7 Memorable Things to Do in Beijing for Chinese New Year

Visiting Beijing for Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is a refreshing, energetic blur—a fantastic introduction to the beautiful country of China.

We’ve since been back to China multiple times, including a visit to Harbin over the Lunar New Year to see the world-famous China Ice City and Russian Cathedral. But still, there’s nothing like the first time!

As Korean private school ESL teachers with little vacation time, we take even a 3-day weekend as an opportunity to jump ship. So, when Chinese New Year came around and we learned that we’d have 5 days off IN A ROW, we thought, what better place to go than Beijing for Chinese New Year?

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• Pack the right travel cameras and comfortable travel clothes

Traveling to Beijing for Chinese New Year

So, what was our trip to Beijing for Chinese New Year like?

Traveling within China can be chaotic during Lunar New Year, as millions of people, both locals visiting relatives and foreign tourists, flood transportation hubs.

We recommend booking tickets well in advance for planes, trains, dinners, and events. Opting for flights can be less stressful than train journeys.

I will note, the worst thing about being in Beijing for Chinese New Year is there were times we really struggled to find open restaurants, particularly on New Year’s Eve.

Be aware that most restaurants and stores may close or operate on limited holiday hours.

This is the main reason you might consider a multi-day Beijing tour with a local expert guide who can seamlessly tour you around the city throughout the holiday.

Western restaurants and bars, especially in areas like Sanlitun, are more likely to remain open during the holiday season.

However, on New Year’s Eve, we did finally end up finding open restaurants on Ghost Street, which turned out AMAZINGLY. You’ll learn why if you read on!

Things to Do in Beijing for Chinese New Year

There are a few things that define the trip: red lanterns, an empty Great Wall, and a citywide fireworks extravaganza that we’d never experienced anything like before.

Now let’s get on it with. Here’s our list of the best things to do in Beijing for Chinese New Year:

Lauren at the Great Wall in Beijing for Chinese New Year

Go to the Great Wall

Shocker, guys.

While any first time trip to Beijing must include a trip to the Great Wall, one of the best times to visit this famous landmark is over Chinese New Year.

During this time, many people from Beijing travel to their hometowns to visit their families. This means that many places in and around Beijing, including the Great Wall, will probably be emptier than normal.

When we went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling on the eve of the Chinese New Year (Badaling is closer to Beijing but notoriously crowded), we encountered no more than 10 people over the 4 hours we were there. There were huge sprawls of time when we had every visible inch of wall to ourselves.

If visiting the Great Wall is of interest to you, you might also want to check out this guide to the Jiayuguan Fortress—it’s outside of Beijing but absolutely incredible.

You may also be interested in checking out these other historical places in China besides the Great Wall.

In the next section, we’ll break down how to navigate to the Great Wall on your own.

But you can also book a private transfer to the Great Wall, if you’d feel more comfortable and to save on time.

Here are also some tours that will get you to the Great Wall:

Directions to Jinshanling

Take subway lines 13 or 15 to Wangjing West Station, then take exit C.

After exiting station, cross the road to the bus station.

During high tourist season (until around November), there is a direct tourist bus from the station that goes to the wall at Jinshanling, leaving at 8 AM.

Our trip was outside the high season, so it wasn’t clear if it was running or not.

Instead, we took the bus from this station going to Luanping—it will say “滦平” on the front window.

The bus leaves every hour starting at 7 AM.

When you board the bus, pay 13 RMB in cash, and, if you have a Beijing Metro Card, scan it on the card reader for another 7 RMB (20 RMB total).

If you don’t have a card, you’ll have to pay a bit more (32 RMB).

After about a 90 minute ride from Beijing, get off at the first stop: the Jinshanling Service Station.

When you get off, there will be people offering to drive you to the wall, saying it’s a 2-3 hour walk from there. If you decide to pay them, it should cost no more than 40 RMB for a one-way trip.

If you’re going around Chinese New Year, the closer entrance to the wall from the bus stop will probably be closed, and the shuttle bus won’t be running, so it’s a safer bet to just have someone drive you (we did).

If you want to walk, just follow the road under the highway for 2 km to the closer eastern entrance, and 5-6 km to the further main entrance.

Great Wall at Jinshanling

Join Beijing’s massive street fireworks celebration

Locals set off fireworks constantly over the Chinese New Year holiday, particularly on the eve—with all the explosives, Beijing sounded like a warzone at times.

The fireworks ward off evil spirits and welcome the New Year with a bang.

Even on the Great Wall, the constant boom and bang of fireworks, though muffled by distance, could not be escaped.

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Ghost Street in Beijing for Chinese New Year

We happened to be on Beijing’s Ghost Street (Gui Jie) when it struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, proving a lucky turn of fate.

Each restaurant owner on the street collaborated in a grand orchestra of flash and boom, setting off a constant string of fireworks, fire crackers, and sparklers for hours straight.

Fireworks sequined the entire sky.

It left us dazed and giddy, with ears ringing, hair ashy, and hands with sores from stray shrapnel.

We have never been able to stand so close to fireworks, nor have we ever seen such an extravagant firework show set up on the sidewalk. It was definitely one of our favorite experiences from this trip.

Heading to Hong Kong instead? Why not check out a Hong Kong dog cafe

Fireworks on Ghost Street for Chinese New Year

Visit the Forbidden City

This historic site is cool any time of year, but Chinese New Year brings some beautiful decorations that are totally worth seeing.

Historically, the Forbidden City played a central role in Imperial celebrations of the Lunar New Year. Emperors would perform rituals and ceremonies within its walls to pray for a prosperous year ahead.

Pre-book your ticket to save time and stress.

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Forbidden City During Chinese New Year

During Beijing’s Chinese New Year, the Forbidden City displays red lanterns, intricate paper cuttings, and Chinese knots and couplets, symbolizing good fortune, happiness, and prosperity for the coming year.

Explore the grand halls, majestic courtyards, and serene gardens of the Forbidden City while immersing yourself in the festive atmosphere amidst cultural performances and activities.

The Forbidden City also often hosts special exhibitions and events related to Chinese New Year, offering visitors a deeper understanding of its historical significance and cultural heritage.

You can also take a Forbidden City tour. Here are some options:

Watch a New Year’s Day Parade

Watching a parade on Chinese New Year’s Day in Beijing marks a great way to cap off your celebrations from the night before. You can catch beautiful floats and traditional dances, as well as music from local bands.

Catch the parade starting at Qianmen Street near Tiananmen Square before it spreads through the whole city.

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Temple of Heaven

Visit a Temple Fair

On the first day of the Chinese New Year, we visited the Temple of Heaven and the Yonghegong Lama Temple.

Locals also love the Temple of Earth Fair and Longtan Temple Fair.

While other times it’s nice to have a temple all to yourself and enjoy the solitude, the Chinese New Year holiday is a fantastic time to visit a temple and enjoy the spectacle of the local crowds.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven hosts one of the largest temple fairs in Beijing for Chinese New Year. You’ll find amazing folk performances, acrobatics, and tons of yummy local snacks.

Book ticket here.

Hours: 8 am – 5:30 pm

Directions to Temple of Heaven

Take subway line 5 and exit at Tiantan Dongmen station. Leave from Exit A and you’ll be right next to the eastern entrance to the temple.

Yonghegong Lama Temple

Yonghegong Lama Temple

The Yonghegong Lama Temple, unique for its Tibetan influence, was kept open later than usual for the holiday and was absolutely packed with people ringing in the New Year with incense and prayer.

Book ticket here.

Lighting incense at Yonghegong

Directions to Yonghegong

Take line 5 to Yonghegong Lama Temple station and leave from exit C. Walk 400 meters south and you’ll find the temple on the east side of the road.

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Temple of Earth

Located just a few hundred yards north of the Yonghegong Temple is the Temple of Earth.

The Temple of Earth was built in 1530 under the Ming Dynasty.

For Chinese New Year, the Temple of Earth Park (also known as Ditan Park) hosts super fun festivities, including a reenactment of the Qing Dynasty emperors’ earth sacrifice ceremony.

Witness demonstrations of pottery making, paper cutting, shadow play, homespun weaving, and more.

You can catch performances of diabolo, ancient magic, and ventriloquism, as well as Tibetan folk songs and dances, traditional Chinese comedic crosstalk, and other folk artistic shows.

The Blessing Tour we discuss later in this post will bring you to either this local Chinese New Year festival, or the Longtan Temple fair in the next section.

Entrance fee: CNY 10

When: Feb 11 – Feb 16, 2024 (the 2nd to the 7th day of the first lunar month)

Where: Ditan Park, Andingmen Outer Street, Dongcheng District

Directions to Temple of Earth

The temple is in Ditan Park with four entrances.

To get there by subway, take Line 2 or Line 5 to Yonghegong (Lama Temple) Station and use Exit A for the south gate. Buses 18, 75, and 125 go to the west gate, and bus 117 goes to the east gate.

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Longtan Temple

You can also visit the Longtan Temple Fair, held during the Spring Festival in Beijing.

This traditional folk culture event blends folk arts, religious customs, material exchanges, and cultural entertainment in celebration of the new year.

Entrance fee: CNY 10

When: Feb 10 – Feb 16, 2024 8:30 am – 5 pm (the 1st to the 7th day of the first lunar month)

Where: Longtan Park, No. 8, Longtan Road, Dongcheng District

Directions to Longtan Temple

Take Line 5 of the subway to Tiantan Dongmen Station, then walk about 10 minutes southeast to reach the temple.

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Peking Opera Show, Credit: GetYourGuide

Attend a Cultural Performance

We found that much of Beijing for Chinese New Year closes down at night, besides local street festivities like lighting fireworks.

If you’re looking for something else to do in the evenings, consider attending a cultural performance.

Some examples are a Kungfu Show, an Acrobatic Show or a Peking Opera Show, which all include pickup options.

You can also take a Chinese Calligraphy class, which is fairly affordable.

Do try to book in advance, as tickets are likely to sell out.

Beijing Chinese New Year Blessing Tour, Credit: Viator

Take a Beijing Chinese New Year Blessing Tour

This Chinese New Year Blessing Tour will show you were locals go for the holiday to seek blessings at temples and partake in Temple Fairs.

This 7-hour private tour offers visits to the enchanting White Cloud Temple and the renowned Longtan Temple Fair or Ditan Temple Fair, where you’ll be embraced by the lively spirit of the Spring Festival. Plus, enjoy a traditional-style hot pot lunch as part of the experience.

Of course, you can arrange all this independently, but if you’re short on time, and stressing about the constraints and uncertainty of traveling during the holiday, this tour will take care of it all for you.

Wander down Beijing’s hutongs

Beijing is known for is its labyrinthine collection of hutongs.

Hutongs are old, narrow alleys that crisscross the city’s central historic area—great places to experience Beijing’s local culture.

You can also experience a Chinese Tea ceremony in a Beijing Hutong courtyard.

If you explore Beijing for Chinese New Year, you can see many traditional Chinese homes decorated with red lanterns and, if your timing is right, local celebrations of people setting off fireworks a few feet away from you as you wander.

🥡 Don’t miss this food-lover’s Hutong culinary walking tour

Exploring one of Beijing’s hutongs

Our Hotel in Beijing, China

Our accommodation in the hutongs was the Super 8 Dong Si Motel.

This motel is located within 10 minutes’ walk of the Dongsi subway station.

It’s well placed for exploring the hutongs and visiting many of Beijing’s attractions, including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

The motel is nothing special, but our room was clean and seemed recently renovated.

Super 8 also has 24-hour reception, which makes for easy coming and going at any time of day or night.

Super 8 Dong Si Motel:  No.137 Dongsi Wutiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100010

Booking.com

Any trip to Beijing for Chinese New Year will be a great one, as the festive spirit will pervade your entire experience.  Just remember that some restaurants and stores will be closed in Beijing for Chinese New Year, and others may have different operating hours. If you’ve got your heart set on a specific restaurant during this time, you should research in advance if it will be open. Restaurants on Ghost Street are a safe bet, but they may close early to set up their firework show.

However, it will be well worth it to be able to participate in one of the most massive and incredible holidays in the world. A trip to Beijing for Chinese New Year, or to any of the Chinese megacities, is unforgettable, and we’d highly recommend it!

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