In this post, we round up some of our favorite places and attractions we visited during our two weeks in Beijing, China. My sister and I packed a section of the Great Wall of China from Beijing at the weekend. Our guide was very kind and gave us a short history lesson about China while we visited the Great Wall.

One of the best things to do in Beijing is to take it out of your head and look at the inner activities. If you want to explore the city from a more historical point of view, this is definitely one of them. During my visit, I learned much more about the Great Wall of China and its history, but the weather got worse and we had to go and do more. We visited Beijing for three days in total, and I am glad that we have taken all this into account.

Here are some things to know if you are already planning a trip to Beijing or are just starting to think about it. You can learn what you like to do, what you expect and what you don't expect when exploring Beijing.

In addition to the three above, the Forbidden City is also a must - here travelers can learn about Beijing and China's history and take beautiful photos. If you have only a short time to visit Beijing, you can visit it for a few hours or even all day and travel around the city exploring some of the more hidden attractions in it. Besides the Great Wall of China, there is another place on your wish list that you should definitely visit to tick off your time in Beijing.

The hotel is next to the Forbidden City and is one of the best options if you are already in the Forbidden City. All in all, it is really nice to visit Beijing, and there are so many incredible things to do in Beijing when you leave the city limits, when you want to explore the city - far and wide - further. There are a lot of good things to do in and around Beijing, both within - and outside - Beijing and within the city limits.

This 13th century palace is truly immense and a breathtaking - inspiring spectacle that easily makes it one of Beijing's best sights. No trip to Beijing would be complete without a visit to the Great Wall of China, and there is no better place in the world to see China's most famous landmark than before it.

Also known as Yonghe Temple, this monastery is one of the best preserved examples of a traditional Chinese imperial temple found in Beijing. Of all the traditional Chinese imperial temples that can be visited in and around Beijing, the Temple of Heaven is probably the easiest temple to visit on your own.

The Badaling Mutianyu Great Wall section is only a few hours from Beijing, so you will need to hire a driver or tour bus to take you there. The Great Wall of China is huge and it can be quite difficult to choose a section to visit.

Thanks to the cheap flights and train systems, it is easy to reach most major Chinese destinations by plane or direct train. Beijing is half a world away, but with a convenient flight or train system, it is easier to travel from Beijing to other major cities in China. It is located about 1200 km south of Beijing and is easier to get to Beijing from there than from other cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou or Guangdong.

If you want to experience a world-class opera like the Peking Opera, then the centre of the performing arts of the city is worth a visit. Nowadays, you also have access to the huge and incredible cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou, which is absolutely amazing to see and well worth a visit.

My favourite tour is from a company called Beijing Postcards, and I have been to the Forbidden City a few times, but you can visit the best - preserved royal gardens - on the first day. If you enjoy history and Tiananmen Square is not too picturesque, it is a place not to be missed when you visit Beijing. On our first evening in Beijing, we sat with Mum and Valerie in a Chinese restaurant and ordered a Peking duck.

In the years 581 - 618 of the Sui Dynasty, Beijing was called Zhuo and had 130,000 inhabitants. It was renamed Nanjing because it was located in the south of the kingdom. Nan means "South Square" in Chinese and Beijing's current name is derived from the word "Nanjing" ("nan"), a combination of "neighborhood" and "nan," or "South Square."

The city was called Shuntian Prefecture Capital until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), which brought Beijing under its immediate control. On 1 October 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded and established, and Beijing became once again the newborn capital of the whole of China. This made it the second largest city in the world after Beijing in terms of population and population density.