Beijing Highlights

Visit the longest structure ever made by human hands, the Great Wall (Mutianyu, Includes Cable Car Ride) The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world. In fact, the length of all Chinese defense walls built over the last 2000 years is approximately 50,000 kilometres, while the Earth’s circumference is only 40,000 kilometres! Explore the much quieter Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, which was first begun in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557) and finished in the 17th century. The 2.5-kilometer stretch of the Wall allows you to walk along its storied length for over an hour and visit twenty-two watchtowers, should you so choose. Not only will you walk along this wonder of the world yourself, but you will also see it from above during a breathtaking cable car ride to the top. (Cable car tickets are included in cost of tour.)

Enjoy lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, includes one soft drink or non-alcoholic beverage. Visit Tian’anmen Square & Forbidden City in the afternoon

Tiananmen Square Prepare to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of one of the world’s largest public squares, measuring in at 440,000 square meters (over 109 acres). As you walk from the southernmost part of the square all the way down its length, you will pass several monuments, including the mausoleum that houses Chairman Mao’s remains. The northern gate of the square features a portrait of the PRC’s founding father, and is also the gate through which you will enter the Forbidden City.

Enter the Forbidden City and walk in the steps of emperors The Forbidden City was completed in 1420, and was home to 24 emperors, the last of which left Beijing in 1924. The entire imperial complex is reputed to have 9999 rooms, which at its peak housed up to 10,000 people, including the imperial family, 3000 eunuchs, as well as maids and concubines. Discover for yourself why the 170 acres were forbidden to common people as you stroll through what is arguably the best-preserved example of classical Chinese architecture in the world.

Optional add-on (porcelain collection): The Palace Museum’s Chinese porcelain collection is one of the finest in the world. Located in the Wenhua Hall in the Forbidden City, the collection covers a floor space of 1,770 square kilometers. Over four hundred of the most remarkable antiques have been selected from nearly 350,000 pieces, spanning thousands of years from the Neolithic Age to modern times.

Transfer back to the hotel and evening free at leisure on your own arrangement

Meals included: Lunch