Our Beijing classic day tour is a full-day private city tour: the Temple of Heaven in the morning, when locals fill the park with tai chi and song, the Summer Palace and Kunming Lake after lunch, and an hour in the lanes around Houhai before dinner. Your own guide and car make it easy for families and seniors.
From US$175 per person, based on 2 travellers. Larger groups pay less per person.
| 1 traveller | 2 travellers | 3 travellers | 4 travellers | 5-6 travellers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US$330 | US$175 | US$125 | US$100 | US$95 |
Prices are in US dollars per person for a private tour (only your group). Groups of 7 or more: ask for a quote.
- Duration: a full day, hotel to hotel
- Group: private, just your group with your own guide and driver
- Pick-up: your hotel in central Beijing (within the 4th Ring Road)
- Walking level: easy to moderate; park paths, a few stairs at the halls, an optional climb on Longevity Hill
- Best for: first visits, families with children, grandparents, travelers who like gardens
Itinerary
Early morning: the Temple of Heaven and its park life
Your guide and driver meet you in the lobby after an early breakfast. The Temple of Heaven park opens around 6 am, and the first few hours belong to retired Beijingers. You’ll often see groups practicing tai chi and sword forms, friends kicking a shuttlecock, small choirs singing and couples dancing under the old cypresses. Your guide can tell you what each group is practicing.
From the East Gate you walk to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a round hall 38 m tall on a 6 m white marble terrace. Its 28 great columns stand for the four seasons, the twelve months, the twelve double-hours of the day and the 24 solar terms. The Danbi Bridge, a raised walkway on the temple’s 1,200 m axis, carries you south to the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Its circular Echo Wall carries sound, so a whisper along the wall can travel around it. Last comes the Circular Mound Altar at the southern end. Your through ticket covers the park and all three of these sites, which open at 8:00 as of November 2026.
Late morning: across the city to the Summer Palace
The drive to the Summer Palace takes about 40 minutes to an hour from central Beijing in normal traffic. Lunch is at a restaurant near the palace that your guide suggests, so you start the afternoon rested.
Afternoon: the Summer Palace and Kunming Lake
The Summer Palace began in 1750 as an imperial garden and was rebuilt in the 1880s. It has three parts, the palace courtyards, Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, and you see all three in one afternoon. From the East Palace Gate you walk the Long Corridor, billed as the world’s longest painted gallery. Visitors like to hunt for the painted scenes from Journey to the West as they go. Climb to the Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill if your knees are willing, or stay along the shore and stop by the Marble Boat.
Your through ticket covers the entrance and the gardens within the garden: the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the Summer Palace Museum and Suzhou Street. As of November 2026, those sites take visitors from 8:30 to 16:30 in the off-peak season, so we plan the afternoon to reach them in good time. If the season allows, you can add a boat across Kunming Lake toward South Lake Island and the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the Bronze Ox. Boats run from spring into early November, and as of November 2026 they have stopped until the ice melts in spring. The boat is optional and you pay at the pier on the day.
Late afternoon: a hutong walk
On the way back into the city, your driver drops you at the old lanes around Shichahai and Houhai, or Nanluoguxiang, for about an hour’s stroll before dinner. The main hutong streets are free to walk. Your guide picks a route along the lakeshore or down Yandai Xiejie, a short lane that leads toward Houhai, then your driver meets you and takes you back to your hotel.
If your day falls on a Monday
Unlike the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace parks stay open on Mondays, which makes this a good Monday tour. Outside summer and public holidays, though, some ticketed halls inside may be closed on Mondays: at the Temple of Heaven the main halls may be shut, and at the Summer Palace the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the museum and Suzhou Street close. On a Monday we plan the day around what is open, with more time for the gardens and the lake.
What’s included
- Private car or van with driver for your group
- English-speaking guide
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Beijing
- Temple of Heaven through ticket
- Summer Palace through ticket
Not included
- Lunch
- Optional boat ride on Kunming Lake
- Personal expenses and tips
Car drop-offs and Summer Palace wheelchairs
The two parks are on opposite sides of the city, and the drive between them in your own car doubles as a sit-down break. Your driver drops you at one gate and waits at another, so you never walk back the way you came. As of October 2026 the Temple of Heaven’s East Gate car park is temporarily closed, so we plan drop-off and pick-up points ahead. There are no shopping stops, and you can take breaks or skip a sight whenever you like.
The Summer Palace lends free wheelchairs at the East Palace Gate visitor service center, each with a hand-drawn card of step-free paths tucked in, so tell us if anyone in your group would like one.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
Booking: real-name tickets for both parks
- Message us with your dates, the number of travelers and their ages, and how much walking feels comfortable.
- We send a written day-by-day plan and a quote.
- You confirm in writing; payment details are in your booking agreement. We then book your Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace through tickets with your passport details, since both parks use real-name tickets.
The full process is on our how to book page.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and hutong guides
Plan more time at each stop with our Temple of Heaven guide, our Summer Palace guide and our guide to Beijing’s hutongs, or browse all private Beijing tours.
Frequently asked questions
Can we do this tour on a Monday?
Yes. The Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace parks stay open on Mondays. Outside summer and public holidays, some ticketed halls inside may be closed on Mondays, so on a Monday we plan the day around what is open, with more time for the gardens and the lake.
Why start at the Temple of Heaven so early?
The park opens around 6 am, and the early hours are when retired locals gather for tai chi, sword practice, shuttlecock, singing and dancing. The temple halls themselves open at 8:00, so an early start lets you see both the park life and the halls.
Is the Kunming Lake boat ride included?
No, it is optional and you pay at the pier on the day. Boats on Kunming Lake run from spring into early November, and as of November 2026 the season has ended. In winter the lake freezes and the boats stop, so we plan the walk along the shore instead.
How long is the drive between the sights?
The Summer Palace is about 40 minutes to an hour from central Beijing in normal traffic. Your private car takes you from gate to gate, so you never walk back the way you came.
Is this tour suitable for seniors?
Most of the walking is on park paths, and the climb up Longevity Hill is optional. The Summer Palace lends free wheelchairs at the East Palace Gate visitor service center. Visitors aged 60 and over often get free or reduced entry to Beijing's city parks with their passport; bring it and ask at the gate whether any concession applies.
What do the through tickets cover?
At the Temple of Heaven, the park plus the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Echo Wall and the Circular Mound Altar. At the Summer Palace, the entrance plus the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the museum and Suzhou Street.
Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.