10 Best Food Tours of Beijing

Beijing cuisine is one of the most distinctive of Chinese cuisine, so it is necessary that you know this part of Chinese culture when you travel to the Chinese capital. One of the most famous foods of this region is Peking Duck, which is also known as lacquered duck, so it is certainly one of the delicacies that you should not miss.

Without a doubt, signing up for a gastronomic tour is an essential plan to know the wide variety of culinary experiences that you will find in this city, ranging from tastings in restaurants to visits to local markets and cooking classes.

Booking a food tour by tuk tuk gives you the opportunity to explore Beijing's ancient alleys and courtyards, known as hutongs, in the company of a small group of tourists and thus enjoy a varied selection of delicious food in local restaurants and homes that would otherwise be difficult to find on your own. And all this on one of the best tours of Beijing's hutongs aboard a tuk tuk.

You'll experience the flavors of traditional dishes, such as noodles and grilled meats, while learning about the local cuisine and sampling a variety of unlimited beers. You even have the opportunity to visit a local brewery. Before you go on your tour, you need to know that the tastings are equivalent to a full dinner, so I recommend you go on this tour very hungry.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 85 € per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: It will take you about 3 hours and a half to complete this activity.
• Means of transportation: The whole tour is completed by minivan.
• Advantages of this option: Private transportation, tastings, dinner, drinks, the accompaniment of a driver and a local guide are included. The tour will be for small groups, no more than 10 people. Vegetarian option is available as long as you let us know at the time of booking.
• Disadvantages of this option: This tour is not recommended for wheelchair users. Tips and personal expenses are not included.

After the gastronomic tour in tuk tuk, this gastronomic and cultural tour in Beijing is my favorite and it is a very enriching experience both if you are a lover of food and Chinese culture, and is that in addition to its gastronomy, Beijing is a city rich in culture and history, with many tourist places to visit, among which are the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, just to mention a few.

In this cultural gastronomic tour of Beijing you will have the opportunity to visit some of these sights while enjoying delicious local food. You will also have the opportunity to choose the option to take a tour of the hutongs, which are the traditional alleys of Beijing, where you will find local restaurants and stores offering traditional dishes and products of the Chinese culture.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 80 € to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: It will take about 3 hours to complete this experience.
• Means of transportation: The whole experience will be completed by private car with all the comforts.
• Advantages of this option: Dinner is included in this experience. Bottled water, soft drinks and local alcoholic beverages are included. Tour guide fee is also included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Gratuities and transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site are not included.

Whether you want to enjoy a romantic evening with your partner or a fun-filled night out with friends, this four-hour private food and beer tour in Beijing is the best option you can choose. From dinner at Mr. Shi's Dumplings to a stop at a local brewery, and a stroll along the lake, your night will be completely planned.

During the four-hour private food and beer tour in Beijing, you can also go to visit Houhai Lake to see the scenery under the moonlight, and even have a chance to take a ride on the Houhai. Best of all, this is a private tour where only you and your group will participate, so it is definitely one of the best tours in Beijing after the gastronomic tour by tuk tuk, which is also very original.

Interesting details

• Price: You will have to pay about 158 € per person to enjoy this tour.
• Duration: It will take you about 4 hours to complete the experience.
• Means of transport: The whole tour is completed in a private car and with all the comforts.
• Advantages of this option: The tour includes bottled water, dinner and a glass of beer at Great Leap Brewing, the accompaniment of a professional guide and the transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site. This tour is private, so only you and your group will participate. Transportation is included in a private vehicle with all the amenities.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Additional alcoholic beverages are not included. This tour is not wheelchair friendly.

Beijing is an ideal destination to taste the specialties of Chinese cuisine. That is why one of the best options you have to taste the authentic food of the country is this breakfast tour through the hutongs of Beijing. During the tour you will taste a variety of local foods, such as jianbing, which are Chinese pancakes; mantou, which are a kind of steamed bun; soymilk doujiang; tianmianjiang, which is sweet bean paste; rice noodles; and hard-boiled or scrambled eggs.

This small group tour will also allow you to sample traditional beverages such as coffee and mung bean milk. It is limited to eight people, so you will have a personalized experience. Something interesting about this tour is that you will get to learn about culinary mysteries and legends in the company of your tour guide. Definitely an experience you should do as soon as you arrive from your airport transfer to Beijing to start your travel itinerary in the city.

Interesting details

• Price: You will have to pay about 70 € per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: It will take about 3 hours to complete the whole tour.
• Means of transportation: The whole trip is completed by minivan.
• Advantages of this option: Breakfast, bottled water and soft drinks and the accompaniment of a tour guide are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site is not included.

This is one of the best things to do in Beijing at night. You are going to do the tour privately, walking and by subway all over the city. Your guide will take you first to Wangfujing, which is a street known for its bustling and tempting open-air market. During the walk you can sample whatever catches your eye, browse the stores in the area, and dine at a Peking duck or hot pot restaurant.

After doing this tour, your guide will take you to the famous Tiananmen Square, the impressive Olympic Stadium and other highlights that you could also see during the day by taking the Beijing sightseeing bus. What you'll love most about this tour is that you'll get to experience the city like a local, as you'll explore the most bustling areas frequented by locals, including Wanfujing and Houhai.

Details of interest

• Price: This tour costs approximately €60 per person.
• Duration: It will take you 3 to 4 hours to complete the tour.
• Means of transport: You will do the tour partly walking and partly by subway.
• Advantages of this option: It includes the company of a professional guide and the transfer to and from the hotel. The entire tour is done in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• Disadvantages of this option: Food and beverages, entrance fees to the Olympic Park, the Bird's Nest Stadium or the Water Cube, personal expenses and tips are not included.

This is one of the best Mutianyu Great Wall tours from Beijing, because it is a hike from Mutianyu to Jiankou. But, in addition, during the hike, you will have the opportunity to explore one of the local farming villages near the wall.

The gastronomic part of this experience will be when you learn how to cook Chinese dumplings with a farming family. In addition, you will be able to spend the night in their guesthouse, right after having dinner with the food you have already learned to prepare.

Interesting details

• Price: You will have to pay around 402 € per person.
• Duration: The whole experience lasts about 2 days.
• Means of transportation: The tour is completed by minivan.
• Advantages of this option: Transfer to and from the hotel, breakfast, dinner or lunch, accommodation, local guide accompaniment, cooking class and entrance to the Great Wall of China in Mutianyu is included. You can choose a vegetarian option, as long as you advise at the time of booking.
• Disadvantages of this option: Drinks and tips are not included.

During this Chinese food class experience you will learn the different cooking techniques, ingredients and recipes traditionally used in Chinese cuisine and you will also learn the cultural significance of certain dishes and how they are served. Your teacher will be in charge of teaching you about the different regional styles of Chinese cuisine, including Sichuan, Hunan, Cantonese, etc.

Of course, the class will be a hands-on experience to prepare and taste different Chinese dishes. The class takes place with a local family and you will prepare 3 to 6 traditional dishes with fresh seasonal ingredients. In addition, since you will be staying with a local family, you will experience the real Chinese culture. After cooking, you will be able to enjoy the dishes you prepared on your own with the help of the chef.

Interesting details

• Price: You will have to pay around 70 € per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: The whole tour will last around 4 hours and a half.
• Means of transportation: You will arrive on your own to the meeting point and where the class will take place.
• Advantages of this option: It includes the company of a local guide and chef, food, tastings and Chinese tea.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Food and beverages are not included. Pick up and drop off at the hotel or lodging site is not included.

If you are a tea lover and would like to experience an introduction to Chinese teas, I recommend this experience, which will mainly help you connect with nature. It is a tour guided by a certified tea sommelier, who will perform the ceremony. During the experience you will be able to taste different Chinese teas, and you will have the opportunity to learn about their origin, properties and preparation technique.

In general, it is an experience that will help you learn why Chinese teas are so important in Beijing and throughout China. Your guide will explain how historically tea has been used as a medicine. He will also explain that monks often drink it to support their meditation practices. In this experience you will be able to taste the different varieties of Chinese teas that are also prepared in the Gongfu style.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 60 € per person to enjoy the experience.
• Duration: It will take about an hour and a half to complete the activity.
• Means of transportation: The whole tour is done by car with all the comforts.
• Advantages of this option: It is an accessible tour for people in wheelchairs. You can take baby carriages.
• Disadvantages of this option: It is not a recommended experience for pregnant women. It is also not recommended for travelers with heart conditions or other serious medical problems.

If you are looking for a unique experience in Beijing, I recommend you to sign up for this four-hour Muslim food and culture tour. In addition to tasting good Muslim food, you will have the opportunity to learn about the development of Muslim culture in Beijing, which dates back more than 1,000 years.

You will also have the opportunity to visit the three most famous mosques, while getting to know the largest Muslim quarter in Beijing called "Niu Jie".

Details of interest

• Price: This experience has an approximate cost of about 120 € per person.
• Duration: It will take you 4 to 5 hours to complete the whole experience.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour will be completed in a private car with all the comforts.
• Advantages of this option: It will include the accompaniment of a professional guide, transportation, lunch or dinner, transfer to and from the hotel and bottled water.
• Disadvantages of this option: It is not a wheelchair friendly option. Drinks and soft drinks are not included.

As you can see, one of the best things to see and do in Beijing is to take a food tour. In this tenth tour that we recommend, you will have the opportunity to discover the highlights of the Old Hutong area in Beijing in the company of a tour guide, in the midst of a culinary adventure that is full of delicious surprises. You will walk through this area of Beijing, its narrow and nameless streets will make you feel like you are in a labyrinth.

Throughout the tour you will stop at four-six different places to try some local dishes, as well as enjoy unlimited beer and soft drinks. You will taste dishes such as Mongolian hot pot and fresh noodles. You can also try the refreshing homemade herbal pear soup.

Details of interest

• Price: To enjoy this ride, you will have to pay around 100 € per person.
• Duration: This tour has an approximate duration of about 4 hours.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour is completed in a minivan.
• Advantages of this option: It includes the accompaniment of a tour guide, food tastings and drinks.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Transportation to and from the hotel or lodging site is not included.