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Beijing Tour: Summer Palace or Temple of Heaven
4.7
12 Ratings
Beijing
Book tickets for a guided group tour to explore the magnificence and splendor of the Summer Palace, starting from the designated meeting point. The Summer Palace was once the imperial garden for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
Book tickets for a guided group tour to explore the magnificence and splendor of the Summer Palace, starting from the designated meeting point. The Summer Palace was once the imperial garden for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hall of Benevolence and Longevity - Originally constructed in 1750, this building was destroyed in 1860 by English and French troops and later reconstructed in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi. It served as a venue for managing government affairs, receiving greetings, and hosting foreign envoys.
- Kunming Lake - Occupying approximately 75% of the…
- Hall of Benevolence and Longevity - Originally constructed in 1750, this building was destroyed in 1860 by English and French troops and later reconstructed in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi. It served as a venue for managing government affairs, receiving greetings, and hosting foreign envoys.
- Kunming Lake - Occupying approximately 75% of the park, Kunming Lake was once a smaller water source near Beijing before being transformed into a man-made lake. The majority of its expansion occurred during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, who employed around 10,000 laborers for the project. The excavated earth was used to enhance the area surrounding Longevity Hill.
- Hall of Happiness and Longevity - This was the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. The expansive complex is ideally situated, facing Kunming Lake and backed by Longevity Hill.
- Long Corridor at the Summer Palace - Stretching 728 meters, the Long Corridor features four octagonal gazebos symbolizing the four seasons. The beams and ceilings are richly adorned with over 14,000 paintings illustrating scenes from Chinese history, literature, and mythology, as well as numerous depictions of flowers and animals, including horses, birds, fish, and insects.

What's Included
- Entrance Ticket
- Guided Tour option available
- No guide or pickup with ticket-only booking
- Booking is for entrance ticket only, not combo ticket
- Entrance Ticket
- Guided Tour option available
- No guide or pickup with ticket-only booking
- Booking is for entrance ticket only, not combo ticket
What's Not Included
- Gratitude(for good service)
- If your booking is only ticket, it means no guide service
- Meals
- Transportation
- Gratitude(for good service)
- If your booking is only ticket, it means no guide service
- Meals
- Transportation
Additional Information
- We need all your participants’ full name, passport number and birth date for tickets booking.
- You had better send us all your scanned copy of passport front page for tickets booking
- Please note your language request on booking
- We need all your participants’ full name, passport number and birth date for tickets booking.
- You had better send us all your scanned copy of passport front page for tickets booking
- Please note your language request on booking
Location
Hall of Benevolence and Longevity
Inside Summer Palace, Haidian District,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(12 Ratings)
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1 star
Andreas_r
Oct 17, 2025
Everything went smooth - Booked entrance tickets only and received the QR code a few days before. Everything went well. Just keep in mind that the Tower of Buddhist Incense is not included, a quite cheap ticket can be purchased at the direct tower’s entrance.
Review provided by Viator
Christian_r
Sep 27, 2025
Amazing local with an equally amazing guide - Our tour guide Jenny was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and charismatic. The summer palace was awe inspiring. The architecture and art work in this setting can't be beat, truly a once in a lifetime experience. Once the tour was over, Jenny was kind enough to help us get where we were going next. She was great! 100 percent would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Navigator01636390788
Jun 23, 2025
Great experience with exclusive tour - James was very professional, thoughtful and humble. The route was well designed, made sure we covered all the spots that are worth seeing, and we had an exclusive tour with just the three of us, my colleagues were also very pleased with the whole experience, and told me they’d like to book another tour with James next year when they visit China!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Newyorkerredoux
Jun 20, 2025
Another Outstanding Tour with Catherine Lu Tours - After an informative and entertaining tour of the Forbidden City, yesterday, we contacted Catherine to explore our option for today. She was, again, very helpful in exploring an arranging options that were perfect for our schedule.
My son and I greatly appreciated today’s outstanding tour of the Summer Palace. James was highly knowledgeable, informative and, again, entertaining. He offered insights that added depth and meaning to the extraordinary buildings and gardens that comprise the gardens. We strongly recommend James and Catherine Yu tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
685iqraf
Jun 14, 2025
Outstanding Experience - I recently booked a trip through Catherine Lu Tours, and I am happy with the overall experience. From the moment I inquired about destinations to the end of my journey, the team was professional, responsive, and incredibly knowledgeable. I highly recommend Catherine Lu tours for China tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
245lenetteb
Apr 23, 2025
The Summer Palace. - A good experience - the guide Linda was very helpful and came with suggestions for the trip that we could also other things.
Had a lot to tell, and guided us on to the dining place, very satisfied.
Several things in the garden were closed because it was Monday.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tissotflorian
May 5, 2024
Summer palace angel - Very good tour with angel at summer palace
Explications and tips were good
Very kind guide and good english
We recommand her!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leslierg8430au
May 5, 2024
Nice Visit in Summer Palace - The tour guide Alex is really easygoing, and he can speak fluent English, he showed us around the Summer Place, and answered plenty of questions for Chinese histories and Chinese culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I4985fjserenaf
Apr 22, 2024
Trip to the Summer Palace - Catherine Lu Tours is the perfect agency to organize an enchanting trip to the Summer Palace in Beijing. They take care of all the details (tickets, guide, driver, taking care of luggage) for you and allow you to have a very nice trip even for a short stop in Beijing and they have fair prices. I advise this agency to everyone. I will book again with them if I come back to Beijing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S
Apr 14, 2024
10/10 recommended - fantastic guide in Angel Lee - Angel Lee was an incredible guide throughout the trip and shared fantastic insights that truly make you appreciate the lore, architectural symbolism and natural beauty of the Summer Palace. She was patient, friendly and super helpful in navigating g the place during busy season. Highly recommended for any first time travellers trying to understand Beijings cultural monuments.
Review provided by Tripadvisor