8 Half-Day Tours in Beijing to Build a Day Around

1.Private Half-Day Mutianyu Great Wall Tour including Round Way Cable Car or Toboggan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 115 reviews · from $180Our pick

Visit Mutianyu with a private English-speaking guide and round-trip hotel transport from Beijing. Walk the wall, ride a cable car or chair lift, and choose a toboggan descent. Guides such as Jenny, Andy, and Jack are praised for clear explanations and helpful photos.

“This tour was AMAZING!!!! I would highly recommend it. Our family of 4 loved it 2 adults, 2 children - 14yrs and 11yrs. David was the best tour guide and very knowledgable. The Mutianyu section is beautiful. We rode the Cable car up the mountain and Tobogganed back down.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Half-Day Private Beijing Hutong Walking Tour with Dim Sum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $148

Spend four hours with a private English-speaking guide such as Maggie or Kris, walking Beijing’s old hutongs from Nanluoguxiang to Houhai. You’ll see the Bell and Drum Towers, old courtyards, canals, bridges, and Yandai Xie Street, while sampling bubble tea, red bean dessert, mantou buns, tea, and dim sum.

“One of our highlights of Beijing. Our guide was wonderful. Learned much that most tourists miss about the entryways of the houses.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Mini Group: Half-Day Great Wall at Mutianyu Hiking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · from $145

This six-hour Mutianyu tour collects you from a Beijing hotel between 10:30 and 11am, drives 1.5 hours to the wall, and leaves you free to hike or pay extra for a cable car, chairlift, or toboggan. Guides including Jin, Sunny, and Bo Chen have been praised for pacing, history, and photo stops.

“I was worried that we might not be able to do the tour due to the snow but I then ended up with a private tour as there was a low turnout due to snow and being in December.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Half-Day Private Tour to Mutianyu Great Wall Including Toboggan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $193

Spend 7 to 8 hours visiting Mutianyu with a private English-speaking guide such as Lisa, central Beijing hotel pickup, a cable car ride to the wall, time on the battlements, and a toboggan descent. The tour includes transport, entrance fees, water, and air-conditioned travel.

“Tour guide Lisa was very informative, tour offered to drop participants at different popular sites/ or subway stations on the way back to hotel to get the most out of the day”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Private Half-Day Temple of Heaven and Lama Temple Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $70Best value

Meet your private guide at your Beijing hotel for a focused half-day visit to Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven. See the giant Maitreya Buddha, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Wall, and the Circular Mound Altar. Choose public transport or a private transfer.

“Thank You Maria for a wonderful Temple experience. Great English, very knowledgeable and friendly guide.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Private Half-day Tour Tiananmen Square ,Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $169

Meet your private guide at your central Beijing hotel and visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven in four to six hours. Guides such as George, Linda, and Demi provide clear English commentary, private transfers, bottled water, and skip-the-line Forbidden City entry. Lunch is extra.

“We were a family with 9 year old. Our guide George was amazing. His English skills are excellent. The entire tour was extremely well organised. George was also very patient with our son and answered all his queries. I would highly recommend George.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Private Tour: Half-Day Tour to Great Wall at Juyongguan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $156

You’ll ride from Beijing in a private vehicle, hike Juyongguan for about an hour, and see the Cloud Platform’s carved scriptures. Guides such as Lee and Shirley have offered flexible, clear explanations, while the small two-person limit keeps the pace personal. Olympic-area stops round out the half-day.

“The pick up is been in perfect time and the van is been excellent, the driver and the guide are been friendly and kind. The great Wall at Juyongguan is spectacular, to go up is very tiring but to it's a dream to walk on it. Our guide has helper us to buy some good souvenirs with a good price, has gave us all time we need, before to came beck to Hotel.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Beijing Half-Day Private Customized Tour: Visit Your Dream Spots

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $75

Tell Discover Beijing Tours what you want to see, then meet your private guide and air-conditioned car at a central Beijing hotel. Choose sights such as Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, hutong lanes, markets, museums, or gardens. Maria and Mr Yang are named in the service details.

“Most attractions need pre-booking and you need a passport to enter attractions…we wasted a day trying to visit places with no pre-booking or guide…..we then booked a custom half day tour. Not cheap but took all the stress away and drove us around in a brand new car with water and fruit provided !! Excellent service from Maria and Mr Yang.”

Check availability →Read our full review