Best Traditional Chinese Architecture in Beijing: 3-Site Plan with 2026 Prices

Three sites give you 90% of imperial Beijing's architecture: the Forbidden City 故宫, the Temple of Heaven 天坛, and the Summer Palace 颐和园. Visit in that order across three half-days. The Forbidden City is the wooden-architecture peak. Peak-season entry is ¥60 (April–October), ¥40 off-season, and tickets release at exactly 8:00 PM Beijing time, 7 days ahead, on the WeChat mini-program 故宫博物院. Same-day on-site sales no longer exist; foreigners enter passport details directly in the mini-program. The Temple of Heaven combo ticket is ¥34 in peak season and ¥28 from November to March; that price covers the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Echo Wall, and the Circular Mound Altar. The basic park-only ticket at ¥15 skips all three structures, so do not buy it by mistake. Park gates open 06:00, halls open 08:00 — arrive at 08:00 for empty courtyards and golden light. The Summer Palace is ¥30 (¥20 off-season) and rewards a 4-hour walk along Kunming Lake. For payments, use Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign Visa or Mastercard. Apple Maps is reliable inside Beijing's third ring; Didi handles taxis without an English driver. Pack water, a hat, and good shoes — distances inside the Forbidden City alone exceed 2 km. The trade-off worth knowing: Tuesday closure at the Forbidden City catches dozens of tourists every week.