Beijing
Next to the Bird's Nest, the bubble-covered National Aquatics Center (aka Water Cube) was another of Beijing's 2008 Olympic icons, hosting the swimming and diving events. You can tour the building and make a splash in the kid-friendly Happy Magic Water Park (¥200), which has slides and a wave pool. For the 2022 Winter Olympics the Water Cube will host the curling events.
Along with the surrounding sights, the building is illuminated in various colours between 7pm and 10pm.
5.06 MILES
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
7.85 MILES
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
6.18 MILES
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
6.15 MILES
Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
4.45 MILES
Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
6.75 MILES
This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
5.82 MILES
Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
5.32 MILES
Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
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Known colloquially as the Bird’s Nest (鸟巢, Niǎocháo), the spectacular showpiece of the 2008 Olympics Games was designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron…
2. China Science & Technology Museum
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Suitable for kids, this imposing facility 8km north of the city centre has an array of hands-on scientific exhibitions, a kids' science playground and 3D…
3. Olympic Park Observation Tower
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Supposed to have been built in time for the Olympics, 'Big Nails' as this 247m-tall tower became known was put on hold, and only opened in 2015. The…
4. Yuan Dynasty Walls Relics Park
1.15 MILES
Back when Beijing was 'Dadu', capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty, the city was sheltered by an earthwork wall, the northern battlements of which are…
3.04 MILES
A monumental landmark along the 2nd Ring Rd is this surviving hulk of Beijing's dearly departed ramparts. A jiànlóu (arrow tower), it would have stood in…
3.08 MILES
Beijing is surrounded by four heavenly altars, or tán, and Ditan (Altar of the Earth), situated in the north within grounds that are today a public park,…
3.25 MILES
Despite being stranded along the North 3rd Ring Rd, this Qing-era temple is well worth a diversion to marvel at its centrepiece, the humongous Yongle Bell…
8. Song Qingling's Former Residence
3.3 MILES
Set in well-tended gardens on the north shore of Houhai Lake, this is the mansion of Madam Song, venerated by the Chinese as the wife of Sun Yatsen, first…