Beijing for free: art and architecture, history and hutongs

24.02.2024 - 09:27 / lonelyplanet.com / Winter Olympics / Art

Compared to other big-name international cities, Beijing remains a very affordable destination for most visitors.

Of course, that’s all relative to how much you want to splurge in this world capital, yes – but generally speaking, entrance fees are reasonably priced, public transport is inexpensive and eating out offers great value as well as big flavors.

As anywhere in the world, things can add up fast once you factor in your total spend: hotels, speakeasy cocktail bars and pints of craft beer, tickets for gigs and cultural performances...not to mention taxis, airfare, travel insurance and visas.

Which is why we’re here to help you counterbalance such outlays with a range of fabulous free activities and experiences. From contemporary Chinese culture to traditional arts and history, here’s our list of the best free things to do in Beijing.

While many come to Beijing to seek out old-world charms such as palaces, temples, gates, drum towers and pavilions, the city also has cutting-edge architecture on par with any other metropolis in the world. There’s no more iconic example than the National Stadium, affectionately known as the Bird’s Nest, the site of both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Designed in collaboration with dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the stadium’s circular shape was inspired by traditional ceramics, then wrapped in a latticework of twisted steel that glows spectacularly at night. It sits alongside the striking National Aquatics Center: better known as the Water Cube, it was also used in the Olympics and has a bubble-form exterior that’s likewise dramatically illuminated at night. 

Other contemporary buildings of note include the silvery National Center for the Performing Arts, which juts out from a body of water like a giant blob of mercury; the Rem Koolhaas–designed CCTV Headquarters – aka the Big Pants, and Beijing’s tallest building; and the CITIC Tower, better known as China Zun due to its resemblance to a zun, a traditional vase-like vessel. The late Zaha Hadid left her mark on the town, too, with the domed Galaxy Soho, the twisting Leeza Soho and the posthumously designed Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Traditional hutong residential areas are unquestionably a Beijing highlight. These distinctive neighborhoods comprise a maze of alleyways lined with courtyard houses, filled with the buzz of local gossip, playing kids and endless games of mah-jongg. 

While many hutongs have unfortunately been razed to make way for modern developments, there are still areas you can wander, including around the Drum Tower, Lama Temple and the Xisi and Dashilar areas – the last a former red-light district. Many of the houses have been converted into bars, guesthouses, galleries