Beijing Travel Guide

Beijing has been China's capital for most of the last 800 years, and it wears that history openly: the Forbidden City anchors the city center, imperial temples and lakeside palaces ring it, and the Great Wall rides the mountains barely two hours away. It is also a sprawling, traffic-heavy metropolis of over 21 million people — which is exactly why a private car and driver is the most comfortable way to see it. You cover the long distances between sights door-to-door, and your driver handles the parking, the timing and the crowds strategy.

Top Things to Do in Beijing

• Mutianyu Great Wall — 73 km from downtown · plan 2.5–3 hours on the wall
• Forbidden City — Allow 3 hours · advance booking essential
• Temple of Heaven — 1.5–2 hours · liveliest before 10am
• Summer Palace — Northwest suburbs · 2–3 hours
• Hutongs & Shichahai — Best in late afternoon into evening
• Jingshan Park — 45–60 minutes · opposite the palace north gate

Explore all Beijing attractions →

When to Go

September and October are Beijing's golden weeks — dry air, blue skies and autumn color on the Wall. April–May is the pleasant runner-up. Summer is hot, wet and crowded; winter is cold but wonderfully quiet.

Month-by-month guide →

Getting Around with a Private Driver

Beijing's sights are far apart — the Great Wall is 70+ km out, the Summer Palace sits in the northwest suburbs, and taxis are hard to hail at tourist hubs. With a private driver you leave your hotel once in the morning and everything else simply happens: no metro transfers with kids, no ride-hailing apps in Chinese, no negotiating with drivers at the Wall.

Beijing & Around: Distances at a Glance

Drive times assume normal traffic and a private car — ask us to sanity-check any combination of stops.