Top 8 Things to Do in Beijing in the Winter (Tips, Photos & Map)

Plan your Beijing winter tour? Beijing is an interesting destination for your winter vacation. Winter in Beijing begins with an abundance of festivities during the holiday season: skiing, ice skating, hot spring bathing, hiking the Great Wall of China, etc.

In addition, if you prefer to stay out of the cold, choose from the numerous museums, restaurants, book stores open during the season.

We’ve put together a few top things to do in Beijing in the winter,  which allow you to feel the warmer part of the city when it’s getting colder.

Skiing in Beijing

Skiing has become increasingly popular with Chinese. There are over 10 ski resorts around Beijing which are suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers.

For more Beijing skiing information, check out the link: Top 10 Beijing Ski Resorts.

To meet the various needs from customers, most of the Beijing ski resorts offers snow related activities such as stimulative Motorcycle on snow land, snow flying disc, romantic sleigh drawn by dogs or houses, ice garden, and snow garden.

Visiting a ski resort is a bonus added to make a perfect winter holiday in Beijing. No matter you are a keen skier or non-skier, you can rewind and entertain yourself in a ski resort around Beijing.

So, skiing and participating in snow activities, or just sitting in a cozy snack bar and appreciating the white ski area over a cup of coffee or tea.

Outdoor Ice Rinks

There are a few top indoor ice skating Rinks such New World Champion Skating Rink, all Star Ice Rink, New World Champion Skating Rink and more.

Ice Lantern Festival

Each year, starting Jan 05, Beijing will hold its own ice and snow festival – The Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival. The Longqing Gorge is flanked on both sides by green peaks.

Due to the shade from mountains towering on both sides, the area has an annual ice period of four months, offering the ideal venue for an ice-lantern festival.

For more information on Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival, check the link below:

During the ice lantern festival, ice-and-snow sculptures and ice slides are displayed along 300 meters of the gorge. The evening colorful lighting adds to the fun of evening activities.

Hot Spring Bathing

A nice soak in one of Beijing's many hot springs is an excellent way to the perfect place to wash off the dirt and relax your body. There are three popular hot spring resorts around Beijing: Chunhuiyuan Hot Spring Resort, Jiuhua Spa & Resort and Huaxia Hot Spring.

Chunhuiyuan Hot Spring Resort and Jiuhua Spa & Resort Actually have the same springhead – Xiaotangshan hot spring. Xiaotangshan has been famous for its hot springs for over 300 years. Local legend has it that the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) went there to relax.

Museums and Art Galleries

All the major attractions, including Museums and Art Galleries, are still open in Beijing in winter. As a China’s vibrant and exciting capital city, Beijing is home to many world-class museums and art galleries.

There are over 150 to choose from, ranging from the historical to the hi-tech.

For more information on Beijing museums, check out the link: Top 10 Beijing Museums.

Temple Fairs

As a foreign visitor, if you are in Beijing during the Spring Festival,  visiting a temple fair is definitely a good choice to experience the traditional  Beijing custom and Chinese culture.

Like elsewhere in the world, temple fairs (Miao Hui)originated and developed as groups of vendors did business near temples when many pilgrimages came to pay tribute to the gods during traditional festivals.

Now there are over 10 major temple fairs held each year in Beijing during Chinese New Year. Most of them are in the parks, wide streets and other non-temple areas.

Shop at the local free markets

If you are not interested in shopping at high-end shopping malls in Beijing, where everything seems to be overpriced at fixed prices, then why not dig into the plentiful free or flea markets where you can enjoy bargaining with the local vendors.

Curl up with a book

The Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore and Beijing Xinhua Bookstore are major book sellers. The China Book Store in Liulichang binds and repairs all kinds of books and periodicals as well as selling them.Another good place for books is Haidian book street near Beijing University.

Add-on

Tip:  Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for guided tours to Beijing:

Further Readings