Private Tour

Half Day Tour of Beijing's Summer Palace with Guide and Driver

Overview

Available languages

German

Russian

English

French

Spanish

Mobile ticket

In the morning or afternoon, take a visit to the Summer Palace, the best-preserved imperial garden, where your professional guide will share fascinating insights about Empress Dowager Cixi, the renowned dragon lady. Discover the extravagance of her lifestyle and the hidden tales behind it. Marvel at her opera house, birthday celebration chambers, the longest painted corridor, and the stunning Kunming Lake, all while soaking in the historical ambiance.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Specialized infant seats are available

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

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

What To Expect

Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)

In the morning or afternoon, your guide and driver will meet you in the hotel lobby at either 9:00AM for a morning tour or 1:00PM for an afternoon tour.The driving time from hotels near the city center to the Summer Palace is approximately 50 minutes, with variations depending on the hotel's distance from the palace.. Upon arrival, your professional guide will take you on a tour of the best-preserved imperial garden, sharing fascinating insights about Empress Dowager Cixi, the renowned "Dragon Lady." Discover the extravagance of her lifestyle and the hidden tales behind it as you marvel at her opera house, birthday celebration chambers, the longest painted corridor, and the stunning Kunming Lake. You will spend two hours soaking in the historical ambiance. Afterward, the guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel, which will take another 50 minutes.

2 hours • Admission Included

What‘s Included

Entrance Fees

Professional English-speaking guide

Travel comfortably in a clean,air-conditioned car

Hotel pickup and drop-off services are available within the 5th ring zone of Beijing city

Bottled water

Gratuities(Recommeded)

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

French/Spanish/Russianspeaking

For this option, choose from our Spanish, French, German, or Russian-speaking guides.
Pickup included

English speaking guide

English speaking guide
Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

8 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Tour essential
Explore22558528221,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very complete and interesting tour. Linda explained everything in detail and also gave me many recommendations for what to do in Beijing. Guide 10/10
Best excursion!
Камилла Г,,Nov 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A very good Russian-speaking guide. I liked it all, let's take it again next time. Easily our common language, the hotel met, along the way told many more things about the history of China
Must see and ride the boat
palaniappanr2025,,Sep 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Linda was nice and explaining the history and importance of summer palace, world’s longest beautiful vibrant color corridor
An Excellent Tour with a Fantastic Guide and Driver!
emilypN1402SN,,Sep 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a wonderful time on our tour to the Summer Palace. Our guide Zeo,was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the history. She explained the history and stories of Cixi in a way that was engaging and easy to understand. She was also very patient with our many questions.It felt like spending the day with a knowledgeable friend. Our driver Mr Liu was also excellent - very safe and punctual. It was a seamless and enjoyable experience from start to finish. Highly recommend this team！
W897QPerikam,,Jul 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great tour! Linda was very knowledgeable about this Summer Place as well as with Chinese History. Really enjoyed our time here. Thank you!
maxineastorga,,Jul 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Thank you Linda for the lovely day and tour. It was a great experience. Very comfortable and relaxed. I learned alot . The Summer Palace is wonderful. The meal was delicious !
Awesome walk around inside Summer palace
kanakow191,,Jul 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was brilliant place to visit and our tour guide Linda was explaining in English for us and being very flexible for our kids like having a break anytime we need, request accepted what we want to do there like getting on the boat etc… If you want to make your trip perfect, I would recommend Linda and never disappointed. Thank you!!
Relaxing trip to this magnificent palace
155jasew,,Jul 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Relaxing stroll through the corridors and tree lined gardens while Linda told us the stories about then people who built the place and the Empress who ran it. Took a boat ride back across the lake enjoying the magnificent views.