Day trip to Mutianyu Great Wall + Summer Palace with Tickets by CITS x ZANBUS

This full-day tour combines two of Beijing's most celebrated UNESCO sites in a single, well-organized itinerary. You'll start at Mutianyu, a Ming Dynasty Great Wall section built between 1368 and 1644, featuring 22 watchtowers along a 2.25-kilometre stretch. The wall's intact battlements and crenellations wind through mountains blanketed with over 90% vegetation coverage, creating dramatic seasonal backdrops. You can ascend via cable car or chairlift, walk the wall at your own pace, and learn about ancient military engineering from your bilingual guide.

After exploring the wall, you'll travel to the Summer Palace, China's largest preserved imperial garden spanning 290 hectares. Three-quarters of the site is occupied by Kunming Lake, surrounded by temples, pavilions, and willow-lined pathways. Walk the 728-metre Long Corridor decorated with 14,000 painted scenes, cross the Seventeen-Arched Bridge, and visit the Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill. Your guide shares stories of Qing Dynasty emperors who used this retreat to escape Beijing's summer heat.

Round-trip transport in an air-conditioned bus departs from Jinbao Street at 07:30 and returns around 17:30. Entry tickets to both sites are included, along with a shuttle bus at Mutianyu. The tour operates daily with no shopping stops built into the schedule.

You'll meet your guide at the Jinbao Street parking lot in the Wangfujing area at 07:30 for departure in an air-conditioned tourist bus. The journey takes you first to Mutianyu, where your entrance ticket and shuttle bus are included. Once at the wall, you can choose to ascend via cable car or chairlift for panoramic mountain views, then explore the 2.25-kilometre section at your own pace. Your guide shares insights into the wall's military history and construction techniques from the Ming Dynasty. Optional toboggan rides are available for descent.

After your time at the Great Wall, you'll travel to the Summer Palace, where you have your entrance ticket ready. Guided walks take you through key areas including the painted Long Corridor, across the Seventeen-Arched Bridge, and to viewpoints on Longevity Hill. You'll learn about the Qing Dynasty imperial family's summer retreat as you wander past temples, pavilions, and the shores of Kunming Lake. The tour concludes with drop-off at Bird's Nest Subway Station around 17:30.