Private Day Tour of Badaling Great Wall and the Summer Palace Including Lunch

Beijing, China

The tour sites at the center of the city may be really close to your hotel, in which case you will have already gone. This tour focuses on the sites that are a little bit further away, that are not as easy to get to. You’ll visit the Badaling Great Wall and the Summer Palace, both located in the North of the city. This tour covers both sites in one day so as to maximize your free time in the city.

Meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel in Beijing city centre to start this tour (8:00am).

You will visit the Badaling Great Wall, the most centrally located part of the Great Wall of China. Did you know that the Great Wall is the longest piece of architecture in the world, stretching from east China’s coast to west China’s desert? As you stand on the top tower and look at the wall snaking its way across the tops of the mountains, it’s incredible to imagine that once these walls protected the Chinese empire’s land from different invaders.

The hike on Badaling Great Wall takes a total of 2 hours, and although the Badaling section is the most famous and best-preserved wall, it’s still wise to wear proper shoes and take extra water with you. The highest point at Badaling is some 800 meters above sea level, and there are cable cars available (at your own cost)

Continue to a Jade Factory to learn how this beautiful and traditionally Chinese stone is found, carved, and what kind of objects are made using it, and how the quality differs. You can browse the objects and purchase some to take home as souvenirs if you like. Following your visit to the factory, we will take you to a local restaurant to enjoy a traditional Chinese cuisine lunch.

Then you’ll be taken to the Summer Palace, one of Beijing’s most popular landmarks and one of the best examples of an imperial garden in China. The site, which covers a total of 2.9 square kilometers and incorporates a huge lake, has long been a royal garden and was considerably enlarged during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi who effectively controlled China for 47 years between 1861 and 1908.

Once the Summer Palace visit is finished, we will take you back to your hotel in Beijing city centre