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
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
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
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 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