Beijing in 5 Days: Unveiling the Heart of China’s Capital

We got up early and went to Starbucks for breakfast (we both were unsure what to eat and were jet-lagged, so we figured it was the best of both worlds.) We took our muffins and walked to the Forbidden City (about a mile from our hotel). Make sure you get to the Forbidden City right when it opens because it will be nearly empty and within a few hours will be packed with people. The ticket counter is to the right, before security. Make sure you get a ticket before heading to security. If you are into Chinese history, it might be useful to get the audio guide, but we didn't listen to it as much. Most of the time was spent in the Imperial Garden.

​After spending a few hours in the City, go to the back and enter Jingshan Park. This peaceful park is much less touristy and allows you the opportunity to get some amazing overview pictures of the Forbidden City. First, stop at Wanchun Pavilion (pretty much in the middle) and go to the top to get the overview picture of the Forbidden City. Then go around and just be with nature. On the north side of the Jingshan hill is the Shouhuang Hall (Hall of Imperial Longevity), originally the place for the emperors in the Qing dynasty to pay their respects to their ancestors. This intimate and quiet temple is great for taking pictures and getting the 'typical' Chinese pictures.

If you haven't gotten enough walking, go to Tiananmen Square (about two miles) along the outside of the Forbidden City and explore the largest city square in the world. After a long day thus far, we went back and rested at the hotel.

For the first time of the trip, we took the subway (we wish we had used it earlier in the day to save the legs) to the Lama Temple. We met our group for our food tour through Lost Plate and cannot recommend it enough! Our tour consisted of about 10 people and one local tour guide. We paid $80 for an evening food tour (about three hours), for four restaurants and a brewery. You are transported by tuktuks, so be prepared for a cold ride (although they do provide blankets). This intimate tour gives you an insight into local food and restaurants (some only marked with a stop light outside). The tour guide explains the history behind the food and the local area you are in. Not to mention all the free beer! If you are taking the subway home, make sure you are keeping an eye on time because the subway closes at 11 pm. We ended up sprinting from the brewery to the subway and making the last train.

Traveling with a vegetarian in China was a challenge at certain points, so we decided to check out a vegetarian/vegan restaurant for breakfast, but of course it was closed when we arrived. Luckily, it was close to our hotel, so we checked out the two-story NBA store instead. We then crossed the street to the APM mall, where we got new jackets at H&M due to us not realizing the extent of how cold it was going to get in Beijing. After getting warm, we ended up getting a smoothie for breakfast to at least get something in our stomachs. We took the subway to the Temple of Heaven, but at this point in our trip, all the buildings were starting to blend together. The Temple of Heaven was not as crowded as the Forbidden City, but this is still a popular spot. This was also the first time a group of locals asked us to take pictures with them, so it was a pretty cool moment.

​At the south exit of the Temple, there is a great hot pot restaurant, Hongyuan Nanmen Hot Pot. Hot pot is a staple of the culture. For those not familiar, hot pot consists of thinly sliced raw meat and vegetables and cooking it in the middle of the table in boiling broth. This specific restaurant is a chain, but not only is it great food, but a great price!

On the way back to the subway, we stopped at the Pearl Market, we didn't get anything, but it was for sure an experience. We stopped at the attached Starbucks for a cup of coffee after all the walking. After resting at the hotel for a little, we went to dinner with a friend at Xianlaoman Gongbao Jiding and ended up ordering enough food for a small city. But every dish was making us salivate. The variety of food gave us great insight into the different foods locals eat daily. We walked to her apartment and saw what an expat typically lives in, and both my friend and I were pleasantly surprised with how comfortable it was. The studio apartment was two levels, with the bed on top getting there by a ladder.

We went for drinks at the Houhai Bar Street, which is a must at night. This is a line of bars on the water, that is a nice casual place where karaoke is prevalent.

Our friend met us at our hotel to be our tour guide (she has lived in Beijing for nearly two years). She showed us around Wangfujing pedestrian street and WF Central, which is an upscale, relatively new shopping mall. A must-stroll is the Wangfujing Snack Street. All along the street, you will find a variety of insects from scorpions, snakes, lizards, spiders, centipedes, etc. You will also find filling food such as dumplings, ice cream bubble cones, etc. This is also a great place to get gifts for friends and family at a great price (I got my brother a fantastic tea pot set for $25 USD).

We called a DiDi (Lyft/Uber of China), to Peking Duck by the 798 Artist District. Peking duck is a must-have and no better place than at Najia Restaurants. Amazing food with a better Peking duck show! 798 Artist District is a creative space where there are beautiful murals, sculptures and art galleries. A great way to walk around and see the local part of Beijing. We happened to be there during China Fashion Week, so there was a bunch of hustle and bustle that revolved around setting up for the big weekend.

We took a DiDi to the Pearl Market. My friend showed us there the locals' shop, through the back ally and through a bookshelf. It was something out of a movie, little ladies running around, whether you needed Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, etc. Anything you requested was in your hands within minutes. After dropping off our goodies at the hotel, we headed to Sanlitun (an area of Beijing where a number of expats live, so great for hearing English). We headed to The Local, where we sipped on alcoholic mudslide milkshakes, which were something out of heaven, before heading to dinner. Next door was Q Mex, an average spot to get Mexican food. I wasn't blown away by their food, but it was a nice refresher to have some non-Chinese food for a change.

This was the day I was looking forward to because we were finally heading to one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. This was the only thing we booked ahead of time, and we are so glad we did. On the streets in Beijing, it seemed as if everyone was trying to sell us a Great Wall tour. After a recommendation from a friend, we booked through Leo's Beijing Tours. I cannot recommend this company enough. They only do private tours, which comes with a private, clean car, water, an English-speaking tour guide and all attractions paid for. They pick you up and drop off at your hotel. Our tour guide, Susan was amazing!

After taking the ski lift up the wall and walking along the wall (bring comfortable walking shoes), we took the toboggan down. The workers will tell you pictures and videos are not allowed, but pretend you don't understand because you only get to do this once! At the bottom there is a great tea house where you can experience a traditional tea ceremony, for free. A bit expensive, but a great place to buy tea-related gifts.

We booked the tour that included the Summer Palace, which could have been a day trip in it self because of how expansive it is. We grabbed food and coffee before going in. Try sticky rice served in a pineapple, very interesting and very tasty. We got dropped off at the hotel, then headed back to Wangfujing Snack Street to try various food. We ended up having dumplings and bubble cone ice. At WF Central, we ate at Tribe. After a long day in the sun, we relaxed and had salads and chilled. After dinner, my friend went back to the hotel and I walked around the Wangfujing pedestrian street, where I was asked to get coffee and speak English. Our tour guide Susan told us if they ever try this, they just want to pick-pocket you.

We ate at Baker & Spice for breakfast in WF Central, which turned out to be a great way to start our day. We decided to go to the 'local' Pearl Market again to get some more gifts. We then headed to the Beijing Olympic Park, which could have been a small city in itself. Although we didn't go into any of the buildings, I really wish we went into the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. We tried finding the chocolate shop on Houhai Bar Street, but to no avail, we failed because it was closed. We decided to check out something that couldn't fail; the world's second-largest Starbucks (as of 2018). Nothing could prepare us for three stories of unexpectedness. Each floor had a different theme, for example, one of was coffee, one was tea, etc. For a non-coffee drinker, if you have time, I would check it out. For a coffee-drinker, I would highly recommend checking it out.

For something a little more relaxed, we checked out Le Cabernet, which I would honestly not recommend because I wasn't overly impressed with the food, but we were extremely drained form the week, we decided to go next door to our hotel. While it satisfied our hunger, I wouldn't go back. Since we were flying out the next day, we went back to the hotel and packed and grabbed a much-needed drink at the hotel bar.