Hutongs, Hikes and Scorpions: Uncovering Beijing in 72 Hours
We couldn't believe that after four years of living in China we had STILL not paid the country's capital city a visit. Home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, Beijing has a recorded history of over 3,000 years and also boasts a number of renowned attractions known across the globe; from the Temple of Heaven to The Forbidden City. It's China's centre of politics, culture and education and a major hub and city that thrives. Beijing is a complex city that honours past culture yet races towards an incredibly fast-paced future where technology, seemingly, knows no bounds.
We had just 72 hours to explore and, for us, one of the most important aspects of Beijing that we wanted to experience was that of culture through its various historical attractions and food. Here's what we managed to pack into our short trip.
Day One
Boarding an express train at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, travelling to Beijing turned out to be a pretty easy feat. In just 4 hours and 28 minutes, we had arrived at Beijing South Station after a relaxing trip. In all honesty, first impressions were not positive overall. The sky was grey, rain was falling and air quality had peaked to a horrible level - so much so that it was ill-advised to actually be outside unless absolutely necessary. Well, in this case, it was. Hopping in a cab we went straight to the hotel to dump our bags so that we could begin exploring with ease.
If you arrive early in the morning, then you could easily spend the day exploring the Hutongs of Beijing where people say you'll gain insight into the real Beijing. The interlocking small, narrow lanes feature many single-storey buildings where Beijingers once lived so you get a wonderful view into what local life is / was like.
Beijing also features the Ming Tombs, thirteen tombs of the Ming Dynasty in the northwest of Beijing where thirteen emperors lie. Follow the Sacred Way and explore the tombs!
Or you can even cast your eyes upon the embalmed corpse of Mao Zedong that sits on display in the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.
Of course, you have to eat too right?
Jingzun Peking Duck
After a long day of travel, we were famished and one thing you have to try when in Beijing is eating Peking Duck. For budget travellers, Jingzun Peking Duck is an excellent option.
Starting with a hot pot filled with crunchy cauliflower, we munched on these white florets that were sprinkled with peanuts and hot chilli as we waited for our duck to be prepared (if you don't book in advance, you may have to wait an hour as we did). They also offer a number of local dishes that our neighbouring diners seemed to love.
For the main event, Jingzun offers a whole roasted Peking Duck for just RMB 128 - which can easily feed two to four people depending on the number of side dishes you've ordered to accompany your meal.
With crispy skin and tender meat that's bursting with flavour, we were impressed with how good this duck tasted as a budget option in the city. For two people, we were given plenty of the super thin pancakes (although we did have to buy an add-on) as well as a platter for the hoisin sauce, cucumber slices, and spring onion. Add-ons for extra sauce, cucumber and spring onion slices and pancakes were minimal so definitely worth splurging on some more.
Our meal for two (including two bottles of water) came to RMB 192 (US $28, GBP £22) altogether and left us completely stuffed.
Address: North of Building 6, Taipingzhuang Nanli, Chunxiu Lu, Beijing
Wangfujing Snack Street
If you're not prone to feeling squeamish, pop on over to Wangfujing Snack Street and wander through this culinary haven of weird and wonderful snacks.
This street is renowned for showcasing a wide variety of different types of snacks that you'll either love or hate that range from items such as fermented bean juice and steamed rice cakes, to stinky tofu, tripe and mutton skewers. For some, you might not even be able to look at what's on display, such as these little scorpions that were still moving...yikes!
As you wander through the narrow street, you'll also see some beautiful and traditional Beijing architecture that's elaborately decorated and painted with wonderfully bright colours such as red, blue, green and gold, as well as listen and watch performers playing soft and elegant tunes that drift through the area.
Day Two
One day two, we were ready to see something AMAZING: the Great Wall of China. With being on such a short trip, we hired a car and driver to help us navigate to the Great Wall's Mutianyu Section which was about 1.5 hours away from where we were staying in downtown Beijing.
Great Wall of China, Mutianyu Section
Mutianyu is one of the best preserved and best-known sections of the Great Wall but is not always as busy with visitors as the Badaling Section. We were lucky enough to have a day with some great weather too as we were visiting Beijing from October 15th to 17th - clear blue skies, sunshine and temperatures that were not too cold or too hot (all we needed was a light jacket!).
The entire scenic area for the Great Wall of China is HUGE. When entering the area after grabbing your tickets, you'll see the main street lined with little restaurants and souvenir spots that lead up a hill towards a cable car station. When you're purchasing your entry ticket, you're also given the option to either take a round trip via cable car to get up and back down, or you can choose to slide down on a luge!
The wall was littered with watchtowers right across the section of the wall that we were walking on and the surrounding scenery was simply gorgeous. The rolling hills that we could see extending either side of the wall featured the beautiful colours of autumn as a lot of the foliage was starting to turn those gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Entry into the Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area, as well as a one-way Cable Car and one-way Luge ticket was RMB 260.
Our driver and car for the day was RMB 790.
Summer Palace
The second half of our day was spent at the beautiful Summer Palace, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998, and it's easy to see why.
It's a stunning and picturesque location that's filled with lush gardens, tranquil lakes, halls, bridges and pagodas dotted throughout.
The total area covers around 2.9 kilometres, the majority of which is water and it's a lovely place to go for a romantic stroll in 268 years of history.
If you want to make it all the way around the complex and see its various highlights like Kunming Lake, The Long Corridor and The Marble Boat or take a boat ride and watch a traditional Chinese performance, you'll definitely need at least half a day.
Entry into the Summer Palace cost us only RMB 20.
Day Three
Our last day in Beijing consisted of more sites of historical and cultural value.
Temple of Heaven
An important imperial temple in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties were said to come to worship the gods and pray for good harvests.
Built in 1420, it is once again a stunning complex with grounds that are lush with greenery and temples that pop with colour in the foreground. Somewhat of a surreal view to be looking at too.
One of the most well-known temples within the Temple of Heaven Complex is that of the striking Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests that sits in the northern section of the park.
It's the main building of the temple complex and is intrinsically designed with blues and greens that pop out vibrantly under the sun on the hall's circular exterior.
Entry into the Temple of Heaven Complex is RMB 20, but to get close to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests you'll need to pay an additional RMB 15.
Forbidden City
Alongside Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City is a renowned location in the heart of Beijing that many are keen to enter and wander through. Built in 1420, it is considered to be China's best-preserved imperial palaces ( and was so for 492 years!) with grand halls and walls proudly boasting its importance and traditional architecture.
Bright red walls that sit at 10-metres high surround the entire complex which covers an area of 15 hectares (38 acres), while almost golden roofs adorn many of the buildings that are set within the walls.
Considering the Forbidden City is right in the centre of the city, we were astounded by the sheer size of this entire complex that houses more than 90 palaces and courtyards.
Entry into the Forbidden City was RMB 60.
Jinshan Park
Treat yourself to an alternative view of Bejing and the Forbidden City by taking a stroll through Jinshan Park! Jingshan Park sits right north of the walled city. It's considered an imperial park itself and covers 23 hectares (57 acres) of ground.
Hike up to the middle of the five peaks inside the park, and you'll probably join masses of other hikers bustling around the pagoda that sits there. Trust us, though. It's worth the view.
Head over to the edge and you'll have an incredible bird's eye view of the Forbidden City sprawling across the ground in front of you.
Entry into Jinshan Park was RMB 2.