Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall

Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang) - In the morning, a professional guide will meet you at your hotel lobby, and a spacious, comfortable chauffeur-driven minivan will transport you to Tiananmen Square. Accompany your guide for a morning stroll around this city square, where you can capture distant view photos of iconic landmarks such as the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, and the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao.

Forbidden City-The Palace Museum - Pass through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, adorned with Chairman Mao’s portrait, to reach the morning’s highlight - the 600-year-old Forbidden City. This is the largest and most well-preserved imperial palace complex from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911 AD).

The grand Forbidden City boasts 9,999 rooms! Which are the most essential and intriguing parts? The experienced itinerary designer has carefully selected the top 10 palaces for you, including major ones along the traditional central axis, and some unique chambers in the east and west wings.

Mutianyu Great Wall - After a 1.5-hour drive, you will arrive at the Mutianyu Great Wall, the best-preserved and most popular section in Beijing. The itinerary designer wisely chooses the afternoon for your visit to avoid crowds, allowing you at least 2.5 hours to explore the wall and capture beautiful photos.

Back Lakes (Hou Hai) - At the conclusion of this day trip, your tour guide will take you to the renowned Houhai Lake Area and Yandai Xiejie Hutong, where you will discover a variety of bars, cafes, restaurants, and curio shops. Spending a leisurely evening here could be a delightful way to unwind and experience Beijing’s legendary nightlife. Enjoy your time at your own pace and return to the hotel independently. For those not interested in exploring this Hutong area, transportation back to your hotel will be provided. May you have gathered wonderful memories on this trip!

Temple of Heaven, Hutong Alleys, Lama Temple & Summer Palace

Temple of Heaven - In the morning, the guide and driver will punctually pick you up from your hotel to continue your Beijing group tour to the Temple of Heaven, where emperors once worshiped the God of Heaven for bountiful harvests. Today, it is a large park where you can observe locals engaging in exercise and various recreational activities.

Note: Since the main historical sites of the Temple of Heaven are closed on Mondays, a visit to Beihai Park will be arranged instead if your travel date falls on a Monday. This park features stunning landscapes and rich cultural significance.

Hutong Tour - Next, continue your tour to Beijing Hutong. Here, you will take a rickshaw ride through the old alleys and visit a Hutong family to see how traditional Beijingers live. The area is home to many popular restaurants, cafes, and local food stores. It’s a great opportunity to sample local cuisine if you wish. Your guide will provide recommendations. After lunch, you can stroll around Houhai Lake and further explore the Hutong area.

Lama Temple (Yonghegong) - Lama Temple, also known as Yonghe Lamasery, is a beautiful historic temple in central Beijing. Originally built in 1694 as the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was a prince, it is now the largest and most well-preserved lamasery in modern China.

Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) - A 30-minute drive will take you to the Summer Palace, renowned as a museum of ancient royal gardens. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you through the site. Centered around Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and royal garden architecture. It is an ideal spot for travelers to admire serene landscapes and magnificent structures.

Afterward, you will be escorted back to your hotel.

Important note: A private tour will be arranged exclusively for groups of 9 or more.

• Hotel pick-up and drop-off within Beijing’s third ring road
• Unlimited complimentary bottled water
• Air-conditioned minivan with chauffeur
• Professional English-speaking guide

• Meals and accommodation
• Gratuities
• Cable car fee at the Great Wall

On the first day, explore the Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. On the second day, visit the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, and enjoy a rickshaw ride through the historic Hutongs. Additionally, spend the first evening at the lively Nanluoguxiang Hutong.

This 2-day mini group tour, accommodating around 12 guests, offers a more personalized experience. Skip the ticket lines at all attractions. There are no shopping detours, factory visits, tea ceremonies, or shopping site restaurants, saving at least two hours for pure sightseeing. This allows for more time at the attractions. The tour is designed to prioritize guests’ interests over shopping commissions.

• We guarantee 100% No Shopping Stops in our tours. When you check some other tours, if they don’t mention no shopping, they MUST have commissioned based shopping stops as jade factory or tea ceremony. Even you don’t see shopping related words in their itineraries or product introduction, it is indeed a shopping tour. Be sure to check out with them about the shopping stops and read reviews from their clients carefully to see what the real experience would be. By joining a shopping tour like that, your time spent on attractions will be shortened, and you will be pressured to buy overpriced items. Normally the so called jade factory or tea ceremony is the tourist trap. You have to stay there an hour or more for those travel agents to get the commission from the factory stores. If you prefer to enjoy the tour thoroughly, you are suggested to choose a tour without any annoying shopping stops just like ours.
• We offer free pick-up within the third ring road of the Beijing city. To ensure the morning pick-up going smoothly, we suggest you choose centrally located downtown hotels. If your hotel is beyond our free pick-up range, you may need to get to a meeting point or pay extra for the pick-up. Your travel consultant is ready to help.
• Travelers will be picked up in the morning according to their hotel locations. The exact pick-up time will be confirmed the day before. Please be ready at the hotel lobby at least 5 minutes in advance, which is the maximum waiting time. For travelers who are late, please go to meet the group and pay for the taxi personally. No-show is non-refundable.
• Entrance tickets of the Forbidden City are usually released online 7 days in advance and could be easily sold out. Kindly advise you to book the tour 8 days before since the ticket purchase is based on the real name policy. If you book the tour within 7 days before departure, you need to line up at the entrance to buy the tickets. Since it is only for international travelers, so you need to do it by yourself. Your tour guide will let you know how to do it and give you cash.
• The itinerary schedule or sightseeing order may be adjusted according to the traffic on the tour day.
• Please provide the correct passport information for booking the real-name entrance tickets. And also please make sure to carry the same identification for entry while traveling. Otherwise, entry might not be permitted. If you forgot your passport and need to get back to fetch it, please pay for the transport and later meet the group by yourself.
• Group Size: About 12 people. There are chances that 10% of the tour groups will exceed 12 people but we will make proper arrangements.
• Departures are guaranteed with three persons.
• Public Holidays: Please aware there will be large crowds and heavy traffic in Chinese public holidays like May Day from May 1st to 5th and National Day from Oct 1st to 7th. We will do the best to arrange the tour.
• Please wear comfortable walking shoes.
• This supplier also offers 1-day mini group tour and multi-day tours. Please search the supplier’s name to check its tour list.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.