Free spots do not mean they are not famous and not important to visit when you travel to Beijing. Instead, they are also worth to visit as from which tourists could experience different and tough more local Beijing.
Tianmanmen Square
Tiananmen Square is one of the most important landmarks for Beijing, even for China. It is in the center of Beijing. It is regarded as the largest city square in the world nowsdays.
Tiananmen Square
Wangfujing Street
Wangfujing Street is the most famous commercial street in Beijing and it is a must-going place when you travel to Beijing.
Wangfujin Street
Jingshan Park
Jingshan Park is just located in the city center, just behind Forbidden City. It was original imperial garden in Ming and Qing Dynasty. It was the highest spot in Beijing. Tourists could have a panoramic view of Forbidden City.
Jingshan Park
Hutong
Hutong is another landmark of Beijing, which has a long history since Yuan Dynasty. Although Beijing city becomes fairly modern and many tall buildings are built every year, many locals still reside in the traditional style courtyard in hutongs. Therefore, hutong is a good place to tough the local people’s life, where you might see locals playing chess by a hutong, plying badminton in a hutong, women doing needlework in front of their house and chatting with others, ect.
Hutong
Houhai Lake
Houhai Lake is one part of Shichahai Lake. Houhai area is a leisure place from ancient times. Nowadays, there are many bars, restaurants, snack shops in the nearby hutongs or along the lake. It is really an unmissable place for most tourists.
Houhai Lake
Sanlitun
Sanli means three miles in Chinese. Tun refers to village. Sanlitun is named because it is around 3 mile away from ancient Beijing downtown. Many diplomatic apartments were built in this area since 1960s. Nowadys, Sanlitun area becomes a community of overseas diplomatic personnel in China. Sanlitun is famous also because of the bars, where many foreigners and locals visit.
Sanlitun bar street
798 Art Zone
798 Art Zone is regarded as one of the cultural landmarks in Beijing. It is in a disused factory. Many artist rent the workshops to give them enough space for art creation. There are also shows held in 798 Factory. If you like art, it could be a choice for your leisure time in Beijing.
798 Art District
Capital Museum
Capital Museum is situated in the Confucian Temple. It is free to public and open from Tuesday to Sunday every week.
Capital Museum
Dashilanr
Dashilanr is a famous commercial archaized street outside Qianmen Gate in Beijing, which is in center of ancient Beijing City. It is suitable for shopping because there are many Beijing long-standing shops in Dashilanr.
Dashilanr
The Olympic Green
Olympic Green is the venue for 2008 Beijing Olympic. The well known site in the park should be “Bird Nest” and “Water Cube”. It is suitable for exterior view and picture-taking. You could choose to visit it at day time or at night.
Bird Nest
Xiushui Street
Xiushui Street is the only world famous market in China. For most tourists, it is a must-visiting place when they travel to Beijing, just like Great Wall, Forbidden City and Beijing Roast Duck.
Xiushui Street
Panjiajyuan Antique Market
Panjiayuan is a antique market, where more and more tourists put it into their Beijing tour itinerary, where people could find a variety of archaized furniture, ancient artworks as well as all kind of old things from Jewelry to daily necessities. Whatever you could think of or you can not realize can be found in the market.
Panjiayuan Antique Market