Itinerary
- Day 1
Beijing
Your hotel pickup happens around 7:00 am, and from there you'll head into the Forbidden City to walk the central axis from south to north. The layout tells a real story about imperial life and court hierarchy. After exploring the palace grounds, you'll learn about traditional Chinese medicine at a health center, which gives some helpful context about how that system works. Next is the Temple of Heaven, an important worship site where you can see the architecture and understand its religious significance. Lunch comes at a local restaurant around midday, then you'll check out a pearl gallery to see how pearls connect to Chinese culture and commerce. The day finishes at the Summer Palace before heading back to your hotel.
- Meals
- Lunch (Chinese lunch at local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Forbidden City tour with 1 hour central axis walk
- Temple of Heaven visit
- Chinese lunch at local restaurant
- Pearl gallery tour
Optional Activities
- Traditional Chinese medicine center visit
- Summer Palace exploration
Landmarks Forbidden City Temple of Heaven Summer Palace 
- Day 2
Great Wall
Morning pickup is around 7:00 am from your hotel in the 2nd ring road area. You'll start at the Ming Tomb, which is actually a series of imperial burial sites that show the scale of imperial projects. After exploring there, lunch happens at a local restaurant. Then you're off to a jade factory to learn about jade's role in Chinese culture and craftsmanship over time. The main event is Mutianyu Great Wall, and this section is known for watchtowers that you can see from quite a distance. Taking a cable car to the top is your own expense, but once up there you'll walk along the wall and get photos. On the drive back to Beijing, you'll have a short stop at a Chinese tea house for a traditional tea ceremony to wrap things up.
- Meals
- Lunch (Chinese lunch at local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Ming Tomb visit
- Chinese lunch at local restaurant
- Jade factory tour
- Mutianyu Great Wall visit and walking tour
- Traditional tea ceremony at Chinese tea house
Optional Activities
- Cable car ride to mountain top at Mutianyu
Landmarks Ming Tomb Mutianyu Great Wall 
- Day 3
Beijing
Pickup from your Beijing hotel around 7:00 am gets the day started. You'll explore the Lama Temple, which has a Tibet-style Buddhist feel and includes 8 Buddha halls with detailed carvings and sacred objects inside. The architecture and art are really the focus here. From there, a local silk factory is next, where you can see how ancient Chinese silk production worked and what made it so valued historically. Chinese lunch at an authentic restaurant comes around midday. After eating, the Beijing Zoo is where you'll see giant pandas at the Beijing Panda Hall, which is the main draw for most people visiting that facility. Before heading back to your hotel, you'll finish at Jingshan Park, which gives you a nice view of the surrounding area.
- Meals
- Lunch (Chinese lunch at authentic restaurant)
Included Activities
- Lama Temple visit
- Local silk factory tour
- Chinese lunch at authentic restaurant
- Beijing Zoo visit with giant panda viewing
- Jingshan Park visit
Landmarks Lama Temple Beijing Zoo Jingshan Park
