# First Time in Beijing

> Everything you need to sort out before and during your first trip to Beijing — visas, payments, transport, language and etiquette.

_Category: first-time · Reading time: 6 min read_

Beijing is one of the easiest major cities in China to visit as a foreigner — the metro is in English, signage is bilingual and most tourist sites are set up for international visitors. But a few things work differently here. This page covers them before you land.

## Before you arrive

A short checklist, in order of how much trouble it causes if you skip it.

- **Check your visa** — Many nationalities now qualify for visa-free transit (72h / 144h) or visa-free entry. Rules change — verify with your airline before booking.
- **Set up mobile payment** — Alipay and WeChat Pay can both be linked to foreign cards. Cash and cards work, but QR payment is what locals actually use.
- **Install a China-friendly maps app** — Google Maps data is poor here. Download AMap or Baidu Maps, or an English alternative, before you fly.
- **Get a VPN sorted in advance** — Many Western sites and apps are blocked. Install and test before arrival — you cannot download one once you are here.
- **Book attraction tickets online** — The Forbidden City and popular museum entries often sell out; passports are required at pickup.

## Paying for things

Card acceptance is good at hotels, malls and larger restaurants. In small shops and markets, QR payment or cash is expected. ATMs accepting foreign cards are common in the city — look for Bank of China, ICBC or China Construction Bank.

## Getting around

The Beijing subway is the fastest way across the city: 20+ lines, English signage, flat fares from CNY 3. Trains run roughly 05:00–23:00. For short hops, taxis and ride-hailing are cheap; always have your destination written in Chinese to show the driver.

## Language

English is widely used in hotels, the airport and major attractions, less so in small shops and taxis. Learning a few words goes a long way: 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello), 谢谢 (xiè xie, thank you), 多少钱 (duō shǎo qián, how much), 不要 (bú yào, I don't want it).

## Booking the Forbidden City properly

The Forbidden City sells timed-entry tickets online only — there is no ticket window for walk-up sales, so book before you leave your hotel, not when you arrive. Foreign visitors reserve through the official WeChat mini-program or website (passport required; the passport itself is your ticket at the gate). Tickets are released seven days in advance and summer slots sell out fast. Standard entry is 60 yuan in high season, 40 yuan low season; the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery in the inner halls cost an extra 10 yuan each and are worth it if you like objects over architecture. Enter via Meridian Gate on the south side and exit north at the Gate of Divine Prowess — you cannot reverse direction, so see everything in one pass. Closed Mondays. Aim for the first entry slot: the grounds thin out noticeably after 15:30, but by then tour groups have worn the route smooth.

## The Great Wall: Mutianyu vs Badaling

Badaling is the section most first-timers know and the easiest to reach: the S2 suburban train from Huangtudian station or express buses from Deshengmen, and entry around 40 yuan. The trade-off is crowds — on weekends and holidays you may be photographing other tourists more than the wall. Mutianyu, 90 minutes northeast, is quieter, better restored and has a cable car and a toboggan ride down (around 100–140 yuan combined with entry; check current prices on the day). Getting there means a pre-booked shuttle bus or a hired car, roughly 400–600 yuan for a day return — budget accordingly. Go early: leaving the city by 7:00 gets you on the wall before the mid-morning tour buses. Wear real shoes; the steps are uneven and steep in stretches. If your trip is short, Mutianyu is usually the better use of a day.

## Beating the crowds at the big sights

Beijing's headline attractions all have a quiet window, and it is earlier than you think. At the Temple of Heaven, arrive before 8am: the park opens around then, entry to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests starts at 8am, and the early hours belong to locals dancing and playing chess, which is arguably the better sight. The Summer Palace is manageable before 9am and gets heavy from 10am, especially on weekends; entering from the less-used North Palace Gate on Line 4 puts you on Kunming Lake's quiet north shore first. Jingshan Park, the hill with the panorama over the Forbidden City's roofs, is busiest at sunset — go at 5pm sharp if you want a railing spot, or accept that late afternoon means shoulder-to-shoulder. National holidays, particularly the first week of October and Chinese New Year week, multiply crowds everywhere; if your dates fall in those windows, book everything further ahead and shift visits to weekday mornings. Check opening hours on the official WeChat accounts or the park sites the day before, since they shift seasonally.

## Related Beijing guides

If you found this useful, these cover the next question most visitors ask:

- **First Time** — /guides/beijing-trip-budget/
- **Practical Tips** — /guides/beijing-attraction-ticket-prices-guide/
- **Transport** — /guides/shanghai-hongqiao-pudong-transfer-guide/

## What to skip on a first visit

- **The hutong near Nanluoguxiang on weekends** — The alley itself is a wall of tour groups and identical snack stalls. Walk two blocks west to the lanes around Wudaoying or Guozijian instead — same architecture, real shops, half the people.
- **Badaling's cable car queue at midday** — If you end up at Badaling anyway, take the pulley/toboggan side down; the cable-car line can exceed an hour. Or pay the small extra for Mutianyu, where queues move faster.
- **The Zoological Market-style animal and jade souvenirs** — Jade 'special offers' bundled into cheap tours are a known hard-sell trap. Buy crafts at state-run stores or the Panjiayuan antique market, and haggle there.
- **Wangfujing snack street for 'scorpions on sticks'** — It is priced for tourists and most stalls serve the same fried everything. Eat where office workers do: the food courts in apm or nearby hutong noodle shops.
- **Trying to see the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven on the same day** — Both are enormous and involve serious walking. Split them across two mornings, or you will see neither properly.

## First-timer mistakes to avoid

- **Underestimating distances** — Beijing is vast. From Houhai to the Summer Palace is over an hour by metro even with no transfers. Cluster your days by district instead of zigzagging.
- **Ignoring the smog forecast** — Air quality swings season by season. If AQI is high, swap the outdoor sightseeing day for museums — the Capital Museum and National Museum are both strong bad-weather options.
- **Skipping hutongs entirely** — Many visitors do only imperial sites and leave. Nanluoguxiang is touristy, but the alleys around Wudaoying and Guozijian are walkable, quiet and full of small cafes.
- **Touting tours of Ming Tombs plus Great Wall** — These combination tours pad the day with stops at jade factories or medicine shops. If you want the wall, go independently.
- **Carrying no cash at all** — Alipay and WeChat Pay now take foreign cards, but a few hundred yuan in cash covers taxis, market stalls and the occasional place that won't scan.

## Customs worth knowing

- **Carry your passport** — You need it for hotels, train tickets and attraction entry. A digital copy is not accepted.
- **Tap water is not for drinking** — Hotels provide kettles; bottled water is cheap and everywhere.
- **Tipping is not expected** — It is not customary in restaurants or taxis.
- **Queue jumping happens** — Stand your ground politely at ticket lines and metro doors.

## Where to stay

**KOULING Ruiyue Hotel** — 5m from Guogongzhuang Metro Station · 9.6/10 · US$26  
View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/ruiyue/

If this is your first time in China, arriving somewhere straightforward helps. KOULING Ruiyue is 5 metres from the metro exit, the front desk handles international guests daily, and international cards are accepted — no negotiating with a taxi driver on day one.

---

Source: https://12001.net/guides/first-time/  
© KOULING Hotels