Fun Day Trips to Make the Most of Spring Festival in Beijing

A 400-year-old village with more than 70 preserved courtyards, Cuandixia village is a popular day trip, located about 90km away from Beijing. The village is sometimes called the "Potala Palace" of the Beijing region due to its location on a slope. While that may be a bit of a stretch, the area and surrounding scenery is beautiful and makes for a good 12-to-36-hour escape if you have returning visitors who can't be bothered going to the Great Wall yet again.

Beidaihe's cool coastal climate and proximity to Beijing have made it a favorite getaway for Chinese and foreigners alike since the early 20th century. The city of Qinhuangdao itself is mostly a port town and is also known for its water sports, but the best beaches are to be found in the district of Beidaihe, just south down the coast.

If you're looking for a more in-depth tour through some of Beijing's most historically significant areas, then you might want to give Beijing by Heart a call. This article details the company's walk through the former residence of writer Lao She, the Red Building of the old Peking University, and Zhongshan Park. You can also try Newman Tours or Beijing by Foot (beijingbyfoot.com), both of which also provide submersive and entertaining tours throughout the city.

Perhaps not your typical idea of a day out, the Beijing Planning Exhibition Center offers a unique look at how Beijing has taken shape over the past 50 years, and although somewhat lacking for a city so vast, the highlight is by far the scale model, which is so detailed it allows you to pinpoint your house, place of work, or nearest green space.

In this blog, we rounded up the best of Beijing's options for taking a hike, including the Fragrant Hills, Jingshan, and the sultry "Mystical Peaks," among others. Read more about other recommendations by Beijing Hikers here.

Our intrepid urban explorer Burbex is gradually ticking off every forgotten sight in Beijing, making for a treasure trove of off-the-beaten-path attractions. Highlights so far include the abandoned Dragon's Eye leisure park, a 99-year-old Catholic school, and a number of Olympics related structures, including what was once home to the world's top athletes back in 2008: the Beijing Olympic Village (pictured above).

At the northwest corner of Beijing lies both a historic and scenic gem: Yuanmingyuan Park, aka the Old Summer Palace. As another summer home to the emperors of the Qing dynasty, Yuanmingyuan spans across 350 acres of intricately designed landscapes, gazebos, and palaces, much of which were destroyed in the late 19th century by foreign invaders. The unfortunate story of the park contributes to its old-time charm: the restoration and reopening of the remains enable visitors to, quite literally, walk through history and see the rise and ruin of a dynasty first-hand.

China is synonymous with the words 'great' and 'wall,' especially when combined together. If you haven't seen this masterpiece of ancient construction yet, you owe it to yourself to conquer one of the most picturesque, and quite possibly the most challenging, parts of the wall near Beijing at Jiankou. This part of the wall costs RMB 20 to get in. To get there, take bus 917 from Dongzhimen to Huairou Fangshan, from there you will find multiple buses going to Jiankou/Arrow Nock.