2-Day Mini Group to Great Wall, Forbidden City & Top Highlights

Overview

Available languages

English

48 hours

Mobile ticket

Explore Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in the first day and visit the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple and old Hutongs with Rickshaw ride in the second day tours. Besides, you will also stop by the bustling Nanluoguxiang Hutong at the first night.

This 2-day mini group tour with about 12 guests ensures a more personal experience. Avoid the ticket line at the entrance of all attractions. No shopping detours, no factory, no tea ceremony and no shopping site restaurant, which at least save you two hours today for a pure sightseeing experience. That's the reason why you can have more time at the attraction sites. This tour are running for guests' interests rather than the shopping commission.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Specialized infant seats are available

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Tickets to the Forbidden City require a real-name reservation 7 days in advance and are easily sold out, so you are advised to book the tour at least 8 days before. Otherwise, international travelers will need to line up at the entrance to buy tickets.

We guarantee 100% No Shopping Stops in our tours. Sharpen your vigilance to avoid those tours with tourist traps including jade factory or tea ceremony that waste your sightseeing time.

We offer free pick-up within the Third Ring Road of Beijing, beyond which there will be an extra charge, so we suggest you book centrally located downtown hotels. Please get ready at the hotel lobby at least 5 minutes in advance of the pick-up time confirmed with you a day before. No-show is non-refundable.

Please provide the correct passport information for booking the real-name tickets. And make sure to carry the same identification when travelling; otherwise, you will be refused entry by the scenic areas.

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.

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Pick up and drop off to hotels within the third ring road of the Beijing city.

Unlimited bottles of drinking water

Air conditioned van with chauffeur

Entrance fees to Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace (if option selected)

This part is only for the tour option of "2-Day Mini Group to Great Wall & Forbidden City"

Headset to receive your guide's explanations

Entrance fees to Fobidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall

Cable car fee at the Mutianyu Great Wall

Gratuities

Meals and accommodation

Not suitable for: People over 85 years old and wheelchair

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Day 1

Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall

Beijing

In the morning, your professional guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby, and then a comfortable and capacious chauffeur-driven minivan will escort you to Tiananmen Square.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang)

Walk around this world’s largest city square and shoot photos of the brilliant landmark buildings here. Note: To enter the square quickly, especially during holidays, we suggest you leave your bag in the car and only carry the passport and bottled water with you to go through the no-bag passage rather than waiting in long queues for security check. The majestic Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms! Which are the most essential and interesting parts? The veteran itinerary designer carefully selects the top 10 palaces for you, including major ones on the traditional central axis, and some special chambers on the east and west wings.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Maozhuxi Jiniantang)

Appearance

3 hours • Admission Not Applicable

Monument of the People's Heroes

Appearance

5 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Great Hall of the People (Renmin Dahuitang)

Appearance

Admission Not Applicable

National Museum Of China

Appearance

Admission Not Applicable

Forbidden City-The Palace Museum

Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and you’ll reach the Forbidden City, the home to 24 emperors from 1368 to 1911 AD. Visit the most essential palaces on the central axis and chambers on the two wings among its 9,999 rooms, with in-depth explanations and expert photography guidance. Note: If your travel date falls on a Monday when the Forbidden City is closed, we’ll visit the royal resort Summer Palace instead.

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Included

Meridian Gate (Wu Men)

Visit

20 minutes • Admission Included

Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)

Visit the three main halls of the Outer Court where ancient emperors held state ceremonies.

30 minutes • Admission Included

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Visit the three main halls of the Inner Court - the emperor’s sleeping quarters and the place for him to handle daily affairs.

30 minutes • Admission Included

The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum

Visit the entertainment venue for the emperor and the imperial harem.

20 minutes • Admission Included

Mutianyu Great Wall

After 1.5 hours driving, you’ll arrive at Mutianyu, the best preserved and most popular section among all in Beijing. Lunch is on your own choice. For your information, some fast food chains are available nearby, such as Burger King, Pizza Hut and Subway. Your local tour guide will show you the locations. The Chinese buffet here is not recommended. Then enjoy your hike at the Great Wall and take nice photos in the less-crowded afternoon for at least 2.5 hours.

3 hours • Admission Included

Back Lakes (Hou Hai)

At the end of the day, we’ll stop at the Hutong alleys area with both the scenic Houhai Lake surrounded by distinctive bars, cafes, and restaurants, and the typical alleyways full of the charm of old Beijing. You can get off here to explore freely and then return to your hotel by yourself; or the guide and driver will escort you back to the hotel directly.

5 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Day 2

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

Temple of Heaven

In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel on time and escort you to the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors worshiped the God of Heaven for good harvest in ancient times. Attention: If your travel date happens to meet Monday when the main sights of the Temple of Heaven are closed, we’ll arrange Beihai Park instead.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

A large circular palace with a roof covered in three layers of blue glazed tiles for the emperors to hold sacrificial ceremonies.

20 minutes • Admission Included

Hutong Tour

Continue your tour to Beijing Hutong area, where you can take a rickshaw through the old alleys and glimpse into the traditional courtyards to see how the old Beijingers live.

1 hour • Admission Included

Lama Temple (Yonghegong)

Follow your guide to visit the beautiful old Lama Temple, which is known as the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in present day China.

1 hour • Admission Included

Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)

The last stop is the Summer Palace, known as the ‘museum of ancient royal gardens’. Centered upon Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it is a fantastic imperial resort for you to admire the peaceful landscapes and magnificent architectures. In the end, your guide and driver will send you back to your hotel. Note: A private tour will be offered exclusively for you if you have 9 people or more.

2 hours • Admission Included

Options

2 Days Mini Group Beijing Tour

Route: D1: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall. D2: Temple of Heaven, Hutong, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace.
Duration: 2 days
Inclusion: Pick-up & drop-off from your hotel lobby, entrance fees, professional English speaking guide, driver & van
About 12 People & No Shopping
Exclusion: Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
Pickup included

Great Wall & Forbidden City

Route: Pick-up & drop off at hotel. Visit the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, a short stop at Hutong area.
Duration: 10 hours
About 12 People & No Shopping
Inclusions: English-speaking tour guide, air-conditioned minivan with driver, entrance tickets, pick-up & drop-off from your hotel lobby.
Exclusions: Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
Pickup included

Reviews

4.96

596 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

572

Forbidden city and Tiananmen walking tour
Sherpa58343633654,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Rocky was a great guide. Speaks good English and provided many fun facts about history of the attractions, architecture and lifestyle.
Great wall and great times. Helen is great
Nicholas L,
Oct 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Helen is a fantastic tour guide. Very informative and friendly. Definitely recommend this tour! A lot of walking and gorgeous views
In every stressful tour, there is an amazing tour guide
gelenap2025,
Oct 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very punctual tour guide. We had a bit plan changes in our tour group due to couple of reasons, which are now not important. In stressful situation both tour guides did well and their quick mind made maximum of it. Please make sure to bring cash. The bank card does not work. Carry always your passport!! The water and snacks are given. We were lucky to get into a good group. Everyone were so friendly. My mother is deaf and i translated for her. For everyone it was not a big deal. The next day after tour your legs will be on fire! Amazing feeling of fullfilment
Strongly recommended
samuele z,
Oct 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Very good tour and very Interesting. Helen, our tour guide, was very professional and always available and well organized. Thank you
Very organized and Professional
kemohoshi,
Oct 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Just finished a 2 day back to back tour with Helen as our guide. She was very prompt on both days, super detailed and spoke perfect English. She handled all of our logistics including letting us know when we needed our passports and how to navigate the security checks. Her knowledge of history was amazing, answered all our questions and even checked in on us many times throughout both days. She got to know us very well by the first day and even checked in with my parents on the level of walking and bathroom breaks. Very professional and kept us moving while giving us plenty of free time. If you get Helen, you're in great hands. If you go to the great wall, it's definitely worth the upgrade to do the chair lift and slide down. Super fun and a great way to end the hike up all the stairs to tower 1. Worth the view. And of course, Helen helped us book all the tickets and was there to make sure we caught the slide down. Also a special shout out to Sophie with the bookings office. She answer all our questions and made sure everything was lined up prior to the day of. She sent reminder emails and WhatsApp messages.
Rocky rocks!
maripidollyp,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I can’t believe I saw The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, AND The Great Wall in ONE DAY! Thanks to Rocky, our guide, for making this experience possible and educational. Despite the rain, I enjoyed this tour immensely. I love watching historical movies about China, and it’s truly amazing to be walking the same streets and seeing the historical places with my own eyes!
One day Beijing tour
Tourist644466,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our tour guide, Rocky, demonstrated considerable knowledge, experience, and dedication throughout the tour. Despite the inclement weather, he ensured the trip proceeded smoothly. My teenage boys seemed to have a pleasant experience as well.
A must Go with
diogocT8262UW,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great travel, awesome explanation. Very organized and safe. I strongly reccomend it! I Will return to China and Bring family and friends. Thank you Mr. Rocky.
Rainy day but great experience!
jenevieveo575,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour was good. We did the Tiananmen square, Forbidden City and Great Wall. Rocky, our guide was great. He took photos of us using his DSLR camera. Highly recommended!
Great Wall
aprilrQ706VE,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We enjoyed our tour with Rocky. The weather was not that good as it was rainy, but, we were still able to enjoy the tour. Rocky took pictures of us using his personal DSLR and was planning to send it to us through email. He knows where the great spots for pictures.