Your essential guide to Beijing

EXPLORE

If you’re short on time, avoid going inside the Forbidden City. Instead, make your way to Jingshan Park and climb the hill to see it from on high. Marvel at the symmetrical splendour of the world’s largest palace complex, then watch park regulars doing tai chi, ballroom dancing and singalongs under pavilions.

DINE

Nowhere is Beijing’s signature dish more refined than at Duck de Chine, a courtyard restaurant close to Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing. Its esteemed Peking ducks, roasted over crackling fruitwood, are announced to guests with the chime of a gong and served with crisp Bollinger Champagne.

DRINK

Savour one of Beijing’s most inventive cocktails at the elegant MO Bar. Order up a signature drink, such as the baijiu-laced Time Lapse, and claim a terrace table as the sun sets over the glazed yellow rooftops of the Forbidden City.

SHOP

Enjoy the hotel’s proximity to the prestigious shopping street of Wangfujing. WF Central showcases top-tier designers, from Saint Laurent to Loewe, in a sleek, glass-fronted mall, while time-honoured stores such as hatmaker Sheng Xi Fu, founded in 1911, offer a more traditional retail experience.

SEE

Spend a day admiring the world-class contemporary art on show at 798, a Communist-built factory complex turned arts district. UCCA, M Woods Art Museum and Faurschou are three of the best galleries for big-name international and Chinese artists, while the intriguing Mansudae Art Studio exhibits works from North Korea.

EXPLORE

One of Beijing’s most exquisite imperial treasures, the Lama Temple was built for the son of an emperor and later converted to a lamasery for Tibetan monks. Make your way through incense-wreathed halls to the grand finale: an 18m-high Buddha said to be carved from a single trunk of sandalwood.

DINE

Just across the road from the Lama Temple, King’s Joy serves exquisite, meat-free set menus. Under the helm of head chef Gary Yin, it has won three Michelin stars, along with China’s first Michelin green star for sustainability. Expect next-level creativity and craft in every dish, served in a glass-roofed dining room.

WALK

A stroll through the city’s old alleyways – known as hutong – is one of Beijing’s timeless pleasures. Start at the magisterial Drum and Bell Towers and wind your way west through the lanes to Houhai Lake, a grand sweep of willow-lined waterways plied by pedal boats in summer and ice-skaters in winter.

HIKE

Draped across Beijing’s northern mountains is one of the most magnificent stretches of the Great Wall. With the help of a guide and driver provided by the hotel’s concierge team, you can visit spectacular sections such as Gubeikou, isolated and unrestored, where you’ll have the sweep of ancient stones all to yourself.

SHOP

A Beijing institution, Panjiayuan flea market features hundreds of dealers hawking curios of every description, from Chinese antiques of questionable provenance to authentic Mao memorabilia and replica Qing dynasty furniture. It’s an assault on the senses and enormous fun, but be prepared to haggle.

PLAY

Opened in 2021, China’s first Universal Studios theme park riffs on its biggest franchises, from Minions to Harry Potter (don’t miss the broomstick ride, housed in a replica Hogwarts). The loop-heavy, Transformers-inspired Decepticoaster is not to be missed, while the Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness is unique to Beijing.

EXPLORE

Cradled in the hills beyond the city are the tombs of 13 Ming dynasty emperors, accessed via one of Beijing’s most unique thoroughfares. The Shen Dao, or Spirit Way, is a funerary avenue lined by pairs of giant carved beasts, both real and imagined, and makes for a memorable stroll into China’s past.

For a hands-on introduction to Chinese art, try a calligraphy lesson, where you’ll learn how to use the ‘four treasures of the study’: brush, ink, paper and ink stone. At a calligraphy master’s home in a Beijing hutong, you’ll learn the history of the ancient art, its cultural significance, and how to write your name in Chinese. Our team can arrange lessons for adults and children aged three and above.

- The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing.