Beijing: Forbidden City, Tiananmen & Great Wall Private Tour
Three Beijing landmarks in one day, without the crowds or the logistics
You visit three of Beijing's most significant sites in a single day without managing tickets, transport, or timing yourself. Your English-speaking guide meets you at your hotel, drives you to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, then takes you an hour outside the city to Mutianyu Great Wall, where you choose between a cable car or chairlift up and either a toboggan or cable car down. Lunch at a local restaurant and all entry fees are included, and you're back at your hotel by evening.
Step-by-step itinerary
- Tiananmen Square 30m
- Forbidden City Entry included 2h
- Mutianyu Great Wall Entry included 2h
Beijing highlights and Great Wall visit
- Pick up at hotel lobby
- Visit Tian’anmen Square
- See Tian’anmen Rostrum and Mao portrait
- Enter Forbidden City through Meridian Gate
- Explore Forbidden City for 1.5 to 2 hours
- Drive 1 hour to village near Mutianyu Wall
- Have local Chinese lunch
- Drive 30 minutes to Mutianyu Great Wall
- Take cable car or chairlift up the Wall
- Hike and explore Mutianyu Wall for 1 to 2 hours
- Return down by toboggan or cable car
What’s included
- Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide and driver.
- You get entrance tickets to both the Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall, roundtrip cable car or chairlift access at the wall, and the option of a toboggan descent.
- Lunch is at a local Chinese restaurant with a menu chosen to your budget.
- All transport between sites is covered.
Times
- Every day 07:00 07:15 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:30
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Information
Prices and times updated 9 days ago
Operated by Catherine Lu Tours
The experience
You're picked up at your hotel in the morning, and your guide is already waiting with a car that's quiet and cool. Tiananmen Square comes first: the world's largest public square, and the kind of place where you understand why it's been photographed so many times. You stand in front of the Rostrum with Mao's portrait behind it, and the scale of it hits differently when you're actually there. Your guide points out the sightlines, the history, the way the space was designed. It's not rushed.
Then you walk through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City, and you've got 1.5 to 2 hours to move through it at your own pace. The palace complex is enormous: imperial gardens, temples, courtyards that open into other courtyards. Your guide explains the architecture and the dynasties without turning it into a lecture. You can ask questions or just walk and look. After that, you drive about an hour out to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, which stays less crowded than the closer sections. Lunch happens at a local Chinese restaurant on the way. The menu is ordered to your budget, and you eat what the locals eat.
At Mutianyu, you choose: cable car up or chairlift up. Either way, you spend 1 to 2 hours hiking the wall itself, walking the watchtowers, understanding how it was built and why it matters. On the way down, there's an option for a toboggan ride: a fast, winding descent that feels like a small adrenaline hit after hours of walking. Or you can take the cable car back down if you'd rather not. The whole day is eight hours, and everything is included: the tickets, the transport between sites, the guide, the lunch, the cable car or chairlift. You don't arrange any of it yourself.
Is this one for you?Book this if you want Beijing's three main sights in one day without arranging separate tickets, transport, or timing: the fixed itinerary and private guide handle all of that, leaving you to focus on what you're seeing.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 8 years); Infant (under 5): free.
How long is the tour?
Eight hours total, including pickup and drop-off at your hotel.
What's included in the price?
Entry tickets to the Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall, roundtrip cable car or chairlift, toboggan ride option, lunch at a local restaurant, private vehicle, driver, and English-speaking guide.
Is Mutianyu less crowded than other sections of the wall?
Yes. Mutianyu is chosen specifically because it sees fewer visitors than sections closer to the city.
Can I choose how to go up and down the wall?
Yes. You can take the cable car or chairlift up, and either a toboggan or cable car down.
What if I'm not very fit?
The tour is suitable for all fitness levels. You control your own pace on the wall. There's no group hiking speed, and you can spend as much or as little time walking as you want.
Do I need to bring my passport?
Yes. Bring your passport or a copy, as it's required for Forbidden City entry tickets.
What's the lunch like?
You eat at an authentic local Chinese restaurant catering to locals, or a Western-style option if you prefer. The menu is ordered to your budget on the day.
What time does the tour start?
Pickup is in the morning from your hotel. Exact time is arranged when you book.
Is there extra cost if the tour runs over eight hours?
Yes. Any time beyond eight hours incurs an additional fee.
Beijing: Forbidden City, Tiananmen & Great Wall Private Tour
8h–9h · EN · ES · FR · DE · IT · at your hotel
from US$ 205 per person