10 Best Day Trips from Beijing
What are the Best Road Trips Around Beijing?
While Beijing hypnotises with its monumental skyline, boundary-pushing tech industry and rickshaw rides through its hutong alleys, there are plenty of day trips from Beijing that are as equally enthralling. Just miles from the city centre, you’ll find imperial gardens, ancient villages and sacred Buddhist sites including Eight Outer Temples and the cliffside Hanging Monastery.
Visitors the world over flock to Beijing for one of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China. This UNESCO-listed treasure extends thousands of miles across some of the most breathtakingly beautiful landscapes you’ll see on your travels. Spend a day hiking a section of the wall or dedicate weeks to conquering its more challenging portions.
1. Great Wall of China
One for the bucket list
Categorías: Historia, Fotos
One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall of China is a sequence of extraordinary fortifications that were first used as a defence mechanism against nomadic invaders. Spanning thousands of miles across lush green landscapes and craggy mountains, the wall draws thousands of visitors for photographs and hiking.
Don’t even try to walk the entire wall as it crosses 15 provinces; instead, select portions to visit during spring and autumn when you’ll enjoy some of the most breathtaking hikes in all of China. Venture to Badaling, a town situated 50 miles northwest of Beijing’s city centre, for panoramic vistas from the wall’s historic watchtowers.
Dirección: Huairou District, China, 101406
Horario: Daily from 9 am to 4.30 pm
Teléfono: +86 10 6162 6022
Great Wall of China
2. Gubei Water Town
A throwback to earlier times
Categorías: Parejas, Familias, Historia
Situated at the foot of the Simatai Great Wall, Gubei Water Town might be an artificial reconstruction of an earlier era, but it makes the place no less enthralling. This labyrinth of old quartzite streets, narrow hutongs and river channels effortlessly evoke the atmosphere of ancient China, where you can experience time-worn traditions and unique local customs.
Don’t miss the town’s Sima Liquor Distillery for a taste of its strong Chinese spirits or the Yinghua Academy, where you can learn the art of calligraphy, view ancient Confucian texts and sip aromatic tea in its sun-kissed courtyard. The entire Gubeikou area is also rich with hot springs, so book a hotel here for a geothermal soak.
Dirección: Near Sishui Road (Gubei Water Town Tourist Resort Scenic Area), M72G+RQX, Beijing, China, 100061
Horario: Daily from 8 am to 5 pm
Gubei Water Town
3. Chengde Mountain Resort
In the footsteps of royalty
Categorías: Historia, Fotos
A colossal complex of landscaped grounds and imperial palaces that was once the summer resort of the Qing Dynasty, Chengde Mountain Resort province covers a staggering 600 hectares. Dating to the early 1700s, this holiday haven in China’s Hebei is peppered with dazzling waterscapes, floating pavilions and Jiangnan classic gardens, which offer spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
A must-see is the resort’s UNESCO-listed Eight Outer Temples, a Tibetan Buddhist holy site, where you can walk in the footsteps of lamas, emperors and dignitaries while taking in historic murals, inscriptions and sculptures, including the Thousand-hand Goddess of Mercy, the largest gilded wooden statue in the world. Afterwards, take a paddle boat across the lake to visit the stunning Yanyu Tower.
Dirección: Lizhengmen Ave, Shuangqiao District, Chengde, Chengde, Hebei, China, 067022
Horario: Daily from 7 am to 5.30 pm
Teléfono: +86 31 4202 9771
Chengde Mountain Resort
4. Cuandixia
Historic village dating to the Ming Dynasty
Categorías: Parejas, Historia, Fotos
A significant Chinese enclave adorned with beautifully preserved architecture, Cuandixia is set in the verdant valley of the Jingxi Mountains, 2 hours east of Beijing. Boasting over 500 Ming and Qing dynasty houses, each with its own courtyard, visitors can easily spend a day here admiring a wealth of cultural relics.
Having barely changed for centuries, Cuandixia is a hiker’s paradise with steep stairwells and rocky pathways wending their way up each emerald hillside. If you really want to experience the village at the height of its power, visit during Chinese New Year when the streets come to life with fireworks, dumpling feasts and the ringing of the Buddhist bells.
Dirección: Mentougou District, Beijing, China, 102309
Horario: Daily from 7 am to 6.30 pm
Cuandixia
5. Longqingxia Gorge
Visually arresting Chinese canyon
Categorías: Parejas, Familias, Fotos
Longqingxia Gorge is a stunningly picturesque body of water set in the village of Gucheng, a 105-minute drive north of Beijing. With its rugged canyon landscapes and jade green water, it is best visited in the springtime when the whole region comes to life with glorious fragrant blossoms and lush green vegetation.
Shaped by wind and water over millions of years, Longqingxia Gorge features several must-see beauty spots including Moon Bay, Buddha Mountain, Bell Mountain and the Phoenix Coronet Isle. In wintertime, its Ice Festival draws visitors with its striking lanterns and sculptures that have been carved from giant blocks of ice, including magnificent mythological dragons.
Dirección: Yanqing District, Beijing, China, 102109
Horario: Daily from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm
Teléfono: +86 10 6919 1020
Longqingxia Gorge
6. Ming Tombs
A final resting place for emperors
Categorías: Parejas, Familias, Historia
30 miles northwest of Beijing, at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, lies Ming Tombs: an extraordinary mausoleum containing 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, 1368 to 1644. Before you reach the burial chambers, you’ll venture along the Sacred Way, a ceremonial path that’s edged with chiselled stone statutes that are purported to protect the emperor’s spirits.
Inside the Hall of Eminent Favors, or Changling Tomb, discover a wealth of Ming Dynasty relics including sophisticated wooden carvings, ornate dragon bas-reliefs and hand-painted ceilings. Don’t miss the Dingling Tomb of Emperor Zhi Yijun, which allows visitors to travel deep underground to view his white marble coffin and glimpse the golden imperial crown, one of the world’s rarest treasures.
Dirección: Changchi Rd, Changping District, China, 102200
Horario: Daily from 8 am to 5.30 pm
Teléfono: +86 10 6076 1422
Ming Tombs
7. Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform
Dazzling panoramic views
Categorías: Fotos, Aventuras
For simply unforgettable views, nothing beats a trip to the Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform in China’s Pinggu District, 60 miles northeast of the Beijing city centre. Teetering off a cliff in Shilin Gorge, this cutting-edge contraption allows visitors 360-degree panoramas of the surrounding mountains, rivers and countryside from its fabulous circular viewing platform.
If you’re not averse to heights, ride Shilinxia’s epic slide, which offers a spine-tingling descent down a very steep chute made entirely of crystal-clear glass. When you’re feeling peckish, stop by the on-site cafeteria for a tasty Chinese meal. You’ll be pleased to know the views from there are also to die for.
Dirección: Longxu District, Wuzhou, Guangxi, China, 543304
Horario: Daily from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm (closed during winter)
Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform
8. Fragrant Hills Park
Former royal pleasure resort
Categorías: Parejas, Familias, Fotos
Fragrant Hills Park is a former imperial garden that’s set at the foot of the Western Hills in Beijing’s Haidian District. Spanning an impressive 160 hectares, this public green space is abundant with pine and cypress forests, hills profuse with smoke, maple and persimmon trees and impeccably landscaped areas that are rich with temples and pavilions.
For the best views in the park, head to Incense-Burner Peak for panoramas of the surrounding countryside and even the Beijing skyline on a clear day. Tucked away behind the park’s north entrance, you’ll find the Azure Clouds Temple with its striking 5-towered pagoda and hall containing 500 statues of a Buddhist sage who has attained enlightenment.
Dirección: Bei Jing Shi, Hai Dian Qu, Maimai St, 40, China, 100093
Horario: Daily from 6 am to 6.30 pm
Fragrant Hills Park
9. Hanging Temple
One of the world’s forgotten wonders
Categorías: Parejas, Familias, Historia
Long considered a holy site, the Hanging Temple, also known as the Hanging Monastery, is built into the towering cliffs of the Hengshan Mountain. This mountain is 1 of the 5 most scared mountains in China. Paying homage to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the temple’s halls are connected by narrow plank roads and teetering bridges that are raised 50 metres off the ground.
Erected during the Northern Wei Dynasty, Hanging Temple dates back over 1500 years and is home to a vast array of historic relics including an exceptional collection of religious statues. Take in the sculptures of Laozi, Confucius and Shakyamuni before exploring the site’s 40 halls and 2 main pavilions.
Dirección: Hunyuan County, Datong, China, 037499
Horario: Daily from 8 am to 6 pm
Teléfono: +86 35 2832 7795
Hanging Temple
10. Shidu Scenic Area
Breathtaking national geopark
Categorías: Fotos, Aventuras
Situated in Beijing’s Fangshan District, Shidu Scenic Area is where city slickers flock to get away from the big smoke and immerse themselves in the beauty of nature. This awe-inspiring canyon offers unforgettable hiking, horse riding and rafting opportunities along the serpentine Juma River.
Boasting over 12 distinct geological sites including Stone Buddha, One Line Sky and Water Flowing Up, Shidu Scenic Area is regularly voted as one of the most scenic spots in Beijing. For local culture and customs, visit Gushan Mountain Village, Juma Garden, the Cemetery of Martyrs and the revered Fairy-Dwelling Cave which is famous in the Taoist religion.
Dirección: Laibao Road, Jiudu Village, Shidu Town, Fangshan District, Beijing, China
Horario: Daily from 7.30 am to 4 pm
Shidu Scenic Area
En este artículo se incluyen las opiniones del equipo editorial de Go Guides. Los autores de este tipo de artículos reciben una compensación por parte de Hoteles.com, que puede abarcar desde viajes hasta cualquier otro tipo de costes.