Less-Touristy Great Wall
The Great Wall at Badaling is the top tourist destination. It is restored and does provide some good views. However, it is crowded, touristy, and completely renovated. For an even better experience, head north (via taxi or rented car) to Jin Shan Ling. It is about a 2-hr ride given the traffic in Beijing. Get out in Jin Shan Ling, get on the wall, take a left, and head toward Simatai. It is just over a 6-mile walk. It has amazing views and gives you a sense of just how great an endeavor building the Great Wall was. Have your car pick you up at Simatai and take you back. .
Simatai is nice, but even less touristed is Huanghuacheng, where the locals will try to tell you that it’s illegal for you to hike on the wall. But then they’ll eventually break down and offer to guide you for 50RMB. If you bring a good hiking guide, you don’t even need a local! Helps to speak some Mandarin though.
Bell Tower
31A North Third Ring Road West Road Hai Dian District,
Beijing, China
The Bell Tower of Beijing is one of the lesser-known sites. The Tower was built in 1272 CE but was burnt down shortly thereafter, rebuilt in 1420... and just as promptly burnt down again. In 1745 it was rebuilt during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong, this time for keeps.
The Bell Tower was built so sturdily that the only damage it suffered from an earthquake in 1976 was the loss of a single stone animal head decorating the roof. The nightly peals of the bell can be heard from over 20 kilometers away.
As for the site itself, it gives an amazing view of Beijing, especially the ever-vanishing Hutongs, and the nearby Drum Tower is also a site to see. Definite recommend.
Duang Hua Men Night Market
Dong Hua Men Dajie
Beijing 100005, China
Ever tried fried silkworm? Roast egg with chick? Perhaps some snake, sea horses or grass hoppers? No, never? Well, the Night Market is the place to start!
It offers everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING that you could ask for (and most of which that you didn't).
For the truly adventurous. Weak stomaches need not apply.
Ancient Observatory (Guguanxiangtai)
2 Dongbiaobei Hutong
Beijing, China
The product of Jesuit astronomical knowledge, the observatory is host to a variety of 17th and 18th century globes, astrolabes, quadrants, theodolites and every other astronomical device under the sun.
See where East met West, and get a great view of Beijing to boot.
When you think of China, you think of hutongs. The name means an alley, and the thousands of hutongs, ever shrinking, which dot Beijing lay as silent testament to the old city. Built anywhere from the 13th to the 17th centuries, these quaint houses contain a vibrant life not seen in the high-rise apartments.
Many of these are located right next to Beihai Park, so take a bike and just cycle through area. No schmaltzy tourist traps here --- this is real Beijing life. Some Chinese may offer guided tours of the Hutong district. While certainly informative, the cost will probably be a ripoff: why pay when you can do it for free?
China North International Shooting Range
Nankou Town, Changping District
Beijing, China
Ever had the urge to fire a machine gun? Pop out a rocket-propelled grenade? Snipe a target from downrange?
The China North International Shooting Range, located on the far outskirts of Beijing, has something for the Rambo in all of us. Payment is by the bullet (or anti-tank missile, if that's your preference) and is pretty expensive by Chinese standards. Still, where else are you going to get to fire an AK-47?
Both are within walking distance of each other, just north of the Forbidden City. On weekends in particular, you'll find hundreds of people there socializing, playing musical instruments and singing in small groups, and much ballroom dancing in the squares. Pretty environs with flowers, fruit trees, and some of the only precious-little grass you'll encounter in all of Beijing. A great way to see average, day-to-day Chinese life. Beihai park also includes a huge lake in the center, where you can rent a paddle boat for a float around.