Beijing Mini Group Day Tour, No Shopping

Your tour guide will contact you one day in advance to confirm the exact pick-up time. Today at the appointed time, your guide will wait for you in the hotel lobby. Then we set off to start this Beijing day trip.

How to get the pick-up message?

● Your guide will contact you directly if you have a local Chinese number.
● Your guide will contact you through the hotel. If you are out, he/she will leave a message to the hotel reception.
● We will send an email to you with your guide’s contact information and the pick-up time.
● In case you haven't received the pick-up message before 20:00, please contact your guide or travel consultant. We have your back 24 hours.

Note: We usually arrange pick-up from hotels between 7:00 and 8:00. However, to avoid crowds in the peak season and also the heavy traffic on the day, we may advance the pick-up time occasionally. Appreciate your kind understanding!

Now let's start this Beijing day tour from the city's core area - the Tiananmen Square. Follow your guide to take a short walk on the largest city square in the world, and you can shoot distant view photos of the brilliant landmark buildings in and around the square, such as the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.

Walking through the Gate of Heavenly Peace with the great Chairman Mao's portrait on it, we come to this morning's highlight - the 600-year-old Forbidden City, which is the largest and the most intact imperial palace complex of the Ming and Qing courts (1368-1911 AD).

The majestic Forbidden City has 9,999 rooms! Which are the most essential and interesting parts? Our veteran itinerary designer has carefully selected some top palaces for you, including the major ones on the traditional central axis, and some special chambers on the east and west wings.

Important note: Entrance tickets of the Forbidden City are usually released online 7 days in advance and could be easily sold out. Kindly advise you to book the tour at least 8 days before since the ticket purchase is based on the real name policy.Attention: Since the Forbidden City is usually not open on Mondays, we will arrange for you a visit to the Summer Palace instead of Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City if your travel date happens to meet Monday. It is the largest and best preserved royal garden in China. The Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill, Seventeen-arch Bridge, Long Gallery, Palaces, and Pavilions in the Summer Palace are all worth your exploration here.

It takes around 1.5 hours to drive from the downtown Beijing to the Mutianyu Great Wall. Your guide will share with you some historical facts and less-known titbits on the Great Wall of China. During the drive, we will considerately provide every member with bottles of drinking water and small local refreshments.

Wise lunch suggestion: Your guide will show you the Subway and the Burger King at the foot of the wall. The best way we recommend is to buy some takeout on your own and have a picnic on the Great Wall, which could be an exciting experience.

All the Great Wall sights are located far from the city center and lack of decent restaurants. We have no detours to the restaurants in order to make the most out of your time to explore the Great Wall.

As one of the best-preserved sections of China Great Wall, Mutianyu is popular for its distinctive watchtowers and breathtaking natural scenery. You will have plenty of time to hike on the wall and take nice photos. Additionally, the histories and stories of this world wonder shared by your professional tour guide will make your Great Wall experience more interesting and unforgettable.
Hike the whole way: If you start hiking from the North Entrance, you will reach No. 8 or No. 10 watchtower, while No. 6 or No. 8 watchtower could be accessed if you go through the South Entrance. There are around 500 steps on the mountain way. Usually it takes about half an hour getting to the watchtower whichever route you take.

Round-way cable car: You can take a round-way cable car ride and the cost is CNY120/US$17 per person for a round trip. Another option is to take a chairlift up and a toboggan down, but the cable car ride is recommended for more security reasons. You can purchase the tickets on spot with your guide's assistance.

Hike up and cable car down: You may hike one way up to the wall to experience the hardship of the laborers to construct the wall in ancient times, and then after the wall visit, you may get down by cable car from the No. 14 watchtower, CNY100/US$14 per single way.

We will take another 1.5 hours to drive back to the downtown Beijing. You can massage your legs gently and take a brief rest with your eyes closed in the car to recover from the fatigue of climbing the Great Wall.

Our last stop today is the popular area of Houhai Lake and Tobacco Pipe Lane (Yandai Xiejie), which is a typical representative of old Beijing. Home to various specialty bars, cafes, restaurants, and curio shops, it is a great place to discover the unique charms of the old alleyways, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Houhai Lake, try the local foods and snacks for dinner, or just spend leisure time there to experience the lively nightlife of Beijing. If you are interested, you can explore it at your own pace and return to the hotel by taxi.

If you do not want to tour the Hutong area, your guide will take you back to the hotel after dropping the others off there. Hope you have enjoyed this day trip from Beijing to the Great Wall. Wish you a nice dream tonight!