On arrival at Beijing Airport you’ll be greeted by one of our representatives and taken to your hotel. You’ll receive a Beijing city map in English. Then it’s off to the city centre; the ride will take about an hour.

China Travel Plan offers three hotels in Beijing based on the price in proportion to the quality of the accommodation:  
- a mid-class hotel in the city centre
- a cosy courtyard hotel in a historic Chinese suburb, a 'hutong'
- a luxurious 4 star hotel with swimming pool, lobby bar and every comfort you’ll need to relax and unwind

More information on these options and the prices for each can be found at the bottom of this page. The rest of your first day in China is free to fill in as you wish.

Around 08:30 in the morning a car with English-speaking guide will be waiting for you by the front door of your Beijing hotel. The first stop of the day will be Tian'anmen Square. Tian’anmen means ‘Gate of Heavenly Peace’ and it is the largest urban square in the World. It The square is bordered by buildings of parliament and the mausoleum dedicated to Mao Zhedong, China’s communist leader during the 60’s who personally lead the country’s Cultural Revolution.

After visiting the square you’ll continue on the Beijing travel tours to the Temple of Heavenly Peace (entrance fee 35 Yuan, approx. £3.50). The temple is located in a city park filled with pine trees and picnic spots. After about 1.5 hours you’ll have seen the entire temple and you’ll continue on to the Lama Temple of the Tibetan Lama Buddhism (entrance fee approx. £2.50). The scent of incense and sandalwood will follow you during your visit to the red temple houses and curled wood pagodas.

At around 12:30 your driver will drop you off at Tian'anmen Square. You’ll say goodbye to your chauffeur; however your guide will spend the rest of the day with you. He’ll help you to decipher menus and order lunch and together you’ll visit the Forbidden City at your own pace. In all honesty, you may want to think twice about waiting forever to enter Mao’s mausoleum….. we didn’t think it was worth the wait during our visit.

The Forbidden City was the secluded home of Chinese emperors for many centuries. It was completely closed off from the outside world. While strolling through the empiric living quarters dating back to the 18th century, you may feel as if you’re walking through the set of the movie ‘The Last Emperor’. The city is filled to capacity with Chinese tour groups in the morning, that’s why we’ve planned this excursion for the afternoon…. It’s usually much less crowded. The Forbidden City closed its Gates at 16:00 and it will take you about two hours to see the entire city (entrance fee 60 Yuan, approx. £6). Once you’ve seen enough, your guide will help get a taxi back to your hotel.

While staying in one of our hotels in Beijing, spend an evening at Hou Hai Lake. This lantern lit lake lies in the centre of the city and is the place to be in the evenings; Chinese of every class, background and age can be found there.

Ask China travellers why they are travelling to China and most will say one reason is to be able to stand on the Great Wall of China. You’ll be picked up from your accommodation early in the morning and then you’ll drive north for three hours to Jinshanling; a quiet part of the Great Wall of China. This is where your 10km walk to Simatai will begin. Many parts of the wall will be climbed, other times you’ll descend. Large portions of the wall have not been restored, so caution is advised at all times. There are three points along the wall where you’ll pay an entrance fee of approximately £5. Locals sell water, sodas and cookies. If you don’t feel like finishing the 10km walk, ask for a short cut and you won’t walk on the wall any longer. You’ll fly down the last kilometre while hanging on a cable above a lake. A mini bus will be waiting for you on the other side of the lake, but first you can have some dinner (not included in the price of the trip). You’ll be back in Beijing around 19:00.

Keep in mind that in August for instance, temperatures during your walk can soar to more than 30C. During our visit, we found the walk to be quite challenging. If you decide not to do the walk, for instance because of fear of heights, then we will arrange a visit to the Great Wall of China for you at Mutianyu. This area is more touristy, since you’ll only be in one area, however the wall is easier to walk on here (there is also a gondola available) and just as beautiful.

From June 1st until October 31st, this Great Wall of China trip can also be done on Day 2 (and the city tour can be done on Day 3).

After three nights in one of our friendly hotels in Beijing, most travellers take the night train to the city of the Terracotta Army; however you can also fly there.  

If you do decide to take the train, you’ll have the rest of the day to spend in Beijing. There are taxi cabs in abundance and a ride in the city usually doesn’t cost much more than £2. We really enjoyed being able to explore the city so easily on our last day here. Either go on foot, by Chinese bicycle or seated in a rickshaw to visit the historic hutong neighbourhoods. The best streets to visit can be found behind Guloudajie Street, near the impressive Bell and Drum Towers.