10 Things to Do in Beijing at Night

Beijing is not only one of China's most famous destinations, but also the country's capital and therefore the epicenter of many of the local customs and some of the most significant attractions. Noted as one of the cities that never sleeps, during a night tour you can discover luminous decorations and interesting shows.

Some of the best things to see and do in Beijing at night include visiting the Silk Night Market, enjoying a typical show at the National Theater, taking in the panoramic views from the Olympic Tower, touring the traditional hutongs on a bicycle tour and dining in the street markets.

The Silk Night Market is one of Beijing's most popular shopping sites and one of the places you will almost certainly be taken if you book a Beijing tour. There you can find clothing, handicrafts, electronics, jewelry, souvenirs and a wide range of varieties. But you can also do other activities such as tasting Chinese cuisine and enjoying the atmosphere, which becomes festive at night.

At the food stalls you can enjoy traditional dishes of the local cuisine. Meanwhile, you will also notice the neon lights, the music and the crowds of people that congregate there every night. Please note that in all markets in China the custom of bargaining is widespread. In all cases, the more products you buy, the better overall prices you will get.

Another activity you can do at the Silk Night Market is to attend a traditional Chinese dance and music show, which usually takes place on an open-air stage. You can either tour the market on your own or visit it during a Beijing tour that includes a visit to this site.

Details of interest

• Price: admission to the market is free.
• Location: 186 Wangfujing, Dongcheng, Beijing.
• Hours: from 10 am to 11 pm.

The Olympic Tower has one of the highest observatories in Beijing and marks one of the landmarks of the city, as it was built to highlight the highest point of the Olympic Village for the 2008 Olympic Games, which divided the capital into an old and traditional part, the center, from the modern area on the outskirts. From the 234-meter observation deck you can see some of the best views, especially at night.

Currently the Olympic Tower is used only as an observatory and from there you can make out the bright lights of the city and some of the most famous buildings, such as the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, the Aquatic Center, the Forbidden City and the modern skyscrapers that rise on the banks of the Hai River.

The Olympic Tower will give you one of the best nighttime views of the city from high above and outside the main city center, which is crowned by Tiananmen Square and the imperial palaces, especially if you plan to visit Beijing in summer. Book a Beijing tour and find out more about this iconic place.

Interesting details

• Price: the entrance fee is approximately €15.
• Location: Kehui South Road, Olympic Park in Chaoyang, Beijing.
• Hours: from 7:00 am to 11:30 pm.

Tiananmen Square is one of the most iconic places in Beijing and its night view is breathtaking. You will marvel at the illuminated buildings and visit the Monument to the People's Heroes, where you can learn more about China's history and culture.

If you book a tour of Tiananmen Square, you will visit the Heavenly Peace Gate, which is one of the most recognizable symbols and is located at the southern end of Tiananmen. This impressive structure was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the 17th century during the Qing Dynasty. The gate is 33 meters high and consists of a central tower and two side wings, each with five rooms.

The Gate of Heavenly Peace occupies a central space in Beijing's past, as it served as the main entrance to the Forbidden City, which is China's imperial palace. Today, it remains an important political symbol and is used for official events. You should note that it is also known for its tragic history. In 1989 Tiananmen was the scene of student protests that ended in a violent crackdown. Since then, the site has been guarded by the authorities.

Details of interest

• Price: Admission to the square is free.
• Location: Dongcheng, Beijing
• Hours: there are no opening and closing restrictions, although it is guarded 24 hours a day.

Houhai is an artificial lake located in the center of Beijing that is characterized by offering some of the best panoramic views of the city, especially at night, when the buildings and lights of the capital are reflected in the water. It also has a direct view of the Forbidden City, which was for several centuries the official residence of the Chinese emperors.

Among the options you can choose to discover the views from the lake, you can rent small rowing boats to discover it on your own or join the tourist boats that have capacity for a large number of people. In addition, in the lake area you can also find restaurants, bars and temples nearby.

The Houhai Lake area also includes other activities such as visiting the surrounding hiking trail, doing water sports, enjoying the local music and atmosphere and taking some of the best pictures from a different skyline of the city. The lake can be reached by Beijing's hop on-hop off sightseeing buses.

Details of interest

• Price: boat rides have an initial cost of approximately €9 per adult.
• Location: Houhai Lake, Beijing.
• Hours: Tours are available until approximately 11:30 pm.

Beijing and the routine of its citizens vibrates around the street markets that exist in the capital, so if you want to live a local experience, you can not miss these places at night and dine at their stalls, which are usually included in the tours of the best gastronomic tours of the city.

If you book a gastronomic tour by tuk tuk, among the markets you can visit are the Silk Market, Panjiayuan Market, which is the most famous antique market in the city, Hongqiao Market, Yashow Market, Dashilan Market, Liulichang Market and Wangfujing Market, which offers a wide variety of products. Throughout the capital there are more than 100 markets, but these are the most recognized.

Note that the markets are usually open until midnight, so you can not only dine at them, but also discover the festive spirit of the city, which revolves around the music and lights of its stalls.

The Drum Tower and the Bell Tower are two famous historical structures. Both towers are ancient monuments dating back to the Ming Dynasty era and are considered important treasures of local culture. Nowadays, you can discover from there some of the best views of the city, although it is ideal to visit them at night to contemplate their particular oriental structure.

The Drum Tower was originally used to mark the time and to signal the beginning and end of the day, so it occupied a preponderant space in the city's past. Today, it is one of the most visited monuments in Beijing and houses an exhibition that displays ancient musical instruments and is considered one of the best museums in the Chinese capital.

The Bell Tower, meanwhile, is located north of the Drum Tower. It will catch your attention with its 47-meter height and also for its beautiful garden. Visitors can climb to its top to enjoy panoramic views of the city of Beijing, but only until 8 pm. However, it will be enough to see the sunset. During clear summer days you can even see one of the Beijing parts of the Great Wall of China from the Bell Tower.

Interesting details

• Price: the entrance fee for both towers is approximately 22 € per person.
• Location: Zhonglou Wan Tong, Dongcheng, Beijing.
• Hours: The towers are open to the public daily from 7 am to 8 pm.

Hutongs are narrow alleys typical of traditional Chinese cities that you can discover if you book a Beijing tour. These narrow lanes, which are a tourist attraction in Beijing, are flanked by low buildings, usually residential, which are designed to form a complex of terraced houses. The best alternative for touring them is to rent a bicycle and take a night tour, which is when there is a smaller influx of people.

In ancient times, hutongs were common in many Chinese cities, but with rapid urban development and modernization many of them have been demolished to make way for high-rise buildings and wider roads. Today, the hutongs that have survived are considered historical and tourist sites, and are often seen as a symbol of the culture and identity of traditional China.

The best Beijing bike tours usually propose a tour of the hutongs to discover a classic skyline of the city and experience the atmosphere of these alleys, where typical houses are mixed with food stalls and shops.

Interesting details

• Price: night bike tours have a starting cost of approximately €18 per person.
• Location: In Beijing you can find them in the city center, which is considered the old part of the Chinese capital.

The Olympic Park, in the Chaoyang district on the outskirts of Beijing, was built to host the delegations during the 2008 Olympic Games and has since become a reference of the new part of the city, in contrast to the center of the Chinese capital that refers to ancient oriental architecture and traditions.

In this park you can discover some of the best views of the city and, during the night, you can see illuminated the imposing scenarios of the Olympic Games, such as the Bird's Nest or the Water Cube, which offers luminous panoramic views and a large number of attractions, including green areas, fountains and artificial lakes.

The best alternative to visit this site is to opt for full-day tours of the Olympic Village or choose one of the city's hop-off tour buses that offer stops at the Olympic Park.

Details of interest

• Price: Admission to the Olympic Park is free.
• Location: Kehui South Road, Olympic Park in Chaoyang, Beijing.
• Hours: Open 24 hours a day.

The Beijing National Grand Theater is one of the most important and modern theaters in China and is considered a masterpiece of contemporary architecture. The theater, moreover, is located in an area close to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, so it is possible to combine your visit with other excursions.

With a circular structure design with a titanium and glass dome that resembles a giant egg, the building is an attraction in itself. It seats over 5,000 people and has three main halls: the opera house, the concert hall and the theater hall where you can attend shows during your trip.

If you are an opera fan, you can enjoy a typical classical music show hosted by the Beijing Philharmonic. These concerts are usually available at least once a month and you can get tickets in advance on the official website of the National Theater. Enjoying a show at this theater is one of the best things to do in Beijing at night.

Details of interest

• Price: depends on the show, but you can get tickets from 18 €.
• Location: 2 Chang'an West Avenue, Xicheng, Beijing
• Hours: Shows start at 8 pm.

The Liyuan Theater is not as modern and architecturally striking as the National Theater nor as eclectic as the Red Theater, which offers the best Kung Fu shows in Beijing, but it is one of the most traditional in the Chinese capital, offers the best concerts of Chinese opera and is one of the places to see and do in Beijing

The theater is located in a building over 100 years old that is characterized by the quality of its acoustics, which is often accompanied by the lighting effects and costumes of the protagonists of the concerts. Traditional Chinese opera is a very colorful spectacle, which also includes acrobatics and performances of different types, so visiting the Liyuan to attend these shows is one of the best alternatives for your trip.

Although the shows are periodic and tickets usually do not sell out, I advise you to book tickets in advance to avoid last minute delays and to avoid price changes.

Details of interest

• Price: traditional Chinese opera performances have an initial cost of approximately 24 € per person.
• Location: 175 Yong'an, Xicheng, Beijing.
• Hours: Evening performances start at 7pm.