7 days in Beijing
The version for travellers who want to understand the city rather than tick it off: two quieter neighbourhood days, a museum day and enough margin for real Beijing weather and transport.
Seven days does not mean seven huge sightseeing days. It means you can protect the important reservations, take the long trips when conditions are good, and have time for places locals use as part of daily Beijing rather than just photo stops.
Where to stay: A subway-connected base makes this seven-day plan much easier to adjust. Browse Beijing hotels on Trip.com (affiliate link) → Compare the property’s terms and confirm directly that it can register a foreign passport; see our hotel booking guide for the non-affiliate verification route.
Imperial centre
Tiananmen Square → Forbidden City → Jingshan.
Make this the fixed reservation day. Confirm the current official reservation, identification and security requirements before arranging the rest of the week; then keep the route simple enough that a delayed entry does not erase the day. Jingshan is a natural final stop only if you still have energy and the conditions suit it. Forbidden City planning guide →
South axis
Temple of Heaven → Qianmen → Dashilar.
This stays south and central, with an intentionally open evening. It is a useful low-risk day after an arrival or a tightly timed booking: visit the reserved site first, then choose only the streets and food stops that still appeal after you leave. Temple of Heaven guide →
Lake and hutongs
Beihai Park → Shichahai → Nanluoguxiang.
Start at Beihai before it warms up, then go north through Shichahai and the hutong lanes. This is a walking-and-eating day, not a ticket collection. Stop whenever the pace stops being enjoyable.
Summer Palace
A single north-west garden day.
Let the palace garden set the pace. Take the lake route that suits your energy, then return for a relaxed dinner instead of adding an unrelated east-side attraction.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Transport, wall, return — one complete day.
Keep this day weather-aware. Check the live forecast, the official visitor notice, your actual transport return point and the last usable connection before committing. If conditions are poor, swap it with Day 6 or 7 rather than squeezing the Wall into a city day. Full Mutianyu guide →
Modern north-east
Olympic Park → 798 Art District → Sanlitun.
Use the day for 21st-century Beijing: landmark architecture, galleries and dinner. Select one anchor rather than assuming all galleries, exhibitions and venues follow a permanent timetable. Compare the live route by metro and ride-hailing before leaving; use the Chinese destination names in your map or app.
Museum + a free afternoon
Capital Museum → return to your favourite area.
Visit the Capital Museum in the morning, then use the afternoon as a weather, shopping or favourite-neighbourhood buffer. A seven-day itinerary is stronger because it includes one day you can change without breaking the rest.
The seven-day advantage
- Weather: move the Wall day rather than visiting it in a haze or storm just because the plan says so.
- Reservations: reserve only the time-sensitive entries first, through their current official channels, then keep Day 7 as your safety margin.
- Energy: use the city’s metro and ride-hailing where useful, but do not try to “optimise” away every rest—Beijing rewards a calmer pace.
- Source check: this plan was reviewed in September 2026 as a route framework. Exact entry rules, opening days, fares, transfer times and exhibition schedules are deliberately not fixed here because they change; verify them with each attraction and transport operator before purchase.