24 Layover in Beijing!
On my trip to Thailand, I had a layover both ways in Beijing! Before travelling, I told my partner "I really wish we had more time in Beijing to visit The Great Wall of China" but it wasn't possible. Well, when we were already in Thailand we received an email to say our flight home had been changed. We actually now had a 24 hour layover in Beijing! So I think I manifested this oneðŸ¤
Trip Recap
- Day 1: Exciting day in Beijing, from the Great Wall to shopping adventures!
Highlights
Seeing a wonder of the world - the Great Wall of China is just incredible
Visiting the Summer Palace - everything about it is magical. The lake, the views, the temples
Trying Chinese food in Beijing! So delicious
Day 1
Our day started with an overnight flight from Bangkok. We landed into Beijing at around 6.30am feeling tired but excited for the day ahead! We booked a driver for the day (on Get Your Guide) who met us at the airport and gave us some time to freshen up and get changed.
Our first stop was to the Great Wall - eek! I was so excited for this and couldn't believe that our flight times changing would mean we get to see a wonder of the world. Our driver told us the drive would take around 1.5hrs from Beijing Peking Airport. So we managed to have a nap before arriving. We visited the Mutianyu section - arriving around 8.30am which was perfect as it was so quiet. Beijing was having a heatwave at the time we visited, so it also meant it wasn't too hot yet!
We grabbed a coffee then headed on the cable car up to the top which only took around 5 minutes (if that!). The views were incredible - I would really recommend doing this if you ever get the chance🥰
Our driver asked where we wanted to go next - we said we'd love to see the Summer Palace or Temple of Heaven. He said that Temple of Heaven tickets usually you have to buy them a few days in advance. So we headed to the Summer Palace instead! Again we had around 1.5hrs in the car again so perfect for a nap.
We arrived at the Summer Palace and wow its beautiful but also huge! We spent some time exploring and headed to the top of the viewpoint. You could spend all day here it really is amazing. But it was so hot - maybe about 40 degrees at this point😅 there are shops inside where we got an iced tea. Again, I would really recommend visiting here.
Next, we told our driver we wanted to do some shopping - we'd heard that the replica shopping here is amazing. He took us to the Hongquiao Market and it didn't disappoint! Such an experience but I would recommend going with a local/guide as a lot of the stores of kind of hidden. You would only find them with someone who knows they're there kinda vibe! After this, our guide took us to a restaurant pretty much opposite the market for lunch which was delicious.
By this time it was around 4.30-5pm and we were exhausted! We found a hotel room at the airport and thought it would be great to have some time to nap/relax before our long flight back to the UK. Our amazing driver dropped us off there at Capital Airport International Hotel. The hotel was great value for money and was also modern/clean. I'd definitely recommend! It was 5 minutes walk to the airport.
It was a real whirlwind of a day but honestly incredible. I would jump at the chance to do it all over again!
Anything you would add or do differently?
-
I would love to have more time to explore here. Even a few days but we did see a lot in less than 24 hours. There is a lot to see in Beijing
