Polo commented on the beauty of this bridge during his travels in the 1300s. The Marco Polo Bridge is about a half hour southwest of Tiananmen Square.
Ming Dynasty Tombs – the tombs of the Liao and Qing emperors are about an hour north of Tiananmen Square.
The Cave of Peking Man – the Zhoukoudian Site Museum is the discovery site of a skull that is possibly a half a million years old. The cave is just over an hour southwest of Tiananmen Square.
National Centre of Performing Arts, © Can Stock / gary718
Get to Beijing by Air
Beijing is a transportation center for northern China. As of 2019, there are two international airports serving Beijing. You can get to Beijing by air through the traditional Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or the new Daxing International Airport (PKX). Star Alliance member air lines will continue to operate from the Beijing Capital International Airport. Star Alliance members include Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and United Airlines. The Capital International Airport is about 40 minutes from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. A subway from the airport connects by transfers to the downtown.
In 2019 the Daxing International Airport opened for use by SkyTeam airline members, which includes Delta, KLM and Air France. Daxing Airport is about an hour south of Tiananmen Square. So, you will need to pay careful attention now to which airport you are using in Beijing. A new airport express train takes passengers from the Daxing Airport to Beijing city center.
Imperial Vault of Heaven, © Can Stock / aussie
Get to Beijing by Rail
You can also get to Beijing by rail. The three main railway stations are the Beijing Railway Station, the West Railway Station and Beijing South Station. The Beijing South Station has a high speed rail connection to Shanghai, which takes just over 5 hours and covers more than 800 miles. If you take a regular speed overnight train from Shanghai, you can save the cost of a hotel and maximize your daylight hours for touring.
Forbidden City
Get to the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is just over an hour away from downtown Beijing. Most tourists visit the Great Wall on an organized tour. Cruise ships dock in the port of Tianjin, which is about 2 hours from Beijing.
Zhengyangmen Gate, © Can Stock / ivan_varyukhin
Beijing Weather
Beijing weather can be hot and rainy during the summer, but it’s the height of the tourist season. There can be sandstorms in spring. October is likely the best time to visit for good weather. The winter months have average temperatures around the freezing mark. Beijing has a serious problem with smog. The air quality is worse during the summer.
Visit Beijing – Background
Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. The city was called Peking in the past, but has been Beijing since 1949. The spelling and pronunciation is an issue only for those speaking English. The Chinese are not aware of any name change or any change in pronunciation of their city.
Beijing is known for both its historical sites and for the venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics. When visiting sites, weekdays have smaller crowds and so do the early and late hours of the day. The biggest tourist attraction in Beijing is a day trip to the Great Wall.
Leave A Comment