THE 10 BEST Hidden Gem Attractions in Beijing
Best Beijing Hidden Gem Attractions
Category types
Types of Attractions
Traveller rating
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18 places sorted by traveller favourites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
Paint & Pottery Studios • Literary, Art & Music Tours
What travellers are saying
- C0ppolaOulu, Finland438 contributionsGreat to see a small piece of significant history.
Disabled access may not be the easiest attraction.
Stunning scenery.Written 18 March 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - KodoDrummerBuenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributionsWe 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 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- CTMerebearBeijing, China101 contributionsGreat hike that was not too challenging. Most of the path was pretty safe. (Not too much climbing.) Walking poles are helpful.Written 17 February 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- KW MBelfast, UK539 contributionsVery 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 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - H888Hong Kong, China635 contributionsStill the most charming local brewery I’ve found in Beijing. Planted discreetly in the middle of the hutong lanes, about 200m west of Nanluguoxiang walking street. Yes it’s a trick to find, but if you stumble on it, wow. So worth it. Quiet and dusty charm with all their great local beers. Sit and recharge yourself watching alley cats sunning themselves on the old hutong house tiles. Definitely worth finding if you can.Written 13 April 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- DreamTerry5 contributionsThis 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 2018This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- the fauxadultCanberra, Australia22 contributionsWe 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 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Qrys DSan Jose, CA1 contributionStumbled (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 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Kevin C1 contributionWe joined the Beijing evening walking food tour which brought us to several local restaurants including one that is a family-owned restaurant in a Hutong. Our guide is Tina and she is excellent in what she did.
There was a person in our group who was allergic to peanuts and Tina managed to ensure that the food was suitable for her.
We learnt so much about Beijing cuisine and had so much fun with our fellow travellersWritten 13 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Fred H4 contributionsThis has been one of the greatest experiences of my life! Leo was the best tour guide a person could ask for! I recommend him and his tour for anyone trying to get the best Great Wall experience!Written 17 June 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Savannah LUrayasu, Japan4 contributionsThis 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 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - JoDi1 contributionI 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 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- julia_achtStuttgart, Germany12 contributionsWe (family with a 5- and 8-year old) did two activities with The Hutong, a private market tour and a Dumbling cooking class together with others. Both activities were guided by Sophia Du. Both experiences were well organized before and during our stay in Beijng. The tour was really interesting and we learned a lot about Chinese food. And tried a lot of good stuff. The dumbling class took place in a beautiful little kitchen and gave us authentic insights in Chinese cooking tradition. Our dumblings tastes delicious. In both activities Sophia was very caring and shared her broad knowledge with us. Even though our kids don’t speak English they loved her and communicated with her intensively anyway. We can highly recommend The Hutong and Sophia as a wonderful tour guide.Written 27 March 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Ben OSydney, Australia1 contributionI travelled from Australia to do a two-night / three-day hiking & camping trip on the Great Wall with Joe's company "Untouched Great Wall Hike" in July 2023.
It was the experience of a lifetime.
There were just the two of us, me and my guide Tim. Tim was bloody fantastic. Erudite about the Wall and Chinese history, extremely well-travelled himself, knowledgable about the world, funny, friendly, and with impeccable English (though of course he protested otherwise).
I did a three day hike in three different sections of the wall. We didn't go to the overdeveloped daytripper sections at all. The first night camping completely alone in a deserted watchtower, with Tim sleeping in a farmhouse back down in the nearby village. The second night in an absolutely delightful guesthouse in another village. While hiking on the first day we saw nine people, the second day all of three (a Mexican couple and their guide coming the other way), and the third day not a single soul.
There are a number of companies who say they offer Great Wall hiking and camping. But - some turn out to no longer offer camping, some you're not actually camping on the wall merely nearby, some you'll be in what's basically a campground with other campers, some clearly aren't interested in solo travellers.
I contacted many companies before making my choice. I made the right one.
I can't recommend Untouched Great Wall Hike, Joe and Tim highly enough.
Thank you for everything.
PS. FWIW I didn't book through TA, Joe put the trip together for me after I contacted him through his website. If you want any more info on what we did and where we went, please feel free to message me directly.Written 30 July 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Camper4234814 contributionsWe 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 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
