Beijing First Impressions: Forbidden City, Street Food & 798

Beijing changed everything we thought we knew about China 🇨🇳 After spending time in Shanghai, we thought we had China figured out. We were completely wrong. In just 48 hours in Beijing we visited the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple and discovered why this city feels like nothing else we've ever experienced.<br><br>From eating Jianbing street wraps for under £1 at breakfast, to Peking Duck pancakes for under £10, navigating the metro with ease, uncovering hidden Easter eggs inside the Imperial Palace, stumbling across the 798 Art District, and ending our nights in the electric chaos of the Sanlitun bar street — Beijing genuinely blew our minds.<br><br>This is our honest first impressions of Beijing — the good, the surprising, and everything in between. If you've ever been on the fence about visiting China, watch this first.<br><br>🚂 Arrived by high speed train from Shanghai (4.5 hours)<br>🥟 Jianbing breakfast wrap under £1<br>🏯 Forbidden City jaw dropping scale<br>🛕 Temple of Heaven most peaceful place we've visited<br>☕ Lama Temple the hidden gem of Beijing<br>🦆 Peking Duck in Beijing worth every penny<br>🎨 798 Art District we had no idea this existed<br>🌙 Sanlitun bar street pure chaos (in the best way)<br>📍 Beijing, China