Day one — the central axis
Start at Tiananmen Square early, walk north through the Forbidden City, and come out at the north gate around lunchtime. Then climb Jingshan Hill directly opposite: it takes fifteen minutes and gives you the view of the whole palace roofline that every photograph of Beijing is taken from. Afternoon in Beihai Park next door, which is where the city actually relaxes.
Allow three hours inside the palace and resist the urge to see every side hall. The main axis plus one of the treasure galleries is the right amount; the whole thing is larger than it looks and museum fatigue is real.
Day two — the Great Wall
A full day, and worth it. Mutianyu is the right choice for a first visit: restored, safe underfoot, a cable car up and a toboggan down, and far enough from the city to be quieter than Badaling. Leave by 08:00, be back by late afternoon.
Options for getting there, in descending order of ease: a hired car with a driver for the day, which is the one I recommend if you are two or more; the tourist bus from Dongzhimen, which is cheap and reliable but ties you to its schedule; or a public bus plus local shuttle, which works and costs almost nothing but takes a chunk out of the day.
If you want the unrestored, dramatic version and have already seen a restored section, Jinshanling is the answer. It is a longer drive and the footing is genuinely rough.
Day three — temples, hutongs, and the lake
Morning at the Temple of Heaven, which opens early and is at its best when the surrounding park is full of people exercising. Then the Lama Temple and the Confucius Temple, which sit within walking distance of one another on the same metro line.
Late afternoon in the hutongs around Houhai. Walk in from the quieter western side rather than the bar strip; the lanes two blocks back are still residential and are the reason to come. Finish with dinner somewhere small — this is the neighbourhood where the language barrier is most likely to bite, so bring the translation app.
Day four — the Summer Palace, and slack
Half a day at the Summer Palace, which needs less planning than the Forbidden City and rewards slow walking around the lake. Deliberately leave the afternoon open. Something will have been closed, sold out, rained on or simply more interesting than expected, and this is the day that absorbs it.
If everything went to plan and you want to fill it: the 798 art district, the National Museum, or the Ming Tombs if you would rather be out of the city again.
Closing days, in one table
| Place | Closed | Reservation |
|---|---|---|
| Forbidden City | Mondays | Required, timed, passport-named |
| National Museum of China | Mondays | Required, free |
| Mao Zedong Mausoleum | Mondays, plus limited morning hours | Required, free, strict on bags |
| Temple of Heaven | Open daily | Not needed |
| Summer Palace | Open daily | Not needed |
| Mutianyu Great Wall | Open daily | Not needed, but buy the cable car online to skip a queue |
Two things I would skip
The acrobatics-and-tea-ceremony evening package sold in hotel lobbies, which is aimed squarely at people who have not read a page like this one. And any tour that promises the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs and a jade factory in one day — the jade factory is the point of that itinerary, not the wall.