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City / Prefecture (市 / 州) in Beijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong · Beijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong

Beijing & The Great Wall (Beijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong) Travel Guide 2026

Beijing & The Great Wall is a city / prefecture (市 / 州) in Beijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong (Beijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong), China, with a population of 450,000 and regional transit links via Beijing & The Great Wall Central Station and Beijing Capital (PEK) & Daxing (PKX) Airports + Beijing South / West High-Speed Rail Hubs.

Province / StateBeijing, Great Wall, Tianjin & Datong
Population450,000
Rail HubBeijing & The Great Wall Central Station
Airport GatewayBeijing Capital (PEK) & Daxing (PKX) Airports + Beijing South / West High-Speed Rail Hubs

Highlights & What to See in Beijing & The Great Wall

  • The Forbidden City (Palace Museum / 故宫) & Jingshan Park — CRITICAL: Tickets are NEVER sold at the gate! Book exactly 7 days in advance at 20:00 Beijing Time on the official Palace Museum WeChat Mini-Program or `bookingticket.dpm.org.cn` using your passport number (¥60 Apr–Oct / ¥40 Nov–Mar; closed Mondays). Afterwards, climb Jingshan Park hill right across the north moat (¥2) for the iconic golden-roof panorama!
  • Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城) or Jinshanling Great Wall — Skip overcrowded Badaling; take the Mubus direct shuttle from Dongzhimen (¥80 round-trip) to Mutianyu (¥40 entry + ¥140 cable car up & toboggan slide down between Watchtowers 14 and 6!).
  • Temple of Heaven (天坛 — UNESCO) & Morning Park Tai Chi — Arrive at 07:30 via the East Gate to watch locals practicing Tai Chi and ribbon dancing before visiting the blue-tiled Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (¥34 through-ticket).
  • Summer Palace (颐和园) & Kunming Lake — Qing imperial lakeside garden palace reachable on Beijing Metro Line 4 (Beigongmen Station, ¥30).
  • Shichahai Lakes, Nanluoguxiang & Wudaoying Hutong — Rent a bicycle to glide through grey-brick courtyard lanes (hutongs) around the 15th-century Drum and Bell Towers.

Transit & Getting There

Connect to Beijing & The Great Wall via Beijing & The Great Wall Central Station (China Railway (12306) Fuxing 350 km/h High-Speed G-Trains (Your Physical Passport IS Your E-Ticket at the Manual/Passport Lane!)) and local transit using Alipay & WeChat Pay Foreign Card Setup.