Beijing in 4 Days: The 20,000-Steps-a-Day Edition

National Museum + Tiananmen Flag-Lowering Ceremony

Afternoon at the National Museum of China (free, reservation needed). Then stay for the flag-lowering ceremony at Tiananmen Square — timed to sunset, and genuinely impressive to witness in person.

Temple of Heaven (AM) → Great Wall (PM)

Morning at Temple of Heaven — the Hall of Prayer lives up to the hype, it's a genuinely beautiful building. Go early for smaller crowds! Pro tip: leave by 10:30 AM and head straight to Nanmen Sharou (天坛店) for lunch — absolutely worth eating, and it lines up perfectly with your schedule. Then head to the Great Wall in the afternoon — yes, there's time!

Summer Palace (AM) → Yonghe Temple (PM)

Morning at the Summer Palace — stunning but brutal on your feet 😤 (though the architecture really is spectacular). Afternoon at Yonghe Lama Temple — has this surreal, almost video-game atmosphere to it, like you've become an NPC in an ancient palace. Is it just me? 😅

PS: The snack streets around Yonghe Temple aren't worth the 30+ minute queues at each stall. But the hutong luzhu (卤煮) is genuinely good!

Forbidden City (Full Day)

Go in the morning. Seriously — you'll need 5-6 hours to see it properly, and even then you won't see everything in detail. Rent an audio guide — the commentary really brings the place alive. The palace halls, the painted ceilings (藻井), the special exhibitions — all incredible. This is the one Beijing attraction that genuinely earns every bit of its reputation.