Beijing 5-Day Cultural In-depth Tour
Beijing Depth: Classic + Hutong Culture + Imperial Temples
Day-by-Day Itinerary
1
Tiananmen Square → Forbidden City → Jingshan Park
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing and is a symbolic landmark of the People's Republic of China. The square is named after the Tiananmen Gate Tower on its north side, which separates it from the Forbidden City. The square contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao. These building complexes, as part of the central axis of Beijing, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024. Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China here on October 1, 1949. Tiananmen Square is vast in size, bears witness to many important events in Chinese history, and has significant cultural significance.
Palace Museum
The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City in Beijing, is a large national comprehensive museum located within the Forbidden City in the core area of Beijing, China. It covers an area of 720,000 square meters. The museum inherited the royal palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China and opened to the public in 1925. It consists of 980 buildings and houses more than 1.8 million works of art, mainly from the royal collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the most visited museum in the world.
Jingshan Park
Jingshan Park is a royal park covering 23 hectares (57 acres), located in the Imperial City area directly north of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The focal point of the park is the artificial hill, Jingshan (景山, literally "Prospect Hill"). Originally an attached private royal garden of the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park was opened to the public in 1928. The park was officially established in 1949. It is listed as a national key park and administratively belongs to the Xicheng District in the city center of Beijing.
2
Summer Palace → Old Summer Palace Ruins Park
Summer Palace
The Summer Palace, the royal garden of the Qing Dynasty in China, formerly known as Qingyi Garden, is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, 15 kilometers away from the city. It is the largest and most well-preserved royal garden in China. It is modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou, absorbing some design techniques and artistic conceptions of Jiangnan gardens, while retaining the grandeur of the northern royal gardens. The Summer Palace concentrates the essence of Chinese garden art and is evaluated by UNESCO as a "masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design" and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1998.
Old Summer Palace Ruins Park
The Old Summer Palace Ruins Park, located in Haidian District, Beijing, is a large royal garden of the Qing Dynasty, composed of Yuanmingyuan, Changchunyuan, and Qichunyuan, also known as the "Three Gardens of Yuanmingyuan", covering an area of more than 350 hectares. It was once the main place for the Qing Dynasty emperors to handle government affairs and live, and was known as the "Garden of Gardens". However, during the Second Opium War, it was looted and burned by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860, and only ruins remain. The most famous ruins in the park are the Western Buildings Scenic Area, which showcases the architectural style and exquisite garden art of the combination of Chinese and Western cultures.
3
Mutianyu Great Wall Full-Day Tour
Mutianyu Great Wall
The Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou District, Beijing, 70 kilometers from the city center. It is the best-preserved section of the Ming Great Wall and a famous tourist attraction. It connects Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou in the east, and has been a vital military stronghold guarding Beijing since ancient times. The Mutianyu Great Wall is famous for its steep terrain, unique structure, and magnificent scenery. The wall is mainly built of granite, 7 to 8.5 meters high and 4 to 5 meters wide at the top. Compared with other sections of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu Great Wall has unique construction features, with dense watchtowers, 22 watchtowers on the 2250-meter-long wall. Parapets are set up on both the inner and outer sides of the wall, which is very rare in other sections of the Great Wall, allowing archers to cover shooting on both sides. The Mutianyu Pass consists of three watchtowers, a large building in the middle and two smaller buildings on each side. The three watchtowers are connected on the same platform, forming a rare structure in various sections of the Great Wall. In addition, this section of the Great Wall is surrounded by forests and streams, with a forest coverage rate of over 90%. Visitors can choose to take a cable car or toboggan up and down, or climb more than 4,000 steps on foot.
4
Lama Temple → Confucius Temple & Imperial College → Shichahai
Yonghe Temple
Yonghe Temple, also known as the Yonghe Lamasery, commonly known as the Lama Temple, is a Gelug school Tibetan Buddhist temple located at No. 12 Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China. The architecture and art combine Han and Tibetan styles, making it one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist temples in mainland China. During the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, Yonghe Temple was the highest Buddhist temple in the country. It was originally the residence of Yinzhen (Emperor Yongzheng), the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi. After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, it was converted into an imperial palace, and later converted into a Tibetan Buddhist temple by Emperor Qianlong in 1744. Yonghe Temple is known for its exquisite architecture, precious cultural relics, and unique Tibetan Buddhist culture, attracting many tourists and believers.
Confucius Temple and Guozijian Museum
The Confucius Temple and Guozijian Museum is located on Guozijian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It was the site of royal Confucian sacrifices and the highest institution of learning during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in China. The Confucius Temple was first built in 1302 (the sixth year of the Dade reign in the Yuan Dynasty) and is the second largest Confucius Temple in the country, second only to the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong. The Guozijian was first built in 1306 (the tenth year of the Dade reign in the Yuan Dynasty) and was the highest institution of learning in Chinese history. The museum covers an area of approximately 20,000 square meters and retains its complete historical appearance. It houses 198 steles with the names of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), engraved with the names, origins, and rankings of more than 50,000 Jinshi from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, as well as famous historical sites such as the 'Touching Traitor Cypress'. It was once the place where emperors of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties sacrificed to Confucius and held national studies education, and is an important window to understand ancient Chinese etiquette, education system, and Confucian culture.
Shichahai
Shichahai is a scenic area with a long history, located in the northern part of Beijing's central city, consisting of three lakes: Qianhai, Xihai, and Houhai. It is located northwest of the Forbidden City and north of Beihai Park. During the Yuan Dynasty, Shichahai was an important commercial district at the northernmost end of the Grand Canal, surrounded by many temples and royal residences, among which Prince Gong's Mansion and Prince Chun's Mansion are the most famous. The name Shichahai means "Sea of Ten Temples". The lake area has beautiful scenery, with boating in summer and ice skating in winter. It is a famous historical and cultural scenic spot in Beijing, and was listed as a "Historical and Cultural Scenic Area" by the Beijing Municipal Government in 1992.
5
Temple of Heaven Park → Qianmen Street / Dashilar
Temple of Heaven Park
The Temple of Heaven Park is a royal sacrificial building complex located in the southeast of Beijing. It was first built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty and was used by emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to worship heaven and pray for good harvests. In 1998, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO and is praised as a "masterpiece of architecture and landscape design, vividly interpreting the cosmology of great significance to the development of important civilizations in the world." Its symbolic layout and design have had a profound impact on the architecture and planning of the Far East. The park covers an area of 2.73 square kilometers, and its main buildings include the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Mound Altar. All buildings are built in accordance with strict philosophical requirements and are a testimony to the long history and culture of the Chinese nation and an important carrier.
Qianmen Street
Qianmen Street is a famous commercial street in the center of Beijing, located south of Tiananmen Square. It is a traditional commercial center and cultural landmark of Beijing. It brings together many time-honored Chinese shops, specialty snacks, and traditional buildings, showcasing the unique style of old Beijing.
Dashilan
Dashilan is a famous commercial district located west of Qianmen Street in Xicheng District, Beijing. It is adjacent to the south side of Tiananmen Square and is known for its unique historical features and many time-honored Chinese brands. The history of Dashilan can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, when the wooden fence set up to maintain the security of the capital was called "Dashilan" (meaning "Big Fence") by the locals because of its large scale, and gradually evolved into the official name of this block. Although modern commercial centers have shifted, it still retains century-old shops such as Tongrentang, Ruifuxiang, Majuyuan, Neiliansheng, and Zhangyiyuan, which are the epitome of traditional Chinese commercial culture and one of the entertainment centers of old Beijing, once boasting many large theaters.
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