6 Days Private Beijing & Guilin Tour

Your Beijing tour officially gets underway today! After meeting your guide and driver at your hotel lobby, start with a short walk on Tiananmen Square, a huge plaza that has witnessed myriad significant national ceremonies. Pass through those great buildings like the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the Great Hall of the People, and you’ll get to our next destination, the UNESCO-honored Forbidden City, once home to 24 emperors and their families from 1420 to 1911 AD. Built on a site at the heart of Beijing and at the middle of the vertical axis, dotted with many other historical sites spreading out, it cuts the city into symmetrical parts. Within the impenetrable walls, a resplendent world awaits us to explore. We’ll first stroll around the Outer Court, arranged without trees to enhance solemnity, and climb to the ceremonial or administrative halls to imagine the emperors’ enthronement and working life. As we reach the Inner Court, their living quarters, let’s discover a beautiful realm, the vibrant Imperial Garden. The ancient court selection, which involved picking concubines for the emperor and maids to serve in the palace, was held in the largest courtyard here that could accommodate thousands of people.

After that, continue northward to the Jingshan Park, the back garden that offers a break for the emperors from their palace life. Facing directly at the Forbidden City with a pavilion perched on the highest point on the central axis, this is a wonderful place for you to capture the breathtaking panorama of the imperial scenes. 

Next, let’s make our way to the Temple of Heaven, where imperial rulers offered sacrifices to Heaven for abundant harvests. As history progressed, the function of this royal sacrificial site, which was established 600 years ago, has been constantly changing. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was cultivated as an orchard, farmland, and even a feedlot. Nowadays, it has become a historical site for you to admire the unique buildings with round roofs and square bases, which hints at the ancient Chinese belief that “Heaven is round and Earth square”, and a park for locals to relax. At the end of the day, your guide and driver will convoy you back to your hotel.

► Tip: The Temple of Heaven is open until 21:00, and on Friday and Saturday nights, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the major building, is marvelously lit all over, making it perfect for photography. If you happen to be travelling on one of these days and are interested, you can stay and wander around on your own and finally hire a taxi back to the hotel by yourself. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, your guide and driver will accompany you on a comfortable 1.5-hour drive to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, the greatest military defensive system ever built by mankind that traverses across half of China. To save you some energy and time for your 2- to 3-hour hike on the Great Wall that serpentines on mountain ridges, we’ve arranged a round-trip cable car for you. Mutianyu is the most beautiful segment in Beijing, so no matter which season you come, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. In spring, admire the wildflowers covering the mountains and fields, which adorn the ancient walls with colorful borders. Hiking here in summer, you’ll feel as if you were in a cool green paradise. While the fiery maple leaves and golden ginkgo trees in autumn, together with the grey wall, will present you with a bright-colored landscape painting. When in winter, prepare to marvel at the ‘stone dragon’ wrapped in a layer of silver white snow, which appears even more solemn and dignified. Before leaving the scenic area, enjoy a buffet lunch to regain your energy.

In the afternoon, on our way back to the downtown area, we’ll stop at the National Stadium and the National Aquatic Center, also known as Bird's Nest and Water Cube, two iconic national sports venues, to spot and photograph their ultra-modern design. 

Following that, let’s enjoy a rickshaw ride through the Hutong alleys lined with old quadrangle courtyards to experience local life. As you weave into the labyrinthine lanes, you’ll see people riding old-style bikes, listening to traditional opera, gathering to play Chinese chess at doors… and more! Also, beyond your imagination, the grey and even rundown traditional houses you pass by are so treasured, some selling for up to CNY 300,000 (USD 41,300) per square meter! Later, a family visit in a courtyard will get you more inside scoop. Finally, your guide and driver will return you to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Buffet lunch

In the morning, your guide and driver will wait for you at your hotel lobby, and then accompany you to visit the Summer Palace, the tremendous imperial garden that illustrates the peak of Chinese garden design. Inside, let’s amble by the peach-shaped Kunming Lake, wander through the Long Corridor with numerous colored drawings on the beams, and climb to the top of Longevity Hill to witness the landmark Buddha Incense Tower, an eight-sided, three-story, and four-eaved tower that allows you to feel its symmetrical and harmonious beauty from any angle.

Afterward, let’s move to the airport for a 3-hour flight to Guilin. Once you land, your Guilin guide and driver will pick you up and escort you to the downtown hotel for check-in.

► Recommendation for Dinner (at your own expense):
Eager for a taste of Guilin cuisine? Don’t miss the iconic Beer Fish, which is made by stewing a native fish species known for its tender meat and fewer bones with beer and other spices and ingredients. Its taste on the sour and spicy side will give you a symphony for the palate. If you’re interested, the top-rated restaurant Yuxiaojing Beer Fish · Guilin Cuisine, a 15 minutes’ taxi ride from your hotel, can be a reference.
Average cost per person: CNY 62 (USD 9)
Address: Intersection of Renmin Road and Binjiang Road, Xiufeng District

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Greet a new day and set off from the hotel with your guide and driver to embark on a 4-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo. This 83-kilometer (52-mile) waterway, flanked by endless grotesque karst hills demonstrating the beauty of Guilin, will keep you riveted all the way. En route, spot those famed attractions, including the hills in shapes of gourd and crocodile, the cliff with a fresco-like image of nine horses on it, and the landscape with ethereal reflections that is such a landmark as to be printed on the CNY 20 note. Also encounter fishermen rafting to fish and buffaloes toiling in the fields! Lunch today will be a simple boxed meal provided by the cruise company. You’re suggested to have a hearty breakfast this morning and take some snacks for supplement if necessary.

Once arriving, let’s pedal a bike around the countryside for around 2 hours to enjoy the idyll. You’ll pass through vast stretches of rice fields with local peasants, cross the ancient bridges over the Yulong River, and observe up close the lovely hills. Just stop for photographs whenever you want along the way. Or if you have no interest in cycling, we can also offer you a ride in our private car. 

Later, we’ll drive back to Guilin and stop halfway to climb the Xianggong Mountain for a panorama of the karst topography enveloped by the sunset glow. Look into the distance at the viewing platform, the shimmering Li River, with bamboo rafts slowly sailing on it, meanders through the embrace of the undulating mountains, presenting you with a stunning landscape painting characterized by romantic Chinese aesthetics. Upon arrival in Guilin, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

After breakfast at the hotel, accompanied by your guide and driver, set out to visit Guilin’s other two karst masterpieces. When arriving at the Reed Flute Cave, which is hailed as ‘a magical library of nature’, you’ll marvel at stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes carved by water droplets for around 180 million years. Looking at the Crystal Palace, with colorful lights shining on it, you may feel as if you have entered the legendary Dragon Palace under the sea. Under the guide's explanation, let your imagination run wild and feel the warmth and soul of those natural sculptures endowed with names and mythological stories. Later, head to admire the Elephant Trunk Hill, the symbol of Guilin, which is named for its resemblance to a huge elephant standing by the river, stretching its trunk and sucking water from the Li River. Stand on the viewing platform and enjoy its entire appearance from all angles.

With your guide and driver escorting you to the airport or railway station, your 6 days private Beijing Guilin tour will reach its end. Thank you for travelling with us! Welcome to contact us to customize your trip to the ethnic minority villages with spectacular rice terraces around Guilin, or other popular Chinese cities such as Zhangjiajie, Xi’an, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Chongqing.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast