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China

Best temples in Beijing

Beijing’s temples were built for an imperial capital, and two of the four are state ritual sites rather than places of congregation: the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for good harvests, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple beside the Forbidden City. Put the Temple of Heaven first for the round, triple-roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, then the Lama Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery with a towering sandalwood Maitreya.

Temple tours in Beijing 142
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Temple of Heaven

Beijing, China

The Temple of Heaven sits in a large walled park in southern Beijing, and the ticketing reflects that.

108 tickets & tours

Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)

Beijing, China

The basic purchase at the Lama Temple is a timed entry ticket, and in recent years Beijing's main sights have…

34 tickets & tours

The Imperial Ancestral Temple is just east of Tiananmen and pairs naturally with the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven lies to the south, the Lama Temple to the north on the metro, and the Yuan-dynasty White Pagoda of Miaoying Temple to the west. Enter the Temple of Heaven park soon after it opens at about 6 am, when locals practise tai chi and sing among the cypresses, before the halls open. Carry your passport, as some sites check it at the gate.

Tours and activities in Beijing

Which one to choose in Beijing

Temples in Beijing: questions

How many temples are there in Beijing?

This catalogue lists 4 temples, shrines and mosques in Beijing, 4 of them with tickets or tours to book online. The most booked are Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao).

Which is the oldest temple in Beijing?

Miaoying Temple (White Pagoda Temple), founded in 1279, is the oldest in the catalogue for Beijing.

Which temples in Beijing are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

1 temples in Beijing in this catalogue are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Temple of Heaven.