Best of Beijing, China: Forbidden City, Great Wall Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Tiananmen & Imperial Capital Heritage - A 2026 First-Person Guide
Browse more guides: China travel | Asia destinations Best of Beijing, China: Forbidden City, Great Wall Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Tiananmen & Imperial Capital Heritage - A 2026 First-Person Guide I planned my Beijing trip the way I plan every long-haul China visit, with a paper notebook on one side of the desk and a stack of UNESCO citations on the other. By the time my Air China flight banked over the brown northern plain and started its descent into Beijing Capital International Airport, I had a 5 day skeleton, a list of GPS coordinates, three pre-booked entry slots, and a working VPN already installed on my phone. That preparation paid for itself within hours of landing. Beijing rewards travelers who do their homework. It punishes those who arrive expecting to wing it. This is a first-person guide to the imperial capital, written after a 7 day visit in spring 2026, updated on 2026-05-12 with the latest entry rules, the expanded 144 hour transit policy, the ...