10 Historical Tours in Beijing, Compared

1.Beijing Historical Tour II including Summer Palace, Lama Temple & Panda Garden

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 187 reviews · from $93Our pick

Visit Beijing’s Lama Temple, the Summer Palace and a panda garden by air-conditioned coach, with an English-speaking guide, lunch and admission included. The route may also include a silk demonstration and shopping stops. Guides named by past participants include William, Mary, Alice and Cathy. Allow for a full day, as some tours have run longer than seven hours.

“It was nice and fun. Explored some highlights of Beijing with an informative tourguide. I really enjoyed it”

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2.Beijing Historical Tour I – Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square & Temple of Heaven

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 120 reviews · from $93

Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven on a roughly seven-hour Beijing coach tour with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup within the Fourth Ring Road, entrance tickets, and Chinese-style lunch. Guides named in past tours include Mary, Jenny, Christina, Mark, and Cherry, but assignments vary. Book early: if Forbidden City tickets are sold out, Jingshan Park may replace the visit.

“An excellent trip to see the amazing sights of Beijing, simply stunning, our tour guide Mary was excellent, very knowledgeable and good fun, overall highly recommended”

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3.Beijing Historic City Guided Walking Tour + Calligraphy Creation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · from $5Top rated

Spend about 3.5 hours walking from Huguang Guild Hall through hutong lanes, Liulichang’s calligraphy and antiques shops, Yangmeizhu Byway, Dashilan and Qianmen. An English-speaking local guide leads the shared tour, which ends near Tiananmen Square without entering it. The booking fee is $5; a suggested tip of 160 to 200 RMB is extra.

“An amazing walking tour experience with Kris! The tour is super well organized and structured, she explained very well in each stop, with a great blend of history, culture, anecdotes, hidden gems and even food and drink tasting. 100% recommended! Can't wait for their walking tours in Shanghai!”

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4.Beijing Culture: Tea Ceremony, Heritage Instrument & Calligraphy

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 57 reviews · from $78

At a private heritage venue in Beijing’s 813 Creative Park, you’ll spend about 2.5 hours learning tea ceremony, Chinese calligraphy, and the Guqin, an ancient Chinese instrument. A bilingual guide with a master’s degree in history and sociology explains the traditions, while cultural specialists lead the activities. The group is capped at eight, and traditional attire is available to borrow.

“Everything was done with care—from the welcome tea to the final group photo. The calligraphy teacher helped me write my Chinese name, and I even took the paper home. It’s now framed in my apartment!”

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5.2-Hour Beijing Private Forbidden City Tour: History & Highlights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $80

Explore the Forbidden City with a private English-speaking guide, with visits to the Hall of Great Harmony and the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Choose an economy walking option or private transfer, and ask about adding Tiananmen Square: security waits can make it impractical. Guides have included Mina, Lily, Christine, Jay, Lucy, Becky, Albert, and Susan Shan.

“Me and my partner had a wonderful trip to the Forbidden City with our fantastic tour guide Christine, who was able to answer any questions we asked. She was very knowledgable and had impeccable English. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn more about the Forbidden City.”

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6.Bell and Drum Towers Entry Ticket—Historic Landmark

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 23 reviews · 4 hours · from $13

This self-guided visit gives you entry to Beijing’s Bell and Drum Towers and an English PDF guidebook. Explore the old timekeeping complex, see its enormous bell and drums, and climb the Drum Tower for a chance to catch a five-minute performance. Allow up to four hours, though the show schedule can vary.

“Una torre de tambores frente a un campanario. No está mal si ya has hecho todo lo que podías hacer en Pekín y te apetece saber cómo daban la hora en la ciudad antigua. Sin más”

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7.Tiananmen Square Entry Reservation – Iconic Landmark

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · 2 hours · from $4Best value

This is an entry reservation service for Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, not a live-guided tour. After you send your passport name and number, you receive reservation details and visiting documents by email. An English text and visual guide helps you identify the square’s landmarks, including the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao.

“The lady who organiz my trip was very communicative and clear about instructions. She even included a map and the top sites to see which I was very grateful for she made sure to reach out before and after I made it clear how and how not to get in which entrances the quickest and how to get to them.”

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8.Forbidden City&Hutong Private Tour w/Historic Site Add-ons

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 14 reviews · 5 - 6 hours · from $88

Choose a five-to-six-hour private Beijing tour with an English-speaking guide, the Forbidden City, and a Houhai hutong walk. Add the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, or Mutianyu Great Wall, or choose private-car and rickshaw options. Guides including Aurora, Ranee, Sherry, Alice, Lucy Yue, and Jack have led tours.

“Our tour guide Lucy Yue is very professional guide with a lot of knowledge and knows how to use the short time well and efficiently. She is also very cheerful. Our driver mr Zhang Bo is a very skilled driver and very friendly. Lucy came with the suggestion to take our luggage and dropped us after the tour to our next hotel. We really appreciate here help. It saved us a lot of time.”

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9.Beijing Hutong Walking Tour History, Architecture and Local Life

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $49

Spend three hours walking from Xisi to Fuchengmen with a guide, visiting a Chinese-style church, temples, a Yuan-era brick pagoda and one of Beijing’s oldest hutongs. The group is capped at 10, and the tour includes water, a traditional Beijing drink and practical food and travel tips. Guides have included Lori and Dee.

“Lori was a great guide through the Hutongs explaining how they were laid out and significance of the doors. It was a fun sight seeing day and got me more familiar with the city.”

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10.Camping Adventures on the Historic Great Wall of China

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $250

From Beijing, drive about two hours to Dazhuangkexiang, hike roughly ten minutes to the Great Wall, and spend about three hours there before sunset. Stay overnight for a sunrise visit the next morning. Peter and Noodle are named guides. The $250, two-day trip requires strong fitness, and camping arrangements should be confirmed before you book.

“I've been on this tour twice now - Peter is a fantastic tour guide, as is Noodle (also great name). Both experiences were absolutely unforgettable. If you're looking for an authentic, off-the-beaten-path adventure, this is it.”

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