9 Historical Tours in Beijing to Build a Day Around

1.Beijing Historical Tour II including Summer Palace, Lama Temple & Panda Garden

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 187 reviews · from $93Our pick

Full-day Beijing tour with Lama Temple, Summer Palace grounds, Panda Garden, and a silk-making demo, plus lunch and hotel pickup.

“The places were nice but the tour itself with this company felt more like a walk. Didn't really get much information about the places. we were just seeing things but the guide wasn't really saying anything about the places.”

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2.Beijing Historical Tour I – Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square & Temple of Heaven

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 120 reviews · from $93

See Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven in one day with an English guide, included tickets, and lunch.

“Tour Stops: 1 Tiananmen Square, 2 Forbidden City, 3 Silk Factory, 4 Temple of Heaven, 5 Foot Massage, and 6 Lunch at Shanshuijian Lamb Spine Hot Pot. Overall, the Silk Factory and Foot Massage were not part of the advertised tour and were obviously over-priced tourist traps. I would have preferred more time at the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven rather than stopping at these places. Furthermore, lunch was very average. The tour cost was very low and all transportation was provided, however, I would recommend picking a more expensive tour that does not have all the side stops.”

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3.Beijing Historic City Guided Walking Tour + Calligraphy Creation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · from $5Top rated

Join a 3.5-hour Beijing walking tour from Huguang Guild Hall through hutongs, Liulichang calligraphy, street food, and Qianmen.

“Hao was an excellent guide. Despite the cold weather, Hao kept us moving and provided so much information and insight during our time with her. We would highly recommend Hao and the tour to anyone interested in knowing more about the off the beaten path parts of Beijing.”

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4.Bell and Drum Towers Entry Ticket—Historic Landmark

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 23 reviews · 4 hours · from $13

Visit Beijing’s Bell and Drum Towers, including entry to both sites and an English PDF guidebook, plus a chance at a short drum performance.

“Una torre de tambores frente a un campanario. No está mal si ya has hecho todo lo que podías hacer en Pekín y te apetece saber cómo daban la hora en la ciudad antigua. Sin más”

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5.Tiananmen Square Entry Reservation – Iconic Landmark

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · 2 hours · from $4.82Best value

Skip the Tiananmen Square ticket line with a reservation and English visual guide, turning a crowded landmark into a smoother 2-hour visit.

“I had no idea of the time it takes to visit this place. Standing in line for 2 hours is minimum, so it takes at least half the day, if you rush it. In the end I missed it because I had to leave for another tour, so I stayed in line 1h for nothing. I believe the preparation of time should be listed loud and clear. Because if I knew it, I would have planned accordingly.”

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6.Forbidden City&Hutong Private Tour w/Historic Site Add-ons

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 14 reviews · 5 - 6 hours · from $88

Private Beijing tour for $88, 5 to 6 hours, with hotel pickup, English guide, and included entry tickets for Forbidden City and more.

“Our tour guide Lucy Yue is very professional guide with a lot of knowledge and knows how to use the short time well and efficiently. She is also very cheerful. Our driver mr Zhang Bo is a very skilled driver and very friendly. Lucy came with the suggestion to take our luggage and dropped us after the tour to our next hotel. We really appreciate here help. It saved us a lot of time.”

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7.History Study Tour to Forbidden City & National Musuem of China

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $214

A private day in Beijing linking Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, and Jingshan Park with tickets and a guide included.

“It is near impossible for a foreigner to book tickets for any major Beijing attractions. Also impossible to know which queue to line up and which entrance to take! I booked the private tour so all bookings were taken care of. Having a licensed guidRead more”

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8.Beijing Historical 2-Day Tour including the Great Wall

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1 reviews · 2 - 3 days · from $390

Two days of Beijing history with Tiananmen, the Forbidden City (or Jingshan Park view), Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, Summer Palace, tea ceremony.

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9.Qing Dynasty Costumes Photo Shoot at Beijing Heritage Sites

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1 reviews · from $194

Dress in Qing Dynasty costume for a guided walk in Beijing, then get pro photos at the Forbidden City exterior or Temple of Heaven.

“My local guide, Susie fully knew my need to take video and pics of the Forbidden city and kindly and efficiently guided me in the area with great explanation of the must not miss spots in the sooo large area. Thanks to Susie, I could do a pretty efficient use of time. Thanks, Susie!”

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