Five days is the ideal first Beijing visit: all three UNESCO giants, the Great Wall without the crowds, and time to wander the hutong lanes where the city actually lives.
Day 1: Forbidden City & Jingshan
Enter the palace at 8:30 opening through Tiananmen; book tickets 7 days ahead with passport. Exit north, climb Jingshan Park’s hill for the roofscape panorama, then rickshaw through the hutongs to a courtyard dinner.
Day 2: Great Wall at Mutianyu
The sweet-spot section: restored but uncrowded, cable car up, toboggan down. Leave at 7am to beat tour buses; you’ll have the towers to yourself by 9. Farmhouse lunch on the way back; evening free for Wangfujing or a Kung Fu show.
Day 3: Temple of Heaven & Old Beijing
Morning tai chi at Temple of Heaven’s park, then the Hall of Prayer halls. Afternoon: Qianmen street and Dashilar lanes, or the National Museum. Evening: Peking duck at Siji Minfu (book ahead).
Day 4: Summer Palace & Art
Morning boat across Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace — walk the Long Corridor and Longevity Hill. Afternoon: 798 Art District’s factory galleries, then Sanlitun dinner.
Day 5: Choose Your Flavor
Lama Temple and the Confucius Temple; the Summer-less Beijing of Beihai’s lakes and the White Dagoba; or a day trip to the Ming Tombs plus Juyongguan wall section.
Logistics
April–May and September–October are best; winter brings Forbidden City snowscapes with fewer crowds. Metro covers the city; for the wall, a private driver is worth every cent. The AI trip planner prices a 5-day Beijing route in minutes.