Arrive in Beijing, the Capital city of China, your local guide will meet you at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

  Depart from your hotel, you will enjoy your today’s visit covering Tian'anmen Square, the World's largest urban square and the Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. If you desire, you can enjoy the splendid Peking Opera tonight as your optional activity. 
  As the biggest city center square in the world, Tiananmen Square covering 44 hectares in the heart of Beijing. It is the place where history-changing events and ceremonies occurred. A few steps away, come to visit the Forbidden City, which was the Imperial Palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and, it is one of the largest, and certainly the most completely restored, ancient architectural complex in the world. Walk in the footsteps of Emperors; come to the museum and see with your eyes, and feel with your hearts; you’ll begin understand what life in this richest of feudal realms was like for the Imperial Rulers, their concubines and their slaves.
  After enjoying a delicious lunch, continue on to the Temple of Heaven. Departing from the Imperial vermilion and gold hues of the Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven is decorated in blue, the color of the Heavens. The perfect harmony between the architectural environment and nature can be felt here; you might easily imagine the vivid spectacle of a great sacrifice to the Heavens for a good harvest. The magnificent Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest is one of the most important and impressive building in China.
 Peking Opera is China national treasure. Expert performers convey powerful emotions to the audience through song, dance, facial make-up, exquisite masks and costume, skilled use of body language and sympathetically integrated musical accompaniment. 

  The star attraction of China is its Great Wall, a massive defensive structure built to keep intruders from entering the mainland. Today you will have the opportunity to traverse the ancient steps of Badaling Great Wall. Then you will take a short visit to Ming Tombs site (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, for visiting. Peking Roasted Duck is available for your optional dinner. 
   Just 75km North-west of Beijing, along a smooth and comfortable highway is the Badaling Great Wall, which is one of the best-preserved and most accessible sections. The Great Wall is an internationally admired structure, symbolic of the cruelty of the ancient rulers, and the stoicism and determination of the Chinese people. The construction of the Great Wall began in the 5th century BC.
  Then, you will have chance to visit the Ming Tombs which located in the northern suburbs of Beijing. Altogether there are thirteen tombs of Ming Dynasty Emperors from the period after the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. You visit the Changling Tomb, burial site of Emperor Yong Le, the biggest and first built at this historic site. The Lingsi Palace in Changling Tomb's second yard really deserves a visit. This is unique, a magnificent palace made of camphor wood. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor is decorated with gold bricks. 
  For today optional dinner, how about taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck, as it is the best-known dish in Beijing. It is very tender and unforgettably delicious. You’ll visit a local restaurant to enjoy a full meal and learn the proper way to experience Peking Roasted Duck. From the whole roasted duck to the soup of duck bones, you'll enjoy a banquet made from every part of the duck. Moreover, the chef will demonstrate his skill of cutting the skin of the duck for your entertainment.

  After breakfast, you will start your today’s city tour with a visit to the Yonghe Palace, the artworks combined Han Chinese and Tibetan styles and the witness to the history of the Qing Dynasty. After lunch, take a truly special excursion by rickshaw to Beijing Hutong in Shichahai Area, you will also have chance to enjoy the delicate architectures of Prince Gong’s Mansion. 
  Yonghe Palace is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. It’s originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. It was then converted into the court of the Prince Yong (Yin Zhen). After Yongzheng's ascension to the throne in 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace.
  If exploring the Forbidden City has improved your understanding of the lifestyles of China's ancient Imperial Court, then this relaxing Hutong Tour will give you an insight into the lives of ordinary Chinese people and reveal their social culture in today's Beijing City. The narrow streets of old Beijing are known as Hutongs. You'll take a rickshaw tour along the Hutongs and see the 100-year-old houses, courtyards and a vanishing way of life in today's Beijing.
  Prince Gong's Mansion locates near Shichahai Lake, was built in 1777 as the former private residence of He Shen, a favorite minister of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is a typical mansion featuring an axle wire and the symmetrical style. It is honored as “Pearl on Shicha Lake”. There is an amazing garden in the mansion called “Cuijin Yuan” which takes up a space of around 30,000㎡. The garden is listed as one of the National Key Protected Cultural Relics. 

  Today, you will enjoy a relaxing tour to the Summer Palace, the magnificent imperial garden in China, and Panda House of Beijing Zoo. 
  After breakfast, you will take a visit to the “most beautiful garden in China”- the Summer Palace. Originally known as the “Garden of Clear Ripples", the Summer Palace is a magnificent imperial garden located 15 km north of Beijing City . This is the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer retreat for Emperors and the chosen few! The site includes more than 100 ancient style pavilions, mansions, towers, halls, temples, bridges and an enormous clear water lake. What is most enjoyable about the Summer Palace, it is simply a gorgeous place to relax, escape the smoke and crowds of the city and spend an afternoon walking. It is said one could just as easily spend one week out here as one afternoon. Here is a rare chance in Beijing, to lose the crowds and ‘clear away the cobwebs'.
  Beijing Zoo, lies west of Xizhimen and the western part of Beijing, was known for a short time after the founding of the People's Republic as the Western Suburbs Park.
  At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe, rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India. Visitors to the Zoo can also explore its many Qing Dynasty era buildings. The Beijing Zoo today houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species from all over the world.

Be transferred to the airport for the flight to your next stop.

Service Ends