Beijing

From October 3 to 13, 2025, arrival and city tour of Beijing

Writing an article about this city is challenging due to the multitude of things to discover. We hope the photo gallery provides you with a good visual overview.

The Great Wall

On October 3rd, we stopped in Badaling to visit the Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The crowds were dense, mostly Chinese, making progress difficult. A striking contrast to the ten days we spent in the Gobi Desert, where we were almost alone in the world. The imposing and impressive wall reflected the country’s grandeur, reflecting its enormous dimensions.

A city for cyclists

On Saturday, October 4th, we headed for Beijing, a city of 23 million people. The journey was pleasant, winding through the mountains. We quickly reached the suburbs, then the city. Buildings had replaced the greenery and trees. Getting around this city was a real pleasure, thanks to the wide bike lanes well protected from traffic.

The city and some must-sees:

· The Lama Temple, once a Buddhist temple, is now a place of meditation for the population. A very popular place for tourists. An architectural marvel.

· The Temple of Heaven: An impressive religious complex dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Surrounded by vast gardens and tree-lined paths, it is a place that blends history and architectural beauty.

· The Summer Palace: A royal park built near Kunming Lake with buildings, bridges, towers as well as gardens, it is majestic and difficult to imagine.

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Two very popular tourist spots, requiring an early morning arrival to avoid the crowds and capture photos of the changing of the guard, which marches at 108 steps per minute. In addition, at this early hour, there is little noise, the streets and subway are deserted.

A bit of history:

The Forbidden City is a magnificent and incredible place, home to the largest palace in the world, built in the 15th century. It served as the residence of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its name comes from the fact that no one was allowed to enter without the emperor’s permission. It is a city within a city, covering 74 hectares and containing 8,700 rooms.

Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, is infamous for the events of 1989. The authorities violently repressed protesters there, resulting in several thousand deaths.

Walks in the city

The situation seems to have changed significantly since the 2008 Olympics. The government has dismantled many traditional markets and replaced them with modern buildings. Hutong houses have either been renovated to enhance the city’s appearance or demolished for the sake of the Games.

Overtourism

Visiting a city like Beijing is a unique experience compared to our trip. The crowds are everywhere, so if you don’t like waiting, it’s impossible to see anything. This is an extreme example of mass tourism, and the term “overtourism” might be appropriate given the long lines we encountered. For example, Tiananmen Square receives 80,000 people a day.

What if this was the price of security?

In China, controls are very strict, whether for visits or access to transport such as the subway. Bag searches are systematic. Objects such as knives, scissors, nail clippers, lighters, and glass bottles are prohibited. Each person passes through an airlock, followed by a body search.

Security checks have become an integral part of everyday life for Chinese people. Everyone waits patiently and accepts them without any problem. There’s no denying that we felt a constant sense of security throughout our 45-day stay in China.

Route: Over the past week, we have covered 100 km. You can view the final map of our route by clicking here.