Private Tour
Private Beijing Layover Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall and Forbidden City with Cable Car and Meal
Overview
Available languages
9 hours
Mobile ticket
If your plane is passing through Beijing on the way to other destinations, don’t spend the day inside the airport. Instead, take this layover tour to explore the Great Wall at Mutianyu Section, and discover the charms of the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square. Your informative local guide will take you by private vehicle to the sites according to the time of your layover, after the tour you will be transferred back to the airport. Tour includes all entrance fee, cable car round trip, local meal, an English-speaking guide and transport by private vehicle. Tour can start from Beijing International Airport(PEK) or Beijing Daxing Airport.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please make sure your trip suites the Visa free policy. If you are not able to go through customs for any reasons, please take your own responsibility. There is no refund for the same day cancellation
The Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden city layover tour require at least 11 hours
If flight lands before 14:30, the visit to the Great Wall will or Forbidden City will be secured. Otherwise, you can't make it because the Great Wall at Mutianyu open between 08:30 to 17:30
Please note: 1st April thru 31st October - Forbidden City stops selling tickets at 16:00, and closes at 17:00
Please note: 1st November thru 31st March - Forbidden City stops selling tickets at 15:30, and closes at 16:30
Your guide will wait 90-minutes after your flight arrive, if you can not arrive the meeting point on time please contact your local operator in advance
Passport name and number is required at time of booking for all participants (for getting your Forbidden City entrance ticket in advance)
Forbidden city tickets sold out fast, so we are not secure can get tickets, please book this tour in advance to make sure all tickets available.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Professional guide
Bottled water
Lunch
Cable car round trip or ski lift up and toboggan ticket
Entrance fee
Transport by private vehicle
Gratuities
What To Expect
Mutianyu Great Wall
Your private layover tour of Beiing begins with pickup at Beijing International Airport(PEK) or Beijing Daxing Airport depending on your flight arrival. Your informative local guide will take you by private vehicle to the Great Wall at Mutianyu section, one of the seven wonders in the world and one of the few man made projects which you can see from space. On the way to the Great Wall, about a 1.5 hour drive, your guide will explain the history and stories about the Great Wall. You will also enjoy the beautiful countryside scenery on the way. On arrival of the Mutianyu Great Wall, you will take their shuttle bus to the foot of the mountain, then take either the cable car round trip or ski-lift up and toboggan down at the Great Wall. Spend 2-3 hours to hike the wall depending on your flight arrival and departure time.
Niaochao National Stadium
Next, heading to Beijing city, if time allows, you are able to stop by to take photos at the iconic "Bird's Nest"– the Beijing National Stadium, where it had hosted many spectacular events during time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Options
PEK Layover Tour
Tour start from Beijing International Airpot(PEK), tour including English tour guide, entrance fee, cable car and lunch
Pickup included
Daxing Airport Layover
Tour start from Beijing Daxing Airport, tour including English tour guide, entrance fee, cable car and lunch
Pickup included
Reviews
21 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Good Experience
Chioma C,
May 27, 2025
- Viator
5.00Very good tour Cassie was very knowledgeable about the forbidden city/great wall and came up with ways and routes to cool off when it got so hot and Shun Qian Fang picked and dropped me off, ensuring I was comfortable and lent me a handheld fan for the 2nd part of my tour.
Fun and efficient layover tour!
Emilie T,
Jul 5, 2024
- Viator
5.00My driver Xia Qing and tour guide Lucy were amazing! The driver met me right after baggage claim with my name on a paper, making it super easy to find him. He had cold water and fresh fruits to snack on during the long ride to my first stop at the Forbidden City where I met up with Lucy. She was very informative about all the history of the site, but also kept me on track to see all I wanted while making sure I wouldn’t be late for my next stop at the Great Wall. It was another long ride to the Great Wall, but Lucy made it fun by talking me through all the history of both sites. They took me to a part of the wall that was a lot less busy than I’ve seen in other tour photos and it was the perfect time of day when it wasn’t too hot! Lucy made sure to take lots of photos of me in the perfect parts of the wall with the best views and no one in the background! We were able to take the toboggan down the mountain without waiting for long lines, so fun! Overall, HIGHLY recommend this tour for an efficient and fun tour during a layover!
Personal Tour Guide
Sharon G,
Dec 8, 2019
- Viator
5.00Our personal tour guide, Linda, was awesome. She was courteous and accommodating to our schedule, as we were on a layover tour. She was very knowledgeable and informative on the sites visited. She was personable yet professional and knew exactly which routes to take to avoid the crowds. Appreciate how helpful she was in capturing our memories and knowing the best photo-ops. Great experience!
Excellent tour and tour guide
Melo D,
Nov 25, 2019
- Viator
5.00Really enjoyed our private tour with our excellent guide, Jimmy. He had a really good sense of humor and was very fluent in English. This tour was worth the additional $$ because it was based on our own pace and what we wanted to do or see. Really loved the fresh noodles for lunch also.
Very good care by an excellent guide
charlie c,
Oct 25, 2019
- Viator
5.00Private car with driver. The guide talked about the history of each area visited enroute. She took time for me to get all the photos I wanted. Lunch was a nice buffet up near the great wall.
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Operated by Discover Beijing Tours