Imperial Life Exploration

Tiananmen Square - Forbidden City - Temple of Heaven - Summer Palace
  • Code
    BJ01-03
  • Tour Style
    Private
  • We Promise
    No Shopping
  • Free Cancellation
    24-hour Before
From USD129 per person Free Inquiry
Trip Highlights:
► Stroll around China’s symbolic Tiananmen Square to take photos of monuments and buildings.
► Appreciate hundreds of palaces in the Forbidden City, the world’s largest wooden palace complex.
► Visit the super symmetrical Temple Heaven to take in ancient Chinese worshipping rituals.
► Be dazzled by impressive royal resort scenery and lake views in Summer Palace.

Itinerary:
Today’s private Beijing day tour boasts exploring the ancient Chinese imperial life hundreds of years ago by visiting once royal palace, the sacrificial site of emperors, and a summer resort.

In the morning, your professional guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel at around 09:00. By a comfortable drive, our first stop will be Tiananmen Square, an iconic attraction of Beijing, just sitting in the center of the city. The super large square occupies an area of 440,000 square meters (109 acres) and has witnessed numerous important historical events and assemblies, including the announcement of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Nowadays, it becomes the venue for grand celebrations, military parades, and welcoming ceremonies for foreign leaders. Accompanied by your guide, you will also admire the towering Monument to People's Heroes, the solemn Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao, the well-known Tiananmen Tower, Zhengyang Gate and Qianmen Arrow Tower on the square.
Appreciate the Imperial Buildings at the Forbidden City
After photographing in the vast square, we will walk northward for a few minutes to enter the Forbidden City, where 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911 AD) had lived and worked on national affairs. Served as the imperial palace for more than 500 hundred years, the Forbidden City boasts the largest and best-preserved old wooden complex in the world. The whole palace is divided into the outer court and the inner court by the Palace of Heavenly Purity, with the outer one for emperors and ministers to work and the inner one for imperial families to live. In addition to the splendid architecture, the complex is also a giant museum with more than one million national treasures exhibited. You will spend several hours to be dazzled by the gorgeous architecture and exhibits.

We have especially arranged the Forbidden City tour in the morning because more tourists crowd in the afternoon and the attraction closes very early, at 17:00 in the peak season while 16:30 in the slack season. Do you know why does it close so early? Back in 1959, a man hid in the Forbidden City until midnight and stole a few valuable cultural relics. After that, the Forbidden City decided to close earlier to clear up the site and check the entire palace to prevent theft. Besides, someone believe that unexplained paranormal events may happen at night in this ancient palace over 600 years old.

Today’s itinerary doesn’t include lunch but your guide would like to recommend you some fine dining options nearby according to your tastes.
Temple of Heaven
Local Retired People Playing Music
In the afternoon, we will continue to visit the Temple of Heaven, where emperors held national sacrificial ceremonies to pray for a rich harvest during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient architecture features a super symmetrical structure with three lays of round tops. Your professional guide will show you around the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Circular Mound Altar inside. You can also visit some exhibition rooms displaying various vessels, chimes, paintings and documents, which introduce the evolution of ancient worshipping rituals and sacrificial dances. Surrounding the temple is a large park where you can see the real life scenes of the local people.
Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace
Afterward, we will go to visit the Summer Palace - a royal resort during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911 AD) with gorgeous landscapes. Covered mostly with water, this is a great place to hang around to breathe fresh air and enjoy beautiful lake scenery. You will be amazed by its magnificent architecture including the world’s longest corridor about 730 meters (2,395 ft.) long and a giant cruise boat on the water carved out of stone.

Finally, this one day Beijing tour will draw to a close, and your guide and driver will transfer you back to your hotel. Hope you can enjoy your day!
Visit the Tiananmen Square
Our Guests at the Summer Palace


Tour Prices
1 traveler2-3 travelers4-5 travelers
USD279
USD169
USD129
  • Prices are per person in US Dollars.
Price Includes
  • Private English-speaking guide
  • Private driver & air-conditioned vehicle
  • Entrance fees to tourist sites
Price Excludes
  • Hotel accommodation with breakfasts
  • Lunches and dinners
  • Tips or gratuities for guide and driver
Why Travel With Us