Central Radio & TV Tower: Beijing Travel Guide (4.1★)

A concrete needle on the Third Ring

From the elevated West Third Ring Road the tower is impossible to miss. It is a tall grey concrete shaft with a bulging pod near the top and an antenna mast on top of that. At 405 metres it was built as the broadcasting tower of the national state media, and for years it was the tallest structure in Beijing.

Today it has two jobs. It still broadcasts, and it lifts visitors far above the flat, sprawling grid of the capital. Most travellers head east to the CBD skyscrapers for a view. This tower gives you the same height on the western side, where the city runs out toward the hills.

Up the shaft and onto the deck

You enter at the base, pass a security check, and ride a lift up through the core of the tower. The upper pod holds the viewing levels and the revolving restaurant. The open-air deck is the reason to come: you stand outside, behind barriers, with the wind coming at you from every direction.

On a clear day, here is what you can pick out:

• West: the Western Hills (Xishan), a dark ridge on the horizon
• Directly below: the lakes and trees of Yuyuantan Park
• East: the long line of Chang’an Avenue running toward the old centre, with the CBD towers further out
• South: the China Millennium Monument and the Military Museum area along the avenue

Bring a layer even in summer. It is always colder and windier up there than at street level.

Eating while the city turns

The revolving restaurant rotates slowly, so over the course of a meal you see the city from every side without leaving your chair. It is the main reason some visitors stay longer than half an hour. Treat it as a long, sit-down meal with a view, and expect hotel-style pricing rather than a cheap lunch.

If you’d rather not spend on the restaurant, the deck alone is enough. Plan on 1.5–2 hours with the restaurant and about an hour without it.

Reading Beijing’s sky before you go

The view depends entirely on the air. Beijing’s haze can flatten everything past a few kilometres into grey. The clearest days usually come after a strong north wind, most often in autumn and in winter. Check an air-quality app on the morning you plan to go. If the index is high, go somewhere else and come back another day.

Late afternoon is a popular time. You see the city in daylight, then the lights come on along the ring roads. Opening hours are not listed here and can change, so check the current times with the tower or a recent listing before you set out.

Tickets, passports and paying at the tower

A few habits make the visit smoother:

• Carry your passport. Chinese attractions often ask foreigners for ID at the ticket desk or the security check. Many now link tickets to your ID number.
• Pay by phone. Alipay and WeChat Pay are the default here, and both now accept foreign cards. Keep a little cash or a card as a backup anyway.
• Expect a bag check. Lighters, liquids and large bags may be stopped at security, so travel light.
• Use the Chinese name. Taxi and Didi drivers know it as 中央广播电视塔 (Zhōngyāng Guǎngbō Diànshì Tǎ). Show them that or the address 西三环中路11号.

The current admission and restaurant prices are posted at the ticket office at the base. Check there before buying, since deck-only and restaurant options are sold separately.

Pairing it with Yuyuantan and the west side

The tower is easiest to fit into a western Beijing day. On the subway, Baiduizi Station on Line 9 is the nearest stop, and from there it’s a walk along the edge of Yuyuantan Park. Check the best exit in a map app before you go. A taxi or Didi drops you right at the base and avoids crossing the ring road on foot.

Yuyuantan Park is the natural partner. In spring its cherry blossoms draw big weekend crowds, and on a clear day you can see the whole park laid out below you from the deck. The China Millennium Monument and the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution are a short ride south. Together they make an easy half day away from the central sights.