Beijing City Tour: Mini Group or Private

Our first stop will be the Temple of Heaven, a World Cultural Heritage built in the 15th century as a place for emperors to worship Heaven and pray for harvests. Between the visits to the landmark Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a super symmetrical circular wooden structure with a pyramidal three-eaved roof covered with blue glazed tiles, and the open-air Circular Mound Altar used for sacrificing to heaven, you’ll walk along the long Red Stairs Bridge, which is composed of three stone paths: the eastern for the emperor, the western for his officials, and the elevated central path reserved solely for the God of Heaven. Why a bridge exists where there is no water? That might be Beijing’s earliest overpass, as there is a hidden passage beneath the central path, from which the sacrificial animals are driven to the slaughterhouse without disrupting the sacred rituals above.

Now it has also become a large park for locals; thus, besides cultural immersion, you can also observe local people’s real leisure life scenes, such as doing morning exercises, playing chess, and playing musical instruments.

► Note: 
As the main historical sites of the Temple of Heaven are closed on Mondays, the visit scheduled for these days will be replaced by the Beihai Park, which boasts both stunning scenery and cultural landscapes like the double-sided colored glazed Nine-Dragon Screen.

Next, let’s make our way to traditional Hutong alleys, flanked by quite a few folk quadrangle dwellings, to savor the most authentic old Beijing lifestyle. To enhance your trip, we’ll include a special ride in a rickshaw, a three-wheeled vehicle ridden by a man in front. As you travel in the intricate lanes, you’ll notice that many old residences have red gates, which are actually important signs of the former status of the courtyard owners. As one of the exclusive colors of the ancient Chinese royal family, red could originally only be used to decorate the gates in the imperial palace and some national temples; however, as time passed, with the rewards of the emperor, some noble clans and prominent official families in the folk were also permitted to adorn their own houses with red. Also, follow your guide to step into a courtyard to get a closer look at locals’ lives.

► Lunch is not included. Various authentic local restaurants and snack bars can be found in the Hutong area for a simple lunch on your own. Your guide could provide you with recommendations according to your taste.

In the afternoon, let’s head to the Lama Temple, an imperial Tibetan Buddhist site. Take your time to admire the splendid architecture as your guide unveils the mysterious Tibetan religious culture. As you stroll to the innermost and iconic Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses, prepare to be awed by its engineering ingenuity as well as the 26-meter-tall (85-foot) giant Buddha statue carved from a complete white sandalwood. Remarkably, this three-story pavilion was built around the statue after its completion, utilizing ancient mortise-and-tenon joinery without a single nail. Now, the temple is considered Beijing’s most popular spot to pray for peace and blessings.

The following is the Summer Palace, a 300-plus-year-old royal resort, to enjoy gorgeous landscapes interwoven in classic garden architecture. When strolling along the iconic Long Corridor, which holds a Guinness World Record for its length, feast your eyes on over 14,000 colorful paintings created by ancient imperial painters, folk artists, and even European missionaries. The realistic techniques of Western drawing, as well as the artistic conception of traditional Chinese painting, encompassing the elegance of the mountains and water, the liveliness of the flowers and birds, and the legendary elements of historical stories, will all be vividly presented to you in this ‘art exhibition hall’.

Finally, your guide and driver will accompany you on a comfortable return to your hotel. Hope you had a nice day with us! Want to see more of Beijing’s top sights? Check out our other Beijing day tours to the Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall.