Choice between two Beijing overnights

As the title suggests, we're trying to decide between a couple of tours. I know there is a fair distance between the port and the city and then the city and the Great Wall.

tour 1 leaves the port drives to Beijing where lunch will be served then we drive to the Great Wall. On the way back to Beijing we stop at the Ming Tombs. The night is spent in Beijing, the next morning we tour the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, have lunch then the Temple of Heaven before returning to port.

tour 2 leaves the port drives to Beijing where we tour the Temple of Heaven, have lunch then the Forbidden City and the Square. Stay overnight in Beijing and the next morning visit the Ming Tombs on our way to the Great Wall before returning to port.

So you see the sights are the same, it's the order that's different and the time of day we would be at the Great Wall. Price is not a factor. Tour 1 will probably be a smaller group then tour 2.

I would be curious to know, from those of you who have experience visiting here...which would you choose and why?

Thanks.

I would opt for Option 2. Fewer people is always a plus. Plus, You will drive into the city and stay in the city for the rest of the day, rather than drive in to the city for lunch and then drive out of the city which seems like a waste of time and needlessly tiring to me. Option 1 sounds like you'll spend too much time sitting in a car/van rather than enjoying the sites. Beijing traffic can be horrific, so why subject yourself to it more than is necessary.

Not sure what time of year you are going, it can get very hot at the Great Wall later in the day.

It's better to go to the Temple of Heaven in the morning, that is when the people are out exercising. We had time and some of the people in on our tour joined a few of the exercise groups. We also got to see grand parents trying to find spouses for their grand children - with pictures and resumes displayed in one area of the park.

I agree, that option 2 looks better so you don't spend time going to Beijing and then to the Great Wall.

Tour 2, same reasons as above

In Tour 1, it really depends where in Beijing you are having lunch. If it is in the outskirts on the way to the wall, that would be ok.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I was worried about sitting in traffic but didn't know the distances involved. Tour 2 was where we were leaning but we weren't sure when the busy time of day would be at these sites.

We will be there in March.

The weather in March can be cooler and windy, see the site:

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/weather-march.htm

Definitely 2 as the Temple of Heaven is best in the early morning. Seems to be a quick tour though in order to drive from Tianjin and see the TofH before lunch. Ming Tombs are a waste of time.

Are these your only two choices of tours? I agree Ming Tombs are very miss-able. Also if they are on the itinerary that means they are taking you to Badaling Great Wall which is the most well known and as such is constantly crowded. Badaling is located on the opposite side of the city as the port. It would be much better to stop at a great wall site that is on the other side of town. Huangyaguan is the best choice. It is further away from Beijing but from there to the port you will not have to re-enter Beijing traffic, which can be crushing.

Personally I am also not a fan of Temple of Heaven but it is popular here. I would suggest instead you see some hutong areas (old courtyard houses) and also often overlooked is the modern architecture of Beijing. You will see some of this from the car but it is worthwhile to stop somewhere. Imagine going to New York City and only going to Central Park and Statue of Liberty but not midtown.

I would not choose either of these.

Find a private operator who will take you to another part of the great wall. We went to Mutianyu which is accessible but not as crowded as Badaling. I also agree that unless it is very early morning skip the Temple of Heaven. And do tour some hutongs. There are commercial ones but try to get into a residential one.

If you ask on Trip Advisor you should be given the names of reputable companies.