Beijing 2-Day Tours: Great Wall, Forbidden City & Top Highlights
Overview
Available languages
48 hours
Mobile ticket
This all-inclusive small-group tour is the ultimate way to experience all of Beijing’s highlights, even with a limited schedule. Over two days, see the most iconic Tiananmen Square, the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace, as well as enjoy a rickshaw ride through the old Hutong alleys bustling with local life.
- Mini group with more personalized service
- Seamless, door-to-door hotel transfers
- All-inclusive and no hidden charges
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tickets to the Forbidden City require a real-name reservation 7 days in advance and are easily sold out, so you are advised to book the tour as early as possible. Otherwise, international travelers will need to line up at the entrance to buy tickets.
We offer free pick-up within the Third Ring Road of Beijing, beyond which there will be an extra charge, so we suggest you book centrally located downtown hotels. Please get ready at the hotel lobby at least 5 minutes in advance of the pick-up time confirmed with you a day before. No-show is non-refundable.
Please provide the correct passport information for booking the real-name tickets. Make sure to carry the same identification when travelling; otherwise, you’ll be refused entry by the scenic areas.
Group Size: About 12 people. There are chances that 10% of the tour groups will exceed 12 people but we’ll make proper arrangements.
Departures are guaranteed with three persons.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall
Food and Drinks
LUNCH
Lunch
Buffet lunch
Beijing
In the morning, your professional guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby, and then a comfortable and capacious chauffeur-driven vehicle will escort you to Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Square
Walk around this large square and shoot photos of the brilliant landmark buildings. Note: To pass through the security check quickly, especially during holidays, we suggest you leave your bag in the car and carry only your passport and bottled water to go through the no-bag passage.
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Maozhuxi Jiniantang)
Appearance
Monument of the People's Heroes
Appearance
Great Hall of the People (Renmin Dahuitang)
Appearance
National Museum Of China
Appearance
The Palace Museum
Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and you’ll reach the Forbidden City, the home to 24 emperors from 1368 to 1911 AD. Visit the most essential palaces on the central axis and chambers on the two wings among its 9,999 rooms, with in-depth explanations and expert photography guidance. Note: If your travel date falls on a Monday when the Forbidden City is closed, we’ll visit the royal resort Summer Palace instead. Besides, the Forbidden City visit does not include the Treasure Gallery, the Gallery of Timepieces, or any temporary exhibitions.
Meridian Gate (Wu Men)
Visit
Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)
Visit the three main halls of the Outer Court where ancient emperors held state ceremonies.
Palace of Heavenly Purity
Visit the three main palaces of the Inner Court - the emperor’s sleeping quarters and the place for him to handle daily affairs.
The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum
Visit the entertainment venue for the emperor and the imperial harem.
Mutianyu Great Wall
After 1.5 hours’ driving, you’ll arrive at Mutianyu, the best-preserved and most popular section of the Great Wall of China. A Chinese buffet lunch with soft drinks will be prepared for you to refuel before the afternoon. After lunch, enjoy your hike and take nice photos on the Great Wall for at least 2.5 hours. The round-way cable car rides, or a chairlift up and toboggan down are included, and you can make your own choice. Notice for Toboggan: Children under 10 need to be escorted by an adult; travelers aged 60 and above, or those with hypertension or heart disease, are not permitted to take it. After descending from the Great Wall, relax with a Chinese tea ceremony to learn about traditional tea culture and taste different flavors of tea
Thereafter, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.
Temple of Heaven, Hutong Alleys, Lama Temple & Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors worshiped the God of Heaven for good harvest in ancient times. Note: If your travel date falls on Monday when the main sights of the Temple of Heaven are closed, we’ll arrange Beihai Park instead.
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
A large circular palace with a roof covered in three layers of blue glazed tiles for the emperors to hold sacrificial ceremonies.
Yuanqiutan
Open-air altar where the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven on the Winter Solstice.
Hutong Tour
Continue your tour to Beijing Hutong area, where you can take a rickshaw through the old alleys and visit a traditional courtyard to see how the old Beijingers live.
Follow your guide to visit the beautiful old Lama Temple, which is known as the largest and most perfectly-preserved lamasery in Beijing.
Summer Palace
Here’s the last stop. Mainly consisting of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake, this imperial resort is reputed as the ‘museum of ancient Chinese royal gardens’. In the end, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.
What‘s Included
Baby seats for free
Pick up and drop off to hotels within the third ring road of the Beijing city.
Unlimited bottles of drinking water
Professional English-speaking tour guide & Experienced driver
Mutianyu Great Wall round-way cable car or chairlift & toboggan which costs USD20 per person
Buffet Lunch with soft drinks on Day 1 (Halal food and baby food not available)
Lunch
Entrance fees to Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, and Summer Palace (if option selected)
This part is only for the tour option of "2-Day Mini Group to Great Wall & Forbidden City"
Headset to receive your guide's explanations
Entrance fees to Fobidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall
Gratuities
Not suitable for: People over 85 years old and wheelchair
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
2 Days Mini Group Beijing Tour
Route: D1: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, lunch, Mutianyu Great Wall.
D2: Temple of Heaven, Hutong, Lama Temple, Summer Palace.
Duration: 2 days
Inclusion: Pick-up & drop-off from your hotel lobby, entrance fees, English speaking guide, driver & van, lunch on Day 1, cable car.
About 12 People
Pickup included
Great Wall & Forbidden City
Route: Pick-up & drop off at hotel. Visit the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall.
Duration: 10 hours
About 12 People
Inclusions: English-speaking guide, driver with minivan, entrance tickets, cable car, lunch, pick-up & drop-off from your hotel.
Pickup included
Reviews
688 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great communication. Helen was awesome.
michaelcchung,,Jan 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00From start to finish Travel China Guide - Beijing has provided a great experience. I had booked a two day tour in Beijing which unfortunately fell onto a Monday when some of the bigger attractions close. The company was responsive to any message sent here on TripAdvisor, and provided me with many alternative options. I eventually settled with a one day trip to square, forbidden city, and the Great Wall with a partial refund, which I thought was very fair. Our guide Helen is excellent and knowledgeable. She handled everything, ticketing, crowd navigation, explanation, and time management expertly. She looked after members of our tour group, including helping out a family with a stroller. To help everyone get home on time in traffic, she even ordered taxi for some of us to get back to our hotels. It is a great value, as I add everything up from the dedicated shuttle to the much appreciated guide to the tourist catered lunch buffet.
Forbidden City and Great Wall tour
P63RJmichaelv,,Jan 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very nice trip. You see a lot of things in one day. Our guide Helen was extremly good, take care of every wish
Trip to Beijing Saved
audreylJ1326EY,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I booked this tour at the last minute because basically my travel companion said he would show me around and decided not to. I was so upset about missing out on the sights so I booked this tour. I had trouble paying on WeChat and was about to give up and they suggested that I pay the tour guide. I was so relieved. They made it so easy. In the morning I was picked up at my hotel. Helen showed our group the sights and made sure that we learned about what we saw. I now want to learn more about the last Emperor and Mao. This is the way to sight see. Relaxing and stress free, so that you actually absorb what's going on. I don't speak Chinese so with great translating by Helen, I felt comfortable with my surroundings. She was eager to make us feel comfortable! Wanted to do another tour but they were all full. This tour made my trip to Beijing!
All the higlights in one day.
D8740JRdirkr,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Helen was amazing! Friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. Made our trip unforgettable. Highly recommended!!! It was the one day tour.
Comprehensive Beijing Tour
Mostafa A,,Jan 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went on this tour as a group of 5 friends, our tour guide was Helen, she was quite nice. Picked us up at the hotel punctual, then we went in a very compact comprehensive tour that included many heighlights, most importantly Helen was taking very good care of the time so we kept the schedule and she also took good care if us. Really recommend if you only have 1 day in Beijing and would like to squeeze in the heighlights.
Amazing!
LuisFernando26,,Jan 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very good organization, our tour guide Helen is amazing, she did a very good job explaining everything for us. Great Tour!
We really liked it, especially the guide. Helen's the best.
260juanpablof,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Helen was amazing, always kept an eye on everyone and is very friendly, dominates the history of the places we visited and kept us always motivated.
Amazing tour of China great spots with Helen!
560roxannem,,Jan 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our tour with Helen was amazing! We visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall at Mutianyu. We had a lovely lunch at a jade factory with some excellent shopping. Helen had lots of great stories and history about the Forbidden City and tales about what the life of the emperors was like. I had a wonderful time and would gladly do this trip again! Thank you so much to Helen for a fantastic day!
One day tour to forbidden city and the Great Wall
maggiehR5904MP,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a very nice experience with Helen. She was very knowledgeable and explained everything clearly. She’s willing to do all she could do to help out. We went to the tiananmen and forbidden city for 3 hours, it was alot of walking but the later trip to the great wall was the most tiring walk. We also went to the jade store and tea store. These were Chinese culture advertisements but they won’t force you to buy stuff. Overall very nice experience just be ready to walk.
Be sure to follow the guide. Because there are too many people
558danz,,Jan 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I'm glad to be. Find your company to serve us, let us have a pleasant and full day, your guide Miss Han（Helen) is very good, very concerned and patient with us, explain in English and in place, thank you.
From US$99.00
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