By the time you reach Tiananmen Square your legs will be shot, so return to your hotel for a rest before your Peking duck dinner at the Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant (22 Dongsishitiao; 86-10-5169-0328; meals, $55), Beijing's best spot for relatively non-fatty duck.

Day 2 (Sunday): Beijing
Locals gather every morning in Tiantan Park, which surrounds the Temple of Heaven, but the scene is most colorful on Sunday mornings. Don't miss the temple itself, of course, as it is a paragon of Ming dynasty design. Its intricate wooden pagodas were built with no nails—just bracketing and joints (like most Chinese antique furniture). Before leaving the park via the east gate, stop by the Teahouse, where you can sit down to a flavorful lesson in Chinese tea ceremonies. It's touristy, but it's interesting and fun enough to be worth the stop.

Sunday morning is also the best time for the Panjiayuan Market (18 Huaweili; panjiayuan.com), Beijing's largest outdoor antiques and flea market. It's an engaging scene even if you're not a shopper. If you are, buyer beware: Most of the "antiques" are phony, and you must bargain hard for whatever souvenirs catch your eye.

Your next stop is a place that was for me the highlight of Beijing: the Children's Palace (11 Jingshan Park Back-St.; 86-10-6406-0397). Set in buildings that once belonged to the Forbidden City, it's where many of the city's most talented children go for extracurricular classes. Only with an appointment can you stop in to watch as they learn violin, piano, calligraphy, gymnastics, and martial arts.

At lunchtime, head to the nearby Sichuan Restaurant, located next to Prince Gong's Mansion (14A Liuyin St.; 86-10-6615-6924; meals, $14). Accustomed to serving tourists without being touristy, it also happens to have been Deng Xiaoping's favorite eatery. I don't know what Deng used to order, but you should try the tea-smoked duck, the fish-scented eggplant, and the Four Season Beans cooked in garlic, scallion, and minced pork.

Much of what you've seen so far in Beijing has been old and dusty, so now's the time to get a feel for the country's hip side. Factory 798 (86-10-8457-2188; 798art.org) is a cluster of converted industrial buildings that is the center of Beijing's burgeoning arts scene. You'll find galleries, cafés, and boutiques selling artist-designed items. The complex is enormous and labyrinthine, so start by buying a map of it at Timezone 8 Art Books (798 Dashanzi Art Factory). Then visit two well-regarded galleries a short walk away: the Long March Project (longmarchspace.com), a good not-for-profit organization that nurtures new artistic talent, and the Commune Gallery (beijingcommune.com), founded by curator and critic Leng Lin and dedicated to top Chinese contemporary artists. Next, take the five-minute drive to Caochangdi Village to see the collections at Pekin Fine Arts (pekinfinearts.com), run by 20-year China resident Meg Maggio, who promotes great Asian artists, and Guang Han Tang (guanghantang.com), which has exquisite antique furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. For more contemporary Chinese art, stop by Universal Studios Beijing (universalstudios.org.cn) and the CourtYard Annex (courtyard-gallery.com).