The 13 Best City Tours in Beijing, Side by Side

1.Beijing City Walk: Explore Hutongs Life and Old Beijing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 146 reviews · from $15Our pick

Spend about 2.5 hours exploring Beijing’s old neighborhoods with an English-speaking guide. Depending on your departure, you may walk Qianmen and Dashilan, Sanlihe Hutong, Nanluoguxiang, the Drum and Bell Towers, or Houhai. Guides such as Kevin, Yang, Eevee, and Summer Wang add local stories, food stops, calligraphy, and cultural details.

“Highly recommend the tour we did with Yang. Well balanced with knowledge and fun, from bits of history to trying your hand at calligraphy, having local snacks to trying Peking Opera outfits, hutongs, local shops and even shoe museum... you name it.. Totally recommend the guide and the tour.”

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2.Private Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour From Beijing City/Airport

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 146 reviews · from $206

Travel privately from Beijing or its airport to the quieter Mutianyu Great Wall. An English-speaking guide such as Jenny, Tony, or Sonia may lead the day, with transfers, entrance, lunch, and round-trip cable car included. Walk between watchtowers, then return by cable car or upgrade to the toboggan.

“Unfortunately it was raining, and this part of the wall was closed, however our guide Cindy rang around to find which section was open, and we went there, No chairlift, so more walking, and big crowds because of the other sites being cloRead more”

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3.2-Day Private Classic Beijing City Sightseeing Tour Package

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 102 reviews · from $368

Spend two full days seeing Beijing’s essential sights with a private guide and driver. Visit the Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, and Summer Palace. Coco and Susan have earned special praise for warm, thoughtful guiding. Lunches, tickets, and hotel transfers are included.

“We truly enjoyed our days with Coco - she was knowledgeable, fun to be around, perceptive and sympathetic to any needs we had and ultimately a wonderful guide. We felt like we saw and did all that we had hoped to in Beijing - at a pacRead more”

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4.Private Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour From Beijing City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $69

You travel from your Beijing hotel or airport in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a driver, then spend about four hours at Mutianyu. Plan your own walks and photos, and pay separately for admission, the shuttle bus, cable car, or toboggan. Benny may also help arrange other Beijing tickets.

“Must live tris experience wonderful people doing wonderful things and taking you to wonderful places”

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5.Beijing Airport Layover to City Flexible(4-12 Hour) Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · from $89

Meet your English-speaking guide at Beijing Capital Airport or your airport hotel and shape the day around your flight, interests, and available time. Guides such as Mark, Rita, Bowen, Jenny, and Demi arrange transport and advance ticket help for sights including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace. Public transport is standard, with private-car options available for larger groups.

“From communication to pick up to our 4 hour layover tour in Beijing, everything was just special and great. With Mark we had a very sympathetic tour guide who did everything possible to show us as much of Beijing as possible in this short time. Even though the forbidden city was closed on Mondays, it was still worth the visit. Mark imparted a lot of interesting facts and gladly answered our questions. We really liked visiting the old market with traditional pasta dinner and shopping afterwards. Thank you Mark! You have already made our journey unforgettable!Auto-translated”

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6.Beijing Historic City Guided Walking Tour + Calligraphy Creation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · from $5Best value

Spend 3.5 hours walking from Huguang Guild Hall through old hutongs, Liulichang, Yangmeizhu Byway, Dashilan, and Qianmen. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Kris and Hao, explains Beijing’s past and present, with time for street food, local shops, and calligraphy culture. The $5 fee reserves your place; a 160 to 200 RMB tip is suggested.

“It was a huge group and it wasn't what I expected, but I'm glad I went. I thought we'd do all the big stuff like Tiananmen Square, etc. and instead we went to a Hutong neighborhood but it was good, because I learned about that instead!”

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7.Hutongs & Drum Tower City Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 57 reviews · 3 - 4 hours · from $69

Walk Beijing’s old hutongs beside Qianhai and Houhai lakes, visit Yandai Byway, a Taoist temple, and the Drum Tower, then sample local food. Depending on your booking, you can add a rickshaw ride, bicycle route, or courtyard-home visit. Guides including Alice, Amber, Jenny, Lisa, and Tony offer English commentary and practical food help.

“We have traveled all over the world and been on many tours, but Linda was by far the best tour guide we ever had. We highly recommend her. Her English is great, local knowledge is great and she is an over all great person.”

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8.All Inclusive Private City Tour to Temple of Heaven, Tian’anmen Square Forbidden City and Summer Palace

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · from $198

This 8 to 9-hour private Beijing tour links four major sights with hotel pickup, a private vehicle, entrance fees, lunch, and a guide such as Felix, Lily, Coco, or Sherry. Expect a brisk but flexible day, strong historical context, and help with crowded sites. The Summer Palace boat costs extra, and Forbidden City entry is not guaranteed.

“Coco was our guide for this long day of sightseeing and she was great! She is very knowledgeable and had answers to all questions. We saw The Temple of Heaven first, then to Tian'anmen Sq which was closed due to Putin visiting, then to The Forbidden City, and lastly to The Summer Palace. All areas were somewhat crowded and the temps were high. Coco moved us through the crowds, made sure we rested when needed and was most patient. She took us to an amazing lunch at a local restaurant. I would highly recommend her and would definitely request her again.”

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9.Small-Group Beijing City Highlights Tour With Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 33 reviews · 9 hours · from $179

Spend nine hours touring Beijing’s imperial highlights with an English-speaking guide. Visit the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace, with Chinese lunch, a tea ceremony, and short stops at a medicine center and pearl or silk gallery. Book at least seven days ahead because Forbidden City tickets are limited.

“Our tour guide, Mr Lee, was knowledgeable and a very considerate guide. He showed us lots of details to the history and development of the different sites. The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer palace are very interesting, and the tour also stoped at a Chinese medicine center and a pearl factory--these were both very interesting demonstrations too, it was great to share Chinese culture and ancient traditions with other group members , Overall definitely worth the money!”

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10.Panda House w/Great Wall or City Sites Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 7 - 8 hours · from $144

Start early at Beijing Zoo’s Panda Garden, when pandas are most active at breakfast. Then choose Mutianyu Great Wall, Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City, or a custom city route. Your private guide, such as Sherry, Lucy, or Susan, handles transport, tickets, timing, and local context.

“Susan was so informative with a great knowledge of the history of the Great Wall as well as China in general. The pandas were so cute! Highly recommend this tour as a great way to see the Great Wall!”

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11.Lama Temple E-Ticket or Full-Day Guided City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 19 reviews · 2 hours - 1 day · from $12

Choose a self-guided Lama Temple visit with an English PDF guide, or spend a full day with an English-speaking guide at the Temple of Heaven, Lama Temple, old hutongs, and Summer Palace. The group tour includes entry tickets and round-trip bus transport, with a 17:30 drop-off at Bird’s Nest Stadium.

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12.4 hours Discover City by Sidecar

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 4 hours · from $129

Meet guide John at your Beijing hotel for a four-hour private sidecar ride through old Beijing. Visit the Drum and Bell Towers, hutong lanes, Miaoying Temple, Niujie Street, Yongding Gate, and the Ming City Wall Ruin Park. Expect local snacks, coffee or tea, photo stops, and a helmet radio for easy conversation on the road.

“What a fabulous way to explore Beijing! We loved everything about it! Driver/tour guide, John, was excellent from booking to end....and then some! Highly recommended!”

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13.Private Transfer to Great Wall & City Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 6 - 9 hours · from $67

Travel by private car from your Beijing hotel to Mutianyu, hike the restored Great Wall, then choose a city sight such as the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, Hutongs, or Panda House. Drivers including Naomi, Mr Guo, Peter, and David have helped visitors with tickets, timing, food, and practical tips.

“I had an excellent experience on my private tour to the Mutianyu Great Wall. Naomi, my driver, was wonderful. She not only drove me safely but also helped with the cable car tickets and even brought a small gift as a keepsake. She explained everything to me beforehand and was extremely kind and helpful throughout the day. Highly recommended!”

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