2-Day Beijing: Great Wall, Forbidden City | No Shopping + Tai Chi

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel lobby within Beijing's 3rd ring road at 7:30 AM. Please be ready 10 minutes in advance.

   30 min

2. Start your day with a 1-hour private Tai Chi lesson inside Temple of Heaven Park with an English-speaking master. Learn basic movements and the philosophy of Yin-Yang. Then explore the Temple of Heaven, including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Wall, and Circular Mound Altar.

   2 hAdmission included

3. Enjoy Beijing's most Instagrammable dish: charcoal-shaped black sticky rice cake set ablaze with liquor. Watch the blue flames surround your plate — a guaranteed photo moment. Vegetarian option available upon request.

   1.5 h

4. Relax in your private air-conditioned vehicle as you drive through the countryside to Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved and least-crowded sections.

   1.5 h

5. Explore the majestic Mutianyu Great Wall for 2.5 hours. Round-way cable car is included to save your energy. For the descent, you can choose the exciting toboggan slide (children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult; not recommended for travelers with heart conditions). Free tea tasting after descending.

   3 hAdmission included

6. Your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Beijing.

   1.5 h

7. End of Day 1 - Return to Hotel Arrive at your hotel. Rest well for Day 2.

   15 min

8. Beijing Hotel Pickup for Day 2 Your guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby at 8:00 AM.

   30 min

9. Dive into the world's largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex. Walk along the central axis: Meridian Gate → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserving Harmony → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Imperial Garden. Your guide will share fascinating stories of 24 emperors who lived here for over 600 years. Note: Forbidden City is closed on Mondays; if your tour falls on a Monday, we will visit the Summer Palace instead. Tickets require real-name booking 7 days in advance — please provide passport information at booking.

   3 hAdmission included

10. Lunch Break Free time for lunch. Your guide can recommend local restaurants or you may choose the optional lunch package (Peking duck or local noodles, +$15/person, please request when booking).

    1 h

11. Stroll through the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Visit Kunming Lake, the Long Corridor (728 meters with over 14,000 paintings), and see the Tower of Buddhist Incense from outside. Your guide will explain the history of Empress Dowager Cixi and the restoration of this UNESCO site.

    2 hAdmission included

12. Hutong Cultural Immersion: Rickshaw + Local Family Tea + Handicraft Experience Old Beijing like a local: 1) Ride a rickshaw through ancient alleys (30 min). 2) Visit a local family in their courtyard home for tea and conversation (30 min). 3) Paint a traditional kite or "Tu'er Ye" (Jade Rabbit God) at an artisan workshop (30 min). A unique hands-on cultural experience you won't find in other tours.

    2 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 3 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Beijing

• Its from-price is 208% above the median of the 521 city tours we list in Beijing.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 163 of 521.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Beijing

Beijing, China's capital for centuries, holds imperial palaces, sacred temples and stretches of the Great Wall within reach of its modern boulevards.

At the city's heart, the Forbidden City spreads behind vermilion walls, a labyrinth of halls and courtyards that housed the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tiananmen Square lies to its south, and the hill of Jingshan Park to its north gives the finest view over its golden roofs. The Temple of Heaven, set in a park where locals practise tai chi and dance, is a masterpiece of imperial design.

Top-ranked sights in Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang).

See all 3624 experiences in Beijing