Where to Shop and Eat: 15 Beijing Market Tours

1.Flavors of Beijing: Eat Like A Real Chinese

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $99Our pick

Meet Chef Chao at noon, walk through a local Beijing market, choose fresh ingredients, then cook in a family home along a hutong. You may prepare dumplings, noodles, dim sum, or main dishes such as ginger fish and sweet and sour pork. The small group is capped at 12, with vegetarian cooking available on a selected day.

“This class was amazing! My spouse and I try to take a cooking class in every country we visit and this one did not disappoint. The chef and staff were very friendly, accommodating and informative. The market tour was fun and the food was delicious. We were also given recipes to take home that we use all the time to make quick and authentic Chinese meals. FYI- There is no outside sign alerting you that you have arrived at the cooking school pay close attention to the numbered addresses. This class comes highly recommended and I would take it again when in Beijing.”

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2.Private Beijing Markets Tour with Tea Tasting at Hongqiao Pearl Market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $88

Spend four private hours exploring Panjiayuan Antique Market and Hongqiao Pearl Market with an English-speaking guide such as Lily, Lisa, or Lucy. Browse antiques, art, jewelry, and souvenirs, learn practical bargaining tricks, enjoy a tea ceremony and tasting, and stop for lunch at your own cost before returning to your hotel.

“This was great fun! Our guide, Lisa, was exceptional, and taught us a lot about the haggling process as she got us some great deals, but also let us know when a price was already good, and we could just go ahead and pay it. She paid attentiRead more”

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3.Night Market Haggling Adventure with an English Guide!

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 7 reviews · 3 hours · from $68

Meet your English-speaking guide at Panjiayuan Station and spend the evening browsing Beijing’s famous antique market. You can stop at stalls that catch your eye, taste local snacks, and have your guide translate and bargain for you. Guides July and Lan have earned especially warm praise for their energy and help with deals.

“I enjoyed my tour with Lan! You can stop at any stall you’re interested in and the guide will help you translate or bargain. I also noticed cash is not a problem for most vendors in case WeChat and Alipay stop working on your phone ;) It was also nice that meals were included in the tour.”

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4.6-Hour Private Beijing Tour: Flower and Fish Market, Panjiayuan Antique Market and 798 Art Zone

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $158

Spend six hours with a private Beijing guide at Shilihe’s flower and fish market, Panjiayuan Antique Market, and 798 Art Zone. Guides such as Ranee, Alice, Lucy, Linda, Miko, and Sherry have helped guests shop, explain local culture, and adjust the schedule. Lunch or dinner, bottled water, transport, and hotel transfers are included.

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5.Lama Temple, Hutong and Silk & Pearl Market Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $139

Spend about eight hours with a private English-speaking guide exploring Lama Temple, Wudaoying and nearby hutongs, Wuyutai Tea Shop, Hongqiao Market, and Silk Street. Hotel pickup, entrance fees, and taxis within Beijing’s Fourth Ring Road are included. The route can be adjusted to your interests, and guides such as Aaron and Lily can help with markets, tea, and lunch choices.

“Our guide was called Aaron, he was amazing in his experience, knowledge and expertise. His english was perfect. Such a lovely person showing us all the sites He picked a great restaurant for lunch and we tried the famous perking duck - its Read more”

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6.Private Tour to Pearl Market Acrobatic Show & Peking Duck Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $158

Spend about five hours with a private guide at Beijing’s Hongqiao, or Pearl, Market, followed by Peking duck and a Red Theatre acrobatic show. Hotel pickup within the 4th Ring Road, private transport, bottled water, dinner, and a middle-level theater ticket are included. Your guide can help with bargaining and explain how to eat the duck.

“My 2.5-year old son enjoyed it very much! The Peking Duck dinner wasn't as ceremonious as I expected. I thought they'd show how they prepare it but instead our tour guide showed how they eat it at the table. Our tour guide Lucy was lovely! Read more”

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7.Beijing: Vegan Home Cooking & Local Market Tour with Sanxia

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 4 hours · from $47

Join Sanxia, also known as Rabbit, near Linheli in Tongzhou for a private market visit and home cooking class. Choose seasonal produce, make dumplings, noodles, steamed buns, and other vegan dishes, then eat together over Chinese tea. English and Chinese sessions run daily for one to eight people.

“This was amazing! I did this cooking class back in September and it was such a great experience! I was the only person booking it that day, so we met a little earlier, went to the market together and bought all the vegetables fresh from there! Then, we went to Sanxia‘s apartment and cooked a lot of different dishes! It was really fun!! We all ate together and talked a lot. I actually ended up spending my whole day with Sanxia, her boyfriend Jürgen and their friends. It was my favorite day of my whole solo trip to Beijing, China ^^”

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8.Beijing Market Tour with 10-course Family Feast

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 4 hours · from $119

Meet Dee or Susan at Liaogongzhuang Station, visit a local Beijing market, choose ingredients, then help prepare a home-cooked feast with a welcoming family. You will spend about one hour shopping and three hours at the home, with dumpling making, local drinks, and far more food than the 10-course promise may suggest.

“An exceptional experience. There was more food than we could ever eat and everything was prepared with high quality ingredients and love.”

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9.Dumpling Cooking Class and Local Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $80

Spend four hours exploring a fresh market near Beijing’s hutongs, choosing ingredients before making dumplings from scratch in a traditional courtyard. Your English-speaking guide leads a small group of up to eight, with several fillings available, including vegan-friendly choices. The tour begins and ends at Zhaojunsheng Vegetable Market.

“Super fun experience! 2 young girls from Beijing with excellent English. We went to a local market together to get groceries and made the Dumplings from scratch. Beautiful building that we prepped and cooked in.”

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10.Full-Day Private Tour Panjiayuan Antique Market and Beijing Capital Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $145

Start at 9:00am with a private guide such as Robert or Aaron, then visit Panjiayuan Antique Market for tea ware, calligraphy tools, and traditional art. Continue to the Capital Museum for Beijing relics, bronze, porcelain, jade, folk art, and old photographs. Lunch, hotel pickup, return transfer, and transport within the Fourth Ring Road are included.

“Without hyperbole, Robert was an outstanding guide. Knowledgable, very friendlly, not overbearing, VERY clear English. flexible. I enjoyed my activity very much.”

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11.Small Group Beijing Temple of heaven and Summer Palace with Pearl market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $128

Spend five to six hours touring Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace, with a stop at Hongqiao Pearl Market. Your English-speaking guide handles entry and city transport, explains the echo at the Imperial Walkway, and helps you bargain. Pickup is included for hotels within Beijing’s fourth ring road.

“The small group tour was a private tour for two with a driver and a well competent English speaking guide.”

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12.3-Hour Private Shopping Tour at Panjiayuan Market from Beijing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $68

Meet your private guide at your Beijing hotel and travel by taxi or subway, at your own expense, to Panjiayuan Market. Over roughly two to three hours, you’ll browse more than 3,000 stalls selling antiques, arts, crafts, jewelry-making beads, and curiosities. Guides such as Ling and Kelly can help you bargain, though you’ll need to judge authenticity for yourself.

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13.Half Day Tour:Market Shopping Acrobatic Show & Peking Duck dinner

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $148

Start around 12:30 p.m. with a private guide at Panjiayuan Antique Market and Hongqiao Pearl Market. Bargain, taste tea, then enjoy a Peking Duck dinner at Bianyifang before the Red Theatre acrobatic show. Hotel pickup, return transport, dinner, and show tickets are included.

“O show e o jantar foram otimos assim com o guia que foi muito simpatico e prestavel os mercados não corresponderam as minhas expectativas”

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14.Beijing Culture Tour to Antique Market and Cloisonné Workshop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $5Best value

Meet at Temple of Heaven East Tianmen for a roughly three-hour outing to Panjiayuan Antique Market and a cloisonné workshop. You’ll browse collectibles, tea sets, and small keepsakes, then use supplied materials to make your own piece with help from a professional instructor. The group is capped at 10, with an air-conditioned vehicle included.

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15.Private Distinctive Market Tour with Shaomai Lunch and Full Massage in Beijing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $231

Spend eight private hours exploring Beijing’s Panjiayuan antiques, Hongqiao pearls, and Liulichang books and calligraphy. Your guide, such as Serena or Sang Yu, also called Ms. Maria, handles transport, hotel pickup, and local explanations. The day includes shaomai at Duyichu, tea, fruit, and a 40-minute foot and 60-minute body massage.

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