I just came back from a short trip to Beijing and I’d like to share with you some Beijing travel tips so that you can plan a trip to Beijing with ease.

Transportation

Getting around Beijing using the metro is very convenient. There are a total of 25 lines, each colour-coded for easy navigation. You will probably be using Line 1 and Line 8 the most. Google Maps show certain metro stations as “permanently closed” but in actual fact, every station shown on this Beijing Rail Transit Lines map is working.

There’s no need to buy metro cards, you can just use your Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards to tap in and out of the stations.

Payment

China is one of the earliest adopters of electronic payments. The main method of payment in China are WeChat Pay and Alipay. As foreigners, we do not have China bank card or China phone number to verify our identities in order to use WeChat Pay which leaves us with Alipay.

Alipay is currently available in 39 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. You just have to download the Alipay app from the App Store or Google Play, sign up for an account, add your credit or debit cards and you are good to go. You can also add in your YouTrip card to lock in favourable exchange rates.

But sometimes Alipay refuses to work, which I experienced during my trip to Beijing. It’s always good to have some Chinese currency on hand for situations like this.

Attraction Tickets

I always prefer to get the necessary attraction tickets beforehand so I don’t have to spend time to queue for tickets, and there are some tickets you have get beforehand as there are no same-day tickets.

Forbidden City

The admission ticket to the Forbidden City is one of the attractions where you have to buy your ticket beforehand. The tickets are only released every 7 days, and they get snapped up immediately. Plus, only Chinese citizens with a valid WeChat account can buy the tickets using a WeChat mini program.

We foreigners have to buy the Forbidden City admission ticket through a third party agent. It’s about S$10-14 per ticket. I got mine from TripAdvisor, it’s also available on Klook, Seek Sophie and other online travel platforms, some of them come with guided tours.

There are morning and afternoon Forbidden City tickets. The entry time for the morning session is from 8.30am to 12pm, while afternoon ticket entry is from 11am till 6.30pm. Be careful to choose the correct session ticket.

Tiananmen Square

You need to get Tiananmen Square tickets at least 1 day before as there are no same-day tickets for this attraction too.

I got my tickets at GetYourGuide, it’s also available on Klook, Seek Sophie and other online travel platforms.

Mutianyu Great Wall of China

Badaling is the most well-preserved part of the Great Wall of China which is why it’s extremely popular among locals and tourists alike. I decided to visit Mutianyu Great Wall of China instead and it turned out to be a wise choice. It’s not as crowded, but still as majestic and magnificent.

There are buses that brings you to Mutianyu Great Wall of China from Beijing City Centre, but it can be a little difficult to navigate for foreigners. I suggest booking a Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing. I chose the option without hotel pick-up. We gathered at Exit C of Dongzhimen metro station and the tour bus took us all the way to the Mutianyu Great Wall. On the bus, the tour guide told us a lot of stories about the Great Wall, you can also book cable car and toboggan rides with the tour guide. The tour guide also suggested we try Chestnut Chicken and Rainbow Trout, two speciality dishes of Mutianyu area, they are really delicious. The tour ended at around 6pm when the tour bus dropped us in Beijing city centre and everyone enjoyed the trip.