Beijing

Culture of Beijing. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

The Forbidden City, Beijing Beijing never stops attracting tourists with its unique historical monuments. Holiday-makers are always offered to participate in numerous fascinating tours and extensive cultural programs. Here everyone can choose the entertainment to fit one’s taste. Temple of Heaven is one of the most remarkable architectural ensembles. The temple was erected more than five centuries ago. The roof of the temple is decorated with unusual sky-blue tiles. They make the name of the temple sound even more symbolic.
Temple of Heaven, Beijing National Stadium, National Museum of China, White Pagoda, Beijing Exhibition Center, as well as many others, they all become the world's cultural heritage objects and remain as iconic monuments for Beijing … Open
Suburban areas of Beijing also have many notable places, such as "Valley of the Kings". 30 rulers of the Ming Dynasty are buried in this valley. The entrance to the burial has been strictly forbidden until recent time. Only specially selected persons had a chance to see the grave of the legendary emperors. Today this place of interest is very popular among visitors.
Gugong Palace in Beijing is one more remarkable architectural structure besides the Great Wall. It was built in the beginning of the 15th century, and remained the residence of the Chinese rulers for many years. The palace is a large-scale architectural complex that consists of a main building and several auxiliary buildings. The territory of the palace also remained closed for a long time, so this sight had another interesting name - the Forbidden City. When it comes to describing the modern city, its main and best known symbol is Tiananmen Square - the largest square in the world, which can accommodate more than one million of people. Among remarkable objects located next to the square we simply cannot fail to mention Mao Zedong Mausoleum and the Parliament House. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Beijing is the second largest city of China. However, if Shanghai, which occupies the first place, is an economical and entertainment centre of the country, Beijing is its cultural and … Open
Beihai Park is surely the best place for hiking and outdoor recreation activities. This park is located in the heart of the city. The park was founded around the lake with the same name a thousand years ago. In this beautiful garden on the lake often had rest emperors of the country. Today you still can see some beautiful government buildings in this park apart from old trees and flower beds. Opera lovers should not forget to visit the local theater, all plays and performances of which are simply unforgettable.
Beijing West Train Station The Summer Palace of Yiheyuan and the palace and park ensemble of Cixi is a kind of “Versailles of Beijing”. Anyone who wishes to have a true aesthetic pleasure should first of all come here. Especially if you are lucky enough to find a sunset here, you will definitely agree that a more romantic place could not be imagined. The entire charm and beauty of Chinese architecture is reflected in the eyes of the viewer. The park is huge, and in spite of being a very popular tourist destination, it is the special atmosphere that makes the place seem “personal”, every part of which seeps right into the very heart of a visitor.
In Beijing, travellers with children will find numerous amusement parks, modern cinemas and shopping malls. They can walk in beautiful parks or attend interesting museums. Happy Valley Park … Open
Another romantic place is Lotus Lane, a beautiful promenade in the Shichahai area. Here you will find many original restaurants and cafes, as well as shops where you can buy souvenirs. Gost Street is yet another tourist route where you can take great photos, because the place is very impressive with burning lights playing with visitors like a sunpuddle. Another place worth visiting is Guguanxiangtai, Beijing Observatory. This is a kind of islet of peace where you can detach yourself from the noise and touch the antiquity and learning a lot of new information about how things were used earlier.
Beijing The Imperial Treasury clearly stands out among the other museums. It is located in the Forbidden City and features a marvelous collection of antique things. The Chinese Aviation Museum is notable for the fact that this is the first cultural institution of its kind in the whole of China, and it is considered one of the best in the whole world. Aviation enthusiasts will be delighted by it. There is also Madame Tussauds Museum in the city. Among the wax figures here, you can see that of Michael Jackson, the royal seven British Family, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, as well as representatives of Chinese nationality in traditional clothes.
You will find restaurants for every taste and budget in Beijing. There is nothing strange in this as this city is one of the most popular holiday destinations for travelers who seek new … Open
There are very unusual buildings in the city that will become a real discovery even for the most seasoned travelers. In the first place, this is the Beijing National Stadium, which is commonly called “Bird’s Nest” due to its shape. Its construction was conditioned by the holding of the 2008 Olympic Games. Another unique building is the futuristic Galaxy SOHO complex in Beijing. This project was designed by the studio of the famous architect Zaha Hadid. The National Center for Performing Arts, which is colloquially known as “egg”, is noteworthy for being located in the historical part of the capital of China. In particular, the building looks beautiful from afar.
In the section below, you can get one of our excursion, activities or city discovery tours over Beijing and surroundings. Our website offers 10-30% lower ticket prices, when compared to the offline purchase on the spot.

City tours, excursions and tickets in Beijing and surroundings

Plan your own excursion through Beijing: churches, museums and castles

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

» The Temple of Heaven is the monastic complex, which includes only the main temple of circular shape, the Harvest Temple.
» The temple is more than 500 years old; it's one of the major historical sites in China.
» Roofs of main buildings of the temple are made of blue glazed tiles, the color of the sky.
» The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 and originally was called the Temple of Heaven and Earth, as there rendered prayers for Heaven and Earth.
» The temple is surrounded by two walls, external and internal. The southern part of the Temple of Heaven is square, and its northern part is rounded, as a circle represents the celestial powers, and a square serves for the forces of the Earth.

Summer Palace, Beijing

» The Summer Palace is the residence of emperors situated on the outskirts of Beijing. The park near the palace accommodates more than 3,000 facilities.
» Translated from the Chinese, the original name of the Summer Palace means 'the park of serenity and peace'.
»  By order of the emperor in 1750, Garden of Clear Ripples was laid there. A man-made lake was created there, as well as a Longevity Hill, on top of which Buddhist temples were built.
» A long corridor located near the coast is considered the world's longest painted corridor; it lasts for 728 meters.
» About 8,000 pictures are hanging on the walls of this long corridor.
» The beach is notable for the famous marble boat, favored by the Empress Dowager Cixi, who spent for construction of the palace the sum equal to 940,000 kg of silver.

Beijing National Stadium, Beijing

» The Beijing National Stadium is nicknamed the Bird's Nest for its distinctive appearance.
» A huge structure of unbelievable proportions creates the impression of airiness by interlacing metal branches, between which there is a lot of space.
» More than 325 million euros were spent to construct the stadium.
» Beijing Stadium is one of the largest buildings in the world. It accommodates 91,000 spectators.
» Supercup, Cup and the Olympic Games were held there.

National Museum of China, Beijing

» The main objective of the National Museum of China is preservation and promotion of Chinese art and history.
» The museum is the four-storey building, whose facade is decorated with eleven columns.
» The venue combines two other museums.
» The National Museum of China contains more than half a million exhibits, the history of which covers more than 5,000-year period.
» One of the most famous exhibits is the Jade Prince made of thousands of pieces of jade faceted and interconnected with gold wire.

Railway Museum, Beijing

» There are two railway museums in Beijing. One is on the outskirts of the city in a huge hangar.
»  It has collected more than 50 locomotives of different periods of development of China's railway network. If you want, you can climb up to any of them and inspect the trains from the inside.
»  Several old steam locomotives have bas-reliefs of Mao Jie Dong and other famous people. These reliefs are stamped on the front panels of locomotives.
»  Another museum is in the building of the Eastern Railway Station. It is located on four floors and is dedicated to the history of the railway traffic in country.
»  The East Railway Station was built by the British in 1906 and became the largest in China. There are various relics related to the railway movement.
»  It contains an interesting exposition of ancient tickets. There are instances from the time of the reign of the imperial dynasty of Qing and Guo Min Dao. You will see a printing device for making tickets, which is still in working conditions.
»  There is also a modern exposition, where models of new high-speed trains are presented.
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What to visit during two-day excursion in Beijing

Tiananmen Square
Where: Tiananmen Dong, Beijing; Telephone: +86 (0)10 6524 3322; Metro: Tiananmen Dong;
The Forbidden City
Where: Tiananmen Dong, North of Tian´anmen Square, Beijing; Metro: Line 1 to Tian´anmen Dong, Tian´anmen Xi; More info: The rice for an audio tour is rmb 40 plus rmb 100 in deposit.;
Summer Palace
Where: 19 Xin-jian-gong-men Road, Beijing; Telephone: +86 (0)10 6288 1144; Metro: District Haidian;
Temple Of Heaven
Where: Tiantan Donglu, Beijing; Metro: Qianmen;
Yonghegong Lamasery (Lama Temple)
Where: Yonghe Gong Dajie 12, Beijing; Telephone: +86 (0)10 6404 4499; Metro: Yonghe Gong/Lama Temple;
798 Space
Where: Jiuxianqiao Lu, Jiuxianqiao Beilu, Beijing; Telephone: +86 (0)10 6438 4862;
Liulichang
Where: Liulichang Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing; Metro: Hepingmen;
Reference information
Map of all palaces
Public palaces near Beijing
♥   Palace 'Taiji Palace' , 0.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Palace 'Forbidden City' , 0.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Palace 'Summer Palace' Beijing, 13.2 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Map of all art museums
Art galleries in Beijing and around
♥   Art museum 'Palace Museum' Beijing, 0.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'National Art Museum of China' Beijing, 1.7 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'Pékin Fine Arts' Beijing, 3.7 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'Capital Museum' Beijing, 4.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'Beijing Art Museum' Beijing, 6 km from the center. On the map   Photo

Photogallery of cultural heritage of Beijing

Landmarks of culture on Beijing map: art-galleries, monuments, palaces, etc

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Excursions over cultural sights of neighbours of Beijing

Culture guide to Beijing. Which fascinating sights to visit once you are in Beijing: temples, churches, museums, theaters and castles. Recommendations (with addresses, phone numbers and links) on the places 'must visit' in Beijing. Plan your own city excursion by using this page info!