Mini Group: Beijing Forbidden City Tour With Great Wall Hiking At Mutianyu

We did the Mini Group Tour: Beijing Forbidden City Tour with Great Wall Hiking at Mutianyu with Dan as guide. It was a wunderful day with a very well organized tour, which we enjoyed very much! The trip through the forbidden city was a little bit less detailed than I expected but still very nice. You basically just follow the very touristic route straight through the core of the city and the guide will tell some instersting stories or facts about the buildings and artworks. The stay at the Great Wall was amazing, we really took a lot of time for a hike along the wall and Dan answered all questions in detail. But keep in mind that you have to pay an extra 15-20 US$ for the caple car. They offer you to walk to the wall but I am not sure if that is really an option because than you would not have a lot of time at the wall itself. The only thing which was really bad was the lunch. Dan told us there wouldn't be any good chinese restaurants in Mutianyu so we would have to eat at Burger King. After we ordered at Burer King the WORST meal of our whole trip in Asia, Dan left and came back with some amazing chinese food for herself from a little place just around the corner. We were sitting there asking ourself why she didn't tell us about this place beforehand but nobody explained to us why. For future tours: PLEASE give people the choice where to eat lunch! Besides that we had a great day! Thank you again for everything Dan!

Very cool tour, I went in the winter of 2022, so the Great Wall was completely deserted. Covid restrictions were still in place at this time. I was the only one to book, so it ended up being a full-day, private tour 😊

Very nice tour with a very nice tourguide. Great wall in the early morning was impressive. I recommend.

Overall a good day tour. Our guide William picked us up with his driver at our hotel, and we went directly to Tiananmen Square. We had a private driver and we were the only ones on the tour, so we never needed to wait for parking or for anybody else. This was very convenient and worth the expense, as car travel is very time consuming in Beijing. After Tiananmen Square, we walked directly to the Forbidden City. Then our driver picked us up and we had lunch on the way to the Great Wall (fee not included). It took 2 hours to get back from the wall to the hotel. All the experience was smooth save for the usual Beijing traffic. William is a full time tour guide, so he was very knowledgeable about the history of China and relevant events which happened at the tour destinations. He even drew out a detailed map for us by hand to show the location of the Great Wall and the reason why it was built at that latitude. William also said he specializes in foreign tours, which makes sense because his English was good. For any tour in general, especially in countries where English is not the first language, I recommend you pick a tour agency which employs full time rather than part time tour guides, as I have found the quality of the tours to be much better. Note that the Forbidden City and Great Wall are not wheelchair friendly. Expect a decent amount of uphill walking on the Great Wall if you wish to visit tower 20 (recommended). Overall a positive experience worth the time and money. However I will likely not tour these locations again in the near future, because I think once is enough for these types of historical tours.

We had an amazing day with enough time at the Great Wall to go from one end to the other end and back. Probably not everyone will come so far, but you can try. The weather was brilliant, we had a perfect view and the wall is really a life goal everyone should have seen this. Our guide Tom was very kind and he spoke english very well. What also was very important to me: We didn't have to buy anything. If you have the time just do it. This tour is worth every penny!

Tom was my tour guide and he took us to see the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall, it was an amazing day! He had lots of knowledge about the places we visited which made it even better. Thanks for a great day!

We had a great tour with Tom to the forbidden city & Great Wall at Mutianyu. Tom was really knowledgable and a great tour guide, he knew lots about the history and went out of his way to help us learn. Lunch was delicious, especially the di San Xian which is now my new favourite! Thankyou Tom for a wonderful day! Sarah & Chris from London.

Our tour guide, Cactus, really showed us a great time. We had limited time in Beijing and managed to check off everything we wanted to see in one day. We felt we had plenty of time at each site and Cactus gave us great historical context for everywhere, as well as great places to take photos on the wall. Also loved the restaurant she took us to between the Forbidden City and the wall. Highly recommend both the tour and guide!

Tom was an excellent tour guide. The entire day was smooth from pickup to drop off. He was knowledgeable about the Forbidden City and the history of the Great Wall. I used this day as a side trip when I was in China for work. It was the best part of the entire trip. It was me and four other people so the group was not big and there were other solo travelers. Tom also contacted me the next morning to give me a heads up that because it snowed the night before I would want to head out earlier than I had planned for the train station!

Tom was a great guide and really knew his history! Having this all inclusive tour was great to really experience all the sights and rock out at the great wall.

This tour was excellent! I wanted a tour that covered the Great Wall and Forbidden City and took care of all of the transportation and other details. This was it! Hotel pickup and dropoff, lunch arranged, tickets to all activities, and no trying to figure anything out. The guide, Tom, was very knowledgeable and answered all of our group's many questions. He also asked questions about food issues at lunch and carefully ordered for all of us, and lunch was amazing! The time at the Forbidden City and the Great Wall was perfect, allowing us to explore and take pictures, but not too long. I really can't recommend this tour enough!

If you’re considering another company or excursion, don’t bother. This was by far the simplest, most convenient and educational day trip I’ve even been on. Not to mention, it was lots of fun!! I only had 24 hours to spend in Beijing and booking this tour was the smartest thing I could have ever done. From pick-up at my hotel, to drop-off at the train station, everything went smoothly. Cactus, my tour guide, had impeccable English, wealth of knowledge of Chinese history, world events and local culture. Both her and the driver knew the best spots to take pictures, avoid crowds, & routes to beat traffic from point A to point B. Not to mention, we stopped at the cutest traditional restaurant for lunch. (The food was BEYOND amazing.) Cactus also went ABOVE and beyond to ensure I made it back to Shanghai without any hiccups. If you think you can visit these locations alone, without a native - think again!

We loved this tour! It was a small group and we all had a wonderful day together. So great to see so many sights all in one day, especially if you have limited time in Beijing. Our driver was really amazing and the tour guide was fluent in English. The lunch was delicious too. 10/10. Definitely book this!

We are a family of four (3 years old and 8 month old). You could say it is crazy to go to the Great Wall and Forbidden City with small kids during winter but we managed to do everything with Cactus, our tour guide, great support. Not only she is very knowledgeable but also very understanding and able to adapt itinerary according to the needs of the family. She looked after our daughter whenever she was walking unaware of the slippery pathways. She would hold her hand if necessary and took lovely pictures of our family. Couldn’t be more grateful for having her as our tour guide.

For first timers in Beijing, I highly recommend joining a group tour or any tour because of the city's rich history, language barrier, and ease. We were picked up from our hotel bright and early, and after picking up all the parties, we went to Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. We were handed a headset but the weather was so cold that the headset ran out of battery. Sophia did great explaining to the group that none of us needed it in the end. I particularly like how Sophia explained the different gates and history and meaning behind each landmark. This made the trip so much more meaningful and interesting. After that, we hop into the van and went straight to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall of China. Before going up, we had a lunch at a restaurant of their choosing and it was ok. We were given 2 options to go up the wall, the toboggan way or the gondola way. For the folks seeking for a little adventure, do choose the toboggan way. We were dropped off safely to our hotel. Overall, this is a great tour and I particularly appreciated the details and how the entire tour was composed.

Had a great day with Jerry and Mr Wang the Driver on a 1-Day Beijing Mini-Tour. Had plenty of time to see Tianaman Square, Forbidden City with Garden and Clock Museum, then the Great Wallat Mutianyu. I took the chairlift up and the tobaggon down- don't miss it! Worry free and enjoyable, Jerry took care of all tickets, lunch, and arrangements including hotel pick-up. He is an excellent photographer as well so I have great shots of my day. I extended a business trip in Shanghai by taking the bullet train to Beijing for 2 days and this was a terrific start to the 2-day adventure.

I really suggest this tour. At first I thought it would be a bit tight to do both places together but instead it was an amazing day, well planned and guided. Our guide Nancy has been very helpful throughout the day explaining everything important in a very good English . Lunch was at a proper restaurant where we had some traditional dishes. Thanks a lot

We had a great time exploring the Great Wall and Forbidden City with Cactus. She was very knowledgeable and professional during the entire tour. She answered all of our questions and gave us some great recommendations for the rest of our time in Beijing. She went above and beyond the normal call of duty, highly recommend!

The tour started ontime. I was picked from hotel ontime by Sunny. She gave us a brief introduction on itinerary for Rest of the day as soon as we boarded the shuttle. She gave detailed information on the history of the places and also gave us plenty of time to explore the places by ourself. Lunch was great too. Sunny was really patient enough to answer all our questions. I would recommend this tour to my friends and family.

Best tour experience ever with Jerry! My first time visit to Beijing will be remembered as one of the best experience I ever had. I had four day stay in Beijing and I chose the two day tour of the forbiten city with a climb of the great wall.I made the best choice ever! As for my tour guide Jerry and the driver Mr. Wong that came to pick me up at the hotel, I would like to give them 10 plus starts if there is any. My tour guide, Jerry, was the best tour specialist I have ever encountered. He was kind, courteous and highly informative and professional. He went out of his way to make sure we had a great time and made sure we took lots of pictures. His English was near perfect and made sure I was fully enjoying myself. I would love to visit Beijing again to see more charms of this city! Thank you, Jerry, for helping me to create such a wonderful experience. Kudos and thank you jerry😎

Good way to discover Forbidden city and the great wall in one day. All the organisation is perfect (except the traffic to come back to Beijing) and the guide was really nice and efficient.

My first time visit to Beijing will be remembered as one of the best experience I ever had. I had one day stay in Beijing as a layover and I chose this full day tour based on excellent reviews and the forum's active Q&A activities under this tour during my research. I made the best choice ever! Company rep Nikko was always prompt in communication and kindly provided flexible and alternative arrangement to meet my needs for a ride back to airport. As for my tour guide and the driver that came to pick me up at the hotel, I would like to give them 10 plus starts if there is any. My tour guide, Jin, was the best tour specialist I have ever encountered. He was kind, courteous and highly informative and professional. His English was near perfect and made sure I was fully enjoying my one day tour throughout the day. I would love to visit Beijing again to seek more charms of this city! Thank you, Jin, for helping me to create such a wonderful experience!

I had one day in Beijing to visit different sites and decided to look at tours. I found this trip on TripAdvisor - I liked the small group size, focus on tour sites and the amazing reviews. Booking was very easy and I got a confirmation immediately. The night before, Sunny (the tour guide) called the hotel and confirmed pick up location with me and gave me some info on what to bring on the trip (i.e. dress warm/etc). Sunny texted when she was on the way and arrived on time and was very easy to locate at the hotel. There were a total of 4 of us in the group. Sunny gave an overview of the trip, was more than happy to take pictures, gave an overview of the history (on the way there, walking through, afterwards) and was able to answer all the questions. I was very happy with the trip (I learned a lot and had a lot fun). Would def recommend Sunny to anyone looking for a tour!

My tour was just perfect is worth it every dollar, the guide is so knowlageble, very patient, I liked this tour it was lots of fun and a lot of information... Thank you very much

We went on a full day tour to the forbidden city, lunch, and then the Great Wall! We were picked up in a van at our hotel on time, saw the forbidden city, taken to lunch at a good spot, then saw the wall. Everything went just as planned. Cactus was very informative and got me a vegetarian meal too! She was great!

This is more a chaperoned visit that a full tour, it is expensive versus a coach tour option from the hotel (large coach group with multiple pick up drop off). This tour is. 7.30 to 5.30pm, five guests. Pros Hotel pick up, basic minibus All inclusive, guide arranges tickets etc and brings you around Great lunch Nancy who came with us was very friendly and helpful, happy to answer any question, great English Enough time for a quick visit - 2 hours at Forbidden city and 3 at wall Not hassled with shop visits and hard sell So if you want a quick photoop tour this is good Cons Very little depth of commentary, we were 4 hours on the bus but only got 15mins commentary, so the guiding is very high level, I have been on many tours good ones are ones that give a running commentary on history, modern life and a wide context, you won’t get that here. Driver wasn’t great, it may be local practice but driving in hard shoulder on motorway, speeding and overtaking on bends wasn’t needed, he may have been in a hurry to get home

Came to Beijing for a day and a half and decided to look into tours for our full day there. My sister recommended me this company and we could not be happier with what we booked. 24 hours before our tour, our tour guide Cactus messaged me and kindly introduced herself. She confirmed pick up location with me and gave me some info on what to bring on the trip. The pick up was on time the next morning, and Cactus was accommodating throughout the entire trip, making sure we had the right food we need, the water we needed, warning us about people trying to sell us merchandise, engaging with us throughout the entire trip. There were a total of 6 of us in the group and Cactus made sure we got our best instagram ready photos, taking pictures for us and showing us the best place for pics. Cactus knew a lot about the history so we all got to learn and get to know the monuments that we were looking at and places we were visiting. I highly recommend this tour and I highly recommend Cactus as a tour guide.

We had an absolute blast on our tour with Sunny across Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and The Great Wall! Sunny is extremely knowledgeable, knows how to get around efficiently, and ensured we got the best vantage points. Mr Lee was a fantastic driver and made it a very smooth ride. He was always at our rendezvous point within minutes; even when we got to certain ones earlier than expected! 13/10 would recommend this tour to anyone’s first time to Beijing - ESPECIALLY with Mr. Lee and Sunny!

If you’re short on time, I highly recommend the one day tour that will show you the highlights in Beijing. We spent just the right amount of time in the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. Went during the winter so it was frigid but the snow was beautiful against the backdrop. Our tour guide Sunny was pleasant, knowledgeable and accommodating. She answered all our questions, and always had a smile on her face. She’s also a great photo taker and adjusts to the group’s preferences (our group was me and a couple). Highly recommend Sunny as well! She took the photo of me below!

I worked with Niko at Trippest to book a half day tour of the forbidden city with my family. He was great with the organization and sent me a complete agenda well in advance. Ask for Jerry as your tour guide! He is very friendly, speaks good English, and has lots of excellent information about the history of the city. Highly recommend.

Great tour if you are staying 1-2 days in Beijing. Jerry our guide was very helpful. Thank you Jerry!!!

Went through Trippest for this mini group tour and for sure wasn't disappointed. My tour guide Jerry coordinated from the day before itself and as well as left a mage for me in my hostel. As promised the tour group consisted of only 5 members including yours truly. Firstly went to the Forbidden City, and everything was explained well along with some historical information. After that we went to a nice restaurant with really good food and options for trying out anything on the menu was given which I didn't see in my trip with another group in another city. The experience at the Great Wall was fantastic as well with almost zero crowd and we were warned well in advance regarding the overpriced souvenir shops near the Wall. In the end, Jerry went well above his duties and on my request actually guided me to a local shopping spot where I got my stuff. Thanks once more to Trippest and Jerry. Tirthakrit.

the guide was great, explained a lot. Very small group (3 customers). Organisation worked perfect, pick-up at the hotel at 07:10, back at about 17:00 Great way to see the most important places within one day. The guide provided his knowledge and explained a lot when walking and in the car. Recommended.

I came to Beijing for the first time this weekend and only had one day to see the sights including the Great Wall which is 1.5h away from the city center. Our guide, Sunny did a great job, was very knowledgeable of the sights history and took great care to tailor the day according to our needs and wants. We toured the Tian'anmen square, Forbidden city and Great Wall with the comfort of a private minibus and the guidance of Sunny. Great day, would recommend to any traveller to Beijing to allow for the flexibility to combine a tour guide and easy access to the Wall.

I went on this tour with Kingkong and had an amazing time. He was an excellent guide, kept us laughing while helping us understand the significance of the places we were seeing, from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall. He ordered us an amazing lunch in a town near the wall, and got us quickly through any queues that we were facing. Kingkong was sure to point out the places to get the best photos, including lining up a 100¥ bill while the group took photos of the building on the bill lined up to it. As we were dropped off we were given recommendations for dinner in our hotel areas. The entire group seemed to really enjoy themselves, I know I did. I would encourage friends to take this tour.

I did many tours in China, but this one was by far the best. Our guide Rico was a very nice person, polite and explained eevery thing and told all the histories about the places we visited Highly recomended

My spouse and I had at very nice day. The day before our guide Collin contacted us for pic-up time, and he was already at the reception when we came down the next morning. Together with 3 outer couples we went to the forbidden city. One the way Collin (the guide) willingly answered all our inquisitions at gave us a lot of information about the wall. Afterwards we drew to the Great Wall. On the way we had a nice lunch ordered by Collin on behalf of our wishes. After entering the wall we got some free time to walk around. Conclusion : A great day with a lot of impressions . I can highly recoment the tour.

Our guide, Rico is amazing! He contacted the hotel that I was staying at (which is not listed in their pick up points) the day before our tour to inform me that I will get picked up. And, he came on time the next day. He has shown good attitude and professionalism during the tour. He is very informative and helpful when we have questions. I would highly recommend this tour if you ever come to Beijing for any sightseeing.

Had a fantastic day with Mr. Rico. He was very friendly and knowledgeable, kept us very informed and entertained. Highly recommend if you’re in town and want to hit the Beijing highlights in a day.

Tour was excellent. Tour guide Lily was passionate about showing different attractions. Our group had 6 people. I would definitely recommend this tour for someone who wants to see all three things in a day. Tour started at Tiananmen square in the morning. We walked through Tiananmen square and then entered the Forbidden City. After that we went to Great Wall at Mutainyu. Tour allowed about 2 hours of walking at Mutianyu.

I had a really fun time on this day trip, led by KingKong. He texted me the night before letting me know the name and license plate of the driver who would come and pick me up from my hotel the next morning. Although a different driver showed up, the guy had a sign with my name on it so it wasn't a big deal. The tour itself included Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall at Mutianyu (with lunch at a restaurant on the way to the wall). Overall a very easy and enjoyable experience, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to take in the main sights all in one day.

I booked to visit the Great wall and Forbidden City tour to maximize my time in Beijing with Trippest. Had confirmation the day before including pick up details and contact details for my guide, Smile. Even had a note left at the hotel for me. I was picked up at the right time and after picking up the rest of the small group we continued with the days activities. Smile was brilliant, giving us lost of information and history about where we were visiting. It was a busy day, but it was very fun and I would definitely recommend booking this tour for anybody who is visiting Beijing.

If you have few days in Beijing this fits perfectly. Tania was an amazing tour guide and everything was excellent.

Our trip to the wall was extraordinary. SMILE was the best guide, very nice and knowledgable. The combination was great: we visited the Tiananmen square, the Forbidden City and a very interesting museum with clocks, took lunch and then went on a wonderful excursion in the Great Wall. I would definitely suggest this excursion and, moreover, SMILE as a guide. She was very nice and told us stories and facts about everything we saw, gave us extra information and recommendations on additional activities. She also took photographs of us in every occasion and gave us souvenirs from China, which was really unexpected and very polite. Our driver was very polite as well and he drove safely.

We had a great day tour with Cactus. Both the forbidden city as well as the great wall are really interesting places to visit. The tour provided a sufficient amount of time at both places to get a good impression and the food was fine. Especially during our tour through the forbidden city Cactus gave us a lot of background information to appreciate the place even more.

We had an excellent experience with Viator, related to customer support. We were informed all the way about our tour to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall and we got our doubts solved inmediatly. Since the beginning we were in touch with our tour guide: Cactus, who gave us detailed information about our pick up our and additional recommendations about the weather because it was expected to be a rainy and cold day. During the tour Cactus, was an excellent tour guide. We want to highlight her kindness, knowledge of the topic and performance. Excellent food. We don’t have any negative observations about our tour. Totally recommend this tour!

Thanks to the very nice tour to great wall with guide CACTUS. We always felt very well guided with very interesting information about the great wall and its history. We really can recommend CACTUS to family and friends in case they will visiting Peking...

My trip to China has been nothing but a remarkable and memorable one. I joined this tour with my sister hoping to learn and experience Beijing in a perspective of a local. I would like to give 5 stars to the Travel Agency who arranged this tour for us. Without it, we would not have met Tom, the most caring and thoughtful tour guide ever. He even made sure that we got home safe and enjoyed our tour. (Rarely do you find someone who would go out of there way) We also highly commend Tom because of his patience and knowledge. He has a good mastery of the history that we went to, credible answers to our questions and most of all brought us to the best spots in the area. Thank you Tom and to your team! I will be rebooking with you on my next Beijing trip. Once again, Thank you so much.

I had a great day in the small group tour. We were only a group of 4 and we were able to visit the main areas without going to shopping. Another great advantage is that you skip the queue on all touristic attractions, what you would not be able to do in a private tour. Our guide, Jennifer, was amazing. Very friendly and ready to answer any questions or give you good advices of Beijing.