Beijing Mini Group Day Tour, No Shopping

There is a long-standing oddity in the tourism market: that is, 90% of China tour operators worldwide always incorporate shopping stops into their so-called low-price tours to compensate for the travel cost or even to make higher profits. However, with us, you’ll be guaranteed to engage in shopping-free tours with just pure sightseeing experiences, at a competitive or even lower price.

Typically, a shopping tour will take you to one or two shopping stops per day, each wasting at least one hour of your time, where salespeople will lure you into buying overpriced goods. For the benefit of those travel agencies, about USD 30 kickback from each customer brought in will be obtained. Also, some tour companies will be vague about shopping in their itineraries, substituting it for attending a jade factory or a tea ceremony, while others may even not mention it at all. Thus it is essential to ask clearly whether any shopping stops are included when booking a trip. Even though, from 2025, China has implemented the Instant Tax Refund policy, allowing foreign tourists to directly enjoy cheaper ‘Made in China’ goods, you’ll benefit nothing from this policy if you are buying in such shops because of travel agencies’ commission charges.

We will inform you of the specific pick-up time one day in advance. Please arrive at the lobby five minutes earlier than the agreed time. Your guide will pick you up and then take you to meet with other group members. If you do not receive any pick-up information before 20:00 the previous day, please do get on to your travel consultant.

On this Beijing mini group tour, you will be guided to Tiananmen Square first, then walk through the square to the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. We will book the entrance tickets online beforehand, and you can follow your guide to enter the grandest palace complex directly. The Forbidden City is one of the largest and best-preserved wooden structures in the world with a history of over 600 years. It is marvelous with spectacular palaces, beautiful garden and numerous valuable relics from all dynasties. You will visit the important palaces, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Preserved Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and then leave from the Gate of Divine Prowess. You will spend about 3 hours at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

After that, we will drive for about 1.5 hours to the Mutianyu Great Wall. In order to leave you with more time on the Wall, today's lunch is not included. There are many restaurants near the site. You can try simple Chinese food, like dumplings, noodles and fried rice, or Western fast food at Burger King or Subway. You may eat there or take it away. Your guide will offer you some helpful advice.

Mutianyu Great Wall, which is majestic with charming scenery, is the longest section of the Great Wall in China. It is attractive for the high vegetation coverage, peculiar passes, intensive watch towers and distinctive crenels on both sides. The most beautiful part of the Mutianyu Great Wall is in the No. 17, 18, 19 and 20 watch towers. You have 3 ways to go up to the great wall, and after arriving, you may hike east to appreciate the spectacular views along the way. You will have 2-3 hours hiking on the wall.

• On Foot: Young people who love mountain climbing can choose to walk up and down the Great Wall. It takes about 30 minutes for a single trip with about 500 steps. There are two entrances to reach the No.6, 8 or 10 watch tower. You may ask your guide for more details.
• Cable Car: Taking the cable car can set more time aside on the Great Wall. A round-trip ticket costs CNY140 and a single trip costs CNY100. The cable car is fully enclosed and can reach the No. 14 watch tower.

Then, we will drive back to downtown Beijing. Along the way, you can take a nice break to refresh yourself from the tiredness of the great wall hiking.

If you are interested in exploring the night life of Beijing, your guide will take you to the area of Houhai Bar Street and Tobacco Pipe Lane (Yandai Xiejie), where there are many bars, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and snack shops. You may enjoy your own leisure time there and get back to the hotel by taxi afterwards.

If you would like to go back to the hotel directly, your guide will transfer you to the hotel after dropping others off there. Thank you for traveling with us!