On every trip I take, I like to pre-plan a few highlight excursions, but always ensure I leave plenty of time for unexpected discoveries. I love roaming around a new city, and Beijing was full of treasures and inspired street scenes. In between the ticketed sites, we recommend a few free (or very cheap) experiences.
First, don’t plan every meal. Unless you have strict food allergens and restrictions, allow yourself to stumble into some local grub with no menu involved. Something we had many mornings in Beijing that I still crave sporadically to this day are the Jianbing street pancake/crepe/breakfast sandwiches made of pure goodness. Stumble upon locals with peddle carts making these on the sidewalk. You will see local Beijing commuters grabbing an order to eat on the walk to work weekday mornings. Cheap, unique, fresh, delicious. Also, don’t miss Wangfujing snack street. We strolled along this pedestrian-only street one evening and made a dinner of snacks, ranging from candied strawberries to meat on stick creations of an unidentifiable nature. Hey, we spent a lot of money on vaccinations, we were going all in, no regrets.
Next up: parks. There are many beautiful parks throughout Beijing, some of which have a small entry fee, others which are free. If you are there late March through early April like we were, can’t recommend enough taking the metro out to Yuyuantan Park. We got to take in the morning culture of the locals, meditating, exercising, and swimming here and saw the most beautiful sights in what can only be described as a forest of cherry blossom trees (see pictures below). Easy to get to, free to enter, and totally worth it in the spring. In the summer, even though there may not be cherry blossoms, may still be a nice spot for a picnic slightly removed from the bustle of central Beijing.
We lucked out majorly on our trip with our hotel location, in beautiful Dongcheng. We took many morning and evening strolls around the area. We walked along the river bordering the Forbidden City, and through commercial Hutong full of boutique shops to purchase tea and souvenirs of all types. Bring along a good old fashioned paper map, pick a location to aim for, and stroll. It is the best way to get to know a new city and to leave feeling like you have an immersed understanding and a feel for the tempo of a new culture.
Home&Away 