Top 10 Things to Do in Beijing

Allow a full day to walk through the 72 hectares of the former imperial palace, visiting the Clock Exhibition Hall, the Treasure Gallery, and the quiet western palaces most tourists miss.

This 787-metre alley in the Drum Tower district is lined with courtyard cafes, craft beer bars, and boutiques, giving the best accessible window into old Beijing hutong neighbourhood life.

The historic Zhengyi Theatre, operating since 1688, offers nightly performances of Beijing's UNESCO-listed operatic tradition with its elaborate painted faces and acrobatic martial arts sequences.

Arriving before 8am means sharing the park with thousands of Beijing's elderly residents doing tai chi, playing erhu, and flying kites — a window into daily life impossible to replicate.

The century-old Quanjude restaurant near Tiananmen has served its signature dish to foreign dignitaries including Henry Kissinger since 1864, and the ritual tableside carving remains spectacular.

Former Cold War factory buildings in Dashanzi now house China's most important contemporary galleries, studios, and design shops, offering the best overview of Chinese art today.

Renting a pedalo on the three connected Houhai lakes in the Shichahai area gives views of hutong rooftops and the Drum Tower, with a thriving lakeside bar scene after dark.

The national park west of the city turns blazing orange and red each October as its maple and smoke trees change colour, making autumn the most popular season to make the steep ascent.

The pedestrian lane off Beijing's main shopping boulevard offers scorpion skewers, lamb kidneys, candied hawthorn, and dozens of regional snacks — essential street food theatre for visitors.