Beijing: NO Off-Season Here! Kiss Your 'Travel Experience' Goodbye.
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Well, let me tell you about traveling in Beijing these days – it's really quite headache-inducing!
In the past, during winter, the number of tourists would drop significantly due to the cold and dry climate that some visitors from southern China might find hard to adapt to. Back then, a winter visit to Beijing offered a decent experience with fewer crowds.
However! Ever since the pandemic restrictions were lifted, it feels like there is no longer any discernible low or high season for tourism in Beijing; crowds are constantly heavy year-round.
Spring has arrived, flowers will soon bloom, and this would normally be a perfect season for tourism. But honestly, thinking of the overcrowded scenes at popular tourist spots with endless queues and waiting, I — someone involved in promoting travel in Beijing — can hardly endure the tension on behalf of everyone visiting.
We come out to enjoy beautiful scenery and have a pleasant time, but how can we fully appreciate those great moments in such congested places?
Honestly, even those of us working in the tourism business are amazed at the huge crowds, wondering what's going on!
Tourist Alert!!! Those Planning to Visit Beijing - Please Take Note!!!
Crowd Warning: Be mentally ready to face extremely dense crowds at famous attractions (such as the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Tiananmen Square), particularly on public holidays and when the weather is good.
对策：- If possible, try avoiding Chinese public holidays (like the Spring Festival, National Day, Labor Day) and weekends. Sites will see less people on weekdays.
- Some attractions allow ticket reservations online beforehand – make sure to book earlier! Some places are virtually sold out throughout the day.
- Try to arrive at popular sites just after they open or right before they close in the afternoon. The crowds would be less then.
- Consider visiting smaller alleys, museums or parks instead to better experience Beijing's charm.
Queueing Warning: You may encounter lines while dining, visiting the restroom, entering the attraction area, or taking transportation.
How to cope with it:- Be patient, or stagger your meal times to avoid peak hours.
- Pack some snacks and water, as the waiting times can be long.
Experience Discounting Warning: With so many people around, you'll only take group photos and will have difficulty to quietly admire the artifacts.
How to cope with it:- Broaden your mind; you would consider every experience part of the travel adventure.
- Follow the advice given before and aim for less crowded times by avoiding rush hours.
Wishing everyone who comes to Beijing enjoys their trip!
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Isn't waiting in line part of the experience? It's a chance to see how much better everyone's lives have become, with ordinary folks now able to stroll through the imperial palace. What remarkable progress that is! You should look on the bright side of traveling; otherwise, why bother going out at all?
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All I can say is, your standards are too low.
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Is this photo from today?
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From today.
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Scrambling for tickets, waiting in lines, security checks, ID card scanning, and just endless walking... it's exhausting. The layout in the square and the Forbidden City involves all sorts of long detours.
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Even Beijing locals can't stand how dry it is here.
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Today's photo, taken outside the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City.
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My kid's in first grade and wanted to see Tiananmen Square, which is in their textbook. After I showed them photos of all the tourists, they said they didn't want to go anymore.
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Any recommendations for small tour groups?
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They just insist on this 'commando-style' tourism, don't they? Regardless of whether the elderly can keep up or if the kids even want to go. The mentality is, the more places you cram in, the more you 'win'. Why all the pushing and shoving? Because everyone's rushing to tick off this attraction and hurry to the next one.
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You probably went on a weekend, right? It's usually not this crowded on weekdays. For the Forbidden City, if you go in through a side entrance, you can get in within half an hour.