Beijing Tours

Known as Jing for short, Beijing City is located at the northern end of the North China Plain and 150 kilometers east of the Bohai Sea. Covering an area of 16,800 square kilometers, the whole city is divided into 16 districts and two counties. As it has four distinct seasons, the best months to visit Beijing are May, September and October. The city has developed industry and agriculture, and a long history of skillful traditional craftworks. The Beijing Ape-men lived at Zhoukoudian area in Beijing as early as 700,000 years ago. The Yan Kingdom was established here in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. The capitals of the Liao Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, namely Nanjing and Zhongdu, were both located in this area. Later in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing had developed as the political and cultural center of the country.

Visit the Forbidden City to see the power of ancient emperors, hike the incredible Great Wall to get a living memory of being a hero, walk the traditional hutongs to experience authentic local life... all of your dreams can come true in our Beijing tours. Whether you will have a short break in Beijing, or plan to start your trip to China from Beijing, you can find some ideas from our recommended Beijing tours - all are flexible and personalized!

How to plan a Beijing tour and FAQ

General Introduction of Beijing

Beijing is a famous historical and cultural city. As early as seven hundred thousand years ago, primitive men, archeologically defined as "Peking Men", had lived in Zhoukoudian area. So far, Beijing City has been over two thousand years of history roll. In 1045 B.C., Beijing became the capitals of several vassal states. Since China was unified by Ying Zheng (the First Emperor of Chin Dynasty) in 221 B.C., Beijing has been an important town of North China and a local centre. Since the year of 938, Beijing was taken as the capitals of Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in succession. On October 1, 1949, Beijing was officially determined as the capital of the People's Republic of China.

Historically, five feudal dynasties had ever taken Beijing as their capitals early or late. A lot of palatial royal architectures were built here accordingly over the past eight hundred years since the Jin Dynasty, which making Beijing become a city with the biggest amount of imperial palaces, royal gardens, temples & altars and imperial mausoleums as well as a cultural metropolis in China. Therefore, Beijing has rich tourism resources such as Tiananmen Square-the largest city square in the world, the Great Wall-the greatest man-miracle in the world, Forbidden City - the best preserved largest imperial palace complex in the world, Beihai Park - the oldest extant royal park in the world, the Temple of Heaven - the largest complex of structures in the world dedicated to rituals that paid homage to the glory of heaven, the Ming Tombs (the cemetery of 13 ancient Ming emperors) - the best preserved tombs in the world with the most number of emperors buried, Yunju Temple - with the most volumes of stone-carved sutras stored in the world, Prince Gong's Mansion - the largest four-side enclosed courtyards (Chinese traditional rectangular courtyard) in the world, and so on. Beijing is crowned as one of six greatest ancient capitals in the country with the other five being Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing and Hangzhou. As the host city of 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing became the most appealing destination for tourists at home and abroad.
 

Make your trip according to the duration

Beijing has many beautiful sites to see. Depending on the duration we offer tours of different duration (from 2 to 5 days).

1-3 days For a stopover / a business trip

The Great Wall of China + The essentials of Beijing

4-5 Days Ideal for a classic tour

3 day tour + Local cultural experience (rickshaw ride in Hutongs, Chinese calligraphy, tai chi, etc.)

6-7 Days Ideal for a profound tour or extension of Beijing

5 days tour + visit cities near Beijing (Chengde, Xi'an, Datong, Pingyao, Luoyang etc.)
 

Which is the best time to Visit Beijing?

The climate in Beijing allows you to travel all year round. The best times to visit Beijing are spring and autumn. It is neither hot nor cold during these two seasons. In autumn you can find various colors of trees in the Great Wall. If you want to hike on the Great Wall, it is better to organize your trip during not too hot season.
 

What section of the Great Wall should I choose?

Mutianyu is recommended for visitors in a hurry because it is the most accessible section (easy climb), the closest to Beijing and the most affordable. It is ideal for families with children and there are different ways to climb the wall (cable car, walk, etc.).

Simatai is recommended for visitors who want to have a different and unique experience, and who want to contemplate the night view of the Wall.

The sections of Jinshanling and Gubeikou are recommended for visitors who want a climb of average difficulty on a more rugged and wild section. These sections offer more picturesque landscapes, with fewer tourists.

The sections of Jiankou in Mutianyu are recommended for people looking for adventure and hiking more difficult. This section crosses varied terrains, sometimes muddy, sometimes rocky.