Things to Do in Beijing: A First-Timer's Guide from Daxing Airport (2026)

Beijing holds three thousand years of capital history, and you can sample it in a day or settle in for a week. If you land at Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), the centre is closer than the map makes it look. The Daxing Airport Express reaches Caoqiao in 22 minutes for ¥35, and the subway takes over from there. Four sights top almost every first-timer's list: the Forbidden City, the Mutianyu Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. A lot of the rest is free, including the hutongs, Tiananmen Square and the 798 art district. Even a visa-free transit stop buys you enough time to see a great deal. Here is what to do, what costs nothing, and how to fit it around your flight.

Beijing's top sights at a glance

One rule shapes every Beijing itinerary in 2026. The big-name sights now sell timed, real-name tickets online, and the daily quota sells out. So book ahead, and carry your passport. It is your ticket.

The must-sees

The Forbidden City, officially the Palace Museum, is where most visitors start. Nearly six centuries of Ming and Qing emperors lived behind its vermilion walls, and the main halls line up along one north-south axis you can walk in two to three hours. Entry is ¥60 in peak season, ¥40 in winter, with the Treasure and Clock galleries ¥10 each on top. It closes every Monday. The 40,000 daily tickets go on sale online seven days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time, and weekends and holidays sell out fast. There is no same-day window, so book before you fly. When you come out, climb neighbouring Jingshan Park for a couple of yuan and look back over the sea of golden roofs. That view alone is worth the steps.

Then there is the Great Wall. For a first visit, choose the Mutianyu section. It is well restored, wrapped in forest, and far quieter than Badaling. Entry is ¥40, with a cable car, chairlift, or a toboggan run down the mountain charged on top, and a shuttle bus carries you from the ticket office up to the wall. Plan on 90 minutes to two hours each way from the city. Short on time because of a long connection rather than a holiday? Our Great Wall layover guide shows how to squeeze it in around a flight.

The Temple of Heaven is where emperors once prayed for a good harvest, and its round Hall of Prayer is one of the city's signature images. The surrounding park is just as good a reason to come. It opens at 06:00 and fills with locals doing tai chi, dancing and playing music, and a through-ticket runs about ¥34. The Summer Palace asks for more time. This was the imperial summer retreat on Kunming Lake, and a slow half-day along its Long Corridor, with a boat out onto the water, is the way to do it. The park ticket is ¥30 and the through-ticket ¥60 in peak season.

Free things to do in Beijing

Some of the city's best hours cost nothing. Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, is free to enter. You do need to reserve a slot one to seven days ahead and show your passport at security. Wander the hutongs, the grey-brick alleyways of the old city, around Nanluoguxiang or Qianmen, where courtyard homes sit next to snack stalls and tiny bars. The 798 Art District, a decommissioned electronics factory turned art quarter, is free to roam and runs hundreds of exhibitions a year. Add the Olympic Green, where you can walk right up to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, and the shopping street of Wangfujing, and you have a full day without buying a single ticket.

What to do on a Beijing layover

China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy lets many travellers connecting through PKX leave the airport and see the city, no visa needed. With a short layover, pick one anchor and keep it simple. The Forbidden City and a hutong lunch works well, or the Temple of Heaven paired with Tiananmen, both easy by subway. With a full free day, the Great Wall is doable if you start early. Our Beijing Daxing layover guide and the Forbidden City and Qianmen layover tour lay out realistic timings, down to how long immigration and the trip back to the airport will take.

Best time to visit, and a few practical notes

Autumn, roughly September and October, is Beijing at its best: clear skies, mild days, golden parks. Spring (April and May) comes a close second. Summer is hot, humid and crowded. Winter is cold and dry, but the palaces are blissfully quiet. Peak-season pricing runs 1 April to 31 October. Two habits make every visit smoother. First, book the ticketed sights through their official channels before you arrive, because the same-day gate is gone at the major ones. Second, set up a mobile wallet, since almost nobody takes cash. Linking an international card to WeChat Pay or Alipay takes about ten minutes and covers tickets, taxis, the subway and street food. Prices and hours here are correct as of 2026, but they shift with the season, so confirm the latest before you go.

Getting from Daxing Airport to the city

The quickest link is the Daxing Airport Express. It runs from about 06:00 to 23:00 and reaches Caoqiao in 22 minutes for ¥35 (¥50 in business class). At Caoqiao you change to subway Line 19 or Line 10 for the centre, roughly ¥10 more and around 32 minutes door-to-subway in total. Prefer a taxi? A metered ride to the centre is about ¥200 including the expressway toll and takes 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. For the full breakdown, with shuttle buses and our fare calculator, see getting from Daxing Airport to the city centre and the PKX airport guide.

Frequently Asked Questions