Beijing 2-Day Tours: Great Wall, Forbidden City & Top Highlights
Overview
Available languages
2 days
Mobile ticket
This all-inclusive small-group tour is the ultimate way to experience all of Beijing’s highlights, even with a limited schedule. Over two days, see the most iconic Tiananmen Square, the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace, as well as enjoy a rickshaw ride through the old Hutong alleys bustling with local life.
- Mini group with more personalized service
- Seamless, door-to-door hotel transfers
- All-inclusive and no hidden charges
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 as early as possible. Otherwise, international travelers will need to line up at the entrance to buy tickets.
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. Make sure to carry the same identification when travelling; otherwise, you’ll 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’ll 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 To Expect
Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall
Food and Drinks
LUNCH
Lunch
Buffet lunch
Beijing
In the morning, your professional guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby, and then a comfortable and capacious chauffeur-driven vehicle will escort you to Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Square
Walk around this large square and shoot photos of the brilliant landmark buildings. Note: To pass through the security check quickly, especially during holidays, we suggest you leave your bag in the car and carry only your passport and bottled water to go through the no-bag passage.
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Maozhuxi Jiniantang)
Appearance
Monument of the People's Heroes
Appearance
Great Hall of the People (Renmin Dahuitang)
Appearance
National Museum Of China
Appearance
The Palace Museum
Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and you’ll reach the Forbidden City/ Palace Museum, 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. Besides, the Forbidden City visit does not include the Treasure Gallery, the Gallery of Timepieces, or any temporary exhibitions.
Meridian Gate (Wu Men)
Visit
Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)
Visit the three main halls of the Outer Court where ancient emperors held state ceremonies.
Palace of Heavenly Purity
Visit the three main palaces of the Inner Court - the emperor’s sleeping quarters and the place for him to handle daily affairs.
The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum
Visit the entertainment venue for the emperor and the imperial harem.
Mutianyu Great Wall
After 1.5 hours’ driving, you’ll arrive at Mutianyu, the best-preserved and most popular section of the Great Wall of China. A Chinese buffet lunch with soft drinks will be prepared for you to refuel before the afternoon. After lunch, enjoy your hike and take nice photos on the Great Wall for at least 2.5 hours. The round-way cable car rides, or a chairlift up and toboggan down are included, and you can make your own choice. Notice for Toboggan: Children under 10 need to be escorted by an adult; travelers aged 60 and above, or those with hypertension or heart disease, are not permitted to take it. After descending from the Great Wall, relax with a Chinese tea ceremony to learn about traditional tea culture and taste different flavors of tea
Thereafter, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.
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 and escort you to the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors worshiped the God of Heaven for good harvest in ancient times. Note: If your travel date falls on Monday when the main sights of the Temple of Heaven are closed, we’ll arrange Beihai Park instead.
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.
Yuanqiutan
Open-air altar where the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven on the Winter Solstice.
Hutong Tour
Continue your tour to Beijing Hutong area, where you can take a rickshaw through the old alleys and visit a traditional courtyard to see how the old Beijingers live.
Follow your guide to visit the beautiful old Lama Temple, which is known as the largest and most perfectly-preserved lamasery in Beijing.
Summer Palace
Here’s the last stop. Mainly consisting of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake, this imperial resort is reputed as the ‘museum of ancient Chinese royal gardens’. In the end, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.
What‘s Included
Free headset to receive your guide's explanations.
Hotel pickup & drop off within the third ring road of the Beijing city.
Lunch
Mutianyu Great Wall round-way cable car or chairlift up & toboggan down, costing US$20 per person.
Professional English-speaking tour guide, driver & air-conditioned vehicle.
Entrance fees to tourist sites
Unlimited bottles of drinking water.
Buffet lunch with soft drinks on Day 1 (Halal food and baby food not available).
Baby seat for free.
Gratuities to guide and driver
Not suitable for: People over 85 years old or with wheelchair
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
2 Days Mini Group Beijing Tour
Mini Group of about 12 pax: D1: Tiananmen Sq, Forbidden City, Buffet Lunch, Mutianyu Great Wall D2: Temple of Heaven, Hutong, Lama Temple, Summer Palace Duration: 2 days Includes: Hotel pickup & drop-off, entry fees, round-trip cable car or chairlift up & toboggan down, English-speaking guide, driver. Note: Toboggan at Great Wall is not available for visitors over 60. You may take the round-trip cable car ride instead. Pickup included
Great Wall & Forbidden City
Mini Group of about 12 pax: Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City/Palace Museum, Buffet Lunch, Mutianyu Great Wall. Duration: 10 hours Includes: Hotel pickup & drop-off, entry fees, round-trip cable car or chairlift up & toboggan down, English-speaking guide, driver. Note: Toboggan at Great Wall is not available for visitors over 60. You may take the round-trip cable car ride instead. Pickup included
Reviews
816 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Amazing full day tour with Helen
Barby W,May 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had the best full day tour today with our guide - Helen. We started at Tiannen Square, then onto Forbidden City, followed by a visit to the Jade factory, buffet lunch, then on to the Great Wall of China. We concluded our day with a Tea Ceremony before driving back to Beijing. Everything about this tour was amazing! Our bus driver was fantastic and vehicle was well equipped with air con and USB charging units, plus complimentary water. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND booking this tour, as it is only small group, with great guide.
If you do one tour while in Beijing, do this one!
StrudelUK,May 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an exceptionally well organised tour that was well paced informative and carefully executed to reflect the needs of a varied group. Helen was brilliant - as was the driver who is always the unsung hero! I can not recommend them highly enough.
A Perfect Day in Beijing
Stephanie S,May 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful and busy all day tour with Helen. She is an excellent tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and patient with our questions. She has a very engaging personality. We were able to see everything we wanted and she managed to keep the group organized. I highly recommend this tour.
Amazing!!!
RubenTomazPT,May 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing tour with all the main attractions in one day. Thanks to Hellen for her knowledge and the service given during my trip, she took really good care of our group and nothing was missed. I highly recommend this agency and specially Hellen together with her driver which also was always on time for us.
Excellent tour of Beijing - thank you Helen!
811manshas,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was my first time in China, and as a solo traveller with limited time, I was keen to make the most of my visit to Beijing. This itinerary was excellent and delivered exactly what was promised - it covered all the key sights I wanted to see, while still allowing plenty of time to take photographs and truly take in the experience. The organisation throughout was seamless. The bus was clean and consistently punctual, which made the day feel smooth and stress-free. The lunch stop was another highlight; the buffet was delicious, and I particularly enjoyed the tea-making workshop, which added a lovely cultural touch to the day. However, the biggest thanks and highest praise must go to our guide, Helen. She was exceptional - warm, approachable, and incredibly knowledgeable. She went beyond simply guiding the tour, creating a genuinely personal experience by learning everyone’s names, answering questions thoughtfully, and offering helpful recommendations. She also made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times, which was especially reassuring at Tiananmen Square, where she clearly explained what to expect and supported us through the process. As a solo traveller, and given the language barrier, I didn’t have many opportunities to connect with locals - but Helen was the very first person I met in China, and she made me feel immediately welcome. Her kindness and professionalism left a lasting impression, and she was truly a joy to have as our guide. I’ll definitely be keeping in touch, and I’ve already recommended her to my friend for his upcoming trip to Beijing. I cannot recommend Helen highly enough - thank you for making my trip so special :)
Fantastic visit to the great wall
julianlM2788NL,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was very Nice the tour. Helen makes tour job very good. Has a knowledge históric about the attractions that we visited as forbidden city,Tianamen square and great wall.
Great way to hit the highlights
MTLDeb,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Did the forbidden city in AM and Great Wall PM. It’s a long day but we hit the highlights. Helen was a great and efficient tour guide. We stopped at a “jade store” and a “tea experience” that wasn’t expected and it was kitschy tourist stuff, but the stops weren’t too long. Can’t beat this tour for the price.
Wonderful day
melsmakinmoves10,May 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Even though the Chinese labor day holiday we had a wonderful experience. The guide was informative, helpful and accommodating. Enough time was given by Helen, and she was always asking us our feedback during the tour. Highly recommend!
Great day out
lauraR5019QS,May 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This tour was fantastic and I would highly recommend! The pre - tour communication was excellent - leaving no doubt as to the arrangements. The tour itself was perfect. Our guide was Helen, I cannot say enough good things about her. Her knowledge, organisation and communication made the day a huge success. All of the locations we stopped at were great, the included lunch was tasty.
Thanks Helen!
strangeronearth,May 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great experience with Helen, she made us feel very comfortable, and gave us a very informative tour.
From US$99.00
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