China offers an incredible journey through 5,000 years of history, from the Great Wall and Forbidden City to ultramodern Shanghai skyscrapers. Experience diverse landscapes ranging from karst mountains in Guilin to the Tibetan Plateau, savor world-renowned cuisine, and witness the fusion of ancient traditions with state-of-the-art technology.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Simatai West & Gubei Water Town
Simatai is the only section of the Great Wall that can be visited at night, and its western half remains largely unrestored, with crumbling watchtowers on a steep ridge that give a sense of the wall as an abandoned military structure rather than a monument. At its base sits Gubei Water Town, a rebuilt canal town of grey-tiled houses and stone bridges that functions as a resort, with the wall lit up above it after dark. The combination lets a traveller do a strenuous hike in daylight and a much gentler evening among lanterns and canals without changing location.
Highlights: Authentic less-visited Great Wall section with evening illumination · Ancient water town with Ming-Qing architecture · Misty mountain scenery · Night visits allowed (rare for Great Wall sections)
Chengde Imperial Summer Resort
Chengde was the Qing emperors' escape from Beijing's summer heat, a vast walled park of lakes, grasslands, and forest that is larger than the Forbidden City and laid out to evoke the varied landscapes of the empire in miniature. Ringing the resort are the so-called Eight Outer Temples, several built in Tibetan and Mongol architectural styles to receive envoys from those regions, which makes the site as much a statement of Qing frontier diplomacy as a retreat. A day here means covering real distances on foot or by park transport between lake, plain, and hill zones, plus at least one temple outside the walls.
Highlights: Largest imperial garden in China (Bishu Shanzhuang) · Eight Outer Temples including Putuo Zongcheng resembling Potala Palace · Cooler mountain climate · UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tianjin
Tianjin was a treaty port carved into foreign concessions after the Opium Wars, and its Five Great Avenues district still holds streets of European-style villas built by former diplomats, warlords, and merchants, giving it an architectural mix unlike anywhere else near Beijing. It is also a working port city with its own food culture, distinct from Beijing's, and the fast G-train connection means it functions as a genuine half-day or full-day excursion rather than a long trip. The riverside and old town add a second, more distinctly Chinese layer to the city's concession-era streets.
Highlights: Italian, French, British and German concession colonial architecture · Ancient Culture Street with traditional crafts · Goubuli steamed buns restaurant (140 years old) · Five Great Avenues of colonial mansions
Mutianyu Great Wall (full day)
Mutianyu is the most heavily restored and best-maintained Great Wall section within day-trip range of Beijing, with a cable car and a toboggan run down that make it markedly more accessible than Simatai or the wilder sections further out. Its watchtowers are set among forested hills that turn color in autumn, and the walking surface is even enough for a comfortable multi-hour walk rather than a scramble. Because it is closer to the city and well set up for visitors, it suits travellers who want a substantial Great Wall experience without a long drive or a demanding hike.
Highlights: Best-preserved Wall section with toboggan descent · 23 watchtowers along 2.5 km · Dense forest setting for spectacular autumn colors in October · Cable car ascent option for families
Shanhaiguan - Where the Great Wall Meets the Sea
Shanhaiguan is the fortified pass where the Great Wall reaches the Bohai Sea, historically the eastern anchor of the entire wall system and the gateway between China proper and Manchuria. The town preserves a walled old city with the 'First Pass Under Heaven' gate tower, and a short distance away the Old Dragon's Head fort marks the point where a stone jetty of the wall runs directly into the water. It is a working town rather than a manicured tourist site, so the wall here reads as a defensive line meeting the coast rather than as scenery.
Highlights: Laolongtou (Old Dragon Head) where Great Wall enters the Bohai Sea · First Pass Under Heaven historic gate tower · Jiao Mountain - first inland mountain section of Wall · Seaside beach near Wall terminus
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organized day tours from $35-80 per person including transport, guide, and entry fees; book through hotels, hostels, or Trip.com; Mutianyu Wall tours from Beijing most popular at $50-65
- Private
- Car hire with driver from $80-150/day for Beijing day trips to Great Wall sections; essential for reaching rural areas not served by trains
- Public
- High-speed trains connect major cities and permit genuine day trips - Suzhou from Shanghai, Tianjin from Beijing easily done independently; buses serve major tourist sites
- Rental
- Car rental not practical (foreign license not valid); bicycle rental excellent for Yangshuo countryside at $5-10/day; scooter rental in Yangshuo for karst countryside exploration
Multi-day tours from China
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Book high-speed train tickets at least 1-2 weeks in advance during peak seasons (May, Oct) through Trip.com or Ctrip - popular routes sell out
Start early: leave by 7-8 AM for Great Wall day trips to arrive before tour groups and have the morning with fewer crowds
Join organized tours for sites like Terracotta Warriors where having a guide adds enormous value to the historical context
Download offline maps for day trip destinations - Gaode Maps works offline and is essential when venturing outside cities
Carry cash and hotel address card in Chinese for day trips to areas with limited English speakers