Beijing itinerary — 2 days

If you want to bring back exclusive souvenirs from your trip to Beijing, this antique market is the place to visit. Stretching just over 750 meters, this street offers everything: antique coins, books, stamps, paintings, ink stones, and much more. Its picturesque corners are also home to wine shops, tea houses, and restaurants. Among the hundreds of hutongs in Beijing, Liulichang Cultural Street is a must-visit, especially if you are interested in Chinese art. As you stroll along these narrow paths, you will see painted fans, calligraphy paintings, and even old Chinese records for sale in the shops.

The majestic Drum Tower and Bell Tower are inseparable symbols of Beijing. Until roughly a hundred years ago, they served as the city's official timekeepers, announcing curfew and coordinating night watch patrols. Today you can climb both towers to see old-world views, listen to the hourly drum performance, and admire China's largest bell. The Drum Tower was originally built as far back as 1272 for musical purposes and is now a tourist attraction after ceasing to be the city's timekeeper. The nearby Bell Tower houses the largest and heaviest bell in China, weighing a full 63 tons (a.k.a. my weight after eating dumplings). I grouped the Bell and Drum Towers together, as they are located very close to each other, so you can easily visit both.

Prince Gong Mansion (Gongwangfu), near Beijing's Shichahai lakes, is the best-preserved Qing dynasty princely residence in China. Originally built in 1777 for the official Heshen, it became the estate of Prince Gong in 1851. Covering 60,000 square metres, the property features grand siheyuan courtyards, an exquisite classical garden with rockeries and pavilions, and the sacred 'Fu' stele inscribed by Emperor Kangxi.

Peking duck — or Peking roast duck — is considered one of China's national dishes. Once considered worthy of the imperial court in ancient China, Peking duck is still served on important occasions, such as weddings or banquets with important foreign diplomats. The reason eating this dish is so luxurious lies in the very labor-intensive process of its preparation. It is said that you cannot visit Beijing without trying Peking duck. I'm always ready to try new dishes, and this sounded pretty good. On our first night in Beijing, we sat in a Chinese restaurant with Mom and Valerie and ordered our Peking duck.

This historic place of worship is the largest & oldest mosque in Beijing & houses cultural relics.

Fun park with themed areas that include roller coasters & other thrill rides, plus a train & shows.

One of China's oldest zoos, opened in 1906 on the grounds of a former imperial garden west of central Beijing. Across 86 hectares of ponds and classical-style pavilions live hundreds of species; the main stars are the giant pandas in their own Panda House. The grounds also hold the historic Changguanlou mansion favoured by Empress Dowager Cixi, and the Beijing Aquarium on a separate ticket.

The 'Garden of Gardens', the Qing emperors' residence burned by Anglo-French troops in 1860. Hundreds of hectares once held palaces, pagodas and European-style pavilions with fountains. Today it is a quiet memorial park: the ruins of a stone maze and columns in the Western Mansions zone hint at the former splendour, and a large-scale model shows the garden as it looked at its height.

Yonghe Temple is the largest active Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Beijing. Originally built in the late 17th century as a Qing imperial palace, it harmoniously blends Han, Manchu, and Tibetan architectural styles. Its crowning treasure is an 18-metre-tall Maitreya Buddha inside Wanfu Pavilion, carved from a single trunk of white sandalwood.