Beijing Private Tour to Mutianyu Great Wall and Temple of Heaven

Expect to be picked up by private vehicle around 7.30 am (Summer time), 8.30 am (in winter) in your hotel lobby, where you’ll meet your English speaking guide. If due to the early start, breakfast has not been available at your hotel, a short stop at a Starbucks is possible.

You’ll travel to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, a 1.5 hour drive from the city, where you’ll have about two hours to explore the site, view its Watch Towers and enjoy its breathtaking scenery. As most people arrive around 10:30 am, you’ll enjoy a visit that is less touristy than if arriving later in the day. The Mutianyu section of the wall is considered one of the more diverse and one of the best preserved sections of the wall.

The Great Wall dates back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557). Then again it was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644) to provide a protective defence barrier to guard the capital and imperial mausoleums from invaders.

On arrival your tickets will be purchased and your guide will take you to the entrance to mount the ramparts. Your tour, being a fully inclusive one includes the tickets for the return cable car, chair lift or combination chair lift up / toboggan descent.

You can see 23 Watch Towers distributed along the ramparts - more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in length. This stretch of the UNESCO listed Great Wall is known for its beautiful surroundings, including dense forests and rich pastures. In the company of your guide, you’ll hear some interesting bits about its construction and its intent to thwart any impending threat of invasion.

After your descent from the Wall you’ll enjoy a leisurely, authentic style lunch in a local Chinese restaurant.

After lunch you’ll be driven back to the city to visit The Temple of Heaven, one of the most perfect examples of Ming architecture. The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, the third Emperor in the Ming dynasty. He was also responsible for the construction of The Forbidden City. The complex was extended and renamed The Temple of Heaven during the 16th century.

The temple complex was a place of prayer and ceremony, a place where Chinese Emperors came to seek divine intervention to ensure the harvests that year were good. You’ll visit the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Circular Mound Altar where you’ll learn about the ancient worshipping rituals and sacrificial dances performed at that time.

The Temple of Heaven is located in a very large park, surrounded by a grove of pine trees. It’s also a place where today’s citizens come to do various exercises and leisure pursuits.

After your visit to the temple you’ll be taken back to your hotel where your guide will wish you a fond farewell.