Beijing's must-see canon is built from gates, walls, halls and courtyards, and our job is to tell you which ones reward an early alarm. The dozen we've chosen opens with the Chinese imperial palace and its companion ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces, then takes in a Tibetan lama temple, a mosque, a church building, an opera theater, and an opera house that dates only from 2007. Three of the twelve carry UNESCO World Heritage status, and seven others hold national-level protection as Major Historical and Cultural Sites. We've put this list together for first-timers who want the essentials without the coach-tour rhythm, and for return visitors ready to trade a second lap of the palace for a mosque, a guild hall or a Daoist temple. Watch the clock: several close in the afternoon, and one admits visitors only in the morning.
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1 Forbidden City
The Chinese imperial palace itself, dating from 1420
From 08:30 the gates of the Forbidden City open to the day's visitors, closing at 17:00 for most of the year and at 16:30 between Oct 16 and Apr 15. This is the Chinese imperial palace, dating from 1420 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be at the gate when it opens, before the midday surge of tour groups fills the courtyards, while the place is still half empty and you can hear your own footsteps. Give it a full morning rather than a rushed hour squeezed between other sights; the scale is the point, and it asks to be walked slowly. Check the official site, www.dpm.org.cn, before you set out, because the seasonal closing time catches out anyone who plans on summer hours in winter.
Dates from 1420 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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2 Summer Palace
19 新建宫门路, 北京市 100091An ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces
The Summer Palace, at 19 新建宫门路 in the 100091 postcode, opens at 06:30 and stays open until 18:00 every day. It is an ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right. We'd arrive at opening rather than following the late-morning start that most coach itineraries favour; the early hours belong to walkers, and the gardens are better for it. Treat this as a half-day outing. Bring water and decent shoes, because what you're here for is the movement between the halls, the paths and the water, not any single building you could photograph and leave.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hours: Mo-Su 06:30-18:00
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3 Temple of Heaven
An imperial complex of religious buildings open into the evening year-round
An imperial complex of religious buildings, the Temple of Heaven keeps generous hours: 06:00 to 21:00 from Apr 1 to Oct 31, and 06:30 to 21:00 from Nov 1 to Mar 31. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and most visitors still cram it into the crowded middle of the day. The locals know better. Come at 06:00 when the park is yours, or return after the day-trippers have left in the evening, when the grounds feel like a place rather than a queue. For anyone with a tight itinerary, those long hours are the most useful fact on this page: they let you fit the visit around the sights that close mid-afternoon.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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4 Prince Gong's Mansion
17 前海西街A nationally protected Major Historical and Cultural Site
If you want a prince's residence rather than an emperor's, put Prince Gong's Mansion early in the day, a building protected at the national level as a Major Historical and Cultural Site. Its address is 17 前海西街; write "17 前海西街" out for your driver rather than trusting a romanised name. Skip packaged tours that march you through on a timer. This is a place for an unhurried hour, at human scale, after the vast courtyards of the imperial sights. No opening hours are listed here, so check the official site, http://www.pgm.org.cn/, before you go, and plan the rest of your afternoon around what it says.
Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
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5 Tiananmen
1 西长安街, 北京市 100010The monumental gate in the centre of Beijing
Tiananmen is the gate at the centre of Beijing, carrying national-level protection as a Major Historical and Cultural Site. Its address, 1 西长安街, in the 100010 postcode, leaves nothing in doubt about where it stands. Don't treat it as a ten-second photo stop on the way somewhere else: stand back, take in the proportions, and let the gate register as architecture rather than as a backdrop. Pair it with the palace sights nearby, but give the gate its own few minutes; it rewards a second, slower look more than most monuments of its fame.
Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
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6 Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
The final resting place of Mao Zedong
The Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, the final resting place of the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, is open between 07:00 and 11:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and that narrow window, along with the Monday closure it implies, should shape your whole morning. Don't arrive late hoping to slip in before 11:00; come close to opening. This is a solemn visit, not a sightseeing stroll, so dress plainly, keep your voice down, and leave any bag you don't need at your hotel. The official page at http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/69112/113427/ is worth checking the night before.
Hours: Tu-Su 07:00-11:00
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7 National Centre for the Performing Arts
An opera house dating from 2007
The National Centre for the Performing Arts exists for opera, and the building is best judged with a performance on. It dates from 2007, which makes it a present-tense counterweight to the dynastic stops on this list. Skip the daytime walk-around that most visitors settle for; an opera house makes full sense in use, with an audience in it and the lights up. Look up the programme at http://www.chncpa.org, book an evening seat, and treat the night out as part of the itinerary rather than an extra. A 2007 building in a city of old gates earns its place by being alive after dark.
Dates from 2007
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8 Beijing Dongyue Temple
141 朝阳门外大街, 北京市 100020A temple dating from 1319, nationally protected
Beijing Dongyue Temple sits at 141 朝阳门外大街, in the 100020 postcode, and opens 08:30 to 16:30, Tuesday to Sunday. The building dates from 1319 and carries national-level protection as a Major Historical and Cultural Site. If your first day here went to the imperial circuit, this is where day two earns its keep. Come on a weekday afternoon, give it an hour, and mark Monday out of your diary before you plan anything, because it is closed. Check https://dym.com.cn before you make the trip across town.
Dates from 1319 · Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
Hours: Tu-Su 08:30-16:30
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9 Niujie Mosque
18 牛街A mosque in Beijing dating from 1442
Niujie Mosque stands at 18 牛街, a mosque dating from 1442 that holds national-level protection as a Major Historical and Cultural Site, and it shows you a side of Beijing the palace circuit never reaches. Don't pass it from a taxi window; get out and treat it as the working place of worship it is, not a museum stop. Dress modestly, keep shoulders and knees covered, and ask before stepping into any prayer space. Show your driver "18 牛街" in characters and you will arrive without a detour.
Dates from 1442 · Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
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10 Huguang Guild Hall
3 虎坊路An opera theater dating from 1807
The Huguang Guild Hall, an opera theater at 3 虎坊路 dating from 1807, holds national-level protection as a Major Historical and Cultural Site, and it is the place on this list to hear a performance in a room that has earned that standing. Skip the hotel-lobby opera revues packaged for tour groups; sitting in a protected theater changes how the music lands. Check the programme at http://www.beijinghuguang.com/, book ahead for an evening, and arrive early enough to look around before the curtain. Even if opera is not your thing, one act in a room like this tells you more about the city than an afternoon of souvenir stalls.
Dates from 1807 · Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
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11 Yonghe Temple
A Tibetan lama temple dating from 1694
Yonghe Temple, a Tibetan lama temple dating from 1694 and protected at the national level as a Major Historical and Cultural Site, opens to visitors from 09:00 to 16:00 every day. Resist the temptation to leave it until the afternoon: doors close at 16:00, and anyone who arrives after lunch ends up rushing through a place that rewards slow looking. Come mid-morning, move quietly, and keep in mind that people come here to pray, not just to take photographs. Check the official site, http://www.yonghegong.cn, before you go in case anything has changed.
Dates from 1694 · Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-16:00
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12 St. Joseph's Church, Beijing
74 王府井大街A church building dating from 1904
St. Joseph's Church, Beijing, dating from 1904 and holding national-level protection as a Major Historical and Cultural Site, stands at 74 王府井大街: a church building that will catch anyone off guard who arrived expecting nothing but temples and palaces. The chain stores and snack stalls on this shopping street eat most visitors' time; give the church ten quiet minutes instead. It is a working church, so be considerate around services and keep your voice low inside. Show your driver "74 王府井大街" in characters, and come late in the day when the rest of your sightseeing is done.
Dates from 1904 · Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level
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