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Home Beijing Tours 1 Day Beijing Layover Tour with Forbidden City & Great Wall
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If you're short on time with just one day to spend in Beijing, we highly recommend combining a visit to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China into one trip.

The Beijing Forbidden City served as the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties and boasts a rich history spanning over 600 years. With 12 palaces and 9,999 rooms, it holds the distinction of being the largest palace in the world. Walking through the palace complex is like taking a step back in time to the height of China's imperial era. You'll be awestruck by the traditional architecture with its distinctive red and gold color scheme, elaborate roof decorations, and intricate carvings. At each palace, you'll hear different legendary stories about the emperors and their imperial concubines, making your visit feel like a journey through a lively history book.

Make the most of your limited time and visit another engineering marvel: the Great Wall of China. The Mutianyu Great Wall is the least crowded and most beautiful section of the wall. Enjoy a light hike on the most scenic section from watchtower 14 to 20, where you'll gain a deeper appreciation for why the Great Wall was built. Along the way, you'll be able to take in panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and marvel at the incredible engineering feat that allowed the wall to be built across such a vast distance.

You Can Experience “Must-see & Must-do” with This Tour
Highlight 1: Explore in the the largest imperial capital city still existing in China - Forbidden City which was the imperial palace of China for about 600 years and was home to 24 emperors in history - 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty.
1 Day Beijing Tour
Highlight 2: Take a walk through the impressive Forbidden City's central axis and marvel at the palace complex, which boasts 9,999 rooms. Listen to the legendary stories about the emperors and their imperial concubines in different dynasties.
1 Day Beijing Tour
Highlight 3: Travel outside of downtown Beijing to Mutianyu Great Wall, which was first built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577) and reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is reputed as the less crowded and fully restored section of the Great Wall.
1 Day Beijing Tour
Highlight 4: Enjoy a cable car ride up to the magnificent Mutianyu Great Wall, then hike on one of its most scenic sections and appreciate the unique architecture, including the "Arrow Holes". Take in the spectacular landscape that resembles a traditional Chinese painting scroll.
1 Day Beijing Tour
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Itinerary at a Glance

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Beijing (1 Day)

Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall

Itinerary Day by Day

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Day 1 Beijing Classic Tour | Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall

Nihao! Welcome to Beijing, the capital city of China! Toady, your tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel in downtown Beijing. Then, you will spend the whole day exploring the ancient citadel Beijing through China’s famous landmarks, epic imperial grandeur and great wall.

You will head to Tian’anmen Square first, which is the world’s largest public square and also the symbol of China. It has witnessed many big events in China over the past decades and from here you can take good pictures of Tiananmen Gate showing on CCTV News every day. Walk across the square and you will visit the might and splendor of the awe-inspiring Forbidden City (World Heritage), the world’s largest palace complex and one-time home to 24 emperors of China. With about 500 years’ history, Forbidden City served as the political and ritual center of China during the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. With 9999 rooms, the Forbidden City is not only China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings, but also a city within the city, like the Vatican in Rome. Enter through Meridian Gate and visit along the central axis to ensure you won’t miss any highlighted palaces. You can admire its brilliant architecture and numerous ancient art treasures while listening to your guide and learning more about the emperors’ stories hidden inside the Imperial Palace.

Later, you will head to the Mutianyu Great Wall (World Heritage), about 1.5-2 hours’ drive, 73km. The Great Wall boasts a history over 2,000 years and stretches more than 3,000 miles across several provinces of northern China, making it one of the most impressive ancient masterpieces on the planet. The Great Wall at Mutianyu is connected with the Jiankou Great Wall in the west and the Gubeikou Great Wall in the east. Mutianyu is the longest and best fully-restored Great Wall with fewer tourists and is also famed for its 23 Ming-era watchtowers and stunning views. Take the cable car up to the 14th watchtower and then enjoy the memorable hiking time on the wall while visiting its western route. With the green pines and cypresses covering the surrounding area, and the winding wall standing majestically on the vast land, you will capture the most stunning natural scenery in this section. Challenge yourselves while climbing up to the 20th watchtower where you could fulfill your Great Wall dream. Cherish the chance and take photos as many as you like!

After that, it is time to end your 1 day Beijing tour. Your guide will escorts you to your hotel or airport/train station. Thank you for choosing Asia Odyssey Travel for your China tour, and we are always here working for you and hope to see you again for your next trip to China/Asia!

DiningDining:
Lunch
AccommodationAccommodation:
Downtown Beijing

Price: What’s Included & What’s Excluded

Price: Request
The above price is based on a private tour for 2 people. Price varies depending on travel date, group size, hotel class, program in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.

What’s Included?

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Experienced drivers & air-conditioned vehicles
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Professional licensed English-speaking local guide
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Hotel accommodation with breakfasts
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Domestic flights (economy class) or high-speed trains (second class) listed in the itinerary
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Admission tickets, activities, meals listed in the itinerary
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Accident insurance
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Our service from tour planning, handling, operational and finishing your trip

What’s Excluded?

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International airfares
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Entry visa fees
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Personal expenses
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Single room supplement
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Recommended optional activities
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Arrival/departure flights or train on the first and last day
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Tips or gratuities for guides and drivers

Important Trip Notes for Booking a Private China Tour

How do I book a private China tour?
It is very simple to book a private China tour. Select the tour you are interested, and click “Make an Enquiry for Free”. Tell us your demands and likes while submitting the form. During this process, you don’t need to pay immediately. After sending us your requirements, one of our professional travel experts will get back to you within 0.5 to 24 hours. When all the information have confirmed, then you make the deposit. Please feel free to contact the travel expert directly if you have any questions prior to booking.
Extend Your China Tour
The above itinerary is the sample one that most travelers would go like that. The tour can be customized based on your likes, interests and budget. At the same time, if you want to extend this tour, just tell us your favored destinations and things to do. Our professional travel experts will redesign the trip totally for you and your group at the best price. Tell us your ideas now >>
Transportation
In a private tour, it means you will transfer to the tourist attractions in one city by private vehicle. The private car we selected is spacious, comfortable and air-conditioned. And the driver we use are very experienced. As for traveling between two destinations, we use domestic flights (economy seat) or high speed trains (second class seat, usually less than 6 hours). The local guides and drivers will pick you up at the airport/train stations, and escort you to the hotel.
Meals
“B” stands for breakfast. You will have it at your hotel in the morning.
“L” stands for lunch. The restaurants we will arrange for you are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. All are in good sanitary conditions. Your guide will assist you with ordering the dishes.
“D” means dinner. All dinners are excluded in the itinerary. You have the chance to taste some authentic Chinese food and local snacks.
If you have special dietary requirements (vegetarian, halal, kosher, Indian, or gluten-free), please let us know before your booking. We will try our best to take care of you.

Accommodation & Hotel Condition for Your China Tour

Recommended 4 Star Hotel in China
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Recommended 4 Star Hotel in China
Recommended 4 Star Hotel in China
Recommended 4 Star Hotel in China
Have a good sleep everyday is very important during your China tour. In a private tour, you can decide on your own which hotel class you want - luxury 5 star, comfortable 4-star or economic 3-star.
All the hotels in each destination we selected are at good location, close to commercial street or tourist attractions. And, all the hotels we use have a business relationship for many years and they have windows, air-conditioners, hot water, showers, wifi... (except for basic accommodation condition when travel to Mount Everest) to ensure you luxury and comfortable sleep experience. The staff can speak English and they will provide you the high quality service. If you have any requirements, you can ask them to help.

Photo Gallery for This Itinerary

  • Beijing Forbidden City
  • Beijing Forbidden City
  • Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall
  • Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall
  • Beijing Forbidden City
  • Beijing Forbidden City

Latest Beijing Tours Reviews from Our Customers

Discover what our customers are saying about the latest Beijing Tours. Browse through their recent reviews and feedback on tour arrangements, guides, transportation, attractions, dining, hotels, and detailed itineraries to plan your own unforgettable China tour. View All Customers Reviews >>
Esta
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An excellent 4-day bespoke guided tour in Beijing in English.
I had searched for a long time for a private sightseeing tour for 5 of us from England to tour around Beijing in 4 days. Shirley from Asia Odyssey Travel had very responsive on whatsapp helping me with my questions from designing the agenda to pre trip visa questions & Wechat payment set-up. All the agenda and pricing was very clear and Shirley was also able to provide us with the letter of invitations. Annie our Beijing Tour Guide and our driver took care of us from the minute we landed at Beijing Airport to seeing us off. Annie had good suggestions where to go and our driver was always on time and the car was very clean. Annie is an experienced tour guide and speaks good English. She even provided us with Wifi while we were touring around with her. would definitely recommend them.
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Esta
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I had searched for a long time for a private sightseeing tour for 5 of us from England to tour around Beijing in 4 days. Shirley from Asia Odyssey Tra...
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Destination(s): Beijing

Date of Experience: Jun 01, 2024

Tour Customized by: Shirley

You May be Interested in This Tour: Customized Tour

christine l
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Excellent travel company!
I did the Beijing-Xi'an-Guillin-Yangtze river-Shanghai group tour. The tour was well organised and the guides knew so much about each site.Vincent also helped me extend my trip to visit Suzhou and Hangzhou. At every destination I was met by knowledgeable helpful guides who went above and beyond their duty. I would recommend this service to anyone wishing to visit China! I enjoyed my month stay in China thanks to Asian odyssey!
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christine l
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I did the Beijing-Xi'an-Guillin-Yangtze river-Shanghai group tour. The tour was well organised and the guides knew so much about each site.Vincent als...
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Destination(s): Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin/Yangshuo, YangtzeRiver

Date of Experience: Apr 26, 2024

Tour Customized by: Vincent

You May be Interested in This Tour: Customized Tour

Nomad25527374540
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Brilliant Beijing
Vicky was quick and efficient in communication. The tour was not cheap but it took any hassle or feeling of stress away as our guide Lily took us around Beijing. Doing the 2 nights trip was amazing; Vicky had booked my daughter and myself an extra busy itinerary which was as we had asked :)
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Nomad25527374540
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Vicky was quick and efficient in communication. The tour was not cheap but it took any hassle or feeling of stress away as our guide Lily took us arou...
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Destination(s): Beijing

Date of Experience: May 28, 2024

Tour Customized by: Vicky

You May be Interested in This Tour: Customized Tour

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  • Beijing
Tour Information
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Flexible Dates
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Trusted Route
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Guaranteed Experience
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Trip Style: Private Tour (flexible travel dates & numbers of travelers)
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Tour Code: AOT-TBJ-003
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Travel Route: Beijing
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Features: Architecture, World Heritage, Nature

Price: Request

(Based on a private tour for two people. Price varies depending on program, travel date, number of people.)

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