Travelling to Tibet via Beijing, you have an opportunity for some sightseeing including visiting the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Great Wall. In the evening you can enjoy strolling through the famous and colorful Wangfujing market. Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty this has been a focal point for trade and in the Qing Dynasty this was where the aristocracy and princess’ residences were built.
Arrive in Beijing.
You guide shall meet you at the hotel on same day. After meeting at the hotel, you are taken out for a welcome dinner in one of the fine restaurant at Beijing.
Beijing sightseeing: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Wangfujing Market and Nanluoguxiang.
A full day’s sightseeing which starts with a visit to the Forbidden City in the centre of Beijing. The Imperial Palace of China for over 550 years, it opens onto Tiananmen Square. The gigantic complex has 980 buildings on 72 hectares and was built in 14 years by more than a million workers. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1987.
Exit to Jingshan Park, a hill overlooking the Forbidden City, before travelling to the Summer Palace on the southern outskirts of the city. These luxurious royal gardens, built in 1750, are dotted with lakes and palaces.
In the evening visit Wangfujing, a modern pedestrianised shopping street that has been a centre of commerce for centuries. Although it may seem a little uninteresting as you approach it from Chang’an Avenue, the first side street is a lively food market selling exotic Chinese snacks – barbecued bugs, horsefish and starfish. Later stroll down atmospheric Nanluoguxiang, a Hutong alley that is a popular tourist destination full of beautiful traditional houses, bars, restaurants and shops.
Sightseeing around Great Wall of China and End of Service.
Mutianyu is the longest fully-restored section of the Great Wall open to tourists with 23 original-style watchtowers. 73kms north of Beijing, it is surrounded by rolling hills covered by pines and cypresses. The restored section of the wall is 2.5 km long and 7-8 metres high.
Take the lovely, and not too strenuous, hike up along the Wall on a long stairway and footpath. (There is also a cable car service for those who don’t want to walk.) On the east end of the wall there is even a toboggan that you can use to descend and return to the bus park if you want to come down in style!
After visiting the Great Wall, you have the option to depart for Lhasa by train or flight
