1-Day Beijing Layover: The Lama Temple and the Olympic Park

This is a layover product, so the schedule is built backwards from your departure time rather than forwards from a hotel. A private car meets you at the arrivals hall, and the day runs on two stops that sit inside the same northern arc of the city: the Lama Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist lamasery whose Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses holds an 18-metre Maitreya carved from a single white sandalwood trunk, and the Olympic Park, where the 91,000-seat National Stadium and the Water Cube stand as they did in 2008. Both are reachable by road in under an hour from Capital or Daxing, and both can be walked in two hours without rushing. The return to the terminal is timed with a buffer that we agree with you before the day starts, and the guide carries your flight details.

• Enter the Lama Temple, a prince's residence built in 1694 and converted into a lamasery in 1744, and stand under the 18-metre Maitreya Buddha carved from one white sandalwood trunk.
• Walk five minutes to the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian, the imperial college where the names of 51,624 successful examination candidates are cut into 198 stone steles.
• Cross the Olympic Park between the National Stadium, built for the 2008 Games with 91,000 seats, and the Water Cube, which was rebuilt as the Ice Cube for curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
• Take the whole day in a private air-conditioned car with a licensed driver, so luggage stays in the boot rather than in an airport locker.
• Use the 240-hour visa-free transit policy at Beijing Capital or Daxing if you hold a ticket onward to a third country, and we confirm your eligibility before you fly.
• Return to the terminal with a timed buffer the guide sets against your boarding time, not against a fixed schedule.

• Meals as listed in the itinerary, with dietary requirements and allergies arranged in advance
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with licensed driver throughout, plus airport or station transfers on arrival and departure
• Professional English-speaking guide throughout the programme
• All entrance fees to the sites named in the itinerary, including the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian and the Beijing Olympic Park, with shuttle buses and cable cars merged into the ticket price where the site requires them
• Travel insurance at 30 CNY per person per day
• Luggage handling where group size requires it
• Bottled water, tour headsets where group size requires them, and local handling services
• All government taxes and service charges as itemised in the quotation

• International air tickets to and from China, and any domestic flights or high-speed rail fares not listed in the itinerary
• China visa fees, invitation letters and any documentation costs
• Meals and drinks not listed in the itinerary, including all alcoholic beverages
• Optional evening performances, additional excursions and any activity not named in the itinerary
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping and personal items
• Gratuities for guides and drivers (entirely at your discretion)
• Anything not expressly listed under “What is included”
• Costs arising from events beyond our control, such as flight delays, weather, or changes to opening hours or site access

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave the airport on a layover in Beijing?

Yes, if you qualify for the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which covers travellers from 57 countries transiting through 65 Chinese ports including Beijing Capital and Daxing with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. We check your nationality, route and ticket before you fly, and the guide carries copies of the paperwork.

How long a connection do I need for this day?

Allow nine hours on the ground for both stops, or six hours for the Lama Temple alone. Immigration on arrival and security on departure take the unpredictable part of the day, so we set the return-to-terminal time from your boarding time with a margin of at least two and a half hours.

Where does my luggage go?

In the boot of the car. The vehicle stays with the driver all day, so there is no locker fee and no detour, and the car is large enough for two large cases per passenger up to six travellers.

Is this available at night?

The Lama Temple closes in the late afternoon, so an overnight connection is better spent on a hutong dinner and a Wall sunrise. Tell us your arrival time and we will say plainly whether this day fits or whether a shorter version does.