Beijing Travel Stories

Feb 9, 2022 • 8 min read

Eat street food, explore old neighborhoods, find the less-visited parts of familiar sites and shop for (non)antiques: our guide to the best of Beijing.

Jul 7, 2020 • 5 min read

As some of the most popular museums in the world reopen, here are the new COVID rules and restrictions that visitors can expect.

Jul 7, 2019 • 8 min read

Our Trailblazers series sees Lonely Planet's guidebook writers reflect on past adventures, reminisce a little, and compare their experiences past and…

Oct 19, 2017 • 5 min read

Xisi (literally ‘West Four’) is a neighbourhood in western Beijing, so called for its four richly carved paifang (sign gates) that once straddled the…

Jan 23, 2017 • 5 min read

This year, China welcomes the Rooster, crowing in the new year on 28 January 2017. The Rooster is the tenth animal in the Chinese zodiac (between the…

May 18, 2016 • 5 min read

As Beijing leaps skywards into the 21st century, its history can sometimes get left in the shadows. But despite the new highways and high-rises, China’s…

May 8, 2015 • 7 min read

China’s breakneck rise – in 2014 it became the country with the world’s biggest economy – means that it’s no longer quite the budget destination it used…

Sep 9, 2014 • 8 min read

Mongolian lamb, Sichuan-style chilli-spiked crayfish and flaky flatbreads with sweet wafts of fried spring onions cooked before you. Beijing showcases the…

Jul 11, 2013 • 5 min read

Once the great grey heart of China’s communist regime, Beijing now boasts colourful districts that mix historic buildings with contemporary art and design…

Sep 3, 2012 • 3 min read

Beijing is a city of incredible contrasts. Imperial palaces and ancient alleyways teeming with life mingle with cutting-edge architecture and new shopping…

Jun 8, 2011 • 2 min read

Most people would agree that Peking (or Beijing) duck is the capital’s most famous dish. Once imperial cuisine, now the legendary duck dish is served at…

Jun 3, 2011 • 3 min read

Think of Asian rock and traditionally, it is Japanese bands that have had the biggest profile in the West. China, though, has been undergoing its own…

Jan 11, 2011 • 3 min read

Winters in Beijing can be brutal, with temperatures commonly dropping to minus 10 degrees Celsius or worse. It doesn't stop the locals, though. Rather…

Sep 6, 2010 • 3 min read

Cave dwellers' dwellings.  Image by Daniel McCrohan / Lonely Planet.

Jul 17, 2010 • 3 min read

China's capital may be racing towards the future at breakneck speed but sneak behind one of the city's glittering, ultra-modern tower blocks and you find…

Jul 11, 2010 • 4 min read

Once home to China’s emperors, the Forbidden City was the very heart of the country for five centuries and even now exerts a powerful pull on the nation’s…