Where to Go for a Spring Self-Driving Tour Around Beijing

There are many great places for a spring self-driving tour around Beijing. We highly recommend that you go and enjoy the beautiful scenery! You can have a relaxing self-driving trip during your vacation. So let’s take a look at some of the recommended self-driving destinations around Beijing. See below for details.

1. Yanqing Qianjiadian Town

Yanqing County, 74 kilometers from downtown Beijing, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one. It has a superior ecological environment and is an important ecological barrier in the northwest of the capital. It is the northern gateway to Beijing, an important transportation hub, and has a well-developed network of roads connecting urban and rural areas. The climate is unique, with cold winters and cool summers, earning it the title of Beijing’s “Summer Capital”.

Relying on the beautiful Heihe River, the entire town has built a thousand-acre sunflower sea along the Heihe River loop, covering 112 li (about 44 miles), and has developed 12 tourist nodes, including the Xiushui Bay, the town area, the dry ditch, the Gujia Mountain Village, etc., creating a “one ditch, one product” and “one village, one product” concept, making it a “mountain and water village” folk house cluster area with beautiful scenery everywhere.

Can you imagine this scene? You accidentally stumble into the 112-li flower sea, the kind of beautiful scenery you only see in movies, and now it’s real before your eyes. The thousands of acres of sunflowers in Qianjiadian Town all wave and smile at you in the sunshine.

Qianjiadian Town is about 170 kilometers from Beijing, making it a great choice for both self-driving and cycling. Yanqing’s “100-Mile Mountain and Water Gallery” was ranked first among Beijing’s top 10 self-driving routes in 2007. There are also several well-known tourist attractions along the way, such as the Petrified Wood Park, Yanshan Pinghu, the Datan Nature Reserve, Di Shui Hu (Drip Water Pot), Wulong Canyon, etc., all worth visiting.

Self-driving Route 1: Take the Jingzang Expressway (Badaling Expressway) to Yanqing County, then head towards Longqing Gorge and take the Xianglong Road tourist line (or towards Shenjiaying and Yongning), follow the signs for “100-Mile Mountain and Water Gallery” and “Wulong Canyon” to reach your destination.

Self-driving Route 2: From Yanqing County, head towards Longqing Gorge and take the Xianglong Road tourist line. When you reach Yongning Town, turn left onto Changchi Road, pass Yanshan Tianchi (Heaven Lake), and turn right onto Luanchi Road to reach the scenic area. This route is slightly longer than Route 1, but the scenery along the way is beautiful, making it worth a try.

Bus: Take bus No. 919 at Deshengmen or take the S2 passenger train to Yanqing, and transfer to bus No. 925 branch 2 (Qianjiadian-Di Shui Hu direction) at the Yanqing South Vegetable Garden Bus Station to reach your destination.

2. Gubei Water Town

Why go to Venice when you can have a water town right here? With bridges, flowing water, and houses, at first glance, you’ll think this is Wuzhen in Hangzhou. But in fact, this is Gubei Water Town, located in Miyun County, Beijing.

Here, you can visit the best preserved Simatai Great Wall, stay in a northern-style guesthouse at the foot of the Great Wall; you can stroll through the bustling northern commercial street and savor authentic northern cuisine and snacks, such as roast meat restaurants; you can visit the Yongshun Dyeing Factory, Zhenyuan Escort Agency, Sima Small Distillery, Eight Banners Guild Hall, and many other ancient town attractions… Don’t forget to soak in a hot spring, watch a play, and have a cup of tea, enjoying this rare leisure time.

Address: Gubei Water Town, Simatai Village, Gubeikou Town, Miyun County, Beijing

Self-driving route: Drive along the Jingcheng Expressway for 460 meters, exit at the Simatai Great Wall exit at Laowabao Bridge, turn slightly right onto the ramp, drive along the ramp for 500 meters, and turn right; drive for 70 meters, turn left onto Mabai Road, drive along Mabai Road for 1.9 kilometers, turn right to the rear, drive for 20 meters, and you will arrive at your destination.

Bus route: Take bus No. 980 from Dongzhimen, get off at Miyun Xidaqiao Station, transfer to Mi37 (or Mi51, Mi50), get off at Simatai Village Station, and walk to Gubei Water Town.

3. Huang Hua Cheng Water Great Wall

Everyone knows about the Badaling Great Wall, but have you heard of the Huang Hua Cheng Water Great Wall? Located in Jiudutuo Town, Huairou District, Beijing, it is 65 kilometers from downtown Beijing, about a 1.5-hour drive. The scenery here is completely different from the Badaling Great Wall. The Water Great Wall reflected in the Hao Ming Lake adds an infinite beauty and tenderness to the majestic Great Wall.

There are farmhouses on both sides of the main street in Xi Shui Yu Village, where the Water Great Wall is located. If you’re tired of city delicacies, be sure to try the simple and delicious farm food!

Transportation: Visitors from out of town can take bus No. 916 (Jingcheng Expressway) from Dongzhimen Transportation Hub, get off at the terminal (Huairou Station), and walk 150 meters forward to reach your destination. There is a bus every 40 minutes, making it very convenient.

4. Changyu Aifibao Winery

Changyu Aifibao, a European town in Beijing, with its plane tree avenue, fresh grape picking gardens, Gothic castle, underground cellars, European town, Changyu Centennial History Museum, and landscape leisure area, allows you to fully experience the fun of wine culture, get close to nature, and completely relax your mind and body.

Country garden style, middle-class style, gentry style, knight style. The original interpretation of European style, meticulously crafted, creating classics.

The town is built on the hillside, integrating European architectural styles with beautiful natural scenery, fresh air, and a unique geographical location. It is a French-style town that integrates accommodation, catering, meetings, entertainment, leisure, and tourism.

Here, you have the irreplaceable Changyu brand that has been around for a century. Here, you have an unparalleled wine and food culture tour. Everything in the town embodies the extraordinary temperament of Changyu Aifibao International Winery, “the new leader of international wineries”!

Transportation: Take the 17th exit (Miyun City East Exit) of the Jingcheng Expressway, turn left for 300 meters, and you will arrive.

5. Wuqing, Tianjin

This Florence Town isn’t in Italy, but in Wuqing District, Tianjin, located between Beijing and Tianjin. Strolling here, you’ll see not only the shadow of Florence in the old streets with yellow walls, but also shadows of many other places in Italy, such as Venice with gondolas, the most beautiful living room in Europe, St. Mark’s Square, the round Roman Colosseum, but all in miniature.

It’s not just about sightseeing; Florence Town is also an outlet mall with hundreds of international brands. Even just browsing through the big brands, your mood will be quite good.

Grab a hot coffee from a corner cafe, and watch everything in the town in the smoky aroma of coffee, listening to lighthearted melodies from your headphones, and you’ll sincerely discover: Life can be so wonderfully beautiful.

Transportation: It is easy to get there by car from Beijing and Tianjin, via the Jinghu Expressway and the Jingjin Expressway. It takes only 5 minutes from the Yangcun exit on the expressway to the town entrance. The main entrance of the town is only 100 meters from the Wuqing High-speed Railway Station.

6. Jixian, Tianjin

Jixian County is blessed with beautiful natural scenery and numerous historical sites. There are many sites and memorials from the revolutionary war in the county. The thousand-year-old Duole Temple, the Western Zhou Dynasty site, Han tombs, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Liao dynasty tombs, the Qing Dynasty Prince’s Tomb and the Crown Prince’s Tomb, and other ancient relics are scattered throughout the county, making it a veritable county of relics.

Recommended time: Two days and one night. On the first day, climb Mount Panshan and stay overnight in Guojiagou. On the second day, visit the Huangya Pass Great Wall, in the afternoon, visit the Duole Temple and the White Pagoda Temple in the county seat, and have dinner in the county seat. This way, you will have covered famous mountains, rivers, and natural scenery (Mount Panshan), clean and beautiful rural charm (Guojiagou, a village on the edge of the water), the magnificent human miracle of the Huangya Pass Great Wall, historically significant and interesting ancient architecture (Duole Temple and White Pagoda Temple), as well as distinctive local cuisine.

Transportation: Take a bus from the Bawangfen Long-distance Bus Station to Jixian County. It is very convenient to self-drive from Beijing to Mount Panshan. Take the Jingping Expressway all the way to the end, and then drive another 7 kilometers and you will see the sign for Mount Panshan. It takes about an hour and a half to get to the mountain gate.

7. Weixian County

In this small, silent county, you can feel all the elements that a frontier ancient city should have. There is almost no tourism development, but there are enough tourist elements. Almost every house’s gatehouse, every small pagoda, every small temple is worth a look.

Especially in autumn, the visibility in the north is very high, and the sun in the afternoon easily forms a golden color, plating the ancient houses of the small town and the honest faces of the people of Hebei. Weixian County is lively during the Chinese New Year, and remember the iron flower show in “Dad, Where Are We Going?”? That’s also a custom during the New Year in Weixian County! Kids who don’t want to go home can spend the New Year in Weixian County.

Transportation: Take the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, then the Zhuozhou Expressway, and finally the Zhangshi Expressway. Exit at the “Weixian South” exit and take Menglai Road, which is Provincial Highway 418, to the first big intersection, “Tongyuan Road”, turn left to the end, then turn right and go straight, and you will reach Weixian County.

8. Kubuqi, Inner Mongolia

The closest desert to the capital, a favorite of many outdoor hikers. If you’ve already been to many delicate and soft places, why not experience the ruggedness and vastness of the desert? In Kubuqi, you can see stunning sand dune curves and desert sunset views. Couples can also take photos, which is very romantic!

Self-driving route: Beijing – Jingzhang Expressway – Zhangjiakou – Hohhot – Baotou (Jiuyuan Exit) – towards Ordos (Dongsheng) – over the Yellow River Bridge – Dalate Banner (Shulinzhao) – return to Beijing. The total distance is 666 kilometers.