8-Day Golden Autumn Tour of Beijing

D1 Friday: Shanghai – Beijing South (overnight on train)

D2 Saturday: Shenwumen Corner Tower Café – Jingshan Park – Forbidden City surroundings, Qing dynasty costume shop scouting – Sijiminfu

D3 Sunday: Beijing North – Yanqi Lake (Huaimi Line)

Hongluo Temple ginkgo – Check in at Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel

D4 Monday: Mutianyu Great Wall – Return to Beijing by Mubus

D5 Tuesday: Fragrant Hills red leaves – Regent Beijing Forbidden City collaboration afternoon tea

D6 Wednesday: Five Pagoda Temple Stone Carving Art Museum ginkgo – Heping Guo Ju – Qianmen Dashilan – Check in at Kapok Hotel

D7 Thursday: Forbidden City 600th anniversary exhibition

D8 Friday: Forbidden City costume photoshoot

D9 Saturday: Ditan Park ginkgo

Beijing – Shanghai

Shenwumen Corner Tower Café

Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel

Encounter violinist Lü Siqing on the Great Wall

Regent Beijing Forbidden City collaboration afternoon tea

Five Pagoda Temple Stone Carving Art Museum

Forbidden City 600th anniversary exhibition

Below are the four treasures of the exhibition

1. For those who want to photograph the popular Shenwumen Corner Tower Café, it’s best to go in the morning. It opens at 8:30. After 11:00 it gets crowded because people start coming out of the Forbidden City, so there will be long lines and no seats. If you finish exploring the Forbidden City and come out, it’s already 17:00 and the café is closed. The café is located at the exit of the Forbidden City, and you don’t need a Forbidden City ticket. Just tell the security guard you’re going for coffee and they’ll let you in. It’s closed on Mondays. Next to the café is a Forbidden City cultural creative shop, where you can buy little cat figurines of the Ming and Qing emperors. They come with double-sided tape, so you can stick a cat emperor onto your coffee cup and take it into the Forbidden City for photos.

2. Entering the Forbidden City via Donghuamen is closer and less crowded. There are many costume rental shops near Donghuamen, as well as the Sijiminfu restaurant. The Kapok Hotel is very close to Donghuamen. You need to buy Forbidden City tickets in advance through the official WeChat account “故宫博物院观众服务” (the Palace Museum Visitor Service).

3. The Huaimi Line has no reserved seats; it’s first come, first served. At the Yanqi Lake station exit, there are no shops. Unlicensed taxis will take you to Hongluo Temple for 10 yuan per person. Hongluo Temple has a restaurant inside; it’s recommended to have breakfast or lunch there and ask the staff to look after your luggage. Hongluo Temple does not have official luggage storage. It’s suggested to take the slideway up the mountain and walk down via the Guanyin Road. The ginkgo trees in front of the Mahavira Hall of Hongluo Temple are over a thousand years old. A taxi from Hongluo Temple to the Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel costs about 50 yuan.

4. The prices at the Mutianyu Great Wall Hotel’s restaurant are not very expensive; for two people, it’s around 150 yuan per person. We strongly recommend this hotel for those climbing the Mutianyu Great Wall. It’s right at the foot of the wall, the closest hotel to the Great Wall. The room rate includes two Great Wall entrance tickets and shuttle bus tickets, and you can get a 20 yuan discount on the chairlift/toboggan tickets. Most importantly, you can get onto the Great Wall as soon as the chairlift opens and take photos with no one else around—the chairlift seems to start operating at 7:30. The Mutianyu Great Wall is easy to climb, suitable for all ages. We suggest taking the chairlift up and the toboggan down. The chairlift is enclosed, the toboggan is open. After taking the chairlift up, first head to the right; the most beautiful section is about a 10-15 minute walk away. There are not many toilets on the Great Wall, so be careful not to drink too much water.

5. To return to central Beijing from Mutianyu, you can buy direct bus tickets on Taobao for Mubus or Zanbus.

6. Fragrant Hills tickets must be booked in advance via the WeChat official account: “北京本地宝” (Beijing Bendibao) - “公园购票” (Park Ticket Purchase). Be sure to enter through the North Gate, because the cable car is at the North Gate and it starts operating at 9:00. You must take the cable car up and walk down, because only from the cable car can you see the relatively modest red leaves; there are no red leaves at all along the walking path going up. You can arrive at the North Gate at 8:00, first photograph the attractions at the foot of the hill near the North Gate, and then go up when the cable car starts at 9:00. Biyun Temple at the North Gate of Xiangshan Temple is closed on Mondays.

7. The Regent Beijing’s Forbidden City collaboration afternoon tea can be purchased on Dianping. After purchase, you need to call in advance to reserve a specific time. Mondays and Tuesdays are cheaper than other days. You can prepare a photo in advance—the coffee in the set can be 3D-printed with the photo.

8. For popular photo spots in the Forbidden City for costume shoots, you can search on Xiaohongshu—there are plenty.

9. When visiting the Forbidden City, we suggest heading straight to the back (the exit) and then exploring in reverse order. This way you can avoid the crowds and take photos with fewer people. There are eateries inside the Forbidden City, but during peak meal times the queues are very long, so those who want to save time can bring their own food.

10. The ginkgo trees at Ditan Park (Temple of Earth) are spectacular—do not miss it. The park has four gates. We recommend taking a taxi to the West Gate, where there is a paifang (archway). The ginkgo trees at the West Gate and North Gate are the most magnificent.

11. Five Pagoda Temple, also known as the Stone Carving Art Museum, is closed on Mondays. Advance reservation is required on the WeChat official account: “北京本地宝” - “博物馆预约” (Museum Reservation).

12. Don’t assume it’s easy to hail a taxi early in the morning. On the day we went to Fragrant Hills, we used Didi at 6:15 am, and it took 40 minutes before a driver accepted the order.

13. If you want to do a costume shoot in the Forbidden City and also eat at Sijiminfu near Donghuamen, you can first get a queue number at Sijiminfu, then leisurely pick out your costume next door.

14. In terms of itinerary, it’s best to avoid weekends for the Great Wall, Fragrant Hills, Forbidden City, Hongluo Temple, and Ditan Park, as they will be extremely crowded.