Private Half Day Tour to Beijing Panda House and Summer Palace

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Beijing, China

4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Henry_R ·

Jun 2026

We did 3 person tour, guide picked us up from hotel and arrived early. We took taxis between locations. Guide Renny was very friendly and get English was easy to understand. During the tours she provided many facts and was accommodating for things like quick shopping and photo opportunities. Thank you Renny and team, we had a wonderful time in Beijing and will recommend you to family and friends!

· PDX_M ·

Dec 2025

My guide Jeffrey was friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of the summer Palace and explained what we were seeing and was really good at taking pictures. The panda bears were also very cute. I highly recommend this tour.

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Overview

Combine pandas, a boat ride, and a UNESCO World Heritage site in one experience on this private half-day tour in Beijing. Go see giant panda bears at the Panda House in the Beijing Zoo with hotel pickup and drop-off included. Then tour the Summer Palace, an original royal garden, and enjoy a pleasant boat ride (fee extra) on scenic Kunming Lake, all in just a few hours.

Enjoy a more personalized experience with a private tour
Entrance fees for the Beijing Zoo and Summer Palace included
Relax with hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off from central Beijing
Stop by the Birds’ Nest and Water Cube for photos

What's Included

Bottled water
Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off(downtown hotel)
Private tour
Entrance fees

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Boat fee

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

You will pickup in your city center hotel lobby

Itinerary

Beijing

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Summer Palace

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Long Corridor at the Summer Palace

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Qingyan Stone Boat

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Please wear comfortable walking shoes
Dragon boat ride is subject to availability (it might be closed during winter time)
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 37 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Solid tour

Henry_R, Jun 2026

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Dear Henry Thank you for your lovely review! Renny is thrilled she picked your trio up early from the hotel and delivered easy-to-follow English commentary throughout your sightseeing. She’s glad to flex your schedule for spontaneous shopping stops and photo taking as you wished. We really appreciate you recommending our service to your family and friends, and wish you all the best for your upcoming travels! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Flexible guide with Viator

Rachelle_M, May 2026

Sunny our guide was excellent. She spoke English well and was easy to talk to and I was able to alter our itinerary for the day as we had already seen the Giant pandas and Summer Palace the previous day on our group tour. Instead, we were able to see Olympic Park and take photos of the Bird's Nest and the Bubble Bldg or Cube where Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals in tje 2008 Beijing Olympics. We also visited the Temple of Heaven as well as Hongqiao Pearl Market nearby. It was a wonderful day to spend outdoors. Sunny availed of Didi Car service and they were prompt. Drivers were able to navigate the City well despite road closures when Putin was in town. We were very pleased with Viator services and prompt communication throughout our visit. And Sunny's good disposition, patience and warmth was apparent. She was willing to help with our purchases as well. We are definitely returning to China. There is much more to see and explore.

Response from Host, May 2026

Dear Guest Thanks a lot for your detailed nice review!Delighted Sunny flexibly adjusted your itinerary and offered thoughtful help. We really appreciate your recognition and look forward to your next visit to China. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Great tour with bruce

Nikita_K, Apr 2026

Lovely afternoon with bruce our tour guide first we visited the pandas then made our way to the summer palace. Bruce was very knowledgeable & friendly at the summer palace bruce told us all about the history. An amazing afternoon well spent.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Dear Guest Thank you so much for your lovely review!We’re so glad you had an amazing afternoon with Bruce.It’s wonderful to hear he was knowledgeable and friendly, sharing the history of the Summer Palace and making your whole experience enjoyable.We’ll be sure to pass on your kind compliments to him! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Rita was a super guide....

Sherry_D, Apr 2026

Rita was a super guide. Knowledgeable friendly & funny! We got lucky and saw 4 pandas at play, and the history and beauty of the summer palace were fascinating! Thank you Rita for an amazing half day!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Dear Guest Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such an amazing half-day tour with Rita. It’s wonderful that her knowledgeable, friendly and funny personality made your experience so enjoyable, and that you were lucky enough to see four pandas playing! We really appreciate your feedback and will definitely pass on your kind words to Rita. Hope to welcome you back for more wonderful adventures soon! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Beautiful sites and cute panda bears

PDX_M, Dec 2025

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Friend, Thank you so much for your fantastic review and great recommendation! We’re thrilled to hear Jeffrey made your half-day tour of the Summer Palace and the panda experience such a wonderful time for you. His friendliness, profound historical knowledge of the Summer Palace and excellent photography skills are exactly the quality service we strive to provide for every guest, and we’re glad the cute pandas added more joy to your tour too. We’ll be sure to pass all your lovely praise to Jeffrey—he will be absolutely delighted. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more amazing Beijing experiences soon!

Definitely booked this in Beijing

Traci_G, Oct 2025

Dennis was a guy that I would recommend He took us to the pandas and the summer house Never have been in and out of a zoo so fast but check check done we saw the pandas two of them Summer house was much more than we anticipated. His knowledge was fast and interesting. Highly recommend him.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Traci, Thank you so much for your fantastic review and glowing recommendation of **Dennis**! We’re thrilled you had a great time on the Private Half Day Panda House and Summer Palace Tour with him. It’s awesome he got you in and out of the panda house efficiently to see the pandas, and that the Summer Palace exceeded all your expectations—his quick, interesting knowledge really made the tour shine! We’ll pass all your praise on to Dennis directly. It was our pleasure to host you, and hope to welcome you back for more amazing Beijing adventures soon! Warm regards, Lily's Tours Beijing Team

Private Visit

MIKE_T, Mar 2025

We took private visit but would have preferred a group one as communication was stunted. Trip great though

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Guest Thank you so much for your feedback!We’re really glad you enjoyed the trip overall, and we appreciate you letting us know about your preference for a group tour. We’ll keep your thoughts in mind to improve our service in the future.Hope to have the chance to welcome you again soon! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Great Tour, but would be better for 1-2 days as too rushed in half day

Matt_E, Jan 2025

We had a fabulous tour, though the zoo can probably be equally enjoyed without a guide. It was more helpful to have a guide for Summer Palace. If you have more time spend a day to do both of these or even a day each.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Guest Hi there! 😊 A huge thank you for this awesome, honest review—and for sharing such great tips for future travelers, that’s so helpful! We’re stoked you had a fabulous tour with us, and totally get what you mean about the zoo vs. the Summer Palace—our guides really shine at bringing all the history and details of the Summer Palace to life, so it’s awesome to hear that was such a win for you! Thanks a million for choosing Lily’s Tour Company for your Beijing adventure, and for the great time-saving advice for everyone else. Hope the rest of your time in the city is just as lovely, and we’d love to welcome you back for more explorations anytime! The best Regards Annie

Cute panda bear

MrYongyuth_A, Dec 2024

Today we went to Beijing zoo with our guide Maggie from Lily's Tour Company, who took us to see the pandas which are the highlight. After that we visited Summer Palace which has a beautiful view. Maggie tells the history, gives us understanding beliefs and culture of Chinese people. On this trip to Beijing, we received excellent service from our guide Maggie Throughout two trips. If you are planning, we would like to recommend

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Guest, Thank you for your lovely review. We strive to provide the best experience, and we’re happy we succeeded. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Pandas are great

Jennifer_R, Nov 2024

The pandas were so cute, and the Summer Palace was beautiful! It was the perfect amount of time for me at both places. We did finish early enough that we went to a tea ceremony, sampling the tea and learning about the different types was fun, only drawback is the lady at the tea ceremony was extremely pushy about purchasing tea, it was uncomfortable.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Dear Guest, Thank you for your lovely review. We strive to provide the best experience, and we’re happy we succeeded. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Great Tour and Guide (Lucy)

Connie_B, Sep 2024

The tour and Lucy, are guide, were fantastic. Lucy is incredibly knowledgeable, her English is excellent and she knows where to take the best photos. Her description of Chinese history and culture was clear and interesting. She took us to a great local lunch spot and helped us make some great choices. We got excellent photos of the pandas and the Summer Palace is amazing. I highly recommend this tour and Lucy, our tour guide.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Dear Guest, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful review of your private half-day tour to the Beijing Panda House and Summer Palace. We are absolutely delighted to hear that you had a fantastic experience with our tour and especially with Lucy, your guide. We greatly appreciate your kind words about her extensive knowledge, excellent English, professional guidance, and great eye for the best photo spots. We are also happy that you enjoyed the historical and cultural insights, the lovely local lunch, and your memorable photos of the pandas and the Summer Palace. Thank you once again for your high recommendation. We truly value your support and look forward to welcoming you back to Beijing for another unforgettable adventure with us soon. Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team

Lovely afternoon tour

Lee_C, Apr 2024

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!! My guide Maggie was very friendly and knowledgeable. The Summer displace is beautiful and then to see the Pandas at the zoo, just capped off a wonderful day. Would definitely recommend Maggie and this tour.

The panda experience was...

Jasmin_W, May 2026

The panda experience was not worth it, too many tourists and I feel sorry for the pandas. But the Summer Palace was cool. Bruce, my guide, was great. I can only recommend it further.

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Response from Host, May 2026

Dear Guest Thank you for your honest feedback! We understand you felt the panda experience was not ideal due to large crowds, and we totally get your feelings. Glad you really loved the Summer Palace scenery though. We’re happy that your guide Bruce did an excellent job and brought you a nice tour experience. Thanks a lot for recommending him warmly! We will pass your words to Bruce sincerely. Wish you a pleasant rest of your trip! Best regards, Lily's Beijing Tours Team