Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall & Summer Palace Small-Group Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/7

Duration8h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Two Imperial Sites in One Day: Mutianyu Wall & Summer Palace from Beijing

You're picked up at 8am and driven to Mutianyu Great Wall, where you choose between a chair lift up and toboggan down or a cable car round trip, then explore on your own schedule. After lunch in a local village, you spend the afternoon at the Summer Palace, China's largest imperial garden. Hotel drop-off happens in the evening. Everything—transport, entries, the cable car, and lunch—is included in one price.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mutianyu Great Wall and Summer Palace

Hotel pickup at 8:00am
Drive 1.5 hours to Mutianyu Great Wall
Explore Great Wall via chair lift or cable car
Descend Great Wall by toboggan or cable car
Lunch in local village with Chinese dishes
Drive 1 hour to Summer Palace
Visit Summer Palace with guide commentary
Return to hotel for drop-off

The Experience

So you're torn between hitting the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, but you don't want to spend two days shuttling between them? That's exactly what this Beijing tour solves. You get picked up from your hotel at 8am—anywhere within the 4th Ring Road—and head straight to Mutianyu, about 90 minutes north. The section there has 23 restored watchtowers, and you're not herded through it like a stadium crowd; the group stays under 12 people, so you actually have time to walk at your own pace instead of being swept along by someone's schedule.

At Mutianyu Great Wall, you choose your own way up: either take the chair lift to tower 6 and toboggan back down, or do a round-trip cable car at tower 14. Both are included, so there's no surprise cost at the ticket window. You get loose time to explore the wall itself—walk the sections that interest you, find a quiet tower, take photos without someone tapping your shoulder. After that, you drive down to a local village restaurant for lunch. The menu rotates through dishes like gongbao chicken, local mushroom and pork, onion pancakes, fried rice—real food, not a tourist plate. Your guide eats with you and talks about what you're about to see at the Summer Palace during the next hour's drive.

The Summer Palace is the largest imperial garden left standing in China, and walking through it feels different after you've already climbed the wall—you're not fresh, so you move slower, notice more. The guide walks you through the layout, explains the history of the place, points out details most people miss. By late afternoon you're back in the minivan heading to your hotel, and the whole day—transport, both entry fees, the cable car, lunch, the guide—is already paid for. No receipts to collect, no haggling at gates, no "wait, what wasn't included?"

What’s included

Your day includes 8am hotel pickup and evening drop-off within Beijing's 4th Ring Road, round-trip minivan transport with air conditioning, entry fees to both Mutianyu Great Wall and Summer Palace, your choice of cable car or chair lift (up) and toboggan (down) at Mutianyu, lunch at a local village restaurant with dishes like gongbao chicken and fried rice, and a professional English-speaking guide throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Discover Beijing Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want both the Great Wall and the Summer Palace in one day without arranging separate transport, tickets and timing—the fixed 8am start and small group size mean you move between sites without gaps or confusion, and everything costs what you pay upfront.