I had the pleasure of experiencing a truly wonderful and amazing seven-day trip to Beijing, China, in mid-April 2026. The weather was quite comfortable, even at its warmest, which allowed us to engage in numerous activities and extensive walking without any discomfort.
This marked my inaugural visit to Mainland China, and I selected Beijing as my initial destination due to my profound fascination with its rich history and vibrant culture. Naturally, I also eagerly anticipated the opportunity to visit one of the world's most remarkable wonders, the magnificent Great Wall.
Here is my 7 days itinerary:
Day 0 - Arrival
- Arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at noon
- Attended the flag-lowering ceremony in Tiananmen Square and was able to see the lights of the square in the dark
- Had dinner in Qianmen Street
Day 1 - Forbidden City
- Visited the Forbidden City. This is very huge and insane so we took our whole day to explore the area and be able to smell the roses
- Jingshan Park in late afternoon to see the Forbidden City uphill. It was pouring that time but seeing the Forbidden City on this different perspective was amazing!
- Strolled in Wangfujing Street
Day 2 - Great Wall in Mutianyu
- Explored the Mutianyu section by taking the cable car up in Tower 14; be able to hike all the way to Tower 20 from Tower 14; from Tower 20, we went all the way to Tower 1; from Tower 1, we hiked back and went to queue for the toboggan ride in Tower 6. We spent the whole day for this, my legs were feeling like mashed potato because of the hike but it was so worth it!
Day 3 - Temple of Heaven
- Explored Temple of Heaven
- Went to CBD to see the CCTV Headquarters
Day 4 - Summer Palace
- Explored the Summer Palace, rode the boat, and strolled the area in relaxed pace
- Went to see the Olympic Park before sunset so I was able to see both in day and night time. This was so worth it!
Day 5 - Lama Temple and Hutongs Nearby
- Visited Lama Temple
- Explored hutongs such as Nanluogixiang and Mao'er
- Stopped at Bell and Drum Tower and watched the locals playing jianzi. Was able to buy one to play at home!
Day 6 - Universal Studios
- Wrapped our itinerary with a theme park
Day 7 - Departure
- Going back to my home country
I have been researching for three months for this trip and I would say that this itinerary went so smooth! I am a fan of exploring one city in longer time as I want to feel the vibe of the city and be able to explore in relaxed way.
All reservations were made in WeChat app. I found booking on WeChat less cheaper (I found those 3rd party apps have charges) and navigating it was super easy (might be because I am using Galaxy AI go translate everything - I am using S24 Ultra though).
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! Willing to help!