Budget travel guide for students: 4 days and 3 nights special forces trip to Beijing with super savings

I live near Gulou! Day 1 itinerary: Morning: Temple of Heaven Afternoon: Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park Evening: Gulou, Shichahai (You can visit Shichahai any evening, just eat along the way and have fun) Arrived in Beijing on the evening of December 4th. On the morning of the 5th, get up at 9 am to try some Douzhi (fermented mung bean milk). At 10:40, arrive at the Temple of Heaven. Spend the whole time taking photos and walking, finishing at 12:50. Skip lunch and head straight to the Forbidden City. At 13:20, pass security and start touring the Forbidden City (the Treasure Gallery and Clock and Watch Gallery are a must-see! Very beautiful). At 15:10, leave the Forbidden City, cross Di’anmen Street, and arrive at Jingshan Park by 15:20. Spend 20 minutes climbing to the top to check in at Beijing’s central axis. After descending and walking for a total of 20 minutes, you will reach Beihai Park. At 16:10, sit on a bench and enjoy the sunset. Then navigate to the northwest corner tower of the Forbidden City (just cross the street). In the evening, we went to Xidan Siji Minfu restaurant at around 5 pm, no need to queue, and started eating right away. After dinner, take the subway to Shichahai and Gulou to check in and have some dessert. That ends the first day’s itinerary. Day 2: Morning: Yonghe Temple, Ditan Park Afternoon: Summer Palace Evening: Qianmen Street Set off at 9:30 am again. We live near Gulou, so Yonghe Temple is just two stops away. Enter smoothly at 10:20, take a quick look around, and finish by 10:50 (you can take photos at the Six-Sided Longevity Noodle Shop opposite, directly facing Yonghe Temple). At 11:15, walk to Ditan Park to check in at the same spot as writer Shi Tiesheng (it’s just a park, no need to see everything). Leave Ditan Park at 11:50 and take the subway to the Summer Palace, arriving at Beigongmen at 12:43. Exit from Xinjian Gate at 16:40 (actually no need to be so precise; the streamer waited over an hour to shoot the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. Good photo spots are hard to get because tourists compete for them. If you want pictures, DM me. The Iron Bull photo spot also requires queuing). In the evening, go to Qianmen Street for dinner (we originally planned to eat at Nanmen Hotpot on Qianmen but declined after seeing a 200+ table wait. We finally chose Donglaishun near Gulou, no queue but no group discounts. After eating, stroll around Qianmen. If tired, you can go to Quanjude for half a roast duck). Day 3: Morning: Tiananmen Square, Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall Afternoon: Military Museum, National Museum Arrive at Tiananmen Station at 9 am, queue and pass security at North Checkpoint 03 for 1 hour (fewer queues at the two entrances at Qianmen). At 10:30, visit the Great Hall of the People. Finish at 10:55, then go directly to Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Finish at 11:10, cross the square, climb the city tower, and take photos with the tower (must book in advance; if not booked, there’s still a chance on Xianyu). At 11:50, head to the Military Museum (it’s a bit far from the Meridian Gate to the subway station, a little tiring). Arrive at the Military Museum at 12:55 and start touring. At 13:40, rush to the National Museum. Start visiting at 14:35 (the blogger only saw the basement floor briefly, spending over an hour. You have to queue to see the phoenix crown up close!). Leave the National Museum at 16:30, take photos at Tiananmen, then watch the flag-lowering ceremony under the national flag (the honor guard is really impressive!). Eat whatever you want for dinner, then head to Xiaoding Hotel near Qinghe Railway Station (single room, very nice, very cheap, just one subway stop from Qinghe Station). Day 4: Take the train at 9 am to the Great Wall. Start climbing at 10 am, spend three hours round trip completing the northern section. Rush to catch the train. Arrive at Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) at 15:00, spend one and a half hours, then head home.