Beijing is a beautiful city with wonderful architectural buildings. Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the six ancient cities in China. It’s the second largest Chinese city with the most powerful transportation centers and port of entry.
Beijing is China’s economic, cultural, political and international trade center. There are several great treasures of things that will interest visitors as they explore Beijing’s past and present development. A recent survey has shown that Beijing is one of the cities in the world with fascinating attraction sites. The city attracts nearly 4.5 million tourists each year.
There are many tourist attractions in Beijing, but locating the most delightful ones can be a daunting task. The good news is that in this article you will find top tourist destinations in Beijing that will interest you.
1. Forbidden City – The Palace Museum
This fascinating historical palace is located at No. 4 Jingshan Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100009, China. Forbidden City was built in the year 1420 with 980 amazing buildings. The Palace Museum attracts over 14 million visitors every year thereby making it one of the most visited museums in the world.
The interesting part is that Forbidden City was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. This is where you can find the world’s largest collection of reserved antiquated wooden structures. The palace was the home to 24 terrestrial emperors and their families during the reign of Ming Dynasty.
Forbidden City showcases a large collection of artworks and artifacts. It was constructed with logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood and large blocks of marble from quarries.
2. Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)
Your tour to Beijing will not be complete until you visit this great palace. You will definitely learn the history of Qing Dynasty in this palace. Summer Palace is situated at 19 Xin Jian-gong-men Rd, Haidian District, Beijing 1000084, China.
The palace was first built in 1750 but was later destroyed in 1860 during the war. It was rebuilt in 1886 using fascinating Chinese sketch garden designs.
Summer Palace has interesting scenery of hills, open water, halls, temples, traditional halls, pavilions and much more.
Summer Palace incorporates residential, spiritual, administrative and recreational functions. At this royal palace, you will enjoy an appealing natural view of Kunming Lake and delightful hill scenery.
3. Great Wall at Mutianyu
This wonderful tourist attraction is located at Mutianyu Road, Huairou District, Beijing, China. Great Wall at Mutianyu is the longest and complete rebuilt wall in China. It was first constructed over 1,400 years ago by the Northern Qi Dynasty. Great Wall at Mutianyu was built to protect the capital and imperial museums.
It has 23 watchtowers that are generally made of slabs of granite with parapets at both sides to defend Beijing against the enemies.
Great Wall at Mutianyu is surrounded by the greens of cypresses and pines. It’s best you visit this wall in spring and autumn. It’s not so good to visit in winter because snows will make the ground to be quite slippery.
4. The Great Wall at Badaling
It’s recommended you see this fascinating tourist destination if you are a first-time visitor to China. The Great Wall at Badaling is situated at Badaling, Beijing 102112, China. It’s one of the most visited wall section in China. The Great Wall at Badaling is constructed in the Ming Dynasty in 1505 to protect Beijing against the attack of northern Mongolians.
The Great Wall at Badaling has 43 watchtowers, but only 19 watchtowers have been opened for the visitors. It has several beautiful architectural buildings built with huge bar-stones and bricks.
The interior of the wall is guarded with rammed earth and stones to make it solid. The wall has magnificent scenery you must see.
5. Temple of Heaven (Tiantan Park)
Temple of Heaven is located at Tiantan Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100050, China. This is where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties offer prayer to Heaven for fruitful harvest every year.
Temple of Heaven was built from 1406 to 1420 during the regime of the Yongle Emperor. It was in the reign of Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century that it was expanded and renamed “Temple of Heaven”.
Temple of Heaven is a fascinating attraction site you must visit and be entertained with music. You will also watch people practicing Kung Fu.
6. Lama Temple (Yonghegong)
This interesting spiritual place is a must-see for first-time visitors to Beijing. Lama Temple is situated at No.12 Yonghegong Street, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing 10007, China.
It’s a temple and monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. It was the official home of court eunuchs. The construction of Lama Temple started during the reign of Qing Dynasty in 1694. The temple has interesting architecture and artworks.
It’s one of the most famous monasteries in China. Lama Temple has five complex halls that are separated by courtyards.
7. Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian’an Men)
Explore hidden Chinese history by visiting Gate of Heavenly Peace. It’s located at North of Tian’anmen Square, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China. Gate of Heavenly Peace was originally called Chengtianmen. The first gate was built in 1420 but it was destroyed by lightning in 1457.
The minister of works, Zi Gui in 1465 rebuilt it by the order of the Chenghua Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It was later destroyed and rebuilt several times during the war. The Gate of Heavenly Peace incorporates beautiful designs and decorations. It has some animal statues which are believed to have guarded the city against an evil spirit.
8. Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang)
Tiananmen Square can be found at West Changan Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China. The square is named after the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. It can accommodate more than one million people.
It was at this square on 1 October 1946, that Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Tiananmen Square hosts a lot of special buildings including Tiananmen Tower, Great Hall of the People and much more.
Tiananmen Square has hosted many special events in the history of Chinese. It has special exhibitions that will fascinate you.
9. Beijing Zoo
This is the best place in Beijing where you can see over 14,500 animals. The animals you can see in this zoo include giant pandas, Chinese alligator, white-lipped deer, South China tiger, crested ibis and much more. Beijing Zoo is located at No. 137 Xizhimenwai Main Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, China.
Beijing Zoo was founded in 1906 during the reign of late Qing Dynasty. It’s the oldest zoo in Beijing with over 450 species of land animals and 500 species of marine animals.
The zoo also displays endangered species such as Tibetan gazelle, snow leopard, yak, Przewalski’s horse and much more. If you want to be one step closer to nature, then visit Beijing Zoo.
10. Ming Tombs (Ming Shishan Ling)
If you are a fan of Ming Dynasty history then this place is a must-see for you. Ming Tombs is located at Ming Shisan Ling Area, Changling Town, Changping District, Beijing 102213, China.
The tombs are built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. This is where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty were buried including their wives and concubines.
The first tomb was built in 1409 by the third emperor of the dynasty and other tombs were added later on. Ming Tombs hosts special exhibitions on Chinese ancient art such as animal sculptures, human sculptures, stone thrones, underground palaces and much more.
A visit to any of the above-mentioned tourist destinations in Beijing will provide you with amazing experience you can’t forget in a hurry.