Home > Beijing > Beijing Historical Tour including the Summer Palace, Lama Temple and the Panda Garden
USD $55.00
Beijing Historical Tour including the Summer Palace, Lama Temple and the Panda Garden
Beijing, China
Visit two of Beijing’s most important historic sites on a full-day tour that features the Lama Temple (Yonghegong) and UNESCO heritage-listed Summer Palace. You also see giant pandas at the Beijing Zoo, stop at a silk market, and relax over a Chinese-style lunch. Your experienced guide provides informative commentary on the history and culture of each site, as well as background on China's famous panda bears and an introduction to modern Beijing. Enjoy time for photos and questions at each stop on this fascinating Beijing sightseeing tour.
Your day starts with pickup from your centrally located Beijing hotel by air-conditioned coach and a short drive to Lama Temple, one of Beijing’s most famous monasteries.
Lama Temple boasts five large halls that are decorated with colorful carvings, murals, ceremonial objects and statues of the Buddha in various incarnations. Your guide takes you through the stunning complex, explaining the significance of the items that you see. Admire one of the temple’s highlights, a towering statue of Maitreya Buddha that stands 59 feet high (18 meters) and was carved from a single piece of white sandalwood.
Next up, visit the Beijing Zoo to see its beloved residents, the giant pandas. The endangered panda bears are native to China and considered a national treasure. Watch the pandas munch on bamboo, play and lounge in their large enclosures, which resemble their natural habitat.
After enjoying the panda antics, relax while eating a Chinese-style lunch. Then head to the Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.
Originally built in 1750 as a summer retreat for the emperor, the UNESCO heritage-listed Summer Palace was razed twice by foreign armies and completely rebuilt. Enjoy great photo ops as you follow your guide around the grounds, which boast ornately decorated temples, pavilions, gardens, bridges and covered walkways. Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake take up most of the 1.1 square mile (2.9 square kilometer) site. Your guide points out highlights such as the Marble Boat, a lakeside pavilion that was restored in 1893 for Empress Cixi.
Wrap up your day with a stop at Tianhou Silk Market where you see a brief demonstration of how silk is made. Then have the option to shop for high quality silk goods before your guide returns you to your hotel to end your tour.
It was great to see the panda's, Lama Temple and Summer Palace, but you also go to a silk and pearl factory, which aren't factories at all. They are just stores which they aggressively try to sell you things. Also, if they offer the boat tour to the summer palace for 140 yuan, I would pass, it's nothing really exciting about it.
Review by: Jeffrey S, March 2018
This was a very good tour to get a feel for a Beijing first visit. Great guide, very well organized. The Panda's were awesome. Great value for the price.
Review by: Gayira, December 2017
it was worth every penny we spent. left well equipped with knowledge about Beijing history , our guide was amazing and he explained everything in details he made the tour fun with he speaks very good english, he knows all stories about ancient Beijing._br/_ William our guide you are the best....._br/_ we cant wait to come back for another tour with you.
Review by: Stine, December 2017
It was nice and fun. Explored some highlights of Beijing with an informative tourguide. I really enjoyed it
Review by: Clive D, December 2017
Great day out
Review by: Carla W, October 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Sherri Z, October 2017
Great day! Marie was a good tour guide. I would suggest the tour company change the lunch location as it was sub par and a bit gross as compared to the lunch for the Forbidden City/Great Wall tour.
Review by: Leslie Yesenia A, October 2017
Tour was nice. Guide was incredible. It was very fast so adding at least an hour would help in slowing the pace.
Review by: acorey_73, October 2017
William did a really nice job, very knowledgeable and provided great information. We had two other parties in our group, one with two young boys and William did great with them. He gave us the option to do the boat ride at the Summer Palace which did cost extra, but added something to the day. Trip also included a stop at a tea house and pearl factory. Only small complaint was the tour was advertised as a 7 hour day and we purposefully picked the tour due to the shortened day, but ended up as a 10 hour day. We had plans for a show that night and was hoping to have a couple hours to do a little extra shopping, but ran out of time. Normally would have been grateful for a longer day at the same price, but did cut into our day.
Review by: ddpiza, September 2017
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.
Review by: brongard, September 2017
This tour was really packed with experiences. Not only did we have a boat ride on the canal to the Summer palace, this was extra though, we saw the Pandas at the Beijing Zoo, a pearl factory for freshwater pearls, the Lama Temple and also a Tea ceremony to sample some of the varieties of Chinese tea. Alice our guide was excellent. Well worth the money!
Review by: jwakey, August 2017
Cathy was a wonderful guide on this tour. She shared so much knowledge about the history of these places that it was a pleasure to take it all in. Her understanding of the relevance of each location was greatly appreciated. Cathy even went beyond her tour guide duties by taking us to other places where we could see and experience different parts of the Chinese culture, such as a pearl market and a silk museum. This was a smooth operation from an experienced guide who made the day an enjoyable and non-rushing event. _br/_ Jeff and Julie, Australia
Review by: Samuel A, July 2017
Beautiful place and lots of culture. Very professional guide. Very good English. At the Summer Palace I recommend taking the boat.
Review by: Abhishek S, July 2017
although it was a bit chilly but the tour was comprehensive covered everything mentioned in good detail and also pently of opportunity to take snaps , out guide was quite good as well , I think his name was Jacky
Review by: christi_crux17, June 2017
The tour of the Panda Garden was pretty cool...if you really like pandas and you haven't seen them before. The tour of the summer palace was fascinating but it was a little disappointing that we could only look at it from the outside and lots of construction was going on. The lunch was wonderful and the lama temple was pretty neat. Our guide, Cynthia, was absolutely amazing. I've had her for two tours in China and she was great!
Review by: Iulia, June 2017
Excellent guide, William! Great day!
Review by: MaestraMudarisa, June 2017
The tour of the Panda Garden was pretty cool...if you really like pandas and you haven't seen them before. The tour of the summer palace was fascinating but it was a little disappointing that we could only look at it from the outside and lots of construction was going on. The lunch was wonderful and the lama temple was pretty neat. Our guide, Cynthia, was absolutely amazing. I've had her for two tours in China and she was great!
Review by: Daniela P, May 2017
I really enjoyed the tour and was lucky to be the only person so it turned into a private tour with Suzanne my local guide. Suzanne also took me to the Olympic Village since we had extra time available which was not on the itinerary.
Review by: ttcdp, April 2017
We started our day at The Panda Garden with our guide Kathy. It was a great way to begin the day and the pandas made sure to put on a show for us So Fun!!! As we left the Garden, our tour guide asked us if we wanted to take the boat to The Summer Palace. Most said yes, but a few people said they didn't want to pay for the boat at an additional 125 yuen per person as it wasn't included and they would meet us wherever Kathy suggested.It was presented as an option in the beginning but as the discussion went on, Kathy made it clear that it wasn't an option. Very uncomfortable for everyone. Also, being told that credit cards were not excepted for the entrance fee also threw a few people off guard our family of 5 included since we don't carry a lot of cash with us on tours. We were able to pool our money after some concern but a few other couples had to scramble and borrow because they were given no other choice. Not a good situation. We all felt it put a damper on the remaining day. The included lunch was the worst of the food we had the entire trip and our kids had to go to the cafeteria downstairs to get more at our cost. There wasn't enough for the group and the quality was sub par. _br/_ I will say Kathy was knowledgeable but we do think the tour needs to be better arranged so as not to make people feel uncomfortable. Change the eating venue and make sure there is more than enough food for everyone, even if you need to adjust the price up a bit. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this tour.
Review by: Emily N, February 2017
I highly recommend this tour. The Summer Palace and Lama Temple were amazing and our tour guide, William, was fantastic. He is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The lunch was also very good.
Review by: Dianne A, November 2016
We felt like we missed seeing attractions as were continously being hearded to the next spot _br/_ guide and driver not synced for pick up which meant more walking for our group including an older lady _br/_ pandas were soo cute
Review by: Vasco S, October 2016
Interesting tour.
Review by: Mark W, October 2016
Tour guide and driver picked us up at our hotel on schedule, got us to all the tour sites, oversold a river cruise to the Summer Palace. Time spent at Summer Palace was just a walk along the lake with no exploration of the buildings that comprise the Summer Palace. Tour guide spoke English but wasn't very forthcoming with information along the way. Had to drag info out of him as best we could. Loved the Lama Temple.
Review by: Lynn L, September 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this day tour. Transport was cool and comfortable and our guide spoke very good English. Loved the Summer Palace on its lakeside setting, felt as though we were miles from the City. The Lama Temple was interesting and the Panda's very cute. The pick up was early so we were able to beat the crowds, particularly to the Pandas. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the day was very enjoyable. Thankyou very much.
Review by: David K, September 2016
William was great! He was very accommodating and knowledgable. His English was extremely good. The van was clean. They had room for me to bring my luggage. At the end of the tour, he wrote down instructions for a taxi driver for me to get me to the right terminal at the right airport. The Summer Palace and Lama Temple were well worth seeing! Loved watching the Pandas! The only part of the tour that doesn't earn 5 stars was the silk and pearl factories.
Review by: SSC, August 2016
Thank you William for providing an informative and fun experience. He was one of the best tour guides we've had in a long time. The Lama Temple is a must see coupled with the Summer Palace. You'll see beautiful artifacts of buddha statues, free incense for praying stations, feel a sense of serenity the minute you walk into the two historical venues. and The day might start a little early but well worth it since we got back to our hotel by three. It gave us plenty of time to do more shopping and enjoy Beijing. The pandas are adorable and who doesn't love pandas?
Review by: Jonathon L, August 2016
This tour was great, very knowledgeable tour guide. I wasn't aware before the tour started that there would be a pearl factory visit and tea ceremony. I thought it was a nice bonus but on both of these tours I felt very very pressured to buy something when I really didn't want to. I would advise skipping those two and doing a tea ceremony elsewhere where they don't pressure you so much I went to another tea ceremony today and it was a lot better, no pressure. Great tour though all in all!
Review by: Farnaz A, August 2016
The tour was great. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to everyone.
Review by: Emma R, July 2016
This tour was brilliant, a great way to see lots of Beijing. Our guide, Cherry, was incredibly informative. Very small group, lots if info learnt. Summer Palace in particular was great. Boat option upgrade definitely worth it at Summer Palace but it is an extra 100 Yuan.
Review by: Ashish B, July 2016
It was a great experience. Summer palace is beautiful place to visit and William was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour to everybody
Review by: Mauricio Mello C, July 2016
Our tour guy was terrible, he just rush all tour, we stayed at zoo only 15 m_br/_ In the end of the tour, he wad too rude with a guy with us who was questionando about some places to buy things, and complain with a girl because the tip. after that, the air conditioner broken and were at almost 40°C
Review by: James M, July 2016
Tour was ok. Pandas were ok but hardly a garden - at zoo. Lama temple interesting enough and Summer palace is definitely worth seeing. Tour guide acted as if she was doing us a big favour - scolding for not going at her pace. Told us we had to buy ticket for boat ride - not mentioned in itinerary
Review by: Shawn H, July 2016
Was a fairly quick tour of key sites. Guide took us backwards which was good to avoid much of the crowds. Silk stop was skipped for a selling pearl stop, which wasn and #39;t good, but the tea stop was pretty cool. Of course the highlight was the pandas!!!! Lunch was pretty decent.
Review by: Patricia P, July 2016
SUPERB GUIDE WITH SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE
Review by: Jamie M, June 2016
I didn and #39;t end up doing this tour as my hotel pick up was a bit of a muddle, but the tour company were so helpful and they booked me the next day for a different tour which inc, Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Tour guide was amazing, Jackie :) very informative.
Review by: jennifer m, June 2016
Our guide Jackie made this day super fun! He talks super fast and does have quite an accent but is very open to answering questions and is so funny! We loved seeing the giant Pandas at the zoo. It was early in the day and the pandas were very active and fun to watch. We then went to the Summer Palace. Almost overwhelming in size but so glad we got to see it. We finished at the Lama Temple which was very interesting as they were celebrating Buddha's birthday. The temple was filled with chanting monks and lots of burning incense. Many worshippers there. They finished the service and began walking around the temple, still chanting. It was super interesting! Jackie took us to the silk shop and it was really interesting. Learned a lot! Glad we took this tour and would highly recommend it!
Review by: Annette M, June 2016
Great tour with a very informative english speaking guide, a must do tour for Beijing
Review by: Jennifer A, May 2016
The tour guide and the tour itself was fun. The food they give you is Western style Chinese food. Not exactly what you actually get in China but still quite nice. The Lama Temple was amazing. It was beautiful and our tour guide had a lot of knowledge about everything. Be careful at the pearl factory. I bought an 18 carat gold charm with a pearl in it and the gold is peeling off and turning back so obviously not real pearl. It might be government run but that doesn't mean it's 100 legit.
Review by: Heather L, April 2016
We ended up with a private tour because no one else had booked this particular itinerary on this day. William was our guide, and he was amazing. I was traveling with my 83 year old grandmother, and he saw our unique needs and met our pace. This was my grandma's favorite day of our trip!
Review by: Llamaschool, April 2016
Excellent tour, don't miss this one! Our guide was William Kuang, highly recommended. He got us to the Panda Garden slightly before 8:30, we practically had them to ourselves. We took a dragon boat up the waterway into the Summer Palace grounds as was the case with other Hanteng tours I took this week, our guide seemed to know the ticketing agents and we were moved to the front of the line for the boats embarrassing, but efficient. A good 2 hours spent @ the Summer Palace, we visited the temple and the living quarter. Lunch was fine, a place that caters to tour buses in the Olympic complex. There were two shopping stops, the pearls and the tea house these are unavoidable unless you hire a private guide--don't buy if you don't want to and you DO have room to bargain @ the pearl factory. Lama Palace was last, our guide is a practicing Buddhist and demonstrated the incense rituals and prayers, explaining everything. As we left, he noticed the monks were giving out fruit from the day's offering tables and shooed us all back in to receive them. Very good luck, evidently!
Review by: Jennifer S, April 2016
We packed so much into this day! We signed up for a group tour but it ended up only being our group which was a nice surprise. Our guide was great and took us all around the city. There were two factory stops but since it was just the two of us we made it quick. Lunch was not great and very touristy
Review by: Regina K, April 2016
Auf der Tour waren nur 3 Personen, so dass es schon fast eine private Tour war. Die Reiseleiterin war sehr nett und professionell. Insgesamt war es somit eine angenehme Gruppe. Die Stops waren allerdings bis auf den Lama Temple eher bescheiden. Nach dem Besuch der Pandabären im Zoo ging es zum Sommerpalast weiter. Von diesem lässt sich nur ein ganz grober Überblick mitnehmen, da es nur einen kurzen Spaziergang am Seeufer und über die 17 Bogen-Brücke gab. Die Palastanlage selber wurde nicht betreten ich war ein paar Tage später nochmals auf eigene Faust da und kann die Besichtigung nur empfehen. Danach ging es zu einem deutlich längeren Verkaufsstop in einen Perlenladen, der auch in der Tourbeschreibung angekündigt war. Die einleitenden Informationen waren recht interessant aber anschließend brauchte man schon sehr gute Nerven um dem Verkaufsdruck besonders in einer so kleinen Gruppe standhalten zu können. Das anschließende Mittagessen war einfach aber sehr gut, hat alles prima geschmeckt. Danach wurde dann unangekündigterweise ein weiterer längerer Stop in einem Teeladen gemacht. Hier wurde dann etwas über chinesische Tees erklärt und etwas verkostigt. Es wurde dann allerdings ziemlich unmissverständlich und nachdrücklich von der Verkäuferin erklärt, dass man nun auch den Kauf eines Produktes erwartet. Der Stop geriet zu einem kleinen Fiasko, nachdem die Dame sich immer mehr im Ton vergriff und ich den Laden dann verlassen habe. Unser Tourguide hat dann ihr Bestes gegeben und versucht durch Entschuldigungen und Geschenke des Teeladen-Managers die Situation wieder zu besänftigen. Das war dann schon ok, aber eigentlich wünscht man sich sowas nicht auf so einer Tour. Schön und ausführlich war dann noch der Besuch im Lama Tempel, dessen Besuch auf jeden Fall interessant ist. Es wurden viele Weihrauchstäbchen angezündet :-._br/_ Wirklich lohnenswert war der Tag aber in Summe nicht. Es gibt sicherlich interessantere Touren, die nicht so viele Shopping-Stops beinhalten.
Review by: Mario M, March 2016
Great guide , very knowledgeable and very good english....lots of time for photos ..went to panda garden early in morning for seeing pandas having breakfast and move around, thanks to our guide ....highly recommended
Review by: Srinivasan S, March 2016
Good tour
Review by: Andrew S, January 2016
Very good experience with a personal touch. Excellent English spoken by our friendly and knowledgeable guide. Thoroughly recommend this to all and value for money.
Review by: Jennifer T, October 2015
Great tour. Beware there is a forced shopping stop at a tea shop.
Review by: Robert L, October 2015
Absolutely fabulous. _br/_ Be,jing is an credible city.
Review by: Gary P, October 2015
Superb tour with a great guide and driver. Adjusted the tour a bit to meet my requests, and highly recommend this nearly full day tour around Beijing.
Review by: Stephanie S, September 2015
It was great to have a guide pick us up at our hotel. She on time and very nice. The tour itself seemed a bit rushed. She kept saying ok let's move and the tour ended before 2pm. We did not go to a silk market but instead went to a pearl market as well as a tea house where at both places we all the group felt pressured to buy something. The lunch place was also pretty dirty. It was empty when we got there, nobody around, flies flying around... eventually another tour group showed up so that was a better sign. The food was ok but I didn't feel safe eating everything. I'm not sure this tour was worth the money.
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