4 Days in Beijing, China 2026 - A Travel Guide for First-Time Visitors.

Beijing. Four days in China's historic capital. From centuries-old hutongs transformed into cozy cafes and creative neighborhoods to imperial landmarks, the Great Wall and some of the best local food I've found in China. Let me show you how to spend four days in Beijing. At the end of this video, I'll share important things to know before visiting China and what this four-day trip actually costs. My journey began in the heart of Beijing, wandering through the historic streets of Dashilan. Once one of the city's busiest commercial districts, it's still lined with traditional storefronts, narrow alleyways and local restaurants. To start the day, I stopped by Berry Bean's Cafe, a cozy little cafe overlooking the surrounding hutongs. Not far away, I stumbled upon a small local restaurant serving one of Beijing's most traditional dishes, hand-pulled noodles topped with a rich soybean paste sauce. From there, I wandered through Zhongshan Park, one of the oldest imperial gardens in the city. Once reserved exclusively for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, today it's a peaceful escape where locals come to relax beneath centuries-old trees. If you'd like to recreate the look of my videos, you can find my power grade and luck pack in the description below. As the afternoon slowly turned into evening, I made my way up Zhongshan Park. Built on an artificial hill directly behind the Forbidden City, it offers what is arguably the most spectacular view in all of Beijing. If you like this video, a thumbs up helps more than you think. The next morning I went for a day trip to one of the places I'd been looking forward to the most, the Great Wall of China. Rather than visiting the section closest to the city, I made my way to Mutianyu, one of the best preserved parts of the wall. It takes a little longer to get here, but if you arrive later in the afternoon, there's a good chance you'll have much of it almost to yourself. Instead of one continuous wall disappearing into the distance, what surprised me most was how it followed every ridge and mountain peak, rising and falling as far as the eye could see. The Great Wall was definitely the highlight of the day, but some of my favorite travel memories usually come from the people I meet along the way. That's why I've been spending a bit more time learning new languages lately. Not because I want to become fluent overnight, but because even a few simple phrases can completely change the way you experience a country. That's why I've been using the new Rosetta Stone Sapphire. One feature I really like is that you can choose the situations you're learning for. Since I travel so much, I've been focusing on the travel lessons, which teach phrases you'll actually use on a trip. I also like the pronunciation practice. You get instant feedback as you speak, which has definitely made me feel more confident, and whenever I have a few spare minutes, I can jump into a quick lesson or one of the chat missions, making it easy to stay consistent. And it actually paid off today. On my way back from the Great Wall, I exchanged a few words in Chinese with a local family. Before I knew it, we were taking photos together, and the kids even handed me a Chinese flag to remember the day. So if you're planning a trip of your own, Rosetta Stone Sapphire is currently offering 25% off the yearly subscription, with access to all 25 languages. Just scan the QR code or use the link in the description to get started. Thanks again to Rosetta Stone Sapphire for partnering with me on today's video. To end the day, I headed to Niuji Snack Street, the heart of Beijing's Muslim quarter. Home to the city's Hui Muslim community for centuries, it's one of the best places to experience a different side of Beijing's food scene. My third day in Beijing also marked the Unsurprisingly, the city felt much livelier than it had over the previous days. I started the morning at the Temple of Heaven, one of Beijing's most important imperial landmarks. If you're planning a visit, I'd recommend entering through the south gate to see the entire complex in order. My first stop was the Echo Wall, a circular wall famous for its unusual acoustics. Thanks to its design, a whisper spoken on one side can sometimes be heard surprisingly clearly on the other. From there, I continued to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the unmistakable blue roof temple that has become one of Beijing's most recognizable landmarks. Built entirely from wood without using a single nail, it was once where emperors prayed for good harvests and prosperity for the empire. After spending the morning there, I headed north to Sanli Park, a quiet green space hidden between traditional alleyways. While wandering through the park, I came across Voyage Coffee, a cozy little cafe tucked right beside the water. From there, it was only a short walk to Tianmen Pedestrian Street. Once one of Beijing's main commercial streets, it's now a lively mix of historic architecture, traditional shops, local snacks, and the nostalgic vintage trams that slowly make their way down the boulevard. My final day in Beijing began with a slow morning at another From there, I wandered through South Luogu Lane, one of Beijing's oldest hutong districts. Once a quiet residential neighborhood, it's now filled with small boutiques, cafes, local restaurants, and countless side alleys waiting to be explored. It didn't take long before I found myself in North Luogu Alley. Lined with vintage clothing stores, cozy cafes, wine bars, and beautifully preserved courtyard houses. Around lunchtime, I stopped at Lao Xi Dumplings where I tried their beef and cheese dumplings. As the afternoon slowly came to an end, I took a ditty to Xichahai, one of Beijing's most charming historic districts. Spread across three connected lakes and surrounded by centuries-old hutongs, it has long been a place where locals come to walk, cycle, or simply enjoy the waterfront. As promised, here are a few things to know that'll make traveling in China a lot smoother. First, download Amap before your trip. It's the navigation app locals use and unlike Google Maps, Amap has up-to-date and reliable information. I used it throughout the entire trip and never had any issues. Next, you will want Alipay. China is almost completely cashless and Alipay can be used for just about everything, from restaurants and attractions to convenience stores and even small local vendors. International credit cards are now accepted. It's also worth installing WeChat, especially if you need to stay in contact with hotels, tour operators, or local guides. For getting around, Didi is the Chinese equivalent of Uber and works extremely well throughout the country. And for booking hotels, trains, flights, or attractions, I found Trip.com to be the most useful app by far, since it's a Chinese-owned platform that's widely used by locals. It has access to a huge range of hotels, transportation options, and attractions. In fact, it's embedded in the Alipay app as well. You'll also need a VPN in China to access services like Google, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp. After testing several providers during this trip, ExpressVPN delivered the most reliable experience. If you're interested, they're offering four extra months for free through my link in the description. You'll find links to all of these apps and services in the description below. And finally, here is how much I spent on my four-day trip through Beijing.