Season 1 · Leg 11
Let's Climb Jingshan Park and Eat Our Way Through Beijing
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The route map
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins are approximate and show the on-the-ground route in Beijing. Download the KML for Google My Maps / Google Earth
Why go here?
Because Beijing is huge, historic and absolutely delicious. This leg has the best view of the Forbidden City, a market full of pearls, and a temple so perfectly symmetrical it feels designed by a very calm geometry teacher. We'll eat things we can't pronounce and love every bite.
Getting there: LA to Beijing
I checked SNA and LGB, but Beijing flights leave from LAX. Priceline showed a $611 round trip with one stop in Chengdu, and nonstops run closer to $966 (Priceline).
Plan ahead on paperwork. For a regular round trip from LA, US citizens need a Chinese tourist (L) visa, and the standard fee is $140 through Dec 31, 2026 (China Xian Tour). Visa-free transit only works if you fly onward to a third country, not back home. Check the embassy site before you apply.
Total cost for flight and visa: about $751 per adult
Where we're staying
Three nights at Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing, a walk from the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. Its Family Room is about $175 a night (Trip.com).
Total cost for 3 nights: about $263 per adult, two sharing ($525 total)
Stop 1: Jingshan Park
The teams' first Beijing clue was at the top pavilion of Jingshan Park. Tickets are ¥2 (Beijing government), which might be the best deal on this entire season. From the top, the whole Forbidden City spreads out below you in gold and red.
Running cost: under $1 per adult
Stop 2: The Detour, Volley or Rally
Teams either played ping-pong against a local champion or rode a bus, motorcycle taxi and pedicab across town. I'd do our own Rally: take the Metro across the city, then a pedicab through the hutongs. Bring your table-tennis paddle, though, because you never know who'll challenge you.
Running cost: under $1 per adult (Metro and pedicab are pay-as-you-go)
Stop 3: Hongqiao Market
Teams got a shopping list in Mandarin at Hongqiao Market. Today it's famous for pearls. The jewelry stalls are open about 10:00 to 19:30, and it's right across from the Temple of Heaven's east gate (Trip.com guide). Haggle with a smile.
Running cost: under $1 per adult (shopping is up to you)
Stop 4: The street-food Roadblock
The Roadblock was a feast of beetle larvae, squid and chicken feet at Donghuamen Night Market, which closed in 2016. Instead, I'd book Lost Plate's Hutong Evening Food Tour for $75, with 3.5 hours of food and drinks (Lost Plate). For the full Roadblock experience, wander Wangfujing's snack lanes afterward and order the scariest thing on a stick.
Running cost: about $76 per adult
The Pit Stop: Temple of Heaven, south gate
The leg ended at the south gate of Tiantan Park. The combined ticket is ¥34 and covers the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Echo Wall and the Circular Mound Altar (Beijing government). Try the Echo Wall with a friend, then walk out the south gate. That's where we'd meet Phil!
Running cost: about $81 per adult
Total cost of this leg for Pit Stop Passport racers: about $1,095 per adult (estimate, two adults sharing a room: flight and visa $751 + hotel $263 + activities $81. It doesn't include airport transfers, the Metro, meals or tips. Prices checked Oct 2026, at $1 ≈ ¥6.67, and they will change.)
Family Pit Crew
Beijing is great with kids, and most parks are nearly free. I'd do one big sight each morning and let everyone nap through the afternoon heat.
Age rules, stop by stop
| Stop | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Jingshan Park | Free for kids 6 and under, or 1.2 m and shorter (Beijing government). |
| Temple of Heaven | Free under 18 with valid documents (Beijing government). |
| Lost Plate food tour | $60 for ages 4–15, free for ages 3 and under (Lost Plate). |
| Visa | Every family member needs a passport and visa. Check the fees for kids when you apply. |
What I'd skip with kids. I'd skip the bug-on-a-stick challenge unless your kids are into it. I'd also skip the pearl haggling with bored kids and send one adult in while the rest of us play in Tiantan Park.
Family-friendly places to stay
- Sunworld Hotel Wangfujing (budget pick). A Family Room for about $175 a night, and a Family Suite with a queen plus two singles (Sunworld).
- Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing (splurge). A 70 m² Family Suite from about $414 a night (Trip.com).
Total cost for the Family Pit Crew: about $3,810 (estimate for two adults and two kids: four $611 round trips with kids at the adult fare = $2,444; four visas at $140 = $560; Sunworld Family Room 3 nights = $525, more for the suite; Jingshan and Temple of Heaven for the family = about $11; Lost Plate for two adults and two kids aged 4–15 = $270. It excludes transfers, the Metro, meals and tips. Prices checked Oct 2026.)