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 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.
Bird's Nest 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.
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
Pickup points
Capital Airport
Shunyi Beijing China
Options
Daxing Airport Layover
Tour start from Beijing Daxing Airport, tour including English tour guide, entrance fee, cable car and lunch
Pickup included
PEK Layover Tour
Tour start from Beijing International Airpot(PEK), 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
- Review from 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
- Review from 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!
Excellent views and knowledgeable, supportive guides.
45aleishaw,,Jun 11, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a stunning day touring the Forbidden City and the Great Wall with Judy and Mr. Jang. The sights were breathtaking, and Judy offered a really clear, friendly, and comprehensive overview of the history and culture around Beijing. Our guides clearly love their country and we feel so lucky for having their support, knowledge and perspectives as we visited. Highlight of the trip!
A great way to see the main sights during your transit time
vanessawN1932GF,,Jan 5, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a great tour. Our tour guide Linda was very knowledgeable and spoke English very well. The lunch was great, with more than enough food. The kids loved the toboggan ride down from the Great Wall. A great way to see the main sights of Beijing in a short timeframe.
6 ore
Scenic764603,,Jan 2, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Albert has been a fantastic guide. We had the chance to visit the most important highlights of the city, avoiding the queue and enjoying the Chinese culture the first of January. As icing on the cake, we ate very good local food prepared by a Chinese family. I would recommend this tour to everyone who wants to have a quick flavour of Beijing.
Great Wall- Great Guide Linda
barryj815,,Dec 30, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00If you want this part of the Great Wall almost to yourself, then a winter trip should be on your schedule. Forget all the crowds, this trip gives you a chance to see the magnificence of The Wall. Yes it can be cold, but so what? Our guide Linda provided a calm and knowledgable service - too often guides fill you with a head full of trivia you don’t need. The choice for a lunch which locals use and love was a delight. The traffic in Beijing made the Forbidden City tour a little rushed, but it is unmissable. Thanks again, Linda
Amazing tour!
kstinenguyen08,,Dec 27, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were about 30 minutes late to meet Susan due to the Beijing Airports long line for a VISA but when we met her at Starbucks she was absolutely amazing and was not worried about our late arrival. We headed out to the Great Wall with Susan and our driver (about an hour drive). During our car ride to the Great Wall she talked about China’s history and facts about Beijing, very insightful! She also had water and jackets waiting for us since it was cold out. We made it to the Great Wall and she was able to get us to the entrance without having to take a shuttle and took many pictures for us. We then went to lunch where Susan and the driver ordered many delicious dishes at a local Chinese restaurant. She also talked about a tea she drinks and we were able to stop by a shop to pick up some authentic tea! Lastly, we stopped at the Forbidden City. It was so cool to hear about the history and to see it in person. Thank you Susan for such an amazing experience.
LINDA GREAT TOUR GUIDE!
pina1024,,Dec 19, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00When visiting a place it’s always those people you meet that make it even more memorable. Linda was an awesome tour guide. She shared her expertise in each site and was very passionate when providing the history. She was accommodating and considerate to our schedule as we had a quick layover and experienced a slight delay. I’m also most thankful for the extra effort she took in assisting us with capturing photos for our memories and ensured we received them even after the tour. I wish her the very best and am sure those who get lucky with her as their tour guide will gain the awesome customer service experience my friend and I had.
Book with Linda
Netteb88,,Dec 19, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My friend and I recently went on this tour, December 2019. Our tour guide was Linda. We were late to our tour as the line for the visa application and immigration was super long, we were afraid that we were going to get left. Linda was patiently waiting for us as instructed in the email. Her driver helped with our bags and the car we rode in was very comfortable. Linda was professional and provided so much insight I definitely learned a lot. She even knew all the good places to take pictures at the sites we visited. Linda even used her phone to take our photos as she has a newly updated iPhone that takes better pictures than ours, she took the time to airdrop and email the pictures to us. Definitely keeping in contact with Linda via Whatsapp and highly recommend my friends or anyone in general to book this tour if they have a full day in Beijing
Take This Tour!
jenniferfT2039CX,,Dec 18, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Lucy was our tour guide and her historical knowledge of the Great Wall and Forbidden City is awesome. Fascinating!
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Operated by Discover Beijing Tours