Beijing's hotel rooms cluster in three parts of the old city: Wangfujing beside the Forbidden City, Qianmen south of Tiananmen Square, and the Dongzhimen and Workers' Stadium side on the eastern Second Ring. Each one fits a different kind of trip and a different nightly rate.

Beijing hotels by area: the short answer

A first visit belongs in Wangfujing, where the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and three metro lines sit within walking distance of the rooms, and three stars start at A$38. A trip built on hutongs and a tight budget points south to Qianmen, where the cheapest rooms begin at A$26. The eastern side suits work trips: its two four-stars score 9.6, the highest ratings in this guide.

Qianmen is the cheap third of this comparison: its dearest pick is A$64, below where the other two areas start their four-star band. Star rating does not order the Qianmen group either, since the two-star there asks more than both three-stars. Wangfujing covers the widest spread, a three-star at A$38 and four-stars from A$133.

Wangfujing runs north from Chang'an Avenue, parallel to the Forbidden City's east wall, and metro lines 1, 5 and 8 serve it. Qianmen sits on the south side of the square, with hotels on Dazhalan Street and in lanes such as Buxiangzi Hutong, and Chongwenmen continues east from there. Dongzhimen and the Workers' Stadium are on the eastern Second Ring in Chaoyang, among the embassy streets and office blocks. Metro and ride-hailing apps cover the hops between the three, so the decision comes down to what sits outside the door.

Rates for the Beijing hotels in this guide are the lowest nightly prices for the coming week, per room. A short booking window can price below a hotel's usual average, so treat each figure as a floor for the dates you have.

Wangfujing hotels: the base for a first visit

Three hotels in this area run from A$38 to A$152 a night, and the gap has more to do with the building and the address than with the score.

• **Yitel (Beijing TiananmenWangfujing Subway Station)** takes the first floor of the Gongmei Building at No. 200 Wangfujing Street: three stars, 9.4 from 7,500+ reviews, from A$38. Guests tag the location and the easy run around town, and the address is doing most of the work at that rate.
• **UrCove by HYATT Beijing Forbidden City** on Nanheyan Street sits on the palace's east side: from A$133, four stars, 9.0 from 4,300+ reviews. It carries the lowest score in the area and the middle price.
• A hutong lane is the dearest address. **JianGuo Hidden Hotel (Beijing Tian An Men Wangfujing store)** on Jinyu Hutong asks A$152 for four stars, 9.4 from 3,100+ reviews, and its tags talk about the metro more than the rooms.

Dongzhimen and Workers' Stadium hotels: the eastern business side

Two four-stars in this area share a score of 9.6 and sit A$16 apart, so what separates them is what comes with the room.

• **Livefortuna Hotel** at No. 5 Jia Yabaolu Street is the cheaper of the pair: four stars, 9.6 from 5,800+ reviews, from A$101, and the only pick in this guide whose guest tags mention a pool.
• **Holiday Inn Express BEIJING DONGZHIMEN by IHG** on Chunxiu Road matches the 9.6 from 6,500+ reviews for A$117, and breakfast is the tag guests leave most often. Sixteen dollars a night separates the two.
• The cheap end of the area is a three-star. **Jialong Hotel (Beijing Chaoyangmen)** on Chaonei Street asks A$42 and scores 9.0 from 2,000+ reviews, which ties with the UrCove for the lowest score in this guide.

Qianmen hotels: hutongs, budget rooms and the south side

Qianmen holds the three lowest rates in this guide, from A$26 to A$64, and the two-star is the dearest of them.

• **Ibis Hotel (Beijing Tiananmen Square Branch)** on Dazhalan Street: from A$26, three stars, 9.4 from 2,600+ reviews. That rate belongs to the entry room type, so the saving is made on floor space, and the score stays at 9.4.
• **THE YARD HOTEL BEIJING, Tian'anmen Square** at No. 26 Buxiangzi Hutong takes A$56 for three stars and 9.4, on the largest review base of the nine, 7,600+. Guests tag the metro, which counts for more in a lane than on an avenue.
• **L Hotel (Beijing Tiananmen Square Qianmen Street)** on Jinyuchi Middle Street is the odd one out: two stars, 9.2 from 2,000+ reviews, and A$64, the highest of the three. Fewer stars cost more in this area.

Beijing hotels by room type: chain room, courtyard or four-star

Within one area the room type moves the price further than the address does: A$26 and A$64 in Qianmen are both private rooms.

The first two lines are the ones to read together. A$30 separates them, and what it buys is a different kind of building in a different lane; both score 9.4 and both sit south of the square. A courtyard look comes at a price, and the score says nothing about whether it suits your trip.

The four-star lines are where the areas compete. A$101 in Dongzhimen, A$117 for the same 9.6 beside it, A$133 in Wangfujing: across those three the spread is A$32, and the scores run 9.6, 9.6 and 9.0. If the room matters more than a palace wall outside the window, the eastern side is the stronger buy.

※ Room rates and booking conditions change with dates and room types. Confirm with the hotel before booking.