Best Beijing Hidden Gem Attractions

THE 10 BEST Hidden Gem Attractions in Beijing

Best Beijing Hidden Gem Attractions

Traveller rating
Good for
20 places sorted by traveller favourites
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.

What travellers are saying

  • C0ppola
    Oulu, Finland279 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great to see a small piece of significant history.
    Disabled access may not be the easiest attraction.
    Stunning scenery.
    Written 18 March 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • CTMerebear
    Beijing, China104 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great hike that was not too challenging. Most of the path was pretty safe. (Not too much climbing.) Walking poles are helpful.
    Written 17 February 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • KodoDrummer
    Buenos Aires, Argentina65,207 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We enjoyed viewing the flowers as they are blooming and the calm clear waters of the lake. Not crowded during our weekend visit. Over 8,000 different tropical and subtropical plants and flowers. Lots of trails for walking and hiking.
    Written 1 May 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • KW M
    Belfast, UK556 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very cool place. It is about 50 metres from the Jianguomen station, Exit C.
    There is an outside garden with a few observatory pieces. Also, a courtyard with some other pieces and some museum displays.
    In the tower, which is actually part of the old City Wall, are many other old observatory pieces. There is also a very good view of this part of city.
    20RMB admission.
    Depending on your interests, it’s a smaller place, so you’ll need 45-60 minutes.
    Written 30 May 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • _emifoo
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia23 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Easy subway access- Line 8 Muxi Yuan stop Exit A2 comes out directly into Block B of Bairong. It is a huge interconnecting mall with well organised floor selling different items. Each floor stretch from Block A-C hence will need to walk a lot. There is another Block D behind too. Need to bargain though starting price here are lower compared to tourist areas. I see more local shoppers than tourist here. Mostly local brands. The shops are much less aggressive and selection here is different compared to Silk Market.
    There is a food court upstairs on 6th floor. Most of the menu is in Chinese and they do not speak much English. The food stall I bought lunch from do not accept cash over the counter but I am not sure if it applies to other stalls.
    Spent 5 hours here and covered only half the area. If you are looking for value souvenirs/ gifts, this is the place.
    Written 2 October 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • JoDi
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I work in Beijing, and when my family came to visit, I arranged a 3-hour painting class with Richard. Both my sixteen year-old cousin and 60 year-old mother greatly enjoyed the workshop. They found Richard's class informative and inspiring. My family felt the experience of discovering what it means to paint with the entire body and mind was inspiring. After class, he had lunch with my family and helped them get a taxi back to their hotel. This was incredibly helpful to me, because I was at work. All in all, my cousin and mother found Richard kind and passionate, and we all recommend Richard's classes.
    Written 1 November 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • the fauxadult
    Canberra, Australia23 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We attended the Hunan cuisine cooking class and had a great time. The class is held in Chef Chao's home in the Hutong and it is a great atmosphere. It was great to learn about the ingredients and just how easy cooking some great dishes can be. The class is fun and educational in a nice relaxed atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this cooking class if you are in Beijing.
    Written 22 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • IReview
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Took me an hour to get here by metro but we’ll worth the journey and the next time I am in Beijing which should be soon I will be back, Great beer and very welcoming the opening times displayed on the web and search engines is wrong they are open a lot longer I will add picture.
    Written 14 May 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • DreamTerry
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This place is simply amazing! Disco Retro Style, the DJ playing music there is unbelievable, she plays classic disco dance songs, and drinking the best handmade cocktails in Beijing. The bar is really beautiful and the people are really friendly. Don’t miss this INCREDIBLE place !
    Written 8 November 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Qrys D
    San Jose, CA1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stumbled (quite literally) across this bar during a night of revelry, wandering the hutongs. The drinks were delicious, and the bartender was super friendly. We closed it down that night! And returned (pre covid) to Beijing a year later and this was our only must-repeat establishment. I can't recall the name of my favorite beverage, but it's the one with a passion fruit filled with rosemary that they light on fire. Also somewhere within a few blocks was a super cool speak easy in a coffee shop.
    Written 28 November 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Sam Y
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tour was super fun and our guide Bonnie was amazing. We tried 4 different kind of local delicacies, while drank beer when riding on Tuktuk. Really one of the best tour I've ever had.
    Written 30 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Samantha Z
    San Francisco, CA3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was the greatest experience we could have asked for! Gary was so helpful in arranging the tour for my mom and I; he planned the perfect tour for us on the Jinshaling section. He also helped me acquire a stylist warm jacket to wear since it was cold (January) when we went! Jason was our guide and he was so knowledgeable and patient with us and our different skill levels. He is a great photographer too and took so many fantastic pictures of us! Thanks, Gary and Jason! I highly recommend this tour!
    Written 16 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • cybertroner
    Vyazma, Smolensk Oblast49 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I am a huge fan of Michael Bay's Transformers and enjoy visiting the places of filming. Last summer I finally found out that Jiankou is the actual section of the Great Wall, where a wonderful moment from Age of Extinction was filmed. Jiankou is wild, unrestored and very steep, while I am quite acrophobic, so I decided that I need a professional guide. I contacted Beijing Walking through their email (look on their site), and Leo promptly responded to my message. During a week or so we discussed all the details, and the final price turned out very affordable for a private tour for me alone. Arriving in Beijing I had to change my hotel, and in all the bustle I remembered to message Leo only one day in advance. On the day of our planned meeting Leo called me and was surprised that I changed the hotel, but he immediately asked me to give my phone to the hotel staff and they told him the exact address in Chinese. After half an hour my guide, Adele, and our driver picked me up. So everything went smoothly after all.

    The tour itself was just unspeakably amazing! Adele is such a nice guide, she not even told me a lot of interesting things about the Wall and took very nice photos of me, but also agreed to change our itinerary to visit the exact place of filming. We took another route and ascended to the Little Potala tower, it was not easy at all, this route is slippery and very steep. It seems I felt a mild hypoxia as I am an inexperienced climber, and Adele helped me a lot, lending her hand and carrying my camera. We even had to climb a cliff, using our hands at some moment. Not for lighthearted, that's for sure! BUT IT WAS SO REWARDING AFTER ALL! My dream came true! The views are crazy! I cannot really describe them. Looking down from ZengBeiLou tower you feel like a soaring eagle. And it appears I am not so acrophobic, when I am well prepared, haha!

    The lunch at the end was very delicious, and overall I couldn't imagine a better tour! Thanks everyone involved!
    Written 3 February 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Savannah L
    Urayasu, Japan3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was genuinely my favorite part of my trip to Beijing. I’m a major foodie and plan my trips around food, so it was wonderful to be able to try so many different traditional dishes while also hearing about their history. These locations are incredibly unique—some that I never would have found on my own. It was the perfect balance of different flavors, different beverages, and socializing.

    Garth was our tour guide and I could not stress enough how incredible he was. I left feeling entertained, informed, and wanting more! We did the old Beijing dinner tour, but if I ever find myself back in the city, I will definitely be booking the breakfast tour.

    I 100% recommend this experience for anyone visiting Beijing!
    Written 7 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Camper423481
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We went on the Mutianyu Great Wall & Summer Palace tour with Miko and had a great experience. Miko did a great job explaining the history of the great wall and the summer palace, selecting delicious food for lunch, taking photos for us and generally making us comfortable.

    The company was also very flexible and allowed us to change the section of the Great Wall we wanted to go to the night before, as we discovered it was going to be difficult to hike 2-3 hours at Huanghuacheng in 90 degree weather. Our tour was on a Friday and it wasn't at all crowded at Mutianyu so we were able to walk some sections with little to no tourists.

    Thanks Miko for a great tour!
    Written 9 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.