Beijing: Welcome to the Exhaustion Olympics. Spoiler: Beijing Wins.
-
Hi everyone! I have been to over thirty countries and, to be honest, traveling with children and elderly relatives in Beijing is no piece of cake!
Even though I've come to Beijing many times, I haven't usually visited those iconic "red sites" (such as Tiananmen Square and nearby attractions), which play a key role in understanding China's modern history; but taking this trip with my family meant these places were definitely on our must-visit list.
On top of that, group tours weren’t an option for us - both my son and I are real snoozers and would have struggled with the early start required by travel itineraries.
As you can imagine, accessing Beijing’s attractions was no easy feat with the high demand leading to many restrictions! Every day we had to set multiple alarms and visit the website at specific times to book tickets. Scheduling appointments all hinged on your speed and luck, particularly during school holidays like July and August, February and March. Luckily, we managed to secure our desired spots in the end.
Despite our plan to limit ourselves to one destination per day (except for days when there were extra morning activities planned); the fatigue accumulated over our journey was overwhelming! We sought out excellent guides at the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City who helped us take a relatively light, yet engaging route; even so, we often ended up taking around 20,000 steps in a day, barely holding on through sheer grit!
We were fortunate enough to engage a guide at the Forbidden City, considering its historical significance and impressive scale. Without expert guidance, visitors tend to lose sight of the focus and important stories behind each structure.
Furthermore, there are so many people lining up to view the Clock Museum and the Antique Precious Objects Exhibition at the Forbidden City that you'd likely experience congestion there.
Important Tips & Complaints Corner:
- Tiananmen Square:
- It is inconvenient to hail cabs due to traffic control measures. Public transit (Subway) is highly recommended.
- For children under 1.3 meters in height, entry through the side of a grown-up is allowed without separate fares.
- Security checks for entry into the Tiananmen region could result in lengthy queues. Please remain patient.
- Mao Zedong Mausoleum:
- The brief tour time from entry to exit takes just about five minutes.
- Visitors cannot stay in place, speak, or photograph within the mausoleum. Please refrain from bringing any large bags if possible.
- Great Hall of the People:
- Capturing the stunning dome requires some stretching and angling to get the whole picture – and only with extreme patience and determination.
- The Military Museum:
- Tri-pods and camera extensions are strictly prohibited.
- Tsinghua University:
- The vast campus is rumored to be seven times larger than the Palace Museum’s premises.
- Although expected to find plenty of bike-sharing options, I ended up being quite disappointed.
- After trudging half an hour, we decided to call it quits. We believe that hiring tour guides isn’t a must to explore the campus, you could simply wander around after searching some online tips.
- Recommendations for Public Transport during Your Trip:
- Should you find the duration for a cab ride shorter than a subway ride; opt for the former, especially after a tiring day of exploring the city, as navigating the subway can prove exhausting.
- However, should heavy traffic congestion occur at peak hours, turning to the metro is still your best bet.
Overall, this Beijing trip turned out quite strenuous! Still, I think bringing kids to such places could aid their comprehension of rich cultural knowledge and traditions!
With seniors, like those who respect Chairman Mao due to his significant influence, visiting historic locations could satisfy their sentimental attachment and personal connection.For parents with kids:
If possible, bring them out on holiday once they become senior pre-school students but before primary; this way, you only require few days off work and enjoy an easier time.
Try to avoid traveling during Chinese public holidays or the summer and winter breaks, when attractions become more crowded and the experience may be less enjoyable.The most critical reminder:
Bring your passport or identity card, as it will be checked upon entry to certain areas such as the Tiananmen region and other places. Without proper identification, it would significantly hinder your ability to make the most of your trip.#Traveling in Beijing can be harder than working #Still, the Forbidden City is worth seeing.
-
6 days and 5 nights, over 20,000 steps daily, mostly skipped lunch. One moment I was freezing my head off, the next I was drenched in sweat. It's been a week since I got back, and my legs still haven't recovered.
-
Haha, the final destination is Jishuitan Hospital (famous for orthopedics)!
-
I don't know if I'm just getting old or if Beijing is just exceptionally tiring. I've been to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, and none of them were this exhausting. It's the first time I've ever been so tired I had to cut my trip short.
-
Beijing is really exhausting. Just crossing a street can take ages.
-
Well, at least it's not Xinjiang-level tiring. That's top-tier exhaustion. All that driving there makes you lose the will to live.
-
Xinjiang is definitely no walk in the park, not suitable for the elderly or kids. I averaged over 6 hours of driving daily in both Northern and Southern Xinjiang, especially on the Pamir Plateau. It was tiring, for sure, but not 'drive-till-your-back-breaks' tiring since I could switch drivers with my companions, and the beautiful scenery helped. In Beijing, however, it was all on my own two feet. I even needed acupuncture when I got back!
-
Haha, Beijing is pretty exhausting, but Chongqing? That's truly next-level tiring.
-
Chongqing doesn't require as much advance booking, so it's less of a hassle in that way.
-
A more manageable way to do Beijing is probably one major attraction per day, and then exploring the surrounding area if you still have energy. But that's not very tourist-friendly for a short trip.
-
Yeah, that's what we did – one attraction a day (except for one day), and we used the mornings to sleep in. Still, we couldn't keep up. The crowds make it even more tiring, and there's nowhere to sit.
-
I travel a lot and consider myself a good walker, but even I nearly collapsed at the Military Museum. I'm literally sitting on the museum stairs right now giving you a thumbs up for this comment.
-
Hahahaha, the Military Museum isn't even the worst! But yeah, crowds definitely make it more exhausting. Reminds me of when we couldn't find a place to eat at the Science and Tech Museum and ended up eating McDonald's on the stairs.
-
How do you even get tickets for the Forbidden City? I try every day and can never snag any!
-
How long did you try? I was clicking in and out of the payment page non-stop for a solid half hour before I finally managed to get through.
-
When my husband and I visited, we stayed at a hotel on Fuyou Street near the 1st Ring Road, super close to Tiananmen and the Forbidden City. We rented an e-scooter and used that to get around everywhere – so convenient! You can't ride it in Tiananmen Square, but it's fine elsewhere. We visited the Forbidden City, Prince Gong's Mansion, the National Museum, and Universal Studios. The food wasn't great, so we headed to Chongqing. I actually found Chongqing more tiring because of all the ups and downs. In Beijing, apart from walking within the attractions, we used the e-scooter for everything else.
-
I'm actually curious – in Chongqing, I could always get a taxi wherever I wanted to go, and it didn't take that long. Why walk? In Beijing, it's often hard to get a taxi, and it takes ages.
-
I wanted to ask, can you actually see Chairman Mao's body at the Mausoleum?
-
Yes, you walk past it in a line. You get to see him for about 2 minutes.
-
Haha, just saw this. Gotcha!
