Chapter 06 · 城市

Four cities, done properly.

Not a list of fifty places you'll never reach — four cities we know well, each with what to see and exactly where to sleep, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Start here

北京

Beijing

The capital rewards a plan: the Forbidden City and the Wall are non-negotiable, but the hutongs are where the trip actually lives. We map four days and the neighbourhoods worth sleeping in.

Days we'd give it3–4 days

Base yourselfDongcheng

Best seasonSep–Oct

Open the Beijing guide