北京市

Why this place

Beijing has been China's capital for most of the last eight centuries, and it is laid out as one ceremonial axis running north to south: the Forbidden City sits on the centre line, the Temple of Heaven anchors the south, the Bell and Drum Towers the north. Because it was the political centre, almost every dynasty that mattered left something behind — palaces, altars, tombs and the country's strongest museums.

What to see

• The Forbidden City — 980 surviving buildings, the largest preserved palace complex in the world
• The Great Wall at Mutianyu, Jinshanling or Jiankou — far quieter and more dramatic than Badaling
• The Temple of Heaven, where emperors performed the annual harvest rites on the winter solstice
• Hutongs around the Drum Towers and Nanluoguxiang — the old courtyard-city texture, still lived in
• The Summer Palace, an imperial garden built around Kunming Lake

What to eat

• Peking duck — carved at the table, rolled in thin pancakes with spring onion and sweet bean sauce
• Zhajiangmian — thick noodles with fried soybean paste, the local everyday bowl
• Lamb skewers and hotpot in the Muslim quarter around Niujie

How to plan

Four days minimum: one for the Forbidden City and Jingshan, one for the Wall, one for temples and hutongs, one for museums and the Olympic park.

Best time

September–October and April–May; winter is dry and sharp, summer hot and crowded

Practical tips

• The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays, and tickets sell out days ahead online — do not count on the gate
• The subway is fast, cheap and signed in English; taxis are not worth it in rush hour