Side trip to Chengde Mountain Resort

Day 01 Entry Beijing

Our guide will hold a welcome sign waiting for you outside the customs of Beijing Capital Airport. Then a comfortable airport-hotel transfer will take you to the 4-star Holiday Inn Central Plaza, the best Holiday Inn Hotel in Beijing. The remainder of the day is free for you to have a good rest or explore the city.

Meals: No meals

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Central Plaza - the best Holiday Inn Hotel in Beijing

Day 02 Beijing

After a rich breakfast, our guide will drive you to Tiananmen Square. Covering an area of 440,000 square meters (109 acres), it is the largest city square in the world, which assembles many famous Beijing constructions. Then walking northward, you will come to the Forbidden City, the imperial palace during the 14th to early 20th centuries. Besides the splendid imperial architecture, the Forbidden City also houses over 1,000,000 pieces of historical items, reflecting the luxurious royal life. To avoid the mass-produced food at the cheap tourist restaurants arranged by most agencies, we will offer you an a la carte lunch of authentic Chinese food at a decent local restaurant. This afternoon, continue to visit the Temple of Heaven, the imperial altar for the emperors to worship the gods of the heaven. After that, a fantastic Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre will give you a memorable Beijing night.

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte lunch

Day 03 Beijing

A morning excursion will take you to the famous world heritage, Badaling Great Wall, the elite section of China Great Wall. Standing on it, you will see the wall winding its way over the undulating mountains, punctuated with majestic beacon towers. To avoid shopping site restaurants near the wall, we will offer you a Sichuan cuisine lunch at a popular and unique local restaurant. In the afternoon, stroll along the Sacred Way and reach the Ming Tomb. The Ming Tomb is regarded as the largest imperial graveyard in the world, where the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) were buried. When walking on its main path, the Sacred Way, you will see pairs of human and animal statues sitting on both sides, which are believed to be the guardians of the emperors. Then we will drive you back to the hotel and have a brief stop near the Bird's Nest, the major venue of 2008 Olympic Games.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 04 Beijing - Chengde

In the morning, you will take a soft seat train to Chengde. Our guide will pick you up at Chengde Railway Station and transfer you to the 4-star Yun Shan Hotel for a one-night stay. The rest of the day will be arranged for you to visit the Mountain Resort of Chengde. Constructed between 1703 and 1792 during the Qing Dynasty, the Mountain Resort was the exclusive place where the emperors and royal members spent summer. Compared with the grand and solemn Forbidden City, it is characterized by simplicity and elegance, where the various styles of palaces are integrated into the surrounding lakes, mountains, and woods harmoniously.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Yun Shan Hotel

Day 05 Chengde - Beijing

Today you will visit Puning Temple and Putuozongcheng Temple, two of the Eight Outer Temples. Situated to the east and north of Chengde Mountain Resort, outside the Gubeikou Pass (a section of the Great Wall), the Eight Outer Temples were the center of the Lamaism during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). Puning Temple is famous for the world largest wooden statue of the thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy while the magnificent Putuozongcheng Temple has the same style as the Potala Palace in Tibet and is known as 'little Potala Palace'. Afterward, take a soft seat train back to Beijing and check in the Holiday Inn Central Plaza again.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Central Plaza - the best Holiday Inn Hotel in Beijing

Day 06 Beijing Exit

There is a visit to the Summer Palace this morning. Summer Palace, the largest royal palace in China, was the imperial residence and garden between the 18th and early 20th centuries during the late Qing Dynasty. The garden centers upon Wanshou Hill and Kunming Lake, perfectly merges the royal garden into the natural landscape. As the tour ends, our guide will transfer you to the airport for your return flight. Farewell and have a nice trip!

Meals: Breakfast