City: Beijing
Top Things to do in Beijing
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Things to do in Beijing, China: The Best Cultural Tours
Welcome to a capital city whose story goes back at least 3000 years. In Beijing, you'll find a wealth of history, both ancient (the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Summer Palace, Forbidden City) and more recent (Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Tiananmen Square). For the best market experience, choose the Dirt Market over the touristy Silk Market. A visit to the Great Wall, the longest manmade structure in the world, is absolutely essential.
Restaurants in Beijing
1. Private Beijing Hutong Walking Tour with Local Family Courtyard Visit
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Gain a deeper understanding of Beijing's history and culture as you walk the streets of the old hutong allays with a private guide on this walking tour. Learn about the impressive design of the 'chessboard city', discover the significance of hutong allays, know the meaning of the decorations been used along the hutong, and visit the non-touristy hutong courtyard home which open only for you. By walking the same paths that the locals do, you will be genuinely immersed in the Old Beijing lifestyle.
Inclusions: Professional guide, Private tour
Exclusions: Gratuities, Transportation fee to the attraction and back to your hotel
Reviewed By latoyaj632
My daughter and I had the pleasure of having Qing as our tour guide. We had a great experience. Qing was very knowledgeable and added funny commentary to engage my 9 year old daughter, whom is not interested in History (yet)! We learned a lot about Chinese history and culture, with the added benefit of being allowed to take ample time to take a multitude of pictures. Qing has hosted this tour for many years, so she provided us with tips to take the most flattering shots in this historical venue. I would definitely recommend Qing when taking this tour. We will remember this experience forever.
2. Beijing Private Tour of Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 19 reviews
Explore the architecture, culture and heritage of Beijing on this private day tour. Follow your personal guide through the massive Forbidden City, UNESCO World Heritage .Watch the morning exercise and fun life in the Temple of heaven Park about locals. Discover the largest city central square, Tiananmen square. Eat at the restaurant where the locals go. Accompanied by your own private guide and private car, you'll relish personalized attention on your day tour of Beijing. Tour includes tasty local lunch, all entrance fee, an English-speaking guide and transport by private vehicle.
Inclusions: Bottled water, Lunch, Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by private vehicle, Entrance Fee
Exclusions: Food and drinks, unless specified, Gratuities
Reviewed By latoyaj632
My daughter and I had the pleasure of having Qing as our tour guide. We had a great experience. Qing was very knowledgeable and added funny commentary to engage my 9 year old daughter, whom is not interested in History (yet)! We learned a lot about Chinese history and culture, with the added benefit of being allowed to take ample time to take a multitude of pictures. Qing has hosted this tour for many years, so she provided us with tips to take the most flattering shots in this historical venue. I would definitely recommend Qing when taking this tour. We will remember this experience forever.
3. Beijing Private Tour to Beijing Panda House and Mutianyu Great Wall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
With the combination of the Great Wall at Mutianyu section and checking out the cute pandas in Panda House, this tour is definitely perfect for you or even with your family. Mutianyu is the most popular section among all the others on the Great Wall, and the pandas in Beijing will let you or your family have a good time and don't need to fly all the way to Chengdu. Tour includes tasty local lunch, all entrance fee, cable car round trip, an English-speaking guide and transport by private vehicle.
Inclusions: Bottled water, Lunch, Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off (For hotels with the 4th ring road of Beijing City), Private tour, Transport by private vehicle, Entrance fee to Panda House and Great Wall, Cable car round trip or ski lift up and toboggan ticket
Exclusions: Gratuities, Food and drinks, unless specified
Reviewed By latoyaj632
My daughter and I had the pleasure of having Qing as our tour guide. We had a great experience. Qing was very knowledgeable and added funny commentary to engage my 9 year old daughter, whom is not interested in History (yet)! We learned a lot about Chinese history and culture, with the added benefit of being allowed to take ample time to take a multitude of pictures. Qing has hosted this tour for many years, so she provided us with tips to take the most flattering shots in this historical venue. I would definitely recommend Qing when taking this tour. We will remember this experience forever.
4. Group Coach Day Tour to Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Simatai Great Wall is located in Miyun County which is 120 kilometers from Beijing. It is the only section of the Great Wall that has preserved in the original Ming Dynasty architecture (1368-1644). A small water town is built at the foot of Great Wall, in a traditional style of Chinese small town, offers accommodation and foods in local way. Accommodation is available at an optional cost.
Inclusions: Hotel Pickup from 36+ hotels in downtown Beijing, Round trip coach transfers by air conditioned vehicle with an experience coach driver (same day return), English-speaking tour guide, Some simple food for breakfast on the coach.
Exclusions: Lunch and Dinner, Hotel accommodation in Simatai, Transfer from subway station back to your own hotel after the tour, Gratuities for guide and driver (recommended), Return transfer to Beijing on 2nd day
Reviewed By Scenic62797412717
Stunning view when you drive through by car, the gorges are massive. We stopped a couple of hours at the viewing area/platform which goes down at water level using multiple stairs. nice, but not worth spending more than few hours, or maybe one night on the way from Shangri la to Lijiang. It is definitely impressive to see though
5. Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town Trip with English speaking driver
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Enjoy a self-guided tour on a comfortably-paced private day trip to Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town with your English-speaking driver. Your driver will share some Beijing city and attraction information with you on the road.
Inclusions: English speaking driver, Bottled water, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by private vehicle, Entrance fee
Exclusions: Extra Tour guide Service, Cable car tickets, Lunch, Gratuities
Reviewed By simonelafleur
I had a great time in Beijing! The tour was well organized, Violet was a great tour guide! She was always on time, she speaks English very well and she told me a lot of informations about the sights. The booking process on WeChat was very easy - the agency is very flexible which was just perfect for me. I would definitely recommend the travel agency and the tour! Violet, thank you very much for everything and hope to see you again next time when I‘m in Beijing! :)
6. Online Cooking Class Beijing Dumplings and Cuisine by Sunflowerli Renowned Chef
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 21 reviews
Learn about Chinese culture, food, and culinary heritage. Enjoy an authentic cooking class online with your very own private teacher. Make Chinese dumplings, potstickers, fried noodles, Kung Pao chicken, Mapo Tofu, or bok choy with mushrooms, all of which are made from scratch. Cook and eat your delicious home cooked meal. Vegan options are available. A truly fun and memorable experience for adults and kids.
Inclusions: Private Cooking Class Online , Private Teacher meeting students online via Facetime or Zoom, Vegan option is available. , The time can be changed at any point to suit your schedule and time zone
Exclusions: Cooking ingredients, Gratuities (Recommended), Any other expense that are not listed as included
Reviewed By Anonymous022021
We booked Sunflower for an Online Cooking Class for our company. We all had so much fun making yummy dumplings with her.
7. Full-Day Small-Group Great Wall Hike: Simatai West to Jinshanling
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 223 reviews
As the most popular hiking trip of Great Wall around Beijing, it will show you both untouched and restored sections of the Great Wall at Simatai West and Jinshanling within 3 hours. We will reach the Wall by Kylin Tower at Simatai West, and then walk westward to Jinshanling. We will get off the wall at Shalingkou at Jinshanling, or you can walk another 30 minutes if you feel energetic and then get off the wall at Zhuanduokou . The unrestored wall, the watch towers, the beacon towers snake on the mountain from east to west. You will have chance to meet local farmer friends, try local home-made food and learn local community development. It is the best place for keen photographers along the wall. Regarding fitness it is a medium-level hiking for all ages.
Inclusions: 1. air-con vehicle with experienced driver, 2. personal English-speaking hiking tour guide, 4. unlimited bottled water; snacks on the Wall; lunch in a local farmer’s restaurant, 5. a certificate of completion for hiking on the Great Wall of China
Exclusions: 1. travel insurance, 2. chairlift, 3. personal expenses
Reviewed By tamaletown
I had booked with this organisation after much research on what is possible for a multi day trek on the Great Wall. As I was travelling on my own, safety was important, and on that front, they certainly delivered. I had both a driver and a guide. The driver was truly excellent, and the car (a new model Volkswagen Passat) was sparkling clean and high quality. My guide Peter spoke excellent English and was extremely knowledgeable about the Wall’s history, etc. This was a huge advantage, compared to other independent hikers I saw who were simply zipping along without the context and amazing history. So for these reasons, I would definitely recommend this company. They are certainly not cheap, but it would be far more affordable if you don’t do it solo. Also, I wanted to get away from the teeming hoards of people that you see photos of near Beijing. Success! We were definitely on a more remote section of the wall, and there were sometimes hours between sightings of other trekkers. Which was great. Three things let it down, that made me give four stars and not five. Perhaps these are unavoidable. First, the accommodation is very basic. For the price you pay, I would have expected better. Having said that, we were staying quite off the tourist trail, so there probably weren’t a lot of options. They also own one place that we were at for two nights. You can read my review of that place under “Great Wall Inn” in Gubeikou. Second, I had thought this three day / two night trek would be tough, as it is certainly written up that way. It most decidedly is not. If you are an experienced hiker (as I am), and have a modicum of fitness, the reality is these are half day walks strung out to give the appearance of full day treks. I would rate the walking as moderate. Of course, that is for someone who is very experienced. I certainly saw a lot of people suffering in some areas, including my guide. So I know it is all relative. Which brings me to my third point. My guide simply did not have a level of fitness to match my own, so I was often waiting for him on the steeper sections, and also carried gear/ food for him, to assist him on two of the days. Although we joked about it, and he let me go ahead at times, the reality is this was a limiting factor for how far we could go. He was definitely setting the pace, not me. Again, this likely wouldn’t be a problem for most clients. My last little complaint was that I am a coffee fiend, and China is not the place to get a decent coffee. But even so, I would have been happy to have instant Nescafé, which would have tasted like manna from heaven compared to the instant crappy version we had. Again, my guide was not a coffee drinker, and when we were getting food at a grocery store for the trek, he insisted we didn’t need any Nescafé, as he had some coffee for me. Big mistake. So if you go, make sure you bring your own coffee option with you, if coffee is important to you. Ha ha. I hope that helps! I am glad I went with this company, and can I say that this itinerary is certainly worthwhile for getting a good Great Wall experience.
8. Private All-Inclusive Day Tour: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 351 reviews
This private day highlight tour will show you 3 most popular and must see attractions in Beijing, including Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall. Private transfer, entrance fee, round way cable car or toboggan tickets on the Great Wall and lunch are inclusive. Come and enjoy this wonderful day trip to get to know some interesting stories about this amazing city.
Inclusions: Local taxes, Bottled water, Lunch, Driver with private car, Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Round way cable car or toboggan
Exclusions: Gratuities, Souvenirs
Reviewed By Saschant
When life gets back to normal and you want to explore Beijing Jerry will take care of you. He was great, informative and caring. Anything we wanted he looked after us. Even helped with some extra “post” after too much shopping. I traveled with my mother as a catch up and just wanted an easy trip and this was awesome. Jerry is the best !!
9. Morning Mubus Tour to the Mutianyu Great Wall
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 892 reviews
The benefits of traveling with Mubus include: -A direct bus transportation service to the Mutianyu Great Wall. -You will be provided with more sightseeing time (5 hours). -Professional guide service on the bus to teach you how to travel the Great Wall. -No any shopping stops to waste your precious travel time. -Enjoy a special treatment of "free ride on internal shuttle to uphill and downhill”. -Enjoy a buffet lunch at “picturesque” viewing platform of Mubus Family. Morning Mubus Timetable: 07:20-07:30: Bus departs from meeting point. 07:30-09:30: Driving time to the Mutinayu Great Wall (1.5-2 hours). 09:30-14:30: Arrive at Mutianyu Great Wall and Sightseeing time on your own(5 hours). 14:30-15:00: Bus departs from Mutianyu Great Wall. 16:00-16:30: Arrive at meeting point and end the tour.
Inclusions: Return bus transportation;, English-Mandarin speaking guide on bus., Internal shuttle for uphill and downhill;, Great Wall admission ticket (Option), Buffet lunch at Mubus Family viewing platform (Option), Great Wall round trip cable car (Option)
Exclusions: Gratuities
Reviewed By chrisy245
A competent introduction for western tourists who are not familiar with the last two dynasties that are Ming and Qing, and are looking for whirlwind tour of the forbidden city.
10. All Inclusive Mutianyu Great Wall and Summer Palace Private Day Tour
Overall Ratings
4.9 based on 455 reviews
On this full-day Beijing Private tour, you will see two of the most popular attractions in China: the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. Mutianyu section of the Great Wall enjoys less tourists making it easier to access and enjoy. Visiting the Summer Palace, you will see one of the most beautiful gardens in China. Tour includes tasty local lunch, all entrance fee, an English-speaking guide and transport by private vehicle.
Inclusions: Bottled water, Lunch , Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off (for hotels within the 5th ring road), Transport by private vehicle, Cable car round trip or ski lift up and toboggan ticket
Exclusions: Dragon boat cruise in the Summer Palace, Gratuities, Additional entrance fee to the museums
Reviewed By latoyaj632
My daughter and I had the pleasure of having Qing as our tour guide. We had a great experience. Qing was very knowledgeable and added funny commentary to engage my 9 year old daughter, whom is not interested in History (yet)! We learned a lot about Chinese history and culture, with the added benefit of being allowed to take ample time to take a multitude of pictures. Qing has hosted this tour for many years, so she provided us with tips to take the most flattering shots in this historical venue. I would definitely recommend Qing when taking this tour. We will remember this experience forever.
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