These are the questions travelers ask us most before booking a private Beijing tour: what’s included, how reservations work, which Great Wall section to choose, visas, payments and traveling with children or older relatives. If yours isn’t here, ask us on WhatsApp or e-mail. You don’t need to book first.
- Private: just your group, your own guide and car
- Reservations: Forbidden City tickets open 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time
- Mondays: the Forbidden City is closed, except on public holidays
- Passports: bring the passport used for each reservation
- Tips: not included in our prices; up to you
What a private tour includes
Every tour is private. Your guide speaks English (a Mandarin-speaking guide is available on request), and your driver stays with your group for the day. City and Great Wall day tours include hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Beijing; the layover tour starts at the airport and the cruise-port tour runs port to port. The exact inclusions are listed on each tour page and again in your written quote. Start with our private Beijing tours.
How Forbidden City and Tiananmen bookings work
Several of Beijing’s main sights use real-name reservations. The Forbidden City releases tickets at 20:00 seven days before each date, and none are sold on the day. Tiananmen Square has its own free booking, one to seven days ahead. Once you confirm your trip we ask for each traveler’s passport name and number, then reserve the sights listed in your plan. Read more on our Forbidden City tickets and Tiananmen Square guides.
Which Great Wall section we suggest
For first visits and family groups we usually suggest Mutianyu, where the cable car goes up to Tower 14. Keen hikers get more out of Jinshanling, and Simatai, above Gubei Water Town, is the one to walk after dark. We only take guests to officially open sections. Compare them in which part of the Great Wall to visit.
Visas and paying in China
Visa rules depend on your passport. The visa-free entry guide explains the 30-day visa-free list and 240-hour transit. For payments, most visitors set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before arrival and carry some cash as backup; see Beijing travel essentials.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Are your tours really private?
Every tour is just your group, with your own licensed English-speaking guide and a private car or van with a driver. No other travelers join, and there are no shopping stops.
What does a day tour include?
Each tour page lists its inclusions. City and Great Wall day tours include a private car with driver, an English-speaking guide, hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Beijing and the entrance tickets named on the page; the layover tour uses airport pick-up instead. Meals are usually not included.
How do Forbidden City tickets work?
Tickets are real-name and open at 20:00 Beijing time seven days before each visit date. None are sold on the day of the visit. The museum authorizes no third-party ticket sellers, so once you confirm, we reserve through our licensed travel agency's group booking with each traveler's passport details and consent, and you bring the same passport on the day.
Is the Forbidden City open on Mondays?
No. The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays except on public holidays, so we plan your Forbidden City visit for another day of your trip.
Which Great Wall section should we choose?
Mutianyu suits most first-time visitors, families and grandparents thanks to its cable car. Jinshanling suits keen hikers, and Simatai is the section you can walk in the evening. We only visit officially open sections.
Do US citizens need a visa?
The United States is not in China's 30-day visa-free list. US citizens can use 240-hour visa-free transit with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, or apply for a tourist (L) visa.
Should we tip our guide and driver?
Tips are not included in our prices. If you would like to thank your guide or driver, that is entirely your choice, and there is no fixed amount or rule.
Can you plan for children and older travelers?
Tell us everyone's age and how much walking feels comfortable. With young children or grandparents we usually pick Mutianyu for its cable car, add rest stops and longer lunches, and take a shorter route through the Forbidden City. Children are priced by what they use, a seat and the child ticket where a sight offers one, with no flat child rate.
Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.