Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Day 01Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Beijing Airport and transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.

Day 02Beijing

Visit the Great Wall at Badaling. You will be driven to have Sichuan food at a popular local restaurant. After lunch, we will visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tombs. On the way back to downtown Beijing, we drive by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). This and other features of Olympic Park can be seen from a great distance. (B+L included. D is included for luxury series)

Differences 
Luxury Series: we arrange an a la carte dinner at a famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant in the Wangfujing area. 
Standard Series: Dinner is not included, but our guide can offer suitable suggestions for you personally.

Descriptions:
Great Wall - The beacon towers of the Great Wall often played a great role in military communication during ancient wars. There is a legend about the beacon towers. King You, the last king of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC), noticed his queen Baosi seldom smiled. To amuse Baosi, King Zhou accepted his official's suggestion to summon his vassals by lighting up the beacon towers. All vassals hurried to the Li Mountain but saw no enemies or bandits. So they came back dispiritedly. Baosi thought it was funny and finally cracked a smile. Finally the foolish king won the smile of his beauty at the expenses of losing the throne.

Mongolian performance at the grassland, Hohhot

Day 03Beijing - Hohhot

Visit the New Summer Palace and the lovely Pandas in Beijing Zoo. Take a flight to Hohhot and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Tips: Beijing Zoo should be a wonderful place for children, because they can see many specifies of precious animals throughout the world here, at the same time, their curiosity and interests can be satisfied. It is a good place to see our national treasure - pandas. You will be amused by the squabby and lovely pandas. Also, there is an interesting Ocean Hall in the Zoo, which is the largest inland Ocean Hall and its facilities are the most advanced. If you time permits, you may have a chance to see it. Many wonderful and humorous animal performances are shown everyday.

Mongolian wrestling at the grassland, Hohhot

Day 04Hohhot

Drive to the Gegentala Grassland. Visit a herdsman's tent and enjoy Mongolian Singing and Dances. Stay overnight at the tent.(B+L)

Tips: The most suitable time to travel to the grassland is from May to the early part of October, when the climate there is mild and the grass is flourishing. The temperature varies greatly from day to night, so you are advised to take a warm coat and trousers. The climate is very dry, so drinking extra water is good for your health. Also, suntan lotion, hat and sunglasses are necessary. Mongolian nationality has many etiquettes, customs and taboos. Please be sure to respect them and follow the advice of your local guide. For example, Mongolians regard water as a symbol of purity.Please do not wash or throw anything that is unclean in the river.

Yungang Grottoes, Datong

Day 05Hohhot - Datong

Drive back to Hohhot. Visit Zhaojun Tomb, Five Pagoda Temple and Dazhao Temple. Take a soft seat luxury train to Datong and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Descriptions: 
Five Pagoda Temple - also called Wuta Si. The name is derived from the five rectangular dagobas on the base. It is a Buddhist pagoda constructed in Indian style. There are 1,563 images of Buddha engraved on the exterior walls. Each is slightly different from each other. At the back of the dagoba there is a carved screen with the unique Mongolian Astronomical Map of the world, which is highly valued in scientific and ethnological research.

Day 06Datong - Beijing

Visit the Yungang Grottoes and  Hanging Monastery. Take an overnight soft sleeper train to Beijing. (B+L+D)

Tips: If you take the train in China, you had better take your luggage with you, because as otherwise your baggage may follow in a different train, arriving some time (Or days) later than yourselves. Therefore, we suggest you check your main luggage at the Beijing Hotel, and only take a small case with you for this particular excursion. Look out for your luggage, and never leave anything of value unattended.

Grand Buddha figure in Yungang Grottoes, Datong

Day 07Beijing

Pick you up at Beijing railway station. After having breakfast at the hotel, visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. The Beijing Duck Dinner is served at a famous restaurant followed by a lively Peking Opera performance at the Liyuan Theatre. (B+L+D)

Tips: Peking Opera is the quintessence of Chinese culture and renowned throughout the world. Actors perform with special costumes and heavy make-up. The plot is usually set in some historical Chinese events, fairy tale in the preceding dynasties, well-known legends, etc. Actors present the complete story by singing, acrobatic fighting and dancing; making it vivid and highly spectacular. If there is some difficulty in understanding, the English version shown on the electronic screen alongside the stage can help you a lot. Before entering the theater, you have the opportunity to pay a short visit at the dressing room to see how they make up. 

Descriptions:
Temple of Heaven - In ancient China, the number 9 was considered to be the highest value digit, having supreme status and representing the emperor. This thought was embodied anywhere in building the Temple of Heaven. The Circular Mound, at the southern end, is a three-storey altar. Coming up to the top level, you could see nine rings of stone slabs centering on a raised round stone. The first ring has 9 slabs, the second has 18 slabs; the next 27 and the outermost ring has 81 slabs. And, the numbers of the altar's marble balustrades are also the multiple of nine.

Day 08Departure from Beijing

We will see you off at the airport today. We wish you have a pleasant journey home and thank you for choosing TravelChinaGuide.(B)