How can someone start describing the amazing country of China and its super sprawling capital, Beijing, without missing any important information? There is so much history and culture in this country that one might get overwhelmed trying to figure out what to see and do while visiting Beijing. Small alleyways, called hutongs, stunning former imperial gardens, exquisite cuisine, the incredible pandas, and so many scenic attractions that words can’t do justice, are best discovered with a day tour provided by tour operators. So if you are soon planning a trip to Beijing, consider these great itineraries that guarantee a great insight into the Chinese culture and history! These are the top 10 day tours in Beijing, China.
1. Explore the stunning Great Wall and the Ming Tombs (from USD 198.0)
Your exciting trip will start at 8am, when your driver will pick you up from your hotel in Beijing and will drive for about 1.5 hours to reach the Great Wall. The part you will visit is less crowded and the views will take your breath away but you need a moderate physical fitness level to do some walking. After a delicious local lunch, you will head to the magnificent Tombs, where you get to choose to enter one of the three parts open to the public. The trip takes in total about nine hours while a professional guide, lunch, transportation, and ticket entries for both attractions are all included in the price.
Private Beijing Day Trip: Mutianyu Great Wall and Ming Tombs
Duration: 9 hours
2. Visit the most popular landmarks in a day (from USD 185.0)
This tour is a great introduction to the history of the city but is also ideal for those who love walking and just want to see everything. Incredible attractions that visitors get to see include: the impressive Temple of Heaven; the Tiananmen Square, which happens to be the largest city center square in the world; the Forbidden City, nowadays a Palace Museum; and also the notorious Summer Palace, once an imperial garden. A lovely lunch is included, as is an experienced guide, admission tickets, a boat ride, and transportation. The tour lasts approximately eight hours.
Private Beijing Tour: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, More
Duration: 8 hours
3. Meet Beijing with a tailor-made tour (from USD 75.0)
This privately guided tour makes sure your personal needs concerning the exploration of a place are met and communicated to your tour operator. Beijing in one day may include, according to your preferences, visits to any of the most prominent attractions, such as the Forbidden City, the great Lama Temple, the Panda Garden, the lovely Tiananmen Square, and parts of the Great Wall as well. The tour runs for about eight hours while a professional guide is included, unlike the transportation fees and the food that are at your expense.
Private Custom Tour or Private Tour: Beijing in One Day
Duration: 8 hours
4. Let yourself wander around mysterious caves (from USD 216.0)
Be prepared to enjoy some breathtaking views along the entire trip, which does require a moderate physical fitness level as it includes walking uphill and downhill. The private tour starts from the Longqing Gorge where you will cruise through a tremendously scenic area full of lush mountains, caves, and clear waters, and then you will visit the Guyaju Cave Dwellings, a village-like complex resembling an ‘ant farm for humans’. The tour takes approximately nine hours, and transportation, local lunch, a guide, admission tickets, and boating are all-inclusive.
Beijing to Longqingxia Gorge and Guyaju Caves Private Day Tour
Duration: 9 hours
5. Bike your way around Beijing (from USD 67.0)
A brilliant way to discover a new place while keeping fit is to wind your way through a city on a bike. And that’s something so doable in Beijing which also guarantees you tons of fun. The itinerary you will follow will take you to the hutongs around the Forbidden City–these small, old alleyways are filled with temples, markets, historical sites, and shops that show the well-preserved ancient side of the city. Part of this tour includes also a visit to a family home to have lunch and a friendly talk with the locals. Comfortable clothing is recommended.
Beijing Small Group Biking Tour
Duration: 5.5 hour
6. Tour the ancient and modern attractions of Beijing by bus (from USD 62.03)
This is a delightful bus tour that will take you to magnificent sights within a day. Among the places you will visit are the Beijing Zoo where you will have the chance to admire the cute Giant Pandas, the largest Lama Temple that will tickle your spiritual self, a silk carpet factory, and astonishing buildings from the Olympic Games, while you will explore the old hutongs by rickshaw. Entrance tickets, a professional guide, drop-offs and pick-ups, a lunch, and an air-conditioned vehicle are included while it is recommended to dress according to the weather.
Bus Tour of Ancient Beijing, Beijing Zoo & Olympic Park
Duration: 1 day
7. Soak in the Chinese culture (from USD 42.46)
This eight-hour-long trip includes sightseeing in ancient and modern attractions and will give you a good idea of what this city is about. The tour starts from the Beijing Zoo where you will encounter the lovable Giant Pandas, then continues to some thrilling Olympic sites, like the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube (ideal for photos!), then takes you to an amazing Tibetan Buddhist temple, and finishes at the Jingshan park, from where you get awesome views of the Forbidden City. In between, you will stop for lunch at a local home and before it ends, you can buy souvenirs at a silk shop.
Lama Temple, Olympic Area, Beijing Zoo & Hutongs Tour
Duration: 8 hour
8. Indulge in some great Chinese dishes (from USD 128.0)
No trip is complete without smelling and tasting the local flavors so even if you are not into cooking that much, you have to try this tour before leaving Beijing. Naturally, the food tour will start from a local market where you will be taught many things about vegetables, spices, and sauces from your cooking instructor who will help you to buy fresh ingredients. After you’re done shopping, you will walk into a local family’s home to start your cooking class, where you can cook meat dishes, vegetarian ones, or dim sum (small savory snacks) depending on the day. This delicious tour takes about five hours.
Experience Beijing: Chinese Cooking Class and Market Tour
Duration: 5 hours
9. Discover the historical and cultural side of Beijing (from USD 225.0)
If you are pretty much into history and arts (and more specifically the theatre), then you won’t regret choosing this tour. The eight-hour-long trip includes a tour of the historical sites of the Forbidden City, a visit to a silk factory to see how silk is made, a walk to the famous Summer Palace, a nowadays heaven of parks and lakes, and last but not least, an entry to a fabulous Peking Opera show which is quite a unique experience. Children above 10 can participate, while admission tickets, an English-speaking guide, lunch, and transfers are included.
Sightseeing Tour of Beijing with Peking Opera Show
10. Explore the hutongs, the zoo, and enjoy some boating (from USD 108.0)
This family-friendly tour is the ideal way to start your trip in Beijing. If you ever wondered how the Giant Pandas look like, then this is your chance to meet them at the Beijing Zoo. This tour will give you the chance to actually see local people’s life while riding on a rickshaw but will also take you to the Summer Palace, a former, stunning imperial garden, followed by a dragon boat ride to the Kunming Lake and a tea ceremony. There will also be two stops, one at a silk factory and one outside the Olympic Stadium to take photos. The tour lasts about six hours.
Small Group Day Tour of Beijing Hutong And Beijing Zoo Visit Plus Boating In Summer Palace
Beijing day tours to remember
We hope you are as excited about this trip to Beijing as we are while writing this article. Day tours are an excellent way to get acquainted with the city and the greatest thing is that you have your private, experienced guide to navigate you through the city’s landmarks. So, it’s worth trying it too, right?
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