INDEX
Where to stay in Beijing
Beijing, one of those cities that will not leave you indifferent. Mysterious, traditional and imposing. The capital of one of the most powerful countries in the world. For us, it was one of the great discoveries of our trip to China and became one of our favourite cities in the world. But as is often the case in large cities around the world, you have to know how to choose where to stay in order to enjoy your visit and save on transport. That’s why we want to help you choose where to stay in Beijing with this post.
To complement the information you find in this post on where to stay in Beijing, here are some other posts to help you organise your trip to China.:
Why choosing the right area is key in Beijing
It’s simple: Beijing is a huge city (more than 20 million inhabitants), with a monstrous underground network and very long walking distances. Choosing a good area to stay in Beijing can help you visit everything in a smarter way, without long journeys or transport costs, and in an efficient manner.
In addition, the main tourist attractions are quite close to each other (close for such a large city), so it is in your best interest to stay in certain areas that have good access to transport and these tourist attractions.
We stayed in the Dongdan area, which had the Beijing Railway Station underground stop 5 minutes from the hotel. It was the best choice as it was very well connected to wherever we wanted to go, so we mostly travelled by underground, which was quick and convenient.
Getting around Beijing
As we mentioned in the previous section, the best way to get around Beijing is by metro. Beijing has an excellent metro network that allows you to reach any part of the city quickly. What’s more, the Beijing metro is very cheap (an average of 35 euro cents per trip), so even if you use it constantly, it won’t be a big expense.
We recommend downloading the MetroMan app, which will help you figure out which metro connections you need to take to get to your destination. It works really well, is in English, and helps you avoid getting lost trying to read the Chinese maps at the stations.
Another option for getting around Beijing is Didi, the country’s taxi booking app. It works very well and is in English, but in our opinion and experience, it is not worth it as it is more expensive than travelling by metro and you don’t save much time due to the hellish traffic in Beijing. We used it a couple of times on an ad hoc basis, but we would not recommend using it regularly.
Practical tips (where to stay in Beijing)
If you would like more detailed advice on organising a trip to China, we recommend reading our post The Ultimate Travel Guide to China.
In this post about where to stay in Beijing, we are going to list some general things to keep in mind when travelling to China and, in particular, visiting Beijing.
- Get good travel insurance. Seriously, China is somewhat complicated in terms of communication, so being well covered and protected is key. As always, we recommend IATI insurance, which offers a 5% discount for our readers via this link.
- The time of year you choose to visit China matters A LOT. The Chinese travel a lot within their country and there are many of them, so it is important to avoid key dates for them. We have already shown you above that the best time to visit is between November and January.
- As we mentioned in the previous section, public transport in China is amazing. To keep costs down in Beijing, we recommend using the metro network, which costs 30-40 pence per ticket and runs like clockwork.
- In this post, we detail where to stay in Beijing, striking a good balance between quality, price and location. Staying in China is not ultra-expensive if you look ahead and compare platforms such as Trip and Booking. Take the time to do this, and you’ll save a lot of money.
- Everything is paid for digitally, so you should set up payment via Alipay or WeChat. The former is easier to install and configure, so we recommend it.
- Mobile connectivity. In China, we recommend getting a Holafly card, as it provides the best coverage and includes VPN, which is essential, otherwise you won’t be able to use apps on your phone such as WhatsApp or Instagram. Here is our link with Holafly, which will give you a 5% discount directly applied for being our readers.
Best areas to stay in Beijing
If you look at a map of the city, you can go crazy trying to figure out where to stay in Beijing. It’s a huge city, with districts that are cities in themselves. In order to choose where we would stay, we took into account:
- Proximity to tourist attractions
- Transport nearby
- Good services and infrastructure
- We didn’t want to give you 10,000 options, so we limited ourselves to four that we knew well.
That’s why we’ve selected what we consider to be the four best areas where to stay in Beijing.
We’ve also included a map with these areas marked and the hotels we’ve selected so you can get your bearings.
Around the Forbidden City (where to stay in Beijing)
If you are going to Beijing, it is well known that one of the must-see attractions in the city is the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Well, this is one of the areas we want to recommend in this post on where to stay in Beijing, as we found it to be close to many points of interest and to have many amenities to make your stay easier.
In addition, this area is one of the best connected as it is in the centre of the city, making it ideal for getting anywhere quickly. Within this area is also Wangfujing Street, one of the city’s main shopping streets and an important tourist attraction.
Recommended hotels
| Hotel Name | Accommodation Type | Price Range | Rating | Distance to Key Point | Ideal For | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing | 4⭐ Hotel | €70–100 | 8/10 (Booking) | 5 min to Dengshikou Station, 10 min walk to Tiananmen & Forbidden City | Couples / Families | Gym, organized tours, bike rental |
| Jade Garden Hotel | 4⭐ Hotel | €60–70 | 9/10 (Trip) | 10 min walk to Tiananmen & Forbidden City | Couples | Restaurant, breakfast included |
| Dongsi Hotel Beijing | Budget Hotel | €30–50 | 8/10 (Trip) | 5 min walk to Wangfujing, 15 min to Tiananmen | Backpackers / Couples / Budget | WiFi, taxi service |
| The Imperial Mansion | Luxury Apartments | €160–250 | 8.6/10 (Booking) | 3 min to Wangfujing Station (Line 1), 1 stop to Tiananmen | Luxury / Families | Pool, hot tub |
| Approximate prices, subject to change depending on season | ||||||
North Dongcheng area
The northern part of Dongcheng (Beijing’s most central and important district) is also a great place to stay. It is very well connected, has some of the most popular hutongs to visit and the Lama Temple.
Furthermore, as it is a little further away from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, it is less touristy and prices are slightly lower.
Recommended hotels
| Hotel Name | Accommodation Type | Price Range | Rating | Distance to Key Point | Ideal For | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nostalgia Hotel Beijing | 3⭐ Hotel | €50–65 | 8.2/10 (Booking) | 10 min walk to Lama Temple, 11 min to Beixinqiao Station | Couples | Laundry, free coffee |
| Happy Dragon Courtyard | Boutique Hotel | €250–450 | 9.7/10 (Booking) | 3 min to metro, 4 min to Lama Temple | Families | Tour tickets, free laundry |
| Junhefu Courtyard Hotel | Traditional Hotel | €69–80 | 9.1/10 (Trip) | In historic hutong, near Drum Tower and Lama Temple | Couples / Local experience | Café, 24h reception |
| CitiGO Huange Hotel | Modern Hotel | €55–65 | 9.6/10 (Trip) | 3 min to Nanluoguxiang Station and Drum Tower | Couples / Young travelers | Varied breakfast, activities, café |
| Approximate prices, subject to seasonal changes | ||||||
Dongdan and Beijing Station Area
This is the area where we stayed. It is a much more residential and working-class area, quite local and without many tourist attractions, but it is very well connected. We were lucky enough to stay near Beijing railway station, which has a metro line that connects to the city’s main attractions in just a few stops.
Furthermore, as it is a working area, there are plenty of services and restaurants, so you will not be short of anything.
Recommended hotels
| Hotel Name | Accommodation Type | Price Range | Rating | Distance to Key Point | Ideal For | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhong An Hotel (our choice) | 3⭐ Hotel | €60–70 | 8.9/10 (Booking) | 10 min from Jianguomen Metro, 5 min from Beijing Railway Station | Couples / Backpackers | Restaurant (Peking duck), free laundry |
| Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel | 4⭐ Hotel | €90–100 | 8.9/10 (Booking) | 5 min walk from Beijing Railway Station | Families / Couples | Varied breakfast, restaurant |
| Qinglian Furun Hotel | Budget Hotel | €30–60 | 9.3/10 (Trip) | 900 m from Beijing Railway Station | Couples | Free laundry, good WiFi |
| Lavande Hotel | Modern Hotel | €64–75 | 9.4/10 (Trip) | Near Beijing Railway Station, well connected by metro | Couples | 24h reception, restaurant |
| Approximate prices, subject to seasonal changes | ||||||
Xicheng Center
This area is located west of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. It is a fairly residential area without many tourist attractions, but it is very central and close by. Xicheng is a fairly large district, so we have selected only the central part for you, so that you can be close to the places of interest and easily reach them by tube or even on foot.
Recommended hotels
| Hotel Name | Accommodation Type | Price Range | Rating | Distance to Key Point | Ideal For | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly’s Courtyard Hotel | Boutique Hotel | €70–80 | 8.9/10 (Booking) | Near Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City | Couples / Families | Inner courtyard, bike rental |
| Templeside Beijing | Traditional Guesthouse | €130–140 | 8.7/10 (Booking) | Not very central, but well connected by metro | Couples | Garden, cooking classes |
| Beijing Fuyou Street Hotel | 4⭐ Hotel | €70–80 | 9.5/10 (Trip) | Near Xidan Metro Station and Tiananmen | Families / Couples | Gym, restaurant |
| Le Joy Hotel | Modern Hotel | €80–110 | 9.5/10 (Trip) | Near the “Chinese Wall Street” and Xidan Station | Couples | Varied breakfast, activities |
| Approximate prices, subject to seasonal changes | ||||||
Map of areas to stay in Beijing
To help guide you and show you all the places we have mentioned in this post, we have created this map of places where to stay in Beijing, with the four areas listed above marked and recommended hotels. We hope you find it useful.
Beijing is one of our favourite cities in the world. We think this post is very useful if you have questions about where to stay in Beijing and which areas will help you improve your experience. We hope you find it useful!
If you have any questions about the post, please feel free to leave us a comment or write in social media.
