Beijing: between the Forbidden City and the hutongs
Beijing is layers: an imperial city over a medieval one, a modern megacity over both. The Great Wall an hour away, the world's finest Peking duck at your doorstep, and hutongs — a labyrinth of alleyways where the real Beijing lives.
The Forbidden City covers 720,000 square metres and contains 9,999 rooms. Tourists usually see a third of it in half a day — and leave feeling they've seen enough. But nearby, a five-minute walk away, the hutongs begin — and here Beijing becomes something else entirely.
The Forbidden City: beating the crowds
Tickets sold online only, one day in advance — 60 yuan (~₽750), 80 yuan at weekends. Best counter-flow route: enter from the north (Shenwumen gate), walk south — you move against the main tourist current. Peak hours 10:00–14:00; best time is the 8:30 opening. Don't miss: Qianqinggong Palace (the Emperor's private chambers), Ningshou Gong (the palace-within-a-palace) and the northern imperial garden with its fantastical rocks — most visitors skip all three.
Jingshan Park (Coal Hill, 2 yuan) is right next door: 90 metres high, the best aerial view of the Forbidden City's golden rooftops. Come at sunset for the light.
Hutongs: old Beijing
Nanluoguxiang hutong — the most famous: cafés in former warehouses, vinyl stores in siheyuan courtyards. Touristy but honest. Yandai hutong — quiet, residential: in the mornings residents brush their teeth in the doorway, as they have for 50 years. Baochao hutong — the narrowest in Beijing (40 cm at its tightest).
Best way to explore: hire a bicycle (30 yuan/day via Meituan or Hello) and ride without a route. Find the morning tai chi sessions in the small squares, drop into whichever tea house looks good — the rule everywhere is the same: sit down and tea will appear.
Food: duck, hot pot and Ghost Street
Peking duck at Quanjude (est. 1864) — an institution. A portion for two: around 300 yuan (~₽3,700), carved into 108 pieces at your table. Da Dong — slightly pricier, duck thinner and crispier, more contemporary interior. Hot pot (huo guo) — the Beijing winter experience: fondue-style broth with meat and vegetables. Best chain: Haidilao, almost always a queue but service is exceptional.
Guijie ('Ghost Street'): 500 metres of restaurants open until 3am. Panjiayuan Weekend Market: porcelain, jade, Mao-era books, old coins and probably many fakes. Bargain hard: start at 20–30% of the asking price.
Beyond the centre
- Great Wall, Mutianyu section. 1.5 hours from the centre. Restored, with cable car and toboggan ride. Weekdays at 9:00 — almost empty.
- Summer Palace. 30 minutes on metro line 4. Kunming Lake, painted galleries, Longevity Hill. Rent a rowing boat on the lake for 50 yuan.
- Lama Temple (Yonghegong). The largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery outside Tibet. 22 yuan, metro Yonghegong.
- 798 Art District. Former military factory, now the most interesting gallery scene in Beijing. Free entry, great cafés and restaurants.
Getting around: metro, apps, money
Beijing metro: 27 lines, 490 stations, 3–10 yuan per journey. Yikatong card (20 yuan deposit) saves time. Baidu Maps works better than Google in China — download it before you go. WeChat Pay and Alipay don't always accept foreign cards, but cash (yuan) is accepted everywhere. Change roubles to yuan at airport banks or exchange offices — rates are similar.