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Beijing
Capital city of China

Beijing

Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China.

Plan a trip to Beijing→From Tianjin

With more than 21.8 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city, as well as China's second-largest city by urban area, after Shanghai. It is located in Northern China and is governed as a provincial-level direct-administered municipality with 16 municipal districts. Beijing is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province and neighbors Tianjin Municipality to the southeast; together, the three divisions form the Jing-Jin-Ji cluster.

Get in

Getting to Beijing

Travelers from 54 countries can enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 240 hours (10 days) when transiting through Beijing to a third country. This policy allows visa-free movement within designated areas across 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. For example, you could fly from Japan to Beijing, visit Xi’an, Guilin, and Shanghai, and then continue to Hong Kong.

  1. 01
    Beijing Capital International Airport
  2. 02
    Beijing Daxing International Airport
  3. 03
    Beijing Railway Station

    In the heart of the city, served by Subway Line 2.

  4. 04
    Beijing West Railway Station

    This is nowadays the main station for high speed trains across China, and also has conventional trains.

See

Worth seeing

The Great Wall of China (长城 Chángchéng) is the must-see on any trip to Beijing and a destination worth visiting multiple times due to its vastness and the variety of views, landscapes, and hikes it offers. The Wall is located about an hour by train or 1½ hours by bus from the city (be aware of bus scams, as mentioned in the "Stay Safe" section below).

Do

Things to do

Hiking, camping, and tobogganing on the Great Wall: There are numerous hiking options available on the Great Wall, with various tours and groups offering guided experiences, such as the well-established but expensive tour operator Beijing Hikers. The unrestored Jiankou section, although dangerous, is often considered the most beautiful. Many of the "wild" sections of the Wall are ideal for both hiking and camping.

Eat

Where to eat

Beijing provides an ideal opportunity to sample food from all over the country. Some of Beijing's best restaurants serve food from Sichuan, Hunan, Guangzhou, Tibet, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and more. One of Beijing's most famous streets for food is undoubtedly Guijie (簋街/鬼街). This vibrant street, located in the Dongcheng District, is a true haven for food lovers, offering a wide array of excellent cuisines.

How locals move

Getting around Beijing the local way

  • Get aroundMinibuses are very common in the countryside outside the urban areas.

From Wikivoyage: Beijing, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.