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16 Day Trips from Beijing (2023/2024)

16 Day Trips from Beijing (2023/2024)

Written byCarol WangUpdated Jul. 20, 2023

Beijing is the best gateway city for understanding China with its unparalleled richness of iconic Chinese architecture, and it is an excellent springboard for other interesting China destinations.

If you are wondering how best to experience more of China from Beijing in a fulfilling but quick way, especially if you arebased in Beijing, this article will help you find out thebest 16 placesfor day trips from Beijing.

Attraction Map

1. The Mutianyu Great Wall Section

Features:less crowded, the most child-friendly Great Wall section

Mutianyuis the longest fully-restoredGreat Wall section open to tourists. It isless crowdedthan the Great Wall at Badaling and is popular with foreign tourists.

慕田峪长城

At Mutianyu, a chairlift, cable car, and toboggan are available, andchildrencan easily ascend/descend the wall with these. You can walk at your own pace to appreciate the beautiful scenery and take photos. If you enjoy picnics in the great outdoors, you should enjoy one there.

How to get there:Mutianyuis about 73 kilometers (45 miles) from Beijing, or 1½ hours'driving.

You could add a visit tothe Forbidden Cityin the same day. The Forbidden City is the best place to learn about the history of China's Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasty rulers, as it was home to 24 emperors in the two dynasties.

With anexpert guide,the stories about the emperors and concubines will make the Forbidden City come alive for you.

The Top 10 Great Wall Sections near Beijingcould all make great Beijing day trips.

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2. The Terracotta Warriors (Xi'an) by Train

Features:hundreds of ancient life-size terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots in battle array

The Terracotta Armyis one of the most famous attractions in China. It was constructed to accompany the tomb of China's first emperor to guard him in the afterlife.

The Terracotta Army

There are thousands of detailed life-sizeterracotta statuesof soldiers, representing the troops who guarded the first emperor — Qin Shi Huang. They were molded in sections, fired, then assembled and painted.

How to get there:

High-speed trainis the best way, which takes 4½–6 hours.Flightsare less recommended as the time needed is similar, but flights are more stressful and expensive.

Compared to trains, you would waste you a lot of time on getting to/from airports and checking in/out.

At least2 hours' visiting timeis needed for the Terracotta Army, so you should take thefirst trainfrom Beijing to Xi'an (G89 06:53–11:24) to visit the site properly. When going back, you could take the G90 train (18:26–22:52)

You canbook a private tour with usto make full use of your time. When you arrive in Xi'an, your guide willpick you upand escort you directly to the Terracotta Army. After the tour, you will be driven back to the railway station.

SeeHow to Plan a Beijing and Xi'an Trip (Itinerary, Cost, Transportation)

RecommendedTours:

3. Shanghai by Train

Features:iconic building clusters around the Bund,prosperous modern China

BeijingandShanghaiare the most famous two China cities that most foreign tourists want to visit. Compared to Beijing's rich cultural and historical atmosphere, Shanghai has amodernandfashionableambiance.

the Bund

For aclassic day tripin Shanghai,first, you should go toYu Garden, which is another symbol of Shanghai, to see the classical Chinese beauty and the difference between Western and Chinese gardens.

Then explore theFrench Concessionand learn about the colonial past of Shanghai, appreciating the elegant residences. Before going to the railway station, you must pay a visit to theBundand experience the prosperous Nanjing Road.

How to get there:High-speed train is the most recommendedway, which takes around 4½ hours.

You should arrive in Shanghaibefore 12pmto ensure plenty of time to explore the highlights of the city. Thesuggested trainsare G1 (Beijing 07:00–11:30Shanghai) and G28 (Shanghai 19:00–23:29 Beijing).

Thebest optionfor visiting Shanghai is to join in our1-Day Shanghai Layover Tourwhich includes railway station/airport transfers. You can save a lot of time otherwise spent finding a taxi or metro train links.

4. Tianjin

Features:foreign and Chinese architecture, international commercial city

Tianjin, along with Beijing, Shanghai, andChongqing, is one of China's fourmunicipalities. Tianjin has long been a transport hub forinternational commerce, and so a great deal ofhistoryhas accrued in the city.

Porcelain House

Fora day tripto Tianjin, you must visit theFive Ancient AvenuesandPorcelain House, which well represent foreign and Chinese architecture there.

五个Ancient Avenuesarea sight not to be missed, from which you can have a view of Tianjin's rare architectural treasure, which was left by Western nationsfrom 1860 to1903. A jumble of fascinating buildings seemingly from various countries are brought together uniquely inthis small area.

ThePorcelain Houseis a traditional French building furnished with antiques. It is located on Tianjin's Chifeng Road.There you can find exquisite pieces of porcelain ware, as well as stone items of white marble, crystal, agate, and other decorative materials.

If you still have spare time in Tianjin, arelaxing experience is toenjoy a 360-degree view of modern Tianjin from the Eye of Tianjin — Tianjin Yongle Ferris Wheel.>>Seemore interesting things to do in Tianjin.

How to get there:Tianjinis 120 kilometers from Beijing or 25 minutes by bullet train.

5. The Hanging Temple and Yungang Grottos (Datong)

Features:amazing cliff-face architecture, medieval Buddhist artwork

TheHanging TempleandYungang Grottoesare the must-sees in Datong. Both of them represent Buddhist masterpieces.

Hanging Temple

The Hanging Monastery— a Buddhist temple built on a cliff face — is considered to be a work of art as well as a marvel of medieval engineering. The whole temple is a wooden frame structure. It was constructed by drilling holes into the cliffside and inserting beams into the holes up to 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) deep.

The Yungang Grottoesare superb Buddhist artistic achievements from the 5th to the 6th century.Theystretch some 1,000 meters (1,100 yards) continuously from east to west and are one of the Four Famous Grotto Complexes in China.

How to get there:

First, you need to get toDatongprefecture.A high-speed train service between Beijing and Datong is available, with a travel time of around 2 hours.

You are suggested to catch the first train to depart Beijing (G2503, 08:10–10:00), and go back on the last train (G2520, 19:00–20:24).

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6. The Juyongguan Great Wall Section

Features:most wheelchair-friendly Great Wall (within the lower level of the fort), closest section to Beijing

Also calledthe Great Wall at Juyong Pass, it was considered one of the three most important fortified passes in the whole length of the Great Wall. It isfamous forbig battles against Jurchens and Mongols, and then later against the Japanese.

Juyongguan Great Wall

There is a 9.5-meter-tall (31-foot-tall)platformthat can be visited. It was built by the Yuan Dynasty in 1342. There are still Mongolian and Uyghur inscriptions on it. The top of the highest part of the wall has awonderful panoramic mountainscenery view.

There are no lifts or cable cars. Instead of doing the "long hike" of 2½ km (1½ miles) on the Wall on the west side, you can take the shorter east side wall, which is 1½ km (1 mile) long, and only ascends about 200m (700 ft).

Another option is to just walk around the valley bottom fort from the entrance, and not climb up the hill.

How to get there:

Juyongguan is 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Beijing, 1½ hours' drive. It is much more recommended to take aprivate tour, so that you are able to visitthe Ming Tombs或另一个长城的部分y are also north of Changping District.

7. The Jinshanling Great Wall Section

Features:half restored and halfwild, most beautiful GW scenery, lovely hiking

The Great Wall at Jinshanlingis one of thebest-preserved partsof the Great Wall with many original features. It got its name because it was built on the Greater and Lesser Jinshan ('Gold Mountain') Ranges.

Jinshanling Great Wall

Jinshanling is themost popularGreat Wall hiking section, because it is relatively isolated and offersgreat views.You can get the most out of China's legendary landmark as you tread across the wall's centuries-old stone steps or walk through the ruins of an ancient watchtower.

Thehikingon the Wall takes about 3 hours.Forthe bestday trip to Jinshanling, you shouldstart very earlyin the morning, say 7:00, and return home very late.

How to get there:It is 2½ hours' drive from Beijing.

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8. The Simatai Great Wall Section

Features:originalappearance,only section open for a night tour

Simatai's sectionis the best among the Great Wall sections that retain theiroriginal appearance.The wall is divided east-west by Simatai Reservoir, with 16 towers east and 23 towers west.

Simatai Great Wall

The eastern part of Simatai's Great Wall seems perilousness as it was built along steep mountain ridges.

徒步旅行is a great experience at Simatai's Great Wall. A popular route is to ascend and descend east Simatai: fromalong the reservoir (1.5 km), via East Tower 1, up to East Tower 10 (where there is a cable carstation nearby) takes about 2 hours.

Simatai is the only Great Wall section that islit up at nightand open for touring. After a day's hiking, you can enjoy thewell-lit Great Wall in the evening,it is less crowded, making for a pleasant, atmospheric, andeasyeveningwalk in a special setting.

晚上参观有,你应该非常early from Beijing and plan to arrive back very late, for example, from 7:00 am to 11:30 pm.

How to get there:It's120 kilometers (75 miles) from Beijing, 3 hours' drive.

>>Find out more interesting things to do on the Great Wall.

9. Chengde Summer Resort

Features:expansive Chinese royal gardenarchitecture and landscaping

Chengde Summer Resort, also called Chengde Summer Palace, is where emperors of China's Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) spent their summers to escape the summer heat in Beijing.

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It is thelargest surviving royal gardenin China, occupying an area of 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles), twice the size of the Summer Palace in Beijing.

Thearchitectural styleis more like one of the classical gardens in the 'South of the Yangtze River' area, because the two most successful emperors of the Qing Dynasty loved the scenery of that area, represented by today's Suzhou and Hangzhou.

To havea day tripto Chengde, you are suggested to八点半开始in the morningfor the drive of about3 hoursto get to Chengde.

Then, have someChengde food:taste some typical local snacks of Chengde, such as almond tea, almond tofu, and stir-fried doughballs.It is suggested to spend 2 hours in the summer resort in the afternoon.

How to get there:Chengde Summer Resort is in Hebei Province, 3 hours' drivingnorth of Beijing.

You may find inspiration from our3-Day Chengde Tour with Gorgeous Great Wall

10. The Eastern Qing Tombs

Features:underground palaces, largest imperial mausoleum, less crowded

东部清朝皇家陵墓的简称,Eastern Qing Tomb covers an area of 80 square kilometers, is thelargest existing imperial mausoleumcomplex with the most appropriate layout in China.

The Eastern Qing Tombs The underground palaces in the Eastern Qing Tombs

Construction of the Eastern Royal Tombs of the Qing Dynasty began in 1661 and lasted for 247 years. Five emperors, 15 queens, 136 concubines, three princes, and two princesses were buried there.

It isless touristyand much quieter than the 13 Mausoleums of the Ming Dynasty, which are closer to Beijing.

You will see magnificent "palaces" and halls on the grounds, and you can also go into the underground "palaces" where the coffins of Emperor Qianlong and the 'Dragon Lady' Cixi lie.

How to get there:The site is in the city of Tangshan, Hebei Province, 125 kilometers (80 miles) east of Beijing — about 3 hours' driving.

11. The Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

Feature:the largest collection of Homo erectus fossils

Also calledPeking Man Museumor Zhoukoudian Anthropological Museum, it has the largest collection of Homo erectus fossilsof any single site.

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

The fossils at houkoudian represent about 40 individuals and account for about one-third of the fossils from the species worldwide.

Among the bones discovered were five skullcaps, numerous facial and cranial elements, and 147 teeth. The most famous of these remains is cranium XII, which is commonly referred to as "Peking Man."

How to get there:It is located southwest of Beijing, 46 kilometers (29 miles) from the downtown area.

12. Tanzhe Temple

Features:an ingenious layout of temple architecture, most well-known and worshipped by visitors

Tanzhe Templewas thefirst temple to be builtafter the introduction of Buddhism to Beijing.

Tanzhe Temple

With an inner temple area of 25,000 square meters (about the size of a city block) and an outside temple area of 112,000 square meters (5 city blocks), Tanzhe Temple is grand in scale.

It has received many tourists and pilgrims throughout its history. You can still see a great number of peopleworshippingthere every day. You can also wander around to see theancient ginkgoand magnolia trees and appreciate the temple's architectural style.

Most travelers like to combine it withMacro Polo Bridgeas they are on the same walking route. If you are interested in bridge architecture or listening to China-Japan history, it is worthy of astop.

How to get there:Itis about 20 kilometers (6 miles) west ofdowntown Beijing.

Contact usfor a tailor-made day trip to Tanzhe Temple (and Marco Polo Bridge).

13. Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan)

Features:beautiful landscape, maple leaves in fall

Xiangshan Parkwas a royal garden,and it has 900 years of history. In the 10th year of the Emperor Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1735), Jingyi Garden was set up there, which consists of 28 scenic sports and was known as the famous ‘Three Hills and Five Parks'in the suburbs of the city.

Xiangshan Park

It features abeautiful landscape时,特别是在秋天,枫树leavesmake哟u feel like you are walking in a sea of red. Apart from the beautiful scenery, you can appreciateimperial architectureand visit temples and memorials.

Thebest timeto visit is in mid-October,whenthe maple leaves begin to fall and you can join in theFragrant Hills Red Leaves Festival.

How to get there:It is in Haidian District, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of the city center.Contact usfor a tailor-made day trip with private transport.

14. Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge (Shilinxia Gorge)

Features:glass sightseeing platform,forest views with a waterfall, stone pillars

The number onehighlightof this site is theglass sightseeing platform. Claiming three world records, the walkway is supposedly the world's largest glass platform with a circular surface area of 415 square meters (4,470 square feet).

the glass sightseeing platform the Glass Sightseeing Platform

Protruding 33 meters (108 feet) over the cliff edge inJingdong Stone Forest Gorge, it is also the longest in the world. The third record is for the first time aviation titanium was usedin the construction of a "building".

How to get there:The gorge is 100km (60 miles) east of Beijing city —a 2-hour drive.

15. Qinglongxia Scenic Resort

Features:forest park, outdoor activities

Qinglongxia (‘Green Dragon Gorge') Scenic Resort is a good place for people toescape the hustle and bustleof the city, enjoy a quiet atmosphere, and return to nature. You can take aboat tripto appreciate the beautiful scenery alongside the river.

You can go swimming, play football or volleyball, or sunbathe on the beach in summer. A variety ofexciting activitiesare often provided such as bungee jumping, rock climbing, and downhill racing.

How to get there:Itis located in Huairou District, 65 kilometers (40 miles) or about a 1-hour drivenorth from central Beijing.

16. Nanshan Ski Resort

Features:Skiing, hiking, water fun, harvest activities

Nanshan Ski Resortis the largest ski resort in northern China. You can enjoyall four seasons at the resort: skiing in winter, hiking in spring, playing in the water in summer, and joining in with the harvest in autumn.

How to get there:It is in Miyun County, which is 78 kilometers (50 miles) northeast from central Beijing —1½ hours'driving.

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