Top Beijing Layover Tours

Very good tour, Lucy was extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout. Covers a huge amount of Beijing and Great Wall in a single day and strongly recommend. One slight bit of advice. Viator support informed me that it was possible to do pick up and drop off at the airport (as I was on a layover) which is not the case. Pick up is in Central Beijing and they can drop you off 20-25 min from Airport and requires Taxi or Didi. Suggest updating the messaging on the Viator listing.

This was the perfect layover tour for me. Naomi , my guide, was very friendly, helpful & she made sure that I get to see the sights I wanted in a reasonable time & still managed to drop be off in time for my next flight. It was a great experience & I’m thankful to Naomi for that. She even gave me a panda bracelet souvenir which I appreciate. Communication from the tour group is also very efficient.

I had a great time seeing the Forbidden City with Rita. I was the only person who showed up for my time slot, so I had a private tour all to myself! She shared lots of interesting stories about the history of the Imperial Palace, the succession of emperors, daily life inside the walls, political intrigue, and more. I feel like I learned a ton, more than I expected. There were a lot of interesting artifacts on display, and even though some spots were quite crowded, people cycled through fast enough that I was able to get a good picture of everything I wanted.

Jackie was really kind, the driving was smooth and efficient! We were almost alone during the entire hike, we saw about 20 tourists total (perfect for pictures) The itinerary was perfect and we really felt like it was authentic! Jackie was waiting for us at the meet-up location for the sunset and we were the only person there!

Mark gave us what was easily one of the most unforgettable travel experiences we’ve ever had, all during a layover in Beijing. We had an 18 hour layover and wanted to get the most out of it, we booked his longest tour and then discussed with him how we could make it even longer to truly experience as much as possible. From the very beginning, the experience was exceptional: he timed our airport pickup perfectly, somehow predicting exactly when we’d make it through immigration and customs, which made a huge difference after an international flight with very little sleep. His vehicle alone felt like a luxury recovery lounge — incredibly comfortable seats that nearly laid back and even propped up our legs. It was exactly what we needed to recharge before an action-packed day when we were running on only a couple hours of sleep. Mark curated the perfect Beijing experience for us. We started at the Great Wall, where we took a chair lift up, explored, and then had an absolute blast taking the toboggan down. From there, he brought us to a great tea ceremony that was both relaxing and fascinating. Next was the Forbidden City, where Mark’s knowledge truly shined. He was constantly sharing incredible stories, historical facts, and cultural insights that made every stop feel meaningful. Thanks to his knowledge, we even got to see some of the terracotta warriors on display at the palace that we never would have known about otherwise. The day somehow kept getting better. Mark then took us for one of the most authentic and delicious Peking Duck dinners imaginable where we all got to talk about everyday life in China and how much Beijing had changed since he was a boy. After dinner, we grabbed bikes and rode past Tiananmen Square before heading into a hutong market for shopping, which was the perfect way to experience Beijing at night before heading back to the airport. What’s most impressive is how seamlessly Mark made this all happen. In just one layover, he gave us a rich, exciting, comfortable, and deeply memorable experience of Beijing. He is knowledgeable, organized, thoughtful, and clearly passionate about what he does. If you have even a short stop in Beijing, booking Mark Ma is one of the best travel decisions you could make. We cannot recommend him highly enough. Truly an amazing guide and an absolutely incredible day!

Absolutely fantastic experience. Our driver was lovely. Was at our hotel ontime bright and early at 6:30am. He organised our tickets for the lift and told us to just take our time and enjoy the beautiful scenery. I highly recommend booking this tour and getting the earliest time of 6:30am. We were leaving when many of the crowds were just arriving. Was a great experience being on the wall with no other tourists. Easier to take pictures!

I recently went on a tour of the Great Wall of China, and it was a fantastic experience. Our guide, Kevin, was incredibly friendly and shared so much interesting history about the Wall and the country as a whole. His knowledge and enthusiasm really added to the day. I had a great time from start to finish and would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting China.

We are extremely pleased with our full-day tour of the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall! This section is not crowded, so we were able to take fabulous pictures without waiting on others. Hill, our tour guide arrived on-time and was a very safe driver. His English skills are very good and he shared historical details of the wall while he walked it with us. We never felt rushed and my co-worker hiked a few more towers than I did, while Hill stayed with me. I highly recommend this tour if you are looking for a non-crowded, full day experience of a very beautiful section of the Great Wall.