Private Day Trip: Discover Tianjin by Bullet Train from Beijing
Description
Catch the highlights of China's fourth city, Tianjin, on this 9-hour private guided trip from Beijing by bullet train. You'll visit Porcelain House, the quirky museum of porcelain that's actually coated in the stuff, the Five Great Avenues colonial architecture zone, the Tianjin Eye ferris wheel, and Ancient Culture Street, and lunch on Tianjin cuisine.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You can choose to depart at any time from 8am to 9:30am – your private guide will collect you from your hotel for the short journey to Beijing South Railway Station. Traveling by bullet train, it takes around half an hour to reach Tianjin – even though it's 85 miles (137 kilometers) from Beijing.
On arrival, you'll transfer to a suitable vehicle: a coach, minivan, or car with private driver, or, for groups of three or less, a taxi. Your first stop is Porcelain House, a 1920s French-style colonial villa covered in thousands of pieces of ancient porcelain. Besides the startling exterior, the 5,000-square-yard (4,200-square-meter) interior is home to a museum of porcelain and antiques, including spectacular marble carvings, crystal, and semi-precious gems from the collection of the owner, Zhang Lianzhi.
Next, discover more of Tianjin's international past with a visit to Five Great Avenues (Wudadao), an area that's home to over 2,000 garden-style villas built by occupying powers during the 1920s and 1930s. You might wish to take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the area (own expense) to capture the architectural splendor at its best. Your guide will introduce you to Tianjin's cuisine over lunch in a local restaurant: as befits China's fourth largest city, Tianjin food is famous across China.
After lunch, visit a landmark of modern-day Tianjin: the Tianjin Eye. This 394-foot (120-meter) ferris wheel is built over the Yongle Bridge: it's officially the first and only observation wheel to be built above a bridge. Each of the 64 passenger capsules can carry 8 passengers, giving a maximum capacity of 768 passengers per hour, and takes 30 minutes to complete a rotation. Enjoy spectacular views stretching as much as 25 miles (40 kilometers) into the distance from its highest point.
Your last stop will be Tianjin's Ancient Culture Street, the city's number one shopping destination for traditional Chinese goods. Besides the Tianhou Temple and shoe museum, there are almost 100 stores, selling wares from embroidery and calligraphy to tea sets, seals, and figurines, as well as Tianjin specialties. From here, you'll return to Tianjin Railway Station and board your bullet train back to Beijing. Your guide will transfer you back to your hotel, arriving between 4pm and 5:30pm.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
You will pickup in your city center hotel lobby
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Passport name, number, date of birth and country is required at time of booking for all participants to get your train ticket in advance
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please wear comfortable walking shoes
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Reviews(16)
We had a wonderful day - our guide Bobo was extremely knowledgeable, punctual and accommodating to what we wanted. She was very chatty & friendly with good English. Everything was arranged and it was very easy for us to get around with her by our side. Well worth it
Dear Guest Thank you for your wonderful review! Bobo is glad she could make your day enjoyable and hassle-free. We appreciate your kind words and wish you pleasant travels! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Enjoyed day trip on bulleit train with Sally. She spoke good English, friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. Patience and forming connections was her plus points. It was day well worth. Definitely would recommend her to anyone thinking of visiting Tianjin.
Dear Guest Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted you thoroughly enjoyed your bullet train day trip to Tianjin with Sally. It’s lovely to hear she speaks excellent English, is friendly, knowledgeable, and always ready to help. Her patience and great ability to connect with guests truly made your day worthwhile. Thank you for warmly recommending Sally to anyone planning a visit to Tianjin. We’ll pass your kind praise to her, and we hope to welcome you back for another great trip anytime! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
⸻ We are extremely pleased we did this day trip. The guide was able to showcase the city to us, and the thoughtful planning made the experience both enjoyable and memorable. The itinerary involved quite a bit of walking, which requires a good level of fitness. It was assumed we were up for it, and thankfully we were able to complete the journey and spend hours exploring. The guide’s extensive knowledge was impressive — that we were shared fascinating historical insights and architectural details that we greatly appreciated. We also enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant. The recommended dishes were absolutely delicious. By the time we left at 7pm, the light show on the buildings along the river also started. The fast speed train is also another enjoyable experience.
Excellent guide and service. Maggie is professional, very calm and accommodating. Knows her subject and is knowledgeable. Plans ahead and is proactive Highly recommended
My tour guide Maggie and I had a great trip to Tianjin on the bullet train. Always wanted to try the train. We saw many areas of the city, the ceramic house, Tianjin Eye of Tianjin Ferris wheel, a great lunch and great conversation. Thanks Maggie for making my trip so memorable.
Dear Guest Thanks so much for this lovely review! 🥰 We’re absolutely thrilled to hear you had such an amazing Tianjin day trip with Maggie—including checking off the bullet train bucket list, exploring all the best spots like the Ceramic House and Tianjin Eye, plus a delicious lunch and great chats! It’s the best feeling knowing Maggie made this trip so memorable for you, that’s exactly what we want for our guests. We’ll be sure to pass all your kind words right along to her—she’s going to be so happy to hear this! Thanks again for taking the time to share your awesome experience, and hope all your future travels are just as wonderful 😊 The best Regards Annie
I visited China in September 2024. We visited Beijing and Tianjin through a tour guide Maggie. The tour went excellent as Maggie was knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated to her job. She showed us all the tourist places nicely with all information. I highly recommend people to take her tour service. 💯 Satisfied.
Dear Guest, Thank you for your wonderful support. We look forward to serving you again in the future. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Very good experience with my family and loved the guidance of our guide Maggie. Loved the ways she explained and how joyful she is 🙂🙂
Dear Guest, Thank you for your wonderful support. We look forward to serving you again in the future. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
We had a wonderful time at Tiajin, exploring the Italian and the Chinese street, all thanks to Maggie! She’s a wonderful guide who knows the place well and is an excellent communicator, bridging any gaps between the locals and tourists. We realised how easy our visit got because Maggie was there to help us all along. She’s a cheerful and balanced person who’s a delight to be guided by. We wouldn’t have been able to explore the beautiful city of Tianjin if it wasn’t navigated by Maggie!
Dear Guest, Thank you for your wonderful support. We look forward to serving you again in the future. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
The trip from Beijing to Tianjin was amazing..Everything was perfectly organised by our guide Maggie..she took great care of us and made sure that we see everything included in the tour..since my husband is a vegetarian she made sure that he eats comfortably..the European and the Chinese streets were great and the Tianjin eye was also very good..all in all thanks to our tour guide Maggie who communicated well in English and made the trip a success 👍🏻
Dear Guest, We are thrilled to read your amazing review. Thank you for choosing Lily's Beijing Tours! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team
Maggie was a great tour guide! She customized everything to my needs and always made sure I was comfortable. Lunch was great, too! I highly recommend booking a tour with her and would not hesitate to do it again
Dear Adrien Thank you for taking valuable time to leave this review. It's so good to hear that you like this trip to Tianjin from Beijing. Your satisfaction with this trip is the biggest motivation for our work. Tianjin is a very beautiful city, and you only need to ride on China's bullet train to achieve it in half an hour. Welcome to explore Tianjin with us. Best Regards Lily
