2-Day All-Inclusive Tour: Great Wall, Forbidden City & More

Beijing’s scale makes a guided tour useful: the Forbidden City and Great Wall are far apart, and a full day of sightseeing can leave little room to sort out tickets and transport. This two-day plan pairs the imperial center with a visit to Mutianyu, a well-preserved stretch of wall where you get about two and a half hours to walk and take in the views.

I like two practical choices here: a mini group of about 12, which gives your guide more room to help, and transport with admissions and the Great Wall lift options included. The rickshaw ride through Beijing’s hutong lanes also adds a street-level change of pace to the monumental sights.

One consideration is the pace. Day 1 packs Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall into a long outing, and Day 2 adds four more stops. You’ll also need to arrange your own meals on the second day.

The best reasons to book

• Mutianyu has time built in: Plan on about two and a half hours at the Great Wall, with a cable car or a chairlift up and toboggan down included.
• The group stays small: About 12 people makes it easier to hear your English-speaking guide and ask questions than on a large coach tour.
• Transport and admission are covered: The package includes site entrance fees, an air-conditioned van, a chauffeur and hotel pickup within Beijing’s Third Ring Road.
• The route mixes grand sights and local lanes: You’ll see imperial palaces and gardens, then ride through hutongs, the traditional alleys of old Beijing.
• Guide assignments vary: Helen, Hellen, Candy, Rocky, Rochy and Mary have led recent departures. Names and spellings can vary, so don’t book expecting one particular guide.

Day 1: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby in the morning, then you head by air-conditioned vehicle to Tiananmen Square. The square is a vast civic space, and a morning walk gives you a chance to see its landmark buildings, including the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.

Bring your passport and water, and keep your belongings simple. Security checks are part of the visit, and the tour specifically recommends carrying just those essentials to help you get through more quickly.

The next stop is the Forbidden City, a 600-year-old imperial palace complex and the largest of its kind. The route covers key palaces along the central axis and chambers on the two wings. With a complex this large, a guide helps put the buildings in context and keep the visit moving, but it also means you’ll follow a planned path rather than linger wherever you like.

That trade-off matters. One account of a Day 1 visit described the Forbidden City pace as rushed, with a challenge in listening, keeping up and finding time for photos at once. If you like to pause often, take pictures and absorb explanations slowly, be ready to choose your moments. Ask your guide to repeat or clarify a point if you miss it; the tour provides headsets for hearing explanations.

Tickets to the Forbidden City require a real-name reservation seven days in advance and can sell out. Booking early is sensible, especially if this palace is a priority. If tickets aren’t available through the reservation process, you may need to line up at the entrance to buy them.

Day 1: Mutianyu and the Great Wall

After the Forbidden City, settle in for a drive of about an hour and a half to Mutianyu. A Chinese buffet lunch with soft drinks is included before the wall visit. Halal food and baby food are not available, so plan ahead if either is important to you.

Mutianyu is described as one of the best-preserved and less-crowded sections of the Great Wall. You have about two and a half hours there, enough to walk, take photographs and enjoy the views without treating the wall as a quick roadside stop. The route and conditions on the day may affect exactly how the sightseeing is ordered.

The included descent and ascent options are a welcome part of the value. Choose a round-trip cable car, or take a chairlift up and a toboggan down. The toboggan has restrictions: children under 10 must ride with an adult, and people aged 60 or older, or with hypertension or heart disease, cannot use it. If that applies to you, the cable car is the straightforward choice.

There is a complimentary tea break after you come down. It offers a brief pause before the drive back to your hotel in central Beijing. The Great Wall is the physical high point of the day, but it can also be tiring: wear shoes suited to walking and leave room in your schedule for a full day out.

Day 2: Temple of Heaven and hutong lanes

The second morning begins with pickup from your hotel and a visit to the Temple of Heaven. Emperors came here to worship the God of Heaven and pray for good harvests. The setting shifts the focus from royal rule to ritual, making it a useful counterpoint to the Forbidden City.

Next comes a rickshaw ride through Beijing’s hutong area. These old alleys and traditional courtyards offer a closer look at the city’s everyday street pattern than the grand ceremonial sites do. The ride is a special feature of the tour, though it is a guided glimpse rather than a long, unstructured visit to the neighborhood.

The day continues at Lama Temple, described as Beijing’s largest and best-preserved lamasery. The tour then ends its main sightseeing at the Summer Palace, known for its royal gardens. This is a substantial day of stops, so take the opportunity to ask your guide how much time is planned at each one, especially if you have a particular interest in the gardens or temple.

No meal is included on Day 2. Keep that in mind when planning your morning and the rest of the day. The schedule or order of sights can change with traffic, and your guide and driver return you to your hotel at the end.

How the price adds up

The stated price is $95 per person. For that, the package includes a private English-speaking guide, an air-conditioned van with chauffeur, admission fees, hotel pickup and drop-off within the Third Ring Road, headsets, unlimited bottled water, and Day 1 buffet lunch with soft drinks. The Mutianyu cable car or chairlift and toboggan options are also included, a listed value of $20 per person.

That bundle can be good value if you want the major sights handled in two days. You avoid arranging separate transport between central Beijing and Mutianyu, and you don’t have to buy each site ticket yourself. The guide and driver also make the long first day simpler to manage.

The phrase all-inclusive has limits: Day 2 meals are not covered, and pickup beyond the Third Ring Road may require an extra-mile charge or a trip to a meeting point. The advertised $95 price is per person, so confirm the amount and inclusions for your chosen date and tour option when booking.

The group, guides and pace

A group of about 12 is small enough to feel more personal than a large coach outing, though you’ll still be moving as a group at busy sights. A private English-speaking guide leads the visit, while a chauffeur handles the driving. Additional mini vans may be used for hotel pickups to save time.

Guides named on recent departures include Helen, also spelled Hellen, Candy, Rocky, also written as Rochy, and Mary. The best descriptions of these guides emphasize friendly, attentive service and clear help with the day’s practical flow. One account of Mary’s guiding at the Forbidden City found the pace brisk and some explanations harder to follow, while a separate account of Rochy praised concise explanations and time for photos. Your guide and style may differ, so treat names as examples rather than a promise.

The headset is a useful detail at large sites, where a guide’s voice can otherwise be lost in the crowd. Still, there is a lot of ground to cover. If you need more time to take pictures or prefer a slower pace, let your guide know early and be realistic about how much the group can adjust.

Pickup, packing and access

Free pickup and drop-off are offered at hotels within Beijing’s Third Ring Road. A centrally located hotel makes the morning pickup easier; if you stay farther out, you may need to pay for extra distance or go to a meeting point. The exact pickup time is confirmed one day before the tour.

Bring your passport, which is needed for the security process and important for the Forbidden City’s real-name ticket reservation. Water is provided, but carrying your own bottle is still a sensible idea, especially on the wall.

This tour is not suitable for wheelchair users or people over 80. The toboggan also has its own age and health restrictions, so choose the cable car if you cannot use it. The operator may adjust the order of visits to account for traffic.

Who will get the most from this tour?

This is a strong fit if you have two days in Beijing and want the headline sights without arranging every ticket, transfer and ride yourself. The mix is especially useful for a first visit: imperial buildings, a major stretch of the Great Wall, a temple, a monastery, royal gardens and a hutong ride.

It also suits you if you value a guide’s context and the ease of hotel pickup more than setting your own pace at every stop. The small group and included transport help make a complicated itinerary manageable, and the Great Wall visit gets enough time to feel like a central part of the trip.

If you prefer long, unhurried visits, want to choose every stop, or need accessible transport, this may not be the right format. The schedule is full, the group follows a set route, and the tour excludes Day 2 meals. If your time is very limited, a one-day option is also offered, focused on the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

Should you book it?

Book this two-day tour if you want Beijing’s major historic sights in one organized package and are comfortable with a busy schedule. The strongest reasons are the included transport, admission and Great Wall lift options, plus the hutong rickshaw ride that adds a different view of the city.

Choose another approach if you want to linger, need wheelchair access, or would rather explore at your own speed. If you do book, reserve early for the Forbidden City, stay within the Third Ring Road if convenient, and keep Day 2 meal plans in mind.

FAQ

What is included in the $95 price?

The stated price is $95 per person. Included items are hotel pickup and drop-off within the Third Ring Road, an English-speaking guide, an air-conditioned van and chauffeur, site entrance fees, the Great Wall cable car or chairlift and toboggan, Day 1 buffet lunch with soft drinks, headsets and unlimited bottled water. Confirm the price and inclusions for your selected option when booking.

Is the Great Wall cable car or toboggan included?

Yes. You can choose a round-trip cable car, or take a chairlift up and toboggan down. The toboggan is not permitted for people aged 60 or older, people with hypertension or heart disease, or children under 10 riding without an adult.

What should I bring?

Bring your passport. For Tiananmen Square, the tour recommends carrying only your passport and drinking water to help pass through security more quickly.

Are meals included on both days?

No. A Chinese buffet lunch with soft drinks is included on Day 1. Meals on Day 2 are not included, and halal food and baby food are not available for the Day 1 lunch.

Where is hotel pickup available?

Free pickup and drop-off are available at hotels within Beijing’s Third Ring Road. For hotels outside that area, you can go to a meeting point or pay for extra miles. The pickup time is confirmed one day before the tour.

How large is the group?

The mini group is about 12 people. An English-speaking guide leads the tour, and a driver handles the vehicle.

Can the sightseeing order change?

Yes. The schedule or order of visits may be adjusted according to traffic on the day.