Imperial palace
Forbidden City
Imperial palace of the Ming and Qing in central Beijing: the Meridian Gate, the Hall of Supreme Harmony and its throne, Cixi's yellow curtain and the corner tower above the moat.
Beijing, China
Beijing Audio Guide
Walk the imperial capital with 53 audio stops narrated by experts. From the halls of the Forbidden City to the towers that told the hour over the hutongs, every place explains how six centuries of emperors, monks and revolutions left their mark on a single axis.
- ~13h of audio
- 10 routes · 53 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English
Coming soon
- 10Landmarks
- 53Audios
- ~13hOf narration
Photo: Boris Kasimov
10 audio guides in Beijing
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Monumental square
Tiananmen Square
Monumental square on the axis of Beijing: the Tiananmen Gate with Mao's portrait, the daily flag-raising, the Monument to the People's Heroes and Mao's Mausoleum.
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Imperial sanctuary
Temple of Heaven
Imperial sanctuary of Beijing laid out like a map of the cosmos: the hall of 28 columns, the Danbi Bridge, the Echo Wall, the Circular Mound Altar and tai chi every morning.
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UNESCO heritage
Summer Palace
The last great imperial garden of Beijing: hand-dug Kunming Lake, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the painted Long Corridor and the Marble Boat.
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Ming wall
Mutianyu Great Wall
Ming section of the Great Wall north of Beijing: cable car to tower 14, battlements on both sides, the three-tower gate of the Zhengguantai and a toboggan descent.
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UNESCO heritage
Jingshan Park
Artificial hill north of the Forbidden City, in Beijing: the Wanchun Ting and its view of the central axis, Chongzhen's pagoda tree, two steles with a history and Shouhuang Hall.
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Imperial garden
Beihai Park
The oldest imperial garden in Beijing: Kublai Khan's jade jar, the White Dagoba on Qionghua Island, the Five Dragons and the Nine-Dragon Wall.
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Tibetan Buddhist temple
Lama Temple
Active Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Beijing, a former imperial mansion: the Laba porridge cauldron, steles in four languages, the Mountain of Five Hundred Arhats and an 18-metre sandalwood Maitreya.
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Qing princely residence
Prince Gong's Mansion
Qing princely residence beside Shichahai lake, in Beijing: Heshen's nanmu hall, the Houzhao Lou of the different windows, the European gate, the 福 stele and an enclosed opera theatre.
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UNESCO heritage
Drum and Bell Towers
The two towers that told Beijing the time, at the end of the central axis: 25 timekeeping drums, drumming on the hour, the square among hutongs and the great Yongle bronze bell.
Beijing Audio Guide
What to see in Beijing with the EarGuide audio guide
Beijing is read along an axis. At its centre, the Forbidden City, the wooden palace Yongle raised between 1406 and 1420 and where 24 Ming and Qing emperors lived until 1924; in front of it, the Gate and Square of Tiananmen, where the People's Republic was proclaimed. To the north, Jingshan Park, an artificial mountain made from the earth of the moat, looks toward Beihai Park and its White Dagoba, and the axis closes at the Drum and Bell Towers, which for six centuries told the capital the time. Around them wait the Temple of Heaven, laid out like a map of the cosmos; the Lama Temple, a Tibetan monastery with an 18-metre sandalwood Maitreya; Prince Gong's Mansion; Cixi's Summer Palace; and, in the Huairou mountains, the Mutianyu Great Wall.
With the EarGuide Beijing audio guide, every place reveals its history through professional narration prepared by guides who know the city and imperial China inside out. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
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No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
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Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Beijing audio guide
How much does the Beijing audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Beijing audio guide includes 10 independent routes with about thirteen hours of professional narration spread across 10 sites and 53 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your walk around Beijing. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Beijing audio guide available in?
The Beijing audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with professional narration prepared by guides and experts in the history of Beijing and of imperial China.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 10 independent routes with about thirteen hours of narration in total, from 45 to 120 minutes per route. They are designed to be spread over three or four days: you can do them separately or string together the ones along the central axis in a single walk.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you walk Beijing without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of China.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Beijing audio guide covers 10 main sites: the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Mutianyu Great Wall, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, the Lama Temple, Prince Gong's Mansion and the Drum and Bell Towers, with stops that range from the throne of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to Cixi's stone boat and the watchtowers of the Wall.
Can I do it all on foot?
A good part of it. Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, Prince Gong's Mansion and the Drum and Bell Towers link up on foot along the central axis and the hutongs of the north. The Temple of Heaven, to the south, and the Lama Temple, to the northeast, are somewhat farther and are best reached by metro. The Summer Palace is in the northwest of the city and the Mutianyu Great Wall, in the Huairou mountains, lies outside Beijing, so it is best to set aside a day for them and get there by transport.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Beijing audio guide free
The Beijing audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the city at your own pace.
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