Great Places to Visit in Beijing & LGBT City Guide

Why you should go to Beijing!

Beijing, a massive city with six UNESCO World Heritage sites and jaw-dropping modern architecture by internationally renown architects, has long been the center of China's politics, economics, culture, education, international trade and communication. Though less visited by international tourists than Shanghai or Hong Kong, it beguiles with intriguing sites like the Forbidden City, world-class museums, great food, art galleries, music venues, shopping in alleys or malls. It is also the most convenient place for visiting the Great Wall, tops on recent lists of the seven wonders of the world.
Life in Beijing, however, is more reserved than in cities like Singapore and Hong Kong. And that goes for LGBTQ life as well. The growing gay scene is discreet with no Pride parades or rainbow flags, but lively bars and dance clubs like Destination can be found in the Chaoyang district on the east side of town around Sanlitun Bar Street.

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At a glance

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Things to do (22)

Nightlife (11)

Hotels (10)

Restaurants (10)

At a glance

The Great Wall

Activity

Like a giant dragon, the Great Wall stretches some 13,000 miles (20,000 km) across China. The longest wall on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is visited by...

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Summer Palace

Activity

The Summer Palace, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, is a square mile (2.9 sq km) of lakes, gardens and palaces, most of it water. It's a lovely escape from...

The Forbidden City

Activity

Closed to the outside world for 500 years when it was seat of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Forbidden City is the largest collection of ancient wooden structures in...

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798 Art Zone (Dashanzi Art District)

Activity

798 Art Zone is a Soho-like neighborhood of galleries, art centers, artists' studios, boutiques, design companies, loft apartments, restaurants and bars created in...

Qianmen Street

Shopping

The pedestrians-only Quiamen Street, running south from Tiananmen Square, has been rebuilt to match photos from the 1920s and 1930s. It has international brands like...

Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

Restaurant

Famous for its Peking Duck, the Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant made the bucket list in "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" and Mimi Sheraton's 10 Most Memorable Meals....

Nanluoguxiang Hutong

Shopping

Nanluoguxiang is a well-preserved and bustling hutong (alley) in the heart of the ancient city. The 800-meter (half mile) stretch is full of shops, restaurants and...

Houhai Bar Street

Nightlife

Houhai Bar Street, close to Shichahai Lake and Beijing hutongs, is home to more than 120 bars, more upscale than those found along Sanlitun Bar Street. Check out...

Sanlitun Village

Shopping

Sanlitun Village North and South is yuppie mecca of shops (including an Apple store), designer (local and international) boutiques, restaurants, a multi-screen cinema,...

Wangfujing Shopping Street

Shopping

Wangfujing Shopping Street is pedestrian-only with almost 300 shops, many major brand. The hutongs (alleys) just west of the street are full of street food stalls and...

One mile east of Tiananmen Square, Dongdan Park has an open plaza, but a hillside area with stone paths is the attraction for gay men seeking friendship, permanent relationships or a quick interlude. Cruising has decreased with the growing popularity of online dating apps.

Shichahai Lakes

Activity

The neighborhood around the three Shichahai lakes has natural beauty, ancient royal mansions, 10 famous Taoist and Buddhist temples, rickshaw rides through historic...

Silk Street Market

Shopping

The Silk Street Market - with a reputation for counterfeit luxury goods - is a shopping center that replaced the alleys of the old Xiushui Market in 2005. It has over...

The Place

Shopping

Open in time for the 2008 Olympics, The Place is an upscale mall with an immense LED Sky Screen canopy over its outdoor plaza that's a destination in itself. Shops on...

Beijing Zoo

Activity

Giant pandas are the big draw at the 200-acre (81 ha) Beijing Zoo where the Panda House (extra fee) is shaped like a Tai Chi diagram and landscaped like a traditional...

Great Leap Brewery

Nightlife

Great Leap Brewery, the first micro-brewery in Beijing, has three gastropubs around town and is a venue for the Gaymazing Poker Race, which raises funds for the Beijing...

A Hotel

Hotel

At the east gate of the Workers' Stadium, the 115-room A Hotel is about a 15-minute walk from the Dongdaqiao subway and less than a kilometer from Sanlitun nightlife and...

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Adam's

Nightlife

Flying the rainbow flag among the tourist traps of the Santlitun bar street, Adam's has a rooftop patio and a happy hour. Beijing's first openly gay bar, the creation of a bigger-than-life gay party planner, is better for beer than cocktails.

Alfa

Nightlife

On the north side of the Workers' Stadium, Alfa draws a mixed and international crowd with its friendly atmosphere, dance floor and casual outdoor lounge. It hosts a gay party on Fridays and serves Asia-French cuisine late for the après partying crowd. A big LGBTQ supporter, it's a good place to check in on what's going...

Aman at Summer Palace

Hotel

The 51-room Aman at Summer Palace is a series of courtyards, pools and pavilions where guests once waited to see the empress. Pampering begins at the airport where Aman...

Beijing Traditional Opera Museum

Activity

The Beijing Traditional Opera Museum in the Huguang Guild Hall Chamber is a good introduction to the art form. The jewel in the collection is an early 19th century Peking Opera theater ornately decorated with phoenix, dragon and peony patterns and seating more than 1,000. Opera highlights are performed nightly at 6:30...

Big Smoke Bistro

Restaurant

A favorite with ex-pats, Big Smoke Bistro serves southern comfort food (US style). big burgers, specialties like seven-hour braised lamb shank. The craft beer Jing-A set up its microbrewery on the premises.

Brasserie FLO

Restaurant

Brasserie Flo, in its second location since the Parisian original opened its Beijng output in 1999, is so very, very French and so near the French embassy. It is popular...

China National Museum

Activity

On the eastern side of Tiananmen Square, the China National Museum was created in 2003 when the Museum of the Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History merged,...

China World Shopping Arcade (Guomao)

Shopping

Part of the China World Trade Center, the China Mall Shopping Arcade is a ritzy mall with flagship stores of international brands but no bargains. It spreads its 60,000 square meters (about 1. 5 acres) over four floors and includes an ice skating ring, an international food court, a spa, a pharmacy and a supermarket.

Dada

Nightlife

After three years in Shanghai, Dada opened in Beijing in 2012, hosting DJ parties, art and cultural events, movie nights and eclectic live music by international...

Dali Courtyard

Restaurant

Dali Courtyard, tucked away down a hutong (alley) near at the Drum Tower, is named after a town in the southwestern providence of Yunnan known for its great ethnic variety and spicy foods. You don't need to worry about reading menus here. The fixed price (around $15 - $20) brings you an amazing variety of dishes the chef...

Destination

Nightlife

Destination is the granddaddy of gay dance clubs with the biggest dance floor in town and American DJs. Its themed nights include a Bear Hunt the third Friday of every month. Happy hour is 9 pm - 10 pm. Crowd includes hip locals, tourists, ex-pats and some women. It's across the street from Funky.

Dragon Day Spa

Activity

For men only, Dragon Day Spa offers a variety of massages, facials, body scrubbing, waxing, spa packages and other personal care services. In the central business...

Element Fresh

Restaurant

Element Fresh is a Shanghai-based chain specializing in American-style healthy meals - salads, wraps, sandwiches, smoothies - with several locations around town...

Emperor Hotel

Hotel

The 55-room Emperor Hotel on the eastern side of the Forbidden City is set among traditional Chinese temples and houses. Forbes rated it one of the world's best business...

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Funky

Nightlife

Southwest of Workers Stadium across from Destination, Funky is an upscale venue, opened in 2013 and redecorated in spring 2015. With a state-of-the-art sound system,...

Green T House Living

Restaurant

Presentation is everything at the suburban Green T House Living, an art-infused restaurant in a spa retreat and event space near the Capital International Airport...

Haidilao Hot Pot

Restaurant

Haidilao, the popular Sichuan-based hot pot chain, has nearly 40 locations around Beijing. While waiting for a table, you'll be offered free snacks, card games, shoe...

Hotel Côté Cour

Hotel

Hidden away in a neighborhood of hutongs (alleyways), the luxurious Hotel Côté Cour teams modern design with the the traditional courtyard house or siheyuan. Behind its...

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Jing-A Taproom

Restaurant

Part of the local craft beer revolution, Jing-A Taproom is a brew pub in a courtyard in 1949: The Hidden City next door to Traitor Zhou's deli. It's the flagship of A...

Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center

Hotel

The 526-room Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center, 20 minutes from the Capital Airport and close to exhibition centers, is popular with Europeans because its seven...

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Marriott Hotel City Wall

Hotel

The landmark Marriott Hotel City is next to the last remnant of Ming Dynasty City Wall and a five-minute drive to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The 357...

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Más

Nightlife

You'll know you've reached Más, a rum cocktail bar and event space with Cuban fare when you spot a mint green and black facade. A couple of friendly Miami ex-pats run...

Mesh

Nightlife

Mesh is a sleek, dress-up bar inside the Opposite House boutique hotel. It's popular with the LGBTQ community even though it no longer has an official gay night. It has...

Mr. Shi's Dumplings

Restaurant

Mr. Shi's Dumplngs has two locations: the original hole-in-the-wall in the alleys near the Bell Tower and a newer one in Sanlitun, northwest of the Beijing Workers'...

Night Kung Fu Show

Activity

The Legend of Kung Fu at Red Theater is the tale of a boy struggling to become a Kung Fu master. The story is told in English with Chinese subtitles on a screen. Show starts at 7:30 pm. Tours include hotel pickup and return.

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Novotel Beijing Xin Quiao

Hotel

The 700-room Novotel Beijing Xinqiao is in the heart of Beijing with the train station and the New World Shopping Mall only minutes away by foot. Tiananmen Square...

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Opposite House Hotel

Hotel

Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the Opposite House is part of the Sanlitun Village complex of shops, restaurants and entertainment. Its sleekly modern 99...

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Panjiayuan Market

Shopping

A bustling antique market with a horde of vendors, Panjiayuan Market is open during the week but best on weekends, particularly before sunrise. Good for Mao memorabilia,...

Raffles Beijing

Hotel

The 171-room Raffles Beijing is a historic hotel only a five-minute walk from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Begun in the early 1900s as the Grand Hôtel de Pékin and later the Beijing Hotel, it has housed the A-list of international dignitaries and was the International Olympic Committee headquarters in 2009....

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Rickshaw Tour of the Old Hutongs

Activity

The rickshaw tour of the city's hutongs (alleys) explores the ancient streets of the city with stops in a Chinese home and a teahouse and a visit to Prince Gong's...

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Spring Time Hostel

Hotel

The Spring Time Hostel is a 20-minute walk from the Forbidden City and a few steps from Dongsi station, exit D. The 30 basic rooms have king or twin beds. Free WiFi is...

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