Day Trips From Beijing || LTL’s Top 5

Insiders Guide to the Best Day Trips from Beijing 🗺️ Where to Go in 2024

Ready to escape the hustle and bustle of Beijing and see some world-famous sites?

If that sounds like you, LTL has you covered with our top 5-day trips from Beijing.

China is a huge country, but you don’t have to travel too far outside the capital to see some incredible places!!

Let’s get exploring…

Day Trips from Beijing || Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Day Trips from Beijing || Longqing Gorge

Day Trips from Beijing || The Ming Tombs

Day Trips from Beijing || Guyaju Caves

Day Trips from Beijing || Shilingxia Glass Viewing Platform

Day Trips From Beijing: #1 Huanghuacheng Great Wall 黄花城

Visiting The Great Wall of China is an absolute must while you’re in Beijing.

Most people go to the most popular sections Badaling and Mutianyu. But we recommend that you avoid the crowds and head to Huanghuacheng instead.

👉 This is the only section of The Great Wall that is beside a lake!

Huanghuacheng (黄花城 huánghuāchéng) also known as Waterside Great Wall (水长城 shuǐ chángchéng) which with its beautiful lake and surrounding mountains is truly breath-taking.

Wild flowers bloom in summer creating a sea of yellow, hence the name Huanghuacheng literally “Yellow Flower City“.

Check out our amazing Great Wall Guide to know more about this super famous spot

Reservoirs surround this section of wall with some parts even being submerged in water. Most of the wall here is restored but there are also some wild wall areas.

Along with hiking the wall, you can also take a boat out on the lake to get a panoramic view of the wall.

This really is one of the best day trips from Beijing.

Great Wall of China Map (2024 Update) | 10 Best Sections to Visit

Great Wall of China Map || 10 Best Sections to Visit The Great Wall of China is steeped in vast amounts of history and is one of the most interesting and diverse places to visit. It stretches across miles and…

👉 Huanghuacheng is the perfect definition of the Chinese four-character idiom: 青山绿水 (Qīngshān lǜ shuǐ) which means green water and blue mountains – beautiful scenery.

The whole journey should take around 2 hours.

Worried about getting off at the wrong stop? Just tell the bus driver you’re going to Huanghuacheng and they’ll be happy to help.

Day Trips From Beijing: #2 Longqing Gorge 龙庆峡

Longqing Gorge (龙庆峡 Lóng qìng xiá) should be right towards the top of your Beijing bucket list.

Also known as the Dragon’s Rejoice Ravine, the gorge is around 70km northeast of Beijing and is famous for its stunning natural scenery.

👉 A river cruise after reaching the dam is a definite must.

Taking a boat ride is by far the best way to soak in the sights. You can sit back, relax and enjoy different views of the gorge around every corner.

If you’re a thrill seeker, there is also a zip line across the mountains, rock climbing and bungee jumping available!

When you first arrive at the Gorge you will be met by the Longqing Dam. Here you’ll see a huge yellow dragon snaking down the side of the mountain – but it’s not just for decoration!

Go inside it and ride one of the world’s longest escalators to the top of the dam.

If you’re in Beijing during the winter you should definitely go here to check out the Ice Lantern Festival (延庆龙庆峡冰灯 yánqìng lóng qìng xiá bīngdēng).

Often referred to as a “mini” Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, with over 150 ice sculptures you could hardly call it small!

Day Trips From Beijing – #3 The Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are a great way to get back to nature and escape that busy Beijing city life.

There are a total of 13 tombs here, but only three are open to the public: Dingling, Changling, and Zhaoling. As the tombs are located quite far away from each other, you will normally only have time to visit one or two tombs.

So, which tombs to visit? We recommend you visit Changling or Dinggling Tomb. Changling is the largest of all 13 tombs and the best preserved. If you have a real interest in Chinese history then this is the tomb for you!

While here make sure you visit Ling’en Palace, the only preserved palace from the Ming Dynasty.

Dingling is a great option if you enjoy walking, but to get down to the underground section you have to go down 8 flights of stairs! That’s a crazy 27 metres deep!

It’s well worth it though as it’s the only fully excavated tomb.

Another thing that definitely shouldn’t be missed is the Sacred Way.

This is the walkway that leads into the tombs. The whole avenue is 7km long and on either side you can see an array of huge animal and human stone carvings.

Day Trips From Beijing – #4 Guyaju Caves 古崖居

Perhaps one of Beijing’s most mysterious and least well-known tourist attractions, this is a must-see for history buffs.

Even to this day the origins of Guyaju (古崖居 gǔ yá jū) are still being puzzled over.

The unknown excavation time of the caves has given birth to multiple theories. The most popular theory is that it was the Kumo Xi People during the Five Dynasties Period (907 – 960).

👉 In total there are a whopping 117 caves. Experts calculate it would have taken 100 people 5 years of continuous working to complete!

When you approach the caves you’ll see that they resemble a multi-storey building. Connecting the rooms are stone steps, ladders and bridges.

Inside the rooms there are still many traces of human life such as beds, lamp stands, cooking stoves and horse mangers. Stepping into the caves is truly like stepping back in time.

When you go into the caves and explore them be sure not to miss the “duplex apartment” right at the top of the cliff.

Called Guantangzi or Kumo Xi Chieftain’s Mansion, this cave has a double bed in the middle and is supported by four beautifully carved stone pillars.

Prepare to be Shocked: 100 Mind-Blowing Facts About China You Won’t Believe! 😲

Discover these insane facts ⭐️ 100 facts about China that will amaze you from number of people to landmass and much more.

Day Trips From Beijing – #5 Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform 石林峡

Now this is definitely a must for those of you who are thrill seekers!

Shilinxia Glass Viewing Platform (石林峡飞碟玻璃观景台 shílín xiá fēidié bōlí guān jǐng tái), also know as the UFO platform due to its shape, is the largest glass sightseeing platform in China and one of the largest in the world.

If you’re brave enough to go out on the platform you will be rewarded with amazing aerial views of Shilin Gorge below. Beautiful mountains, valleys, forests and remote villages can all be seen from the platform.

Made from steel, titanium and bulletproof glass, you don’t need to worry about your safety, the bridge can hold a massive 150 tonnes!

To get up to the platform you have two options, you can get the cable car which costs 100 CNY or if you enjoy a bit of a hike then you can walk up to it.

To hike up takes about one and a half to two hours so make sure you have plenty of water. Those taking the cable car will still have a short 20-minute climb up to the actual platform.

There is a straight walkway for you to go down which leads to the 20 meters circular platform. That’s of course if your legs aren’t shaking too much to walk!

Day Trips from Beijing || FAQs

Want more from LTL?

If you wish to hear more from LTL Mandarin School why not join our mailing list?

We give plenty of handy information on learning Chinese, useful apps to learn the language and everything going on at our LTL schools.

Sign up below and become part of our ever-growing community.

BONUS | Learn Chinese with LTL in person. Our student community is growing by the week.