北京

BeijingTravel Budget Guide

Tier 1·IATA: PEK

When to visit

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Super-peak (national holiday)PeakShoulderOff-season
Holiday surges
  • extremeSpring Festival· Lunar Jan 1–7 (late Jan / mid-Feb)
  • highQingming (Tomb-Sweeping)· Apr 4–6
  • extremeLabor Day· May 1–5
  • highDragon Boat Festival· Lunar May 5 (~Jun)
  • highMid-Autumn Festival· Lunar Aug 15 (~Sep/Oct)
  • extremeNational Day Golden Week· Oct 1–7
Taxi flag-drop:¥13starting fare

Attractions

Forbidden City故宫博物院5A$8.87 (CN¥60)
Great Wall (Badaling)八达岭长城5A$5.91 (CN¥40)
Prince Gong's Mansion恭王府5AHeritage Site$5.91 (CN¥40)
Temple of Heaven天坛公园5A$5.03 (CN¥34)
Summer Palace颐和园5A$7.39 (CN¥50)
Great Wall (Mutianyu)慕田峪长城5A$6.65 (CN¥45)
Old Summer Palace圆明园5A$1.48 (CN¥10)
Olympic Park奥林匹克公园5A$0.00 (CN¥0)
Ming Tombs明十三陵5A$4.43 (CN¥30)
Universal Beijing Resort北京环球度假区Iconic$67.84 (CN¥459)
National Museum of China中国国家博物馆Iconic$0.00 (CN¥0)
Beijing Zoo北京动物园4A$2.81 (CN¥19)
Beijing Wildlife Park北京野生动物园4A$21.43 (CN¥145)
Jingshan Park景山公园4A$0.30 (CN¥2)
Chaoyang Park朝阳公园4A$0.74 (CN¥5)
Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple)雍和宫—$3.70 (CN¥25)
China Science and Technology Museum中国科学技术馆—$0.00 (CN¥0)
Bird's Nest (National Stadium)鸟巢(国家体育场)—$14.19 (CN¥96)
National Museum of Natural History国家自然博物馆—$0.00 (CN¥0)
Pop Mart City Park泡泡玛特城市乐园—$12.86 (CN¥87)
Quanjude Qianmen Flagship Restaurant全聚德前门店—Heritage SiteFree
Zhihuasi Temple智化寺—Heritage SiteFree
China Zitan Museum中国紫檀博物馆—Heritage SiteFree
China Arts and Crafts Museum & ICH Museum中国工艺美术馆·中国非物质文化遗产馆—Heritage SiteFree
Yanjing Bajue (Eight Wonders) Museum北京燕京八绝博物馆—Heritage SiteFree
Cui Yongping Shadow Puppetry Museum北京崔永平皮影艺术博物馆—Heritage SiteFree

Hotels

Budget

$29.12 (CN¥197)
/night

Standard

$47.44 (CN¥321)
/night

Comfort

$97.25 (CN¥658)
/night

Tiers are grouped by hotel star rating — Budget ≈ 2★, Standard ≈ 3★, Comfort ≈ 4★ and up. Figures are citywide average nightly rates, so an individual hotel may sit above or below its tier.

Food

Budget meal

$3.99 (CN¥27)
/meal

Mid-range

$11.97 (CN¥81)
/meal

High-end

$44.93 (CN¥304)
/meal
Must try:
  • Peking roast duck
    北京烤鸭 · Běijīng kǎoyā
  • Noodles in fried bean sauce
    炸酱面 · Zhájiàng miàn
  • Stewed offal with flatbread
    卤煮火烧 · Lǔzhǔ huǒshāo
  • Lamb hotpot
    涮羊肉 · Shuàn yángròu
  • Fermented mung bean drink with fried rings
    豆汁焦圈 · Dòuzhī jiāoquān
  • Quick-boiled tripe
    爆肚 · Bàodǔ
  • Pork strips in sweet bean sauce
    京酱肉丝 · Jīngjiàng ròusī
  • Glutinous rice rolls with soybean flour
    驴打滚 · Lǘdǎgǔn
Styles:Street snacks · Fast food · Noodle house · BBQ skewers

Culture & Heritage

Time-Honored Brands (12)

MOFCOM-certified · cultural background, not a business endorsement
QuanjudeBatch 1
Est. 1864
Founded in 1864 during the Qing dynasty, Quanjude is the national standard-bearer of hung-oven roast duck, inscribed as an ICH heritage skill in 2008.
TongrentangBatch 1
Est. 1669
Established in 1669, Tongrentang is China's most iconic traditional Chinese medicine brand, whose pharmaceutical culture is inscribed on the national ICH list (Batch 1).
DonglaishunBatch 1
Est. 1903
Founded in 1903, Donglaishun is Beijing's most celebrated halal hotpot restaurant, famous for its hand-sliced mutton shabu-shabu.
RuifuxiangBatch 1
Est. 1893
Ruifuxiang's Beijing silk shop was established in 1893 and is renowned for its silk fabrics and Beijing embroidery heritage.
WangzhiheBatch 1
Est. 1669
Founded in 1669, Wangzhihe's fermented tofu (furu) is a Beijing culinary icon; its brewing technique was inscribed on the national ICH list in 2008.
ZhangyiyuanBatch 1
Est. 1900
Founded in 1900, Zhangyiyuan is Beijing's most celebrated jasmine tea shop; its jasmine tea-making technique was inscribed on the national ICH list in 2008.
WuyutaiBatch 1
Est. 1887
Founded in 1887, Wuyutai is another cornerstone of Beijing's jasmine tea culture and shares the national ICH recognition for jasmine tea craftsmanship.
BianyifangBatch 1
Est. 1416
Founded in 1416, Bianyifang is Beijing's oldest roast duck restaurant, famous for its distinct closed-oven (menlu) roasting technique.

Famous Snacks (10)

Beijing Roast DuckFamous Snacks
Beijing's most iconic dish: whole duck roasted over fruitwood in a hung oven, yielding crispy skin and tender meat.
Beijing Mutton HotpotFamous Snacks
Thinly hand-sliced lamb swirled in a copper hot-pot with sesame-paste dipping sauce — the defining Beijing winter meal.
Zhajiang NoodlesFamous Snacks
Beijing's everyday staple: hand-rolled wheat noodles topped with a slow-fried soybean paste and minced pork sauce.
Douzhir (Fermented Mung Bean Drink)Famous Snacks
A sour fermented mung-bean drink with a pungent aroma, long considered the litmus test of true Beijing culinary identity.
Jiaoquan (Crispy Dough Rings)Famous Snacks
Crunchy deep-fried dough rings — the traditional Beijing breakfast pairing for douzhir, thin and golden with an audible snap.
Ludargun (Bean Paste Rice Rolls)Famous Snacks
A glutinous rice roll filled with sweet red-bean paste and coated in toasted soybean flour — named after a donkey rolling in the dust.
Wandouhuang (Pea Cake)Famous Snacks
A pale-yellow chilled cake made from white peas and osmanthus sugar, once a Qing imperial treat and now a spring Beijing specialty.
Aiwowo (Steamed Rice Ball)Famous Snacks
A soft glutinous rice ball filled with sesame and nut paste, a traditional Beijing halal snack with Ming dynasty origins.

Intangible Cultural Heritage (16)

Peking Opera (Jingju)National ICH · Batch 1
China's most prestigious traditional operatic form, combining singing, recitation, mime and acrobatics; inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List in 2010.
Hung-Oven Roast Duck Technique (Quanjude)National ICH · Batch 2
Quanjude's signature hung-oven technique — open fruitwood fire, 31-step process — inscribed on the national ICH list in 2008 (Batch 2).
Cloisonné Enamel Craftsmanship (Jingtailan)National ICH · Batch 1
A 700-year-old copper-body cloisonné technique that reached its zenith in the Ming Jingtai era; inscribed on the national ICH list in 2006 (Batch 1).
Tongrentang Traditional Chinese Medicine CultureNational ICH · Batch 1
Tongrentang's 350-year-old pharmaceutical culture — encompassing herb preparation, traditional formulas and medical ethics — inscribed in 2006 (Batch 1).
Closed-Oven Roast Duck Technique (Bianyifang)National ICH · Batch 2
Bianyifang's closed-oven roasting produces a silkier skin; together with Quanjude's hung-oven method, it defines the two schools of Beijing roast duck.
Carved Lacquerware (Diaoqi)National ICH · Batch 1
One of the 'Eight Wonders of Yanjing': lacquerware built up in hundreds of layers then carved into relief; inscribed in 2006 (Batch 1).
Filigree Inlay CraftsmanshipNational ICH · Batch 2
An imperial court craft of weaving fine gold or silver wires into intricate settings for gems — one of the Eight Wonders of Yanjing, inscribed in 2008.
Zhihuasi Temple Jing MusicNational ICH · Batch 1
A living Ming-dynasty court musical tradition preserved at Zhihuasi Temple for over 560 years; inscribed in 2006 (Batch 1).
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Popular Routes Through Beijing

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BEIJING → SHANGHAI · 15 Days
Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai · 15 Days

Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing, Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, and The Bund in Shanghai — 15 days backpacker for $1,684.

Stand on Badaling Wall as Beijing fades into the haze belowWatch the Terracotta Warriors mid-march, 2,200 years and still goingSample Shanghai's soup dumplings at a local eatery
$1,500est. $1,684BUDGETOCTOBER1 ADULT
SHENZHEN → BEIJING · 10 Days
Shenzhen → Beijing · 10 Days

Shenzhen Safari Park and Window of the World in Shenzhen, Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing — 10 days for $1,302.

Visit Shenzhen Safari Park's animal enclosuresWalk the Badaling Wall's cobbled pathsDine on Peking roast duck in Beijing
$1,500est. $1,302STANDARDJUNE1 ADULT
GUANGZHOU → BEIJING · 10 Days
Guangzhou → Beijing · 10 Days

Chimelong Resort and Mount Baiyun in Guangzhou, then Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing — 10 days for $1,261.

Explore Chimelong Safari Park's wildlife enclosuresWalk the Badaling Wall's ancient stonesSample roast goose at a local market in Guangzhou
$1,500est. $1,261STANDARDJUNE1 ADULT
SHANGHAI → BEIJING · 10 Days
Shanghai → Beijing · 10 Days

The Bund and Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, then Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing — 10 days for $2,512.

Ride the high-speed rail from Shanghai to BeijingExplore the Forbidden City's halls at noonDine on Peking roast duck in Beijing's hutong
$2,000est. $2,512COMFORTJUNE1 ADULT
BEIJING → HONGKONG · 10 Days
Beijing → Hong Kong · 10 Days

Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing, then Victoria Peak and Hong Kong Disneyland — 10 days for $2,230.

Stand on Badaling Wall as Beijing fades into the haze belowRide the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak at sunsetEat Peking roast duck in Beijing's hutong alleys
$2,000est. $2,230STANDARDJUNE1 ADULT
BEIJING → SHENZHEN · 10 Days
Beijing → Shenzhen · 10 Days

Great Wall (Badaling) and Forbidden City in Beijing, then Window of the World and Shenzhen Safari Park in Shenzhen — 10 days for $1,295.

Stand on Badaling Wall as Beijing fades into the haze belowExplore the Temple of Heaven's imperial architectureVisit Shenzhen Safari Park's wildlife enclosures
$1,500est. $1,295STANDARDJUNE1 ADULT