Beijing tours, sightseeing, things to do

Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.com

Beijing

Trip Planning & Itineraries

If your visions of Beijing are centered around pods of Maoist revolutionaries in buttoned-down tunics performing exercises in Tiananmen Square, put them to rest: this city has embarked on a new-millennium rollercoaster and it's taking the rest of China with it.

One of China's true ancient citadels, today's Beijing is an aspiring, confident and modern city that seems assured of its destiny to rule over China into the future. The orderly seat of Communist power in China retraces every architectural mood swing, from narrow alleys from centuries past to blank Soviet-style monuments and shimmering high-rise towers.

Best of Beijing: Top 3 Must-Do Experiences

Beijing Full-Day Tour: Classic Sightseeing

From USD $78.00

Great Wall of China & Ming Tombs: The Big 2

From USD $68.00

Acrobatic Show & Dinner: Peking Duck!

From USD $78.00

Best of Beijing: Suggested Itineraries

Read on for ideas to see the best of Beijing - and if you're still stuck for inspiration, read more Beijing Suggested Itineraries.

Beijing Tours

There's so much to see and do in Beijing, and we've got all the highlights covered. If you're only in town for a day or two, a private customized tour is highly recommended. Choose where you'd like to go - maybe the Forbidden City, Lama Temple and some shopping - and your friendly professional guide will make it happen. If you have a couple of days to spare, split your sightseeing into two classic full-day tours. Visit the Summer Palace, Lama Temple and Panda Garden one day, then tour the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven the next. And to complete the experience, travel into the past on a rickshaw ride through Old Beijing's narrow streets, and spend the evening dining on Peking duck and watching an acrobatic show.

More Beijing Tours »

Day Trips from Beijing

The most popular day trip from Beijing is of course the Great Wall of China. We have tours to the steeper and older Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, with its parapets and watchtowers. The popular and well-preserved Badaling section is an easier climb, and the day tour includes a visit to the sacred Ming Tombs. Both tours include lunch and a shopping stop. You might like to include the Great Wall at Badaling with a visit to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. And at the end of your visit, pick up your round-trip airport transportation to and from Beijing airport and your city-centre hotel.

More Day Trips from Beijing »

Best of Beijing: Top Hotels

Hotel Kapok

Design-led and chic, boutique hotel Kapok targets travelers who demand a measure of minimalist style and sophistication. The location is central, the feel is international, and plenty of glass creates a light and airy atmosphere.

Wangfujing Grand Hotel

From the ocean liner lobby to the sweeping views of the Forbidden City from the upper-floor deluxe rooms, the ambiance is suitably grand at the Wangfujing Grand. It's right on Wangfujing Dajie, one of Beijing's top shopping and eating streets, so there's shopping, eating and some of the greatest attractions in the city on your doorstep.

Raffles Beijing Hotel

The Raffles group have brought professional service to Beijing's most historic European style-hotel, right in the very heart of town. Seeking to maximize its European dimensions and illuminated in a chandelier glow, the attractive lobby leads to an elegant staircase. Standard doubles are immaculate, spacious and well proportioned, decked out with period-style furniture.

Best of Beijing: Top Restaurants

Bellagio

The nightclub vibe and spiky-haired waitstaff (yep, the hairstyle is part of the job) set this hip eatery apart. Come between midnight and dawn and it will be packed with clubbers tucking into Bellagio's famous baobing desserts made from shaved ice, fruit, nuts and condensed milk.

Courtyard Restaurant

As if the dining room overlooking the Forbidden City's moat wasn't enough, this restaurant boasts one of the best wine lists in Beijing and an ever-changing fusion menu that combines Asian and European flavours. An English menu is available.

Huang Ting

Faux Old Peking is taken to an extreme in the courtyard setting of Huang Ting. In the five-star Peninsula Hotel, caressed by the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, you can dine in the comfort of a re-created nobleman's home on whole Peking duck and roast suckling pig.