ChinaRoam
ChinaRoam
Metro routes that work, tickets you can actually book, food you can order, and the payment hacks no guidebook prints — city by city.
The imperial capital — Forbidden City, the Great Wall, hutong lanes and the best Peking duck of your life.
Daxing (PKX): airport express ~20 min to downtown. Capital (PEK): airport express or Line 10. Both airports run frequent trains to the city core.
One of the world's largest metro systems, fares ¥3–9. Line 1 runs east–west, Line 2 is the loop around the old city, Line 4 runs south–north. Same Alipay metro QR or direct foreign-card tap as elsewhere.
Beijing South (北京南) is the hub for Shanghai (4.5h), Xi'an and more. Book with your passport on Trip.com or the 12306 app.
The largest imperial palace complex in the world. You MUST reserve online in advance with your passport — it sells out fast. Closed Mondays.
Reserve: Required — book 7 days ahead
Mutianyu 慕田峪 is the best choice for most visitors — restored, cable car, far fewer crowds than Badaling. Book a day trip on Trip.com (English) and avoid the scammy street touters.
Reserve: Day trip recommended
The iconic square facing the Forbidden City. Free entry but passport check and security lines; bring the physical document.
Reserve: Passport + security
Imperial garden with a huge lake — a half day of walking and boat rides, the most relaxing major sight in Beijing.
Reserve: None
Ming-dynasty prayer complex where locals practice tai chi in the morning park. Lovely at sunrise.
Reserve: None
The signature dish — crispy skin, pancakes, scallions. Quanjude 全聚德 is the classic; Si Ji Min Fu 四季民福 is the local favorite.
Sliced lamb cooked in a steaming copper pot, dipped in sesame sauce. A winter essential.
Beijing's noodle-and-brown-bean-sauce classic. Cheap, filling, everywhere.
Douzhi (fermented mung-bean drink) is a famous Beijing breakfast — an acquired taste that many visitors cannot handle. Try a sip before committing.
Same as all of China: set up Alipay with a foreign card first. Beijing has the best foreign-card acceptance in the country.
Buy a tourist eSIM before landing. Set up a VPN before arrival — needed for Google, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Winter (Nov–Mar) is dry and cold with occasional pollution spikes — pack layers and a mask if sensitive. Spring/autumn are the best seasons.
English signage at tourist sites and metro, but less everyday English than Shanghai. Keep the translation app handy.
ChinaRoam is a crowdsourced guide to traveling China, built for foreign visitors. We started with the city guides that everyone needs but nobody could find in English: how do I actually pay? How do I book a museum with my passport? Which metro line goes where?
Unlike tourist agencies and travel portals, every entry here is written by travelers who have been on the ground — and every guide is open for anyone to correct and improve. It's a living guidebook, not a static one.
Prices, opening hours, and visa rules change. Treat every entry as a strong hint, not gospel — check official sources for things that matter. And if you spot something wrong, correct it: that's the whole point.
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