Beijing Tours

Beijing is indeed packed with tourists, especially during holidays and the peak season from April to October. In particular, it is recommended that you avoid planning trips during the National Day holiday from October 1st to 7th and the summer vacation of July and August, when major attractions are overcrowded, tickets are hard to come by, and hotel prices are high. Even during the off-season from November to March, popular sights still require patience. 

For example, there are very strict security checks at Tiananmen Square, and you generally need to queue for at least half an hour on weekdays in the off-season and up to 1 or 2 hours on weekends or holidays. If you can get up early and arrive before 8:00 am, the queuing time will be greatly shortened. Navigating the entry to the Forbidden City is also tricky, requiring at least half an hour during the peak season, plus an additional 1-1.5 hours if you haven’t secured a reservation. Therefore, schedule your visit time wisely, or book our guided tours featuring online reservation and a group ticket channel to save you as much time as possible.

There are 8 sections of the Great Wall near Beijing, among which Badaling and Mutianyu are the two best preserved and most visited. Badaling is the first section that opened to the public and the most famous one, thus it is always packed with visitors and domestic tour groups, especially on holidays. Mutianyu is equally splendid in sceneries, but less crowded. It is more favored by foreign travelers and more child-friendly with cable car and slide way equipped. 

Besides the above two restored sections, Jinshanling is also popular for its primitive features. Travelers who like challenges may choose to take the most popular Great Wall hiking route from Jinshanling to Simatai. Simatai is the only section opened for a night tour and the Gubei Water Town at the foot of the wall deserves a visit as well.

March to June and September to October are the best visiting times, with comfortable temperatures and the most beautiful scenery. The mountains surrounding the Great Wall are dotted with apricot flowers and peach blossom from March to April, and from September to November, it winds through a sea of red leaves, bringing you an ultimate aesthetic pleasure. However, we strongly recommend that you avoid the National Day holiday on the first week of October, when the Great Wall is awfully crowded, making it difficult to enjoy the travel and shoot good photos. Other short Chinese holidays, like May Day and Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, also tend to see a small peak, so stagger them if possible. 

It’s best not to come during the summer vacation from July to August because of the unbearable hot weather and excessive student visitors. As for December to the next February, it’s cold, windy, and sometimes snowy, making the Great Wall slippery and posing challenges for the visit. However, for those who don't mind the chill, the wall’s serene snowscape offers a breathtaking and quiet reward.

In general, Beijing is safe for tourists, even when visiting at night. Although you won’t encounter heinous crimes like robbery, still be wary of the possibility of petty thefts of your wallets, phones, and other valuables in crowded places. 

Special attention should be paid to traffic safety. Intersections without traffic signals can be incredibly complex, with a large number of cars, motorcycles, e-bikes, bicycles, and pedestrians merging simultaneously. At zebra crossings, vehicles are very likely not to yield to pedestrians, which might be because the deep-seated vestige in ancient China that ordinary people had to give way to dignitaries and nobles in carriages has not been completely eliminated. Motorcycles and e-bikes often disregard crosswalks and won’t give way to you. It’s also common to see pedestrians run red lights. With a population of 22 million and over 8 million registered vehicles, Beijing implements a traffic restriction based on the last two digits of license plate numbers every weekday; however, the pressure on traffic remains significant. Therefore, keep your eyes on all directions when crossing the road. Stay alert even in the outskirts with fewer vehicles, as they often run at high speeds, and traffic rule violations may be more frequent, increasing the risk.

Yes. Most of sightseeing spots such as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace are very large, and demand a fair amount of walking. However, you can ask your private guide to slow down the travel pace. Although there are many stairs on the Great Wall, you can take the cable car should you prefer. A pair of comfortable shoes is always highly recommended when traveling.

Many travelers have the Terracotta Warriors on their holiday bucket lists, so one or two days trip to Xian is recommended. It is very easy to make it as flights and high-speed trains between the two cities operate frequently every day. Besides, you may also consider visiting Shanghai by flight or Datong by high-speed train in one or two days.