Beijing Private Tours & Day-by-Day Itineraries

Beijing is where almost every China itinerary starts, and it is also where most of them are rushed. The Forbidden City alone takes half a day at a pace that lets you actually look at things, the Great Wall is a two-hour drive out of the city, and the hutongs are best in the late afternoon when the light drops. Three nights is the minimum that does it justice; four is better.

What we do in Beijing

The classic three-day shape: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City on day one, arriving early enough to be inside before the tour groups; the Great Wall at Mutianyu on day two, paired with the Summer Palace; the Temple of Heaven and the hutongs on day three. Everything is private — your own guide, your own vehicle, your own timing.

Beijing experiences you can add

• Kungfu at the Temple of Heaven — a dawn lesson among the cypresses, in the park where the practice began.
• Acrobatics and martial arts on stage — kungfu reworked into contortion, balance and flight, in a real theatre.
• The hutongs by pedicab — lanes, courtyard doorways and an old resident’s account of the city.
• Teahouse life — covered-bowl tea, bamboo chairs and a storyteller mid-tale.

These are optional additions rather than a fixed programme, and they are priced as their own line. Tell us which ones appeal and we will tell you honestly whether they fit the day.

Trip facts

Beijing in pictures

Which of our routes include Beijing

Common questions