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 comfortable, spacious 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 photos of iconic landmarks like the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, and the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao.

Note: Tiananmen Square often has strict security checks and long queues at its entrance, especially during holidays. Entering without a bag can reduce your waiting time, so it’s recommended to leave your bag in the car, but remember to bring your passport, bottled water, sunglasses, and sunhat (if visiting in summer). A small waist pack is usually acceptable.

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, the largest and most well-preserved imperial palace complex of 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 on the traditional central axis and some unique chambers on 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 chose the afternoon for visiting the Wall to avoid crowds, allowing you at least 2.5 hours to explore and take beautiful photos.

Back Lakes (Hou Hai) - At the end of this day trip, your tour guide will take you to the renowned Houhai Lake Area and Yandai Xiejie Hutong, where you will find a variety of bars, cafes, restaurants, and curio shops. Spending a leisurely evening here could be a great way to relax and experience Beijing’s legendary nightlife. Enjoy your time at your own pace and return to the hotel on your own afterward. For those not interested in exploring this Hutong area, transportation back to your hotel will be provided. We hope 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 pick you up from your hotel on time to continue your Beijing group tour to the Temple of Heaven, where emperors once worshiped the God of Heaven for good harvests in ancient times. Today, it is a large park where you can observe locals engaging in exercise and various recreational activities.

Attention: 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 significant cultural heritage.

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 try 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) - The 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 expert guide will lead you through the site. Centered around Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace offers a perfect blend of natural scenery and royal garden architecture. It is an ideal spot for travelers to admire the 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
• Not suitable for: People over 80 years old, Wheelchair users

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 hotel locations. The exact pick-up time will be confirmed the day before. Please get ready at the hotel lobby at least 5 mins in advance, and our waiting time is 5 mins also. For travelers who are late, please pay for the taxi and go to meet the group. No-show is non-refundable.
• Tickets to the Forbidden City are released online 7 days in advance and could be easily sold out. Kindly advise you to book the tour 8 days before since it is based on the real name policy. If you book within 7 days before departure, you need to line up at the entrance to buy tickets. 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 time schedule of the itinerary is for reference only. The sightseeing order of the attractions might be adjusted according to real situations, and the two-day tours swapped sometimes.
• Please provide the correct passport info for booking the real-name entrance tickets. And please make sure to carry the same identification while traveling. Otherwise, you might be refused for entry. If you forget your passport and need to get back to fetch it, please pay for the taxi and 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.
• About Tiananmen Square: If you tour happens to meet some national events, Tiananmen Square will not open to visitors, and there is no notification to us in advance. In this case, you will tour the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
• 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.