Beijing Classic Highlights & Modern Thrills

Morning / Afternoon — Arrival & Hotel Check-in
Upon arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or Beijing South Railway Station, your private guide and driver will warmly greet you and escort you to your hotel for check-in, allowing you to settle in and freshen up after your journey.

Lunch — near Wangfujing Street
Have lunch at a family-friendly restaurant near Wangfujing Street.

Afternoon — Wangfujing Stroll
Take a leisurely stroll along Wangfujing Street, one of Beijing's most famous pedestrian thoroughfares, lined with shops, department stores, and food stalls that capture the pulse of modern city life. For the adventurous, the nearby Wangfujing Snack Street presents a fascinating — and sometimes daring — array of local street food, from skewers to candied fruit. It's a lively, low-pressure first taste of the capital.

Dinner — Welcome Peking Duck
Savor Beijing's iconic Peking Duck, carved tableside and served with thin pancakes, scallions, and sweet bean sauce — a delicious introduction to northern Chinese cuisine.

Evening — at your leisure
The rest of the evening is yours to rest at your hotel after your arrival.

• Morning: Embark on a captivating journey into the heart of imperial China at the Forbidden City. As the world's largest palace complex, it was home to 24 emperors. Your guide will lead you along the central axis, sharing stories of court life that will engage both children and adults. Key stops include the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where emperors held grand ceremonies.

• Lunch: At a local restaurant conveniently located near the Forbidden City.

• Afternoon: Ascend the hill in Jingshan Park for a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire Forbidden City from above—a perfect photo opportunity. Afterwards, enjoy the serene atmosphere of Beihai Park, an ancient imperial garden centered around a large lake with a beautiful white dagoba.

• Dinner: A relaxed dinner at your hotel or a nearby restaurant.

Morning — north to the wall
You leave the city in the morning for Mutianyu, about ninety minutes north-east of Beijing in the Huairou hills. Starting early matters here: this is the most popular day trip in the country, and arriving before the coaches means walking a stretch of the wall more or less alone. The section itself is 2.25 kilometres of restored Ming wall laid along a forested ridge, with twenty-two watchtowers set close enough together that the walk between them still reads as a working defence rather than a monument. A cable car carries you from the valley floor up to the rampart, which saves your legs for the wall itself.

Late morning — along the ramparts
On top, the wall climbs and falls in long stone steps, and you choose your own distance: some families walk one or two towers and settle in for the view, others carry on as far as the twenty-second. The watchtowers you pass are the hollow kind, introduced along this frontier in the 1560s by the Ming commander Qi Jiguang, who refaced the wall in brick and gave each tower a covered floor where a garrison could live and keep its weapons out of the weather. Your guide will point out the crenellations, the arrow windows and the fall of the rampart, and there is time for the photographs everyone comes for.

Lunch — a restaurant below the wall
Lunch is at a family-run restaurant in the village at the foot of the mountain, on dishes that suit both children and adults. The cooking is plainly local to the Huairou hills, and the pace is unhurried.

Afternoon — the toboggan down
For the descent you can take the toboggan, a long chute that runs from the upper station down through the trees; it is the part of the day children remember longest. The cable car is there as well if you would rather ride back down. The drive into Beijing takes the rest of the afternoon, and you reach your hotel with time to rest before dinner.

Evening — back in Beijing
Dinner is at your hotel or at a nearby restaurant, and the evening stays free.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; lunch at a village restaurant below the wall; dinner back in Beijing.

Morning — the Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is the largest complex in the world built for the worship of heaven, finished in 1420 and used by the emperors of the Ming and Qing to pray for good harvests. The meaning sits in the shapes: the round halls stand for heaven and the square terraces beneath them for earth, and the whole axis is set out on a strict numerical order. Your guide will take you through the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a circular timber hall raised without a single nail, and along the Echo Wall, where a whisper at one end carries to the other. Coming in the morning you also see the park at its most local, with groups practising tai chi and calligraphy under the ancient cypresses.

Lunch — near the Temple of Heaven
Dine at a local restaurant near the temple, on Beijing dishes that suit both children and adults.

Afternoon — the Summer Palace
The Summer Palace began as the Qing imperial garden Qingyi Yuan and was rebuilt and expanded by Empress Dowager Cixi as a retreat where she received foreign envoys. Kunming Lake fills about three-quarters of its 2.9 square kilometres, Longevity Hill rises above the water, and the two are joined by the 728-metre Long Corridor that ends at the Marble Boat. You can climb Longevity Hill for sweeping views over the gardens and towards the Fragrant Hills, or stay low and follow the lakeside path past the Seventeen-Arch Bridge; after a full morning, the pace here is deliberately gentle.

Evening — at your leisure
Enjoy a relaxed dinner at your hotel or a nearby restaurant to close the day.

All Day — Universal Beijing Resort
Dedicate a full day to Universal Beijing Resort, which opened in 2021 as Universal's largest theme park in Asia. Its seven themed lands include The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Transformers, Kung Fu Panda Land, and Jurassic World, with thrilling rides, spectacular shows, and character meet-and-greets for all ages.

Evening — At your leisure
A variety of dining options are available inside the resort; the evening is free after the day's excitement.

Meals
Lunch and dinner are available at the resort's many restaurants.

Morning — Hutong Tour by Rickshaw
Experience old Beijing on a relaxing Hutong Tour by rickshaw in the picturesque Shichahai area. Glide through the narrow alleys flanked by traditional courtyard homes, known as siheyuans, which date back centuries to the city's Yuan dynasty origins. Your guide will explain the historic lifestyle of these neighborhoods and the role the hutongs played in the daily life of old Beijing.

Lunch — Courtyard Restaurant
A farewell lunch is arranged at a charming restaurant set within a traditional courtyard.

Afternoon — Departure
Your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport or railway station for your departure to the next destination, assisting with your onward arrangements.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; a courtyard farewell lunch; dinner during departure travel.