History & Nature

Your guide and driver will meet you at your hotel lobby and offer you a smooth ride to today’s first stop, Tiananmen Square. Strolling northward, you’ll pass by an array of iconic buildings, such as the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the National Museum, and the Great Hall of the People, and finally stop at the solemn Tiananmen Tower.

Pass through the Tower and enter the Forbidden City, the political center of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911 AD). Once you step over the threshold, the Three Great Halls, the heart of imperial power, standing along the central axis, come into view. Emperors once held grand ceremonies and conducted state affairs here. However, these halls were not always the political core. Starting with the Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735 AD), eight successive rulers over the next 200 years moved their residence and office from the Three Great Halls to the smaller Hall of Mental Cultivation on the west side of the central axis. Why? Because the Hall of Mental Cultivation was connected to the imperial kitchen, the empress dowager’s chambers, and other key areas. For the workaholic Emperor Yongzheng, this location allowed him to efficiently handle multiple tasks, such as managing political affairs and dining, all in one place. Over time, the Hall evolved into a kind of “home office” for the emperors.After a lunch of local flavors, let’s head to the Temple of Heaven, a 600-year-old complex and China’s largest, best-preserved site for heaven worship. In ancient Greece and Rome, people also offered sacrifices to gods, seeking victory in wars, bountiful harvests, or good health. Yet those rituals often carried a tone of “quid pro quo.” By contrast, the Chinese ceremony served as the ultimate affirmation of the emperor’s authority. As the “Son of Heaven,” the emperor demonstrated to his people that he still held the Mandate of Heaven to rule. This ritual was not merely an expression of faith; it was also a means of maintaining power.

★ Feasts for Your Eyes and Palate: Acrobatics Show & Welcome Dinner

1. Clap for the Thrilling Acrobatics: We’ll proceed to the Red Theater to watch a breathtaking acrobatic performance. You cannot help but hold your breath for performers as they handstand on a stack of dozens of chairs, struggle to keep their balance on a thin wire, or bend their bodies like a snake. The most dazzling act is the motorcycle stunt: riders race at high speed inside a net‑covered steel ball, executing difficult moves with ease, as if they could truly conquer gravity. 
2. Enjoy an A La Carte Dinner: After this visual feast, it’s time to satisfy your appetite with a delicious welcome dinner at a high‑end restaurant, valued twice the local average and included in your tour price. You’ll have the chance to taste not only Beijing’s most famous dish, Peking Roast Duck, but also other delicacies such as Noodles with Soybean Paste and Pea Flour Cake.

After dinner, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch, a la carte welcome dinner with Peking Duck

In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel for a 1.5-hour drive to the Mutianyu Great Wall. To ensure an effortless and breathtaking experience, we’ve included a round-trip cable car for you, or you can try the chairlift up and toboggan down, which are also included in our service.

Then, enjoy a 2.5-hour hike along the Great Wall - touch the ancient bricks, step into watchtowers, peer through arrow slits at the mountain scenery, and imagine the daily life of soldiers stationed here 600 years ago. Before you set foot on this dragon-like rampart, the Great Wall had already captivated many Western explorers. In the mid-17th century, a Portuguese missionary produced what may be the first detailed record of the Wall, describing not only its grandeur but also the signal function of the beacon towers, correcting the vague impression then common in Europe that it was merely “a huge wall.”

★ A Toast on the Great Wall:

After hiking, your guide will offer you red wine. Raise goblets together to celebrate conquering this wonder of the world. Following a buffet lunch at the foot of the mountain, we’ll drive back to downtown Beijing and make a brief stop at the Olympic Park to take photos with the sports venues of Water Cube and Bird’s Nest.

★ Beyond the Glitter: Rickshaw Ride into Hutong Alleys & Local Family Visit

After exploring Beijing’s grand monuments, we’ll now immerse ourselves in the city’s everyday life with a visit to its traditional Hutong alleys. Board a rickshaw, a century‑old mode of transport, and weave through lanes that have stood for 700 years. The deeper you go, the more time‑worn the surroundings become. Most residents are old native Beijingers, but cramped spaces, inconvenient kitchen and bathroom facilities, outdoor public toilets, and a lack of heating in winter have driven the younger generations to move into modern apartments. The Hutong thus becomes the “old home,” and the elderly remain as “left‑behind parents.” You’ll step into a traditional courtyard and chat with the homeowner to learn how life in the Hutongs has changed and about locals’ daily routines with your guide’s translation.

At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, buffet lunch

After breakfast, your guide and driver will accompany you to your final stop in Beijing: the Summer Palace, a classic example of Chinese gardens and one of the country’s best‑preserved imperial gardens. Kunming Lake covers about three‑quarters of the entire garden. You may notice three small islands scattered across the water. In ancient times, people believed that the Eastern Sea held three islands where magical herbs of immortality grew and long‑lived deities resided. Hoping to prolong his life and reign forever, Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799 AD) had these three simulated islands built. If you climb Longevity Hill, you can take in the full beauty of Kunming Lake and the surrounding hills.

After lunch, your guide and driver will escort you to the railway station platform, where a porter will assist you in boarding a 5-hour high‑speed train to Xi'an. Reaching speeds of up to 350 km/h (217 mph), China’s high‑speed rail is among the world’s fastest and most advanced, hence a must‑try for overseas visitors. Its low fares and punctuality rate of up to 98% have made it the top choice for inter-city travels, even replacing flights. Some people even rely on trains for cross‑city commuting: they work in Beijing on weekdays and take a few hours of high-speed train on weekends to another city to reunite with their families.

Upon arrival in Xi’an, your local guide will meet you on the platform and, together with a driver, escort you to your hotel for check‑in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

After breakfast at your hotel, your guide and driver will escort you to the Terracotta Army Museum, the grand underground regiment built 2,200 years ago to protect Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), China’s first emperor, in his afterlife. Sculpture is not unique to any single civilization, but as you gaze upon these neatly arrayed terracotta warriors, you’ll notice how different they are from classical Western sculptures. Ancient Greek and Roman statues often used marble and conveyed figures through finely carved muscles and body contours. The Terracotta Warriors, in contrast, are clad in heavy armor and reveal their inner world primarily through facial expressions. You’ll see warriors with furrowed brows, stern looks, or other expressions, each face representing a real person from 2,000 years ago. In the museum’s exhibition hall, you can examine their facial details up close and also see the bronze weapons the soldiers once used.

★ Beyond the Clay: Discoverer’s Story & Pottery Making Workshop

1. Visit the Discoverer of Terracotta Army: Though the Terracotta Warriors are world‑famous, few know how they were discovered. After lunch, your guide will accompany you to the home of Mr. Yang, the discoverer. Through the newspapers and tools displayed in his living room, and the stories told by Mr. Yang or his family, you’ll hear the full story. 
2. Make Your Own Mini Terracotta Warrior: Sit down at a local workshop and create your own miniature warrior under the guidance of an artisan, using molds and carving knives. Once finished, carve your name on it and take it home as the most meaningful souvenir of your Xi’an journey.Next, return to the city center to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Built 1,200 years ago by a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) to house the Buddhist scriptures he brought back from India, it is Xi’an’s most important Buddhist structure. Locals believe the pagoda possesses a supernatural power: anything spoken casually beneath it, good or bad, is bound to come true. This has given rise to a local saying: “Strange coincidences happen a lot in Xi’an, so don’t speak unlucky words.”

★ A Taste of the Tang Dynasty: Dumpling Banquet & Dance Show

In the evening, enjoy a specially curated dumpling banquet at a theater restaurant. Dumplings were not originally a delicacy but a medical remedy for frostbitten ears. Today, they have become an edible art: chefs use colorful doughs to wrap various fillings and shape them into forms such as birds, rabbits, and flowers. After pleasing your palate, sit back and enjoy a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. Dressed in period costumes, the performers reenact the legendary rise of Wu Zetian (624-705 AD), from a humble palace maid to China’s only female emperor, through dance accompanied by ancient instruments.

After the performance, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch, dumpling dinner

In the morning, let’s head to the Xi’an City Wall Park. Built along the moat, it stretches like an emerald ribbon encircling the old city. 600 years ago, the moat served as the first line of military defense, strictly off-limits to ordinary people. Today, it has evolved into a “city living room” shared by all. You’ll encounter elderly locals doing morning exercises, some hang from tree branches, others do two‑finger handstands, and some sing local opera, all of which will surely break your stereotypes about the elderly.

★ Chinese Shadowboxing Lesson:

Here, we’ll invite a local Kung Fu master to give you a lesson and help you experience the charm of this traditional martial art. With soothing music, breath control, and gentle stretching, it improves blood circulation and brings inner peace.

Then, ascend the Xi’an City Wall, a model of an ancient “sponge city.” Walking along the rampart, you’ll notice that the top slopes slightly inward and there are water chutes at regular intervals. During heavy rain, part of the rainwater flows through the chutes into drainage ditches and finally reaches the moat. The builders also mixed broken bricks and tiles into the rammed earth, creating tiny gaps that absorb rainwater on rainy days and slowly release it on sunny days. This way, the entire wall functions like a giant air conditioner, with temperatures 3-5 °C lower than in the downtown area, and this system still works today. Cycling on the wall is a popular activity. If you like, rent a bike at your own expense and explore the outline of this ancient capital at a different pace.

★ A La Carte Lunch for Xi’an’s Signature Flavors

After descending the City Wall, we’ll head to the Muslim Quarter, Xian’s most bustling food street. Enjoy an a la carte lunch at a selected restaurant. Xi’an is famous for its noodles, so if you’re a carb lover, don’t miss Xi’an Ribbon Pasta. You can choose toppings to suit your taste, such as tomato with egg, minced beef sauce, or oil‑splashed chili. Other local specialties like cold noodles and steamed glutinous rice cake with dates are also worth trying.

After lunch, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport and help you find the correct check‑in counter. Then, take a 1.5‑ to 2‑hour flight to Zhangjiajie. Upon landing, a local guide will meet you and provide a smooth transfer to your hotel. We recommend resting well, as tomorrow’s tour of the Forest Park will be physically demanding.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, a la carte local food lunch

After breakfast, your guide and driver will accompany you on a full day exploring the core area of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. To ensure a smooth journey, the park’s shuttle bus, cable cars, and the Bailong Elevator are all included.

Upon arrival, head straight to the Bailong Elevator. Built against a vertical cliff over 300 meters (984 feet) high, it is the world’s tallest sightseeing lift and reaches the summit in just 66 seconds. To protect the local ecosystem, engineers excavated a shaft from the top down using manual and mechanical methods instead of blasting, a process that took three years to complete.

Once at the top, you’ll enter Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, where thousands of karst peaks in various shapes rise before you. Among them stands the surreal Hallelujah Mountain, also known as the Avatar Mountain. Since the release of the movie “Avatar”, this stone column has become a global sensation, drawing countless travelers eager to see it in person. You can also cross the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural stone arch linking two peaks. Couples often attach padlocks inscribed with their names to the railings, then toss the keys into the valley, praying for a lasting love. 

Afterward, take an eco‑shuttle to Yangjiajie Scenic Area. If Yuanjiajie feels like a futuristic sci‑fi epic, Yangjiajie is a rugged adventure drama, woven with tales of the legendary Yang family generals. Ancient ridges rise from the valley like chivalrous warriors. Don’t miss the Natural Great Wall, where dozens of stone peaks rise like an undulating rampart through the forest. Over millennia, wind and rain have carved the quartz sandstone into thin slabs that now stand like folding screens across the valley.

Then, take another shuttle to Tianzi Mountain, renowned as the Peak Forest Kingdom. From the viewing platform, you’ll be amazed by nature’s craftsmanship. Don’t miss the Imperial Brush Peaks. Legend has it that a local chieftain dropped his brushes here while reviewing official letters, and the row of inverted brush‑like pillars before you are said to be those brushes, while the cylindrical peak standing in front is said to be his desk.

At the end of the day, descend by cable car, and your guide and the driver will offer you a hotel transfer. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

After a night’s rest, let’s continue to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. When you think of the Grand Canyon, you might picture the vast, rugged red‑rock wilderness of the one in Colorado, USA. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, however, offers a completely different scene: dense vegetation, streams, lakes, waterfalls, and caves, like a “geology museum” hidden in the earth. If the American Grand Canyon is a red, silent giant, then Zhangjiajie’s is a singing sprite draped in a green veil.

Beyond the magnificent views, you can experience the world’s highest and longest Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge here. Although suspended by cables with no supporting pillars beneath, it is more stable than expected; the only challenge is the dizziness that comes with the height. As you walk across, zipliners may “fly” past you, and bungee jumpers scream beneath your feet, making your heart tighten. Once you calm down from the thrill, you can fully immerse yourself in the canyon’s sweeping panorama.

In the afternoon, let’s re‑enter the Forest Park and enjoy a picturesque hike along the Golden Whip Stream. Although the 7.5‑kilometer (4.6‑mile) path is relatively flat, completing it can still be tiring for most. Your guide will accompany you to the main highlights and can stop at any time based on your physical condition. Along the way, keep an eye out for two peaks that join at the base and have jagged tops. The higher one bows slightly, and the lower one raises her head, resembling a couple hugging tightly and looking at each other lovingly, hence their romantic name, “Lovers Peak.” 

After hiking, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

Your last morning in Zhangjiajie will be spent at Tianmen Mountain. To make the visit less strenuous, we’ll include a round-trip cable car and multi-level transmountain escalators for you. Halfway up the mountain, be jaw-dropped by the iconic Tianmen Cave, widely known as the Heaven’s Gate. Legend has it that a local prayed to the mountain, whereupon the cliff face split open to form this colossal arch, and a divine voice echoed from within. The man climbed to the opening and found it only a step from heaven. Since then, the arch has been seen as a mystical portal between the earthly and celestial realms. Ascending to the summit by the transmountain escalator, you’ll have a chance to step onto the transparent cliffside Glass Skywalk, where the sensation of hovering high above the valley delivers an unforgettable adrenaline rush. 

After lunch, your guide and driver will escort you to Zhangjiajie International Airport or the high-speed train station according to your schedule. We wish you a nice journey home! 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

► FYI: We recommend booking flights or trains departing after 7:00 PM. Zhangjiajie Airport offers direct flights to major domestic hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, as well as several Asian cities, including Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. High‑speed rail services are also available to destinations like Shanghai and Hong Kong, giving you flexible itinerary options. If you plan to leave the next day, contact us to arrange an extra hotel night at an additional charge.