Private Summer Palace Walking Tour

Embark on a memorable Summer Palace journey with our 4 tailored one-day tours, each matching your needs for time, comfort, and exploration depth.

Package 1: 2-Hour Guided Tour (Self-Meetup)
Great for tight schedules: meet your guide at the Summer Palace East Gate (self-transport), and explore iconic spots with imperial stories.

Package 2: 4-Hour Budget Tour (Subway Transfer)
Budget-friendly choice: includes subway transfers from downtown Beijing hotels. Explore key attractions at a leisurely pace, low cost.

Package 3: 4-Hour Comfort Tour (Private Car Transfer)
Relaxed experience: private car transfers from Beijing hotels (taxis near the Summer Palace are hard to hail). Enjoy stress-free exploration with a guide.

Package 4: 6-Hour In-Depth Tour (Car + Guide + Museums)
Premium deep dive: hotel pickup by guide and driver. Explore gardens, scenic spots, and on-site museums to uncover rich heritage stories.

Your Summer Palace adventure begins with meeting your guide. Once you’re together, your journey into this imperial garden’s charm and history gets underway, starting right at the East Gate.

Here, your guide will gather you by a map to share a detailed overview of the Summer Palace: its imperial origins, its role in Qing Dynasty life, and the thoughtful architectural layout that makes it a masterpiece of classical Chinese gardening. This introduction sets the stage for what’s to come, helping you grasp the grandeur of the space before you dive into exploring. Your first stop is Hall of Benevolence and Longevity—the former main administrative hall of the Summer Palace, where Qing emperors once held court and received officials. Your guide will walk you through its imperial decor, explain its role in state affairs, and share stories of how rulers like Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi used this space to manage court business.

Next, you’ll move to Magnolia Hall, a serene courtyard-style building once used as a retreat by Emperor Guangxu. Named for the magnolia trees that bloom here in spring, this hall holds poignant historical ties—your guide will recount how it became a de facto place of confinement for Guangxu after the failure of the Hundred Days’ Reform, painting a vivid picture of his later years. From there, you’ll head to Hall of Joyful Longevity, Empress Dowager Cixi’s primary residence in the Summer Palace. Adorned with luxurious furnishings and surrounded by a lush garden, this hall offers a glimpse into Cixi’s daily life; your guide will share anecdotes about her routines, her love for the garden, and how she exerted influence over the Qing court from this tranquil space.

After exploring these three key halls, you’ll stroll along the Long Corridor, the longest covered walkway in the world at over 728 meters with 273 bays. Its ceiling is adorned with more than 14,000 colorful paintings—depicting scenes from Chinese mythology, history, and literature—and as you walk, your guide will pick out notable artworks, sharing the folk tales and historical events behind them, turning a simple stroll into an engaging lesson in art and lore.

When you reach the Summer Palace’s Central Axis—the core of the garden’s layout, designed to emphasize imperial grandeur—you’ll ascend to Tower of Buddhist Incense. Perched atop Longevity Hill, this towering structure is the garden’s visual and spiritual center; inside, simple yet insightful exhibitions showcase cultural relics like ancient Buddhist statues and architectural models, while from its upper levels, you’ll enjoy sweeping views of Kunming Lake, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and the surrounding gardens—your guide will point out these landmarks and explain how they fit into the axis’s symmetrical design.

Return to the Central Axis and continue along the Long Corridor until you reach its western end: the Marble Boat. This unique stone vessel, with its Western-style hull and Chinese-style roof, stands out amid the garden’s traditional architecture. Your guide will reveal the story behind its construction—commissioned by Empress Dowager Cixi using funds originally earmarked for the imperial navy—and explain its symbolic meaning as a “permanent ship” representing the Qing Dynasty’s desire for stability, wrapping up this part of your tour with a thought-provoking historical insight.

During the tour you will not feel been rushed. Once the tour finished near the Marble boat, you can continue to explore more of the Summer Palace gardens or your guide will give suggestions on how to get to your next destinations and how. (if you choose the tour with transfer, your driver will take you back to your hotel or next place)

If you’ve opted for the 6-hour in-depth tour, the adventure doesn’t stop there. Beyond the above highlights, you’ll explore additional sites to dig deeper into the Summer Palace’s legacy: first, Garden of Virtue and Harmony, an imperial garden within the larger complex that’s home to one of China’s largest ancient opera houses. This grand theater, with three tiers and intricate stage machinery, was built for Cixi’s birthday celebrations—your guide will explain its unique acoustic design (which allows performances to be heard clearly without amplification), its elaborate backdrops, and how it hosted lavish operas that entertained the imperial court.

Then, depending on your interests, you’ll either wander Suzhou Street—a recreated Qing-era commercial street along Kunming Lake’s northern bank, lined with traditional shops that mimic the style of Suzhou’s water towns, offering a glimpse into the daily commerce of the imperial era—or visit the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, which spans the eastern end of Kunming Lake. With 17 arches, this bridge is a masterpiece of classical Chinese bridge design; your guide will share stories of its construction and how it was used by the imperial family to cross to Nanhu Island. In either case, your guide will tie these spots to late Qing history, weaving in tales of Cixi’s extravagances, Guangxu’s struggles, and the broader political and cultural shifts of the time, ensuring that by the end of your tour, you’ve not just visited a garden, but uncovered the rich, often untold stories that make the Summer Palace a true treasure of Chinese heritage.