3-Day Beijing Highlights Private Tour (Half-Day Flexible Itinerary)

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven

Stop At: Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang), West Changan Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006 China
Our tour guide and private driver will pick you up at 8:30 am from your hotel lobby. From there, we will first visit Tiananmen Square, one of the largest city squares in the world with Chairman Mao's mausoleum in the center, the Great Hall of China on the west, and the National Museum on the east.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Forbidden City-The Palace Museum, No.4 Jingshanqian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100009 China
From Tiananmen Square, we will walk due north to the Forbidden City, the biggest and best-preserved imperial palace in the world. Brimming with 9,999 and artifacts from over 500 years of history, the walled city within a city acted as the political and ceremonial seat of power for over 24 emperors during the Ming to Qing dynasties (1420-1912), and the rightful conduit between the gods, the rulers, and the Chinese people.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Temple of Heaven, Tiantan Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100050 China
In the afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, located in the south of Beijing. While the Forbidden City was the political heart of China, the Temple of Heaven was the sacrificial complex where emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties prayed for peace and good harvest. The last stop of the tour will take you to Hongqiao Pearl Market, one of Beijing's best one-stop shops for traditional gifts, decorations, and souvenirs as well as a taste of how to hone your bargaining skills.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Traditional Peking duck lunch.
Accommodation included: No accommodation provided

Day 2: Mutianyu Great Wall and 798 Art District

Stop At: Mutianyu Great Wall, Mutianyu Road, Huairou District, Beijing China
Day two begins with a trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the seven wonders in the world. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to drive to the wall from central Beijing. Considered one of the most scenic portions of the Great Wall, 90% of Mutianyu is covered by vegetation, making for incredible views stretching as far as the eye can see. Travelers can opt to ride the cable car half-way and then hike the remainder, enjoying the scenery while scaling the remainder of the wall.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: 798 Art Zone, No.4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015 China
After hiking, we will refuel on a traditional meal of Chinese dumplings in a nearby village before driving back towards town to visit Beijing's 798 Art District. This sprawling and unique complex, comprised of decommissioned military factories is one of the city's biggest collections of galleries and exhibits and provides an excellent opportunity to take a stroll and soak up works from some of the biggest names in Chinese modern art.

Optional itinerary: Acrobatic or kung fu show in the evening.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Traditional Chinese dumplings.
Accommodation included: No accommodation provided

Day 3: Beijing Zoo (Panda House), Summer Palace, Bird's Nest, and Lama Temple

Stop At: Beijing Zoo, No.137 Xizhimenwai Main Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100044 China
On day three, you will be picked up at 8:30 am from your hotel lobby before making our way to Beijing Zoo in the northwest of the city. Here you can watch inimitably cute and cuddly giant pandas, China's national symbol, being fed breakfast before they begin their long slumber for the remainder of the day.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), No.19 Xinjian Gongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100080 China
Once the pandas are fed and safely tucked away, we will visit the Summer Palace, which was once the imperial garden for China's emperors and their families. As a means of respite from the hustle and bustle of the Forbidden City, the emperors would retire here and enjoy the serenity of the ground's many beautiful pavilions, bridges, corridors, temples, and the central Kunming Lake, all of which still exist to this day.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Olympic Park, North of Beisihuanzhong road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101 China
Driving back toward the center of town, we will pass Beijing's Olympic Park, which acted as the heart of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 and is home to the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Lama Temple (Yonghegong), No.12 Yonghegong Street, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100007 China
Finally, in the afternoon, we will visit Llama Temple, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. Made up of layer upon layer of ceremonial halls, be enchanted by how the temple stretches out, enshrouded by the sweet smell of incense throughout. The temple is also home to the largest wooden statue of Buddha in the world, standing a whopping 18 meters and professing its blessings on the visitors below.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Lunch: Hot-pot for lunch.
Accommodation included: No accommodation provided