4 Days Best Private Beijing Tour

After picking you up from the hotel in the morning, your guide and driver will escort you to the heart of Beijing to visit the large Tiananmen Square, where you’ll be awestruck by the grand Tiananmen Tower, a landmark of the capital and a symbol of the nation, which is to China is like the Washington Monument to the United States. This typical ancient royal erection is now a viewing stand for major national celebrations.

Follow the direction of towering ornamental columns on both sides of the Tiananmen Tower, which once served as a reminder and exhortation to emperors, head towards the world-famous Forbidden City, aka Palace Museum, the world’s largest and best-preserved wooden royal palace complex, once home to 24 emperors from 1368 to 1911 AD. Ordinary people were denied entry in ancient times, hence the name “Forbidden City”. Follow your guide to set foot on the broad courtyards, visit a myriad of sublime palaces with golden tiles and red walls, breathe the air that once belonged only to supreme powers, and appreciate countless precious historical relics that survived the vicissitudes of history. When reaching the Hall of Mental Cultivation, both the office and bedchamber of the emperor, delve into how he turned over a nameplate on the tray presented by the eunuchs to select a minister to discuss state affairs after breakfast, and a concubine for the night after dinner. This 2-to-3-hour visit will definitely get you a glimpse into China’s ancient imperial culture.

In the afternoon, proceed to visit the Lama Temple, aka Yonghe Lamasery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Beijing that has been preserved intact for 300 years. Amid the fragrance of sandalwood and the solemnity felt everywhere from Buddhist statues to prayer flags, you’ll find your inner peace here. Also, pray for a smooth career, academic success, a happy marriage, or good health in dedicated halls, like many other Chinese visitors, as making wishes here is considered very efficacious.

Next, let’s move to the Temple of Heaven, the world’s largest sacrificial architectural complex built for royalty over 600 years ago. Walking into this holy compound, you’ll see plenty of distinct circular buildings and square walls, which represent Heaven and Earth respectively, designed to fit in with an old Chinese cosmological belief: heaven is round and earth square. Marvel at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, an iconic structure that looks the same from all angles, with three layers of blue glazed tiles that gradually shrink to form a cusped roof, which ensures the rapid drainage of rain while visually creating an arc-like elegance. Moreover, admire ancient craftsmen’s wisdom in practicing physics, like acoustics for the Echo Wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven, through which even a murmur can spread over a fairly long distance. After that, the guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, your guide and driver will accompany you on a 1.5-hour drive from the hotel to Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the greatest man-made fortifications on earth. Sneaking along the mountain ridge, it boasts not only defensive watchtowers lying at strategic forts, but also the surrounding lush greens that vary in different seasons, making it ‘the most beautiful part of the Great Wall’. Note that we have specially arranged a round-trip cable car for you to save energy and have more time to hike on it. Standing before its Zhengguan Terrace, the most representative hollow watchtower, composed of three connected towers, you may be curious about its function at ancient time. Such construction was built to greatly improve the living conditions of stationed soldiers, who were originally exposed to the scorching heat, rain, or snow without shelters, and to solve the difficulties of storing pre-transported munitions during the wars. 

When driving back to downtown, we’ll make a photo stop at two recognized modern landmarks, the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) and National Aquatics Center (Water Cube), the venues for hosting the Olympic Games and international events. 

Then, a unique rickshaw tour through the Hutong alleys awaits you ahead. During the ride, you’ll pass by local housewives chatting at the door, see the seniors playing chess or strolling with birdcages, and praise the first-class parking skills of residents in the narrow alleyways. A family visit in one of the traditional quadrangle courtyards will be arranged for you to experience the most authentic usual life of old Beijingers. Some families with several members still reside in small houses as tiny as 10-20 square meters, probably because they have nostalgia for their old lifestyle and are reluctant to part with the convenience of the core urban areas.

At the end of the day, the guide will escort you back to your hotel. Or if you feel up to staying longer and exploring more fun around the Hutong alleys by yourself, you can finally hail a taxi to the hotel by yourself, and the guide will be glad to give you suggestions on transportation.

► Recommended Free-time Activities:
If you stay in Hutong alleys after the tour, it is suggested that you try the specialty Noodles with Soybean Paste for dinner, for around CNY 50 (USD 7) per person, at one of the time-honored eateries. A bowl of hand-pulled noodles is mixed with 5-6 ingredients like shredded cucumber and carrot, and a secret savory sauce, giving you a rich texture. Later, go for a stroll around the nearby willow-surrounded Houhai Lake, and embrace a romantic and stunning sunset. As the diverse neon signs on the lakeside bar street light up, get into a distinctive pub, enjoy a glass of mojito, gently sway to the rhythm of folk music, and immerse yourself in Beijing’s lively nightlife.  

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, meet your guide in the hotel lobby, and then set off for a lovely exploration in the Panda House of Beijing Zoo. Native to China, those cuddly, black and white fur balls are sure a must-see. Around 10 pandas will make their appearance in this ‘natural world’ full of classical charm to share their leisurely time with you. Take your chance to capture the adorable moments when they stretch, climb trees, roll around, and hold bamboo shoots peeling and feeding. What you might not have noticed is that pandas actually have tails! That is because the white and 10-to-20-cm-short (4-to-8-inch-short) ones are covered by their thick ‘coat’, and are hidden under the buttocks by them, who are seated most of the time.

Afterward, continue the trip to the Summer Palace, a large imperial garden as a birthday gift from an emperor to his mother in the mid-18th century. It features the peach-shaped Kunming Lake, a symbol of longevity, which takes up three-quarters of the total scenic area. Take your time to stroll along the Long Corridor that winds by the lake, the longest gallery of its kind, and feast your eyes on more than 14 thousand colorful paintings portraying various Chinese landscapes and historical or mythological stories on its beams and pillars. Also, climb the adjacent Longevity Hill, dotted with a few exquisite ancient pavilions, for a stunning panoramic view of this scenic summer retreat.

Your Beijing 4 days itinerary will come to an end here, and the guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station for your onward journey. Thank you for traveling with us! For a longer stay, consider extending your Beijing tour to 6 or 7 days, or travel to other popular cities like Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin, and Zhangjiajie. Feel free to contact us for a customized itinerary to your liking.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast