5 Days Beijing City Tour with the Great Wall

Ni hao and welcome to Beijing – the historic capital city of China!

Your local tour guide will meet you at the Beijing International Capital Airport or the railway station to escort you with a private comfortable vehicle to your downtown Beijing hotel and help you check in. You will have the rest of the day to rest up from your trip, or you can get some practical suggestions from your tour guide on what to explore in your local area on your own.

How to Get to Beijing: There are hundreds of daily international and domestic flights available to Beijing. In addition, there are high-speed trains to this capital city from Shanghai (5 – 6 hours); Xian (5.5 hours), Guangzhou (8 – 9.5 hours) and many more.Beijing Flight Arrival

Accommodation: Beijing 3 or 4 Star Hotel

After breakfast, you can begin exploring the historical essence of Beijing with a quick visit to Tian’anmen Square – the largest city plaza in the world. On the north side of the square you’ll see Tian’anmen Gate, atop which Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Upon entrance into Tian’anmen Square itself you will see one of the world’s five most important imperial palaces – The Forbidden City, a massive palace complex containing more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived and ruled over China. Inside the palace we will pass through many doorways to admire the magnificent and very well preserved buildings that are decorated with the yellow glazed roof tiles that were reserved solely for imperial use, as well as white marble floors and numerous splendid and colorful paintings.

Moving on from the Forbidden City, we will travel about 6 kilometers north on the old imperial axis line to another royal site – the Temple of Heaven. This temple was originally used by the emperors to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests, but it is now used as a bustling place for local Beijingers to take part in traditional activities such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, playing mah jong, etc.

Recommended optional evening activities:
1) Marvel at the amazing martial art skills of the performers in the Legend of Kung Fu Show at the Red Theater (Hong Ju Chang), with a usual start time of 19:30 (7:30 p.m.)
2) Enjoy the classical Chinese art of Beijing (Peking) Opera at the Liyuan Theater, with showtime running from 19:30 to 21:00 nightly (7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.)

Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

Hiking on the Great Wall of China is just a dream for most people, but today you will make that dream come true. We will escort you about 70 kilometers from your downtown Beijing hotel to the world-famous Mutianyu Great Wall, which has fewer tourists than the often over-crowded Badaling Great Wall. Mutianyu is also the best section of the Great Wall to view the expansive and beautiful scenery while appreciating the grand scale of the Wall. After we purchase the entrance tickets at the ticket office, we will take the cable car up to the Great Wall for about 2 hours of hiking along the lengths of the Wall.

After hiking the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, we will take you back to downtown Beijing, but along the way we will stop at the solemn Ming Tombs, the final resting place of the ancient emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Here you can wander along the Sacred Road, a tranquil path that in the past was reserved for royalty. The road is lined with statues of devine animals and officials as it leads to the mysterious Underground Palace, which we will also visit. One last stop before returning to your hotel will be at the Beijing Olympic Village, where you will have the opportunity to take some pictures of the outsides of the instantly recognizable "Bird's Nest" stadium and the Water Cube.

Recommended Optional Evening Activity:
Authentic Peking Roast Duck Dinner at the world famous Quanjude Restaurant.

Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

Today’s first stop is a visit to charming Beihai Park, then take a leisurely rickshaw tour around the ancient alleyways of Beijing. Known as “hutongs”, these residential areas follow the original layouts that built up organically in the Shichahai area near the Forbidden City. Wander among the different hutong to get a feeling for the old Beijing lifestyles as you visit various antique shops and small boutiques and see the contrast between these ancient alleyways and the modern high-rise buildings that have grown up around the capital city. You will also have the opportunity to visit a local hutong family home and enjoy a traditional Chinese dumpling lunch there.

After lunch, we will visit the majestic Lama Temple, the largest and most well-preserved lamasery in Beijing. From there we will walk west about 10 minutes to another ancient temple – the Confucius Temple, where Chinese emperors worshipped Confucius, and the Imperial College at Guozijian, which was an ancient imperial college for the highest level scholars in the country.

Accommodation: Overnight in Beijing

After a nice breakfast at your hotel, we will take you on a drive of about 40 minutes to the northwest outskirts of Beijing for an enjoyable time at the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in all of China. You’ll have time for a leisurely stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, and bridges. Feast your eyes on the vast lotus growing in Kunming Lake and walk under the intricately painted colors of the Long Corridor as you experience the life of the royal family at their summer retreat.

After lunch, we will take you on to the Beijing airport or train station for your flight or train on to your next destination.

Accommodation: None