Beijing Tours & Travel Guide
The capital: the Great Wall on the mountains to the north, the world's largest palace at its centre, and 3,000 years of history in between.
Why visit Beijing
Beijing is where most China trips begin, and rightly: two of the country's defining sights — the Great Wall and the Forbidden City — sit in and around one city. Add imperial temples, hutong neighbourhoods that still run on bicycle time, and the country's most famous dish, and no first trip feels complete without it.
Top sights
Great Wall — Mutianyu & Jinshanling
Mutianyu (about 1.5 hours away) balances scenery, restoration and crowd levels; Jinshanling is wilder, for walkers.
Forbidden City
600 years of emperors in 180 acres of halls and courtyards. Go with a guide and a plan — it's vast.
Temple of Heaven
Arrive early to share the park with tai chi groups, kite flyers and card players — Beijing's living room.
Hutongs & Peking duck
The old lane neighbourhoods around the Drum Tower, finished with lacquered, crackling duck carved at your table.
Sample itinerary — 4 days in Beijing
This is a sample itinerary, so you can see what each day actually looks like — the scenery, the meals and where you sleep. On a private trip the order and pace are adjusted to your dates; your confirmed day-by-day plan, with named hotels, comes with your quote.
- Day 1
Arrive in Beijing
Airport pickup and hotel check-in, then an easy first evening in the hutongs around the Drum Tower — courtyard lanes, small shops and a first proper dinner near your hotel. North of the city, the mountains — and the Wall — are waiting for Day 3.
- Day 2
Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven
Tiananmen Square, then the Forbidden City's main halls and side courts — 180 acres of golden roofs and red walls, read properly with a guide who explains what the halls were for. In the afternoon, the Temple of Heaven park, shared with tai chi groups, kite flyers and card players.
- Day 3
Great Wall at Mutianyu
The day the trip is built around: Mutianyu's watchtowers and ridge lines winding over the hills, cable car up and the option to toboggan down. This is the easier, greener section — scenery first, crowds second. Peking duck dinner back in the city.
- Day 4
Summer Palace & departure
A slow last morning at the Summer Palace — the long corridor, the Marble Boat and Kunming Lake — or a deeper hutong morning with a courtyard-home visit if you prefer lanes to lakes. Private transfer to the airport or station.
How many days?
Three days covers the Wall, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven without rushing. A fourth adds the Summer Palace or a deeper hutong day. Beijing appears in the Golden Triangle, Classic China and Grand Tour.
Getting there & around
Two international airports (Capital and Daxing) connect Beijing worldwide; high-speed trains run to Xi'an in about 4.5 hours. Inside the city, having a car and driver for sightseeing days handles the distances — Beijing is big, and the Wall is a day trip, not a detour.
Best time to visit
Late April–May and September–October: blue skies, mild air, golden Wall ridges in autumn. Winter is cold but crowd-free; see the best-time guide.
Beijing FAQ
Which Wall section should I choose?
Mutianyu for most people; Jinshanling if you hike and hate crowds; Badaling only if time is very short. Your guide adjusts on the day for weather.
Is the Forbidden City closed any day?
Yes — Mondays (except some holidays), and tickets are passport-linked and capped daily. We book them as part of the tour; tell us your dates early.