All-Inclusive Day Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall and Summer Palace
Description
On this full-day tour, you will explore two iconic top attractions in Beijing: the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the Summer Palace, the imperial summer retreat for ancient emperors. Standing atop the Great Wall, you will be stunned by its magnificent panoramic views. Meanwhile, the Summer Palace offers a completely distinct experience with its exquisite classical landscapes. The package covers all entrance tickets, chairlift fees, lunch, professional tour guide service and round-trip vehicle transfers. Everything is fully inclusive.
Tour Options
Itinerary
In the morning, your professionally English-speaking tour guide and driver with an air-conditioned vehicle will pick you up. You may choose pickup service at your hotel lobby, or opt to meet us at our designated meeting point. We will first head to Mutianyu Great Wall, a 1.5-hour drive away. Mutianyu is a quieter, more remote section of the Great Wall around Beijing with far fewer crowds. This segment is famed for its stunning natural scenery: lush forests and verdant grasslands that shift colours with every passing season. The wall snakes more than 1,000 meters along mountain ridges, before making a sharp turn and descending steeply down the hillside. You will have roughly two hours of free time to explore the Great Wall. The uphill hike takes around 30 minutes on foot. Alternatively, you may take the chairlift up; a thrilling luge slide down the mountain is also available on your way back.
After a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, we will proceed to the Summer Palace, which is a little over one hour’s drive from Mutianyu Great Wall. The Summer Palace served as an imperial royal garden in ancient times. It boasts countless elegant pavilions, grand mansions, sacred temples, delicate bridges, vast lakes and winding covered corridors. The iconic Long Corridor, stretching alongside the water, holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s longest painted corridor. You will also visit well-known landmarks including the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, Marble Boat, Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Once the sightseeing concludes, our driver will transfer you back to your hotel.
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Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You will be picked up at the city center hotel lobby.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Toboggan unavailable for guests over 60, pregnant women and children under 3, as well as in bad weather or long queues. Round-trip chairlift/cable car available instead.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please wear comfortable shoes
- This experience is weather-dependent. If canceled due to severe weather conditions, you may choose an alternative travel date or tour, or receive a full refund.
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems or heart problems.
Reviews(219)
Overall Experience absolutely outstanding Tour provided for my wife and I. Although this was my second time walking the Great Wall, it had been almost 16years and things sure have changed. Operator communications were professional, friendly and very informative. From the lead up a couple of days in advance to confirm details and to make sure we had all our ducks lined up to even accommodating my wife and I and changing the day in order for us to fit in another tour. Much appreciated. Our Tour Guide Jerry was Number 1. He made us feel welcome right from the time he met us in the Lobby of our Hotel till the end of our tour where he not only brought us back to our lobby but went over and above to help sort a banking issue out for my wife and I. Not only was Jerry very knowledgeable with the history of the Great Wall and Summer Palace. He was also a great story teller who effortlessly shared this wealth of knowledge in a way you could easily understand full of humour and easy to remember. Honestly we were blessed. Jerry was also accommodating to the speed of how fast or slow my wife and I wanted to take in all the sites. Despite the heat, His local knowledge definitely came in handy especially when he knew it would be beneficial to switch the tours so we wouldn’t be overcome by the temperature of the afternoon. Clever man that Jerry switching the Summer Palace with The Great Wall so we could enjoy the cool morning going up the wall and then enjoy the cool breeze near the lake at the Summer Palace. In finishing I would highly recommend booking this tour and ask for Jerry you won’t be disappointed.
We had a private family tour Lucy who was an amazing tour guide! She and our driver Yang were right on time for the pick-up at the hotel. Lucy had an in-depth knowledge of the historical and cultural aspects of the tour, and she explained everything in very easy-to-understand english. We were there on a monday during the school holidays (the busiest day of the week), but she managed to make the experience fun and informative. The car ride was very comfortable on a very hot day. Highly recommend both Lucy and Yang.
Dear Guest, Thank you for your lovely review of your private family tour! We are delighted Lucy and driver Yang arrived punctually for your hotel pickup. Even on that busy holiday Monday, Lucy brought rich historical and cultural insights and delivered easy‑to‑follow explanations to make your tour both fun and educational. We are also glad the comfortable vehicle kept you pleasant on such a hot day. We will share all your wonderful compliments with Lucy and Yang. Thank you for your recommendation. Wish your family a wonderful rest of your trip, and we hope to welcome you back to Beijing. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Wendy was a great tour guide who went above and beyond for us when we got stuck in long lines on the Great Wall to make sure we got to our evening dinner reservation. Would recommend again!
Dear Guest, Thank you for your nice review! We really appreciate you sharing how Wendy went the extra mile while facing long queues on the Great Wall, making sure you made it to your evening dinner reservation. It means a great deal to us. We will pass this lovely feedback to Wendy. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Beijing sometime in the future. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Excellent tour overall and Wendy was very accommodating and knowledgeable!
Dear Guest, Thank you for your great review! We’re happy to hear you had an excellent tour and appreciated Wendy’s accommodating manner and rich knowledge. We will pass your kind compliments to Wendy. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and we look forward to welcoming you back to Beijing. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
My tour guide Wendy was very knowledgeable about the great wall and the summer palace! I had a great experience, she took us through the summer palace very efficiently!
Dear Guest, Thank you for your nice review! We are delighted you had a fantastic tour with Wendy. It’s great to know she shared so much valuable knowledge about both the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, and showed you around the Summer Palace in such an efficient way. We will share your positive comments with Wendy. Hope you have a wonderful rest of your trip and we look forward to seeing you again in Beijing. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
The guide Sunny and the driver Mr. Sun were very kind and helpful. Sunny was competent and very active in navigating through the crowd (always impressive)!
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your kind review! We are glad to hear both guide Sunny and driver Mr Sun were so friendly and helpful to you. It’s fantastic that competent Sunny skillfully navigated through the huge crowds to make your sightseeing go smoothly. We will forward all your nice comments to Sunny and Mr Sun. Hope we can welcome you back to Beijing one day! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
We had a fantastic day with our guide Sally, who took us to visit the Great Wall with a fun cable car ride and toboggan descent, as well as the beautiful Summer Palace. She also chose an excellent restaurant and carefully organized everything in advance. Sally was friendly, helpful, and very interesting to talk to. We really enjoyed our time with her and highly recommend her as a guide.
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for this lovely feedback! We are thrilled that Sally made your day so memorable. It’s wonderful to hear you loved the Great Wall cable‑car, toboggan ride and the stunning Summer Palace. We’re delighted she pre‑arranged everything smoothly and picked such a nice restaurant for you. Her warm personality and engaging conversations clearly made your outing extra special. We will share all your kind words with Sally. We would love to welcome you back to Beijing someday! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
The tour is well organized and it was a wonderful experience, thanks also to the skill of our guide Maggie. In addition to making the tour easier for us in terms of lines and access, she gave us a lot of historical information. I recommend it!!!
Dear Guest Thank you very much for your lovely review! We are glad to hear your tour was well arranged and turned out to be a wonderful experience thanks to our excellent guide Maggie. It’s lovely to know she helped you skip lengthy queues and smooth your entry procedures, while sharing abundant historical knowledge with you. We will forward all your kind praise to Maggie straight away. Thank you for your recommendation, and wish you wonderful travels ahead Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Our guide Nancy and our driver Mr Sun were great, very knowledgeable and efficient with the whole tour. They made the experience easy and fun!
Dear Guest, Thank you for your fantastic feedback! We’re delighted to hear guide Nancy and driver Mr. Sun delivered an excellent tour. They are knowledgeable and efficient, and strived to make your trip relaxed and enjoyable. We will pass all your warm compliments to Nancy and Mr. Sun. Hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Beijing again! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Pick-up was timely and with a comfortable car. 1,5-2hrs travel by from Beijing. The temperature and the crowd in an August visit makes the walking tour (expect some steep ascending sections of the walk) a little bit more of a challenge. But unforgettable scenery worth the effort - and feeds a sense of direct contact with a pluri-millennial culture. Our guide - Bruce - was excellent. Very knowledgeable on the history of China and of the Great Wall, and effective in his explanations. We greatly appreciated his dedication and professionalism. The “Jade Factory visit” revealed to be more a jewelry shopping experience. Fine but extremely expensive products. Buffet lunch at the “factory” just Ok.
Dear Friend, Thank you for your honest review. We are happy the pick-up was punctual, the vehicle comfortable and you enjoyed guide Bruce’s professional commentary as well as the amazing Great Wall views. We understand August heat, crowds and uphill walking made the hike challenging. We have noted your feedback about the jade factory shopping stop and the average buffet lunch, and we will work to improve our itinerary. We hope to welcome you again on your next trip to Beijing. Best regards, lily
