One-Day Beijing Essential Tour with Great Wall Hiking at Mutianyu
“Skip the lines at the amazing Forbidden City. Appreciate Tian’anmen Square with an insider’s angle. Enjoy 2 hours of Great Wall Hiking at Mutianyu. Smartly-timed arrangements with absolutely no shop detours. Put your mind at ease with our money back guarantee.”
Tour Highlights
- Look Chairman Mao in the eye at his giant portrait by Tiananmen Square.
- Skip the line at the Forbidden City as a VIP guest.
- Admire the world’s largest imperial palace complex.
- Hike the Great Wall at Mutianyu in the afternoon, after the crowds leave.
- Snap excellent landscapes that will be appreciated even by the most discerning photographers.
- Go beyond surface appearances with insider narration on attractions.
The Design of the Day Trip
- Guide: better than a normal licensed tour guide; friendly and helpful with fluent English
- Driver: reliable licensed local driver with at least 5 years’ driving experience
- Vehicle: daily sanitization, air-conditioned, with GPS facilities, big windows, and ample space
- Trippest Beijing Office: 24/7 customer service, providing backup support
Trip Video Preview
Detailed Itinerary
Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel lobby in the morning at an appointed time around 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM, with holding your name sign or Trippest Logo. The service is provided by Trippest which is a sub-brand of China Highlights.
Professional tour guide and our vehicle
Good to Know:
- The day before your tour date, we will send you details of the tour guide and pick up time by email and SMS message. All information will be updated only 24 hours ahead of your tour date. If you failed in getting the information, please try to contact your travel advisor.
- On the morning of tour date, your guide will be waiting for you in the lobby, holding a placard with Trippest sign and your name. Show our confirmation letter and you will be guided to our vehicle.
- If you plan to leave Beijing after your day tour, please check out from your hotel before departure. Normally it will take 10 to 20 minutes for hotel staff to complete the procedure. You may leave your luggage in our vehicle, and you will be transferred to the airport (additional cost) or train station straight after the tour to make best use of your time. You will need 1 hour to be transferred from the city center to airport, and you will need to be at the airport 1½ hours before a domestic flight, or 2½ hours before an international flight. Tell us about your departure time when booking, and remind your guide, and we will make arrangements accordingly.
The tour will be began from Tian'anmen Square where the famous Chairman Mao's portrait is hang on the wall of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. It is hardly to say that you have ever been to Beijing if you don't visit the square! Like the Times Square in New York, Red Square in Moscow and St. Peter's Square, Tiananmen Square is a must-visit place for traveler to Beijing and is the largest public square in the world. Your guide will provide you commentary to the history, architecture, and anecdotes of the square, you will have around 20 minutes there for taking photos.
NOTE: Tian'anmen Square could be enforced martial law due to government activities temporarily, which we can NOT be informed in advance. So the tour guide may adjust the itinerary according to the situation.
Tiananmen Square
Walk north, and after going through the middle gate of Tian'anmen rostrum, there will be a huge red gate awaiting you. Start to enjoy the highlight of the day - the Forbidden City, the world's largest imperial palace with 9,999½ forbidden imperial chambers, home to 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1420–1911). You'll be marvelled by the gorgeous Chinese ancient style architectures and interesting history and lives of those Chinese emperors.
The Forbidden City
Your tour guide will help you explore 10 carefully-selected places and Hall of Clocks and Watches in the Forbidden City, recommended by our local experts, while other group tours only visit 6 spots briefly.
Trippest professional tour guide
Good to Know:
- As the most popular attraction in Beijing, the Forbidden City receives many tourists everyday. Usually people have to stand in a queue to buy the tickets and it will take about at least half an hour! In order to save your time, your tour guide will buy the tickets on-line in advance so that you will NOT need to stand in a boring long queue.
- We will provide the FM headset while the group is more than 3 people.
Trippest customers at the Forbidden City
Clock with a western figure performing tricks in the Clock and Treasure Exhibition Hall
1½ - 2 hours car riding from downtown Beijing to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. There could be other participants join in the tour to visit the Great Wall. But the group would be no more than 10 people.
Drive to the Great Wall at Mutianyu
Lunch is not included. You can have a simple set menu lunch at a local restaurant. Most of travelers prefer a packed lunch and have a picnic on the Great Wall when the weather is good.
Enjoy a simple but delicious lunch
In the afternoon you'll hike the Great Wall at Mutianyu. The section is ranked top among all parts of the Great Wall on TripAdvisor for its picturesque scenery, fewer tourists, and beautifully-restored architecture.
Beautiful Great Wall at Mutianyu
Beautiful Great Wall at Mutianyu
In order to save your time, we suggest you to choose round-way cable car or round-way chairlift and toboggan ascend to and descend from the Great Wall, instead of spending about 40 minutes climbing steps.
Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
Single-rider toboggan descend at a safe speed
At the wall, it is free time to walk around after your guide does some introduction. Cable car ascends to and descends from tower 14. Hike “the most beautiful and interesting part of the Great Wall” - between the 14th and 23rd watch towers - acknowledged by hikers as "the golden route". And chairlift ascends to tower 6 and toboggan descends from tower 6 too. It would be a high challenge hiking from tower 6 to tower 23. According to your physical condition, most of our customers who take the chairlift up and down, hike from tower 6 to tower 14 and turn back. It normally takes about 2 hours to complete the route. Then descend and back to our vehicle.
Map of the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu (click to enlarge)
Good to Know:
- We avoid (the worst of the) crowds on the Great Wall and traffic jams by visiting in the afternoon. It's also the best time for taking good photos.
Going back to your hotel in Beijing will normally take about 2 hours. Likewise for Beijing train stations. Going to Beijing Capital Airport directly normally takes about 2 hours from Mutianyu.
We will transfer you to your hotel at the end of the tour. If you need to catch a flight or a train after the tour we are more than happy to help you arrange it. Please click here to book the airport transfer for your onward flight.
Thank you for choosing Trippest. We trust this trip will bring you joy and satisfaction. It would be a great encouragement to us, and we would greatly appreciate it, if you would rate us on TripAdvisor or share your experience of our service on your Facebook or blog.
You may follow us on our Facebook page to see the latest updates, photos and posts from your tour guide at: https://www.facebook.com/trippest/
Schedule and Pricing
| No. of Travelers | 1 Person | 2 Persons | 3-4 Persons | 5-6 Persons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | US$ 195 p/p | US$ 108 p/p | From US$ 80 p/p | From US$ 61 p/p |
Important Notes:
- Guaranteed daily departure except every Monday due to the maintenance of the Forbidden City.
- You'll be a part of a mini group with maximum 10 people.
- Not recommended for seniors (age 80+) or family travels with a baby. Private tour service is highly recommended for a better experience. Contact Us.
- Optional airport/train station drop-off.
Price Include:
- Admission to the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu.
- Transport between attractions, including pickup and return to your hotel.
- English-speaking expert local guide.
Price Exclude:
- Personal expenses.
- Round-way cable car at Mutianyu (RMB100/US$15 per person for single-way, RMB120/US$18 per person for round-way).
- Lunch fee (RMB60 per capita, depending on appetite).
- Tipping of guide & driver recommended on good service on a 2:1 ratio separately (usually RMB50-100 per person).
- Airport transfer (price from 18 USD p/p)
FAQs About This Tour
Hotel pickup and drop-off services are available within the 4th Ring Zone of Beijing, if it is outside of this area, we provide the following ways for you to meet the tour guide:
- Go to one of meeting hotels below. Transportation is at your own expense. Meeting time will be confirmed and emailed you one day earlier.
The Regent Beijing, address: No.99, Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. Closed to Exit C of Dengshikou Subway Station (Line No.5). Taxi from aiport: 27km far, cost approx. US$20 one way.
Gehua New Century Hotel Beijing, address: No.19, Gulou Outer Street, North 3th Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Closed to Exit E of Anyuanqiao Subway Station (Line No.8). Taxi from aiport: 27km far, cost approx. US$20 one way. - Book additional transfer service with us. We will pick up from and return to your hotel, round-way price: US$35. If your hotel is near the airport (PEK), round-way price: US$45. Please specify in the "Special Request" form at the time of your booking. We will arrange it accordingly.
- If you are not sure whether your hotel is within our pickup area, please kindly check with your hotel. Or add WeChat ID: trippest666 for more assistance.
- In order to save your valuable time, according to current traffic condition, the tour guide might arrange a private DiDi Taxi (Uber) for you to return your hotel after tour. Your Didi car can be monitored on DiDi APP, and the tour guide will also call your hotel to check if you arrive safe.
Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off Area Map of Beijing City
- If we are not able to implement the contract due to war, flood, typhoon, fire, strikes, storm, earthquake, or any other condition we are not able to foresee and avoid, we will inform customers at the first possible opportunity and offer the best possible solutions, and the final bill shall be settled based on the service we actually provide.
- Up to 7 days before departure: 100% refund of all money paid, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
- From 3 to 7 days before departure: 90% refund, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
- Within 3 days before departure: no refund.
- After the trip has commenced, we are unable to refund any amount for cancelled services due to non-participation, early departure, late arrival, or missed days on tours.
- For groups of more than 10 people: The terms for cancellation may vary from case to case. Please ask your travel advisor regarding the cancellation policy for your group.
Citizens of certain countries who meet the criteria are allowed 72-hour visa-free transit via and travel in nine China cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shenyang, and Dalian. Please make sure you have read the detailed Visa-free policies before you decide to take the Visa-free policy. And please keep in mind that China Highlights does not take any resposibility for the risk or loss of customer who use the Visa-free policy. more details
What Makes Us Different
We go deep into how best to tour Beijing. We research our customers’ favorite spots and photo sites, and work out the best routes to cover Beijing’s top sights:
- In the Forbidden City: We include 10 palace chambers (including fine exhibitions, the royal opera house, and the Emperor's living room) and Hall of Clocks and Watches, while you’ll only glance at six similar rooms touring with other groups.
- On the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall: We‘ve chosen the most beautiful and classic part of the Great Wall - between the 14th and 23rd watch towers - the Great Wall hiker’s “golden route”. (You would do a more tiring and less interesting hike for about 3 hours, if you choose to start from the “walking entrance”, as most of our competitors do.)
Trippest VS other tour groups
- We have GPS in our vehicles to avoid traffic jams.
- We go to the Great Wall in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.
- We buy Forbidden City tickets in advance, instead of standing in a long queue with other tour groups.
- We use the cableway to access the Great Wall at Mutianyu, instead of 800 boring steps.
- We don’t go to tourist shops, factories, etc. and waste your precious time.
Trippest VS other tour groups
Our tour guides are friendly, knowledgeable and well-trained. They are licensed by China National Tourism Administration. They only work for Trippest. We don’t use freelance tour guides.
Friendly, knowledgeable and well-trained guides
Unlike some other online travel agents who sell tour products made by local travel agents, we built our own branch company in Beijing in 2010, and since then we started to make our own unique products. We aim to deliver a high-value tour to every one of our customers. We have more than 50 local staff in Beijing to solve your problems on the spot.
- Emergency contact: +86-18807734970 (24/7 customer service)
- Beijing address: Room 204, Building 8, Beijingxiangsu, Wuliqiao Erjie, Chaoyang District
Trippest Beijing Office
Mobile: +86 18807734970
WeChat: trippest666
Email: niko@trippest.com
