Beijing

Beijing is one of the world's truly great cities — a capital that has been at the centre of Chinese civilisation for over 700 years and today drives the world's second-largest economy. The city holds within it an astonishing concentration of imperial heritage: the Forbidden City alone contains 980 buildings constructed in the early 15th century; the Temple of Heaven complex where emperors prayed to the heavens; and just 90 minutes away, the Great Wall snaking across the northern hills in one of humanity's greatest engineering achievements. Walking the Mutianyu section of the Wall at dawn, when mist drifts through the watchtowers, is an experience that genuinely earns the word 'unforgettable'.

Modern Beijing is a city of extraordinary contrasts. The ancient hutong alleyways — narrow lanes of traditional courtyard homes that date back centuries — survive in pockets between the Olympic stadium complex (the Bird's Nest and Water Cube), the soaring CCTV headquarters, and the vast shopping malls of Wangfujing. The 798 Art District in the northeast, set inside a former Bauhaus-style factory, has become one of Asia's most vibrant contemporary art scenes, housing hundreds of galleries and independent spaces pushing Chinese creative culture forward.

The food scene rewards curiosity. Beijing duck (Peking duck) is the city's signature dish — seek it out at a traditional duck restaurant for the full ceremony of carving and wrapping in thin pancakes. Beyond the tourist trail, explore the street food markets around Donghuamen for lamb skewers, stinky tofu, and scorpion skewers (more edible than they look). The hutong neighbourhoods of Nanluoguxiang and Wudaoying offer independent coffee shops, craft beer bars, and dumplings — a Beijing that feels lived-in and local rather than imperial and imposing.