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Private Tour: Juyongguan Great Wall, Sacred Way, and Dingling
1 day
Private
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Begin the tour by meeting your guide in the lobby of your Beijing hotel. Drive for approximately one hour to reach Juyongguan, which is the closest section of the Great Wall to Beijing. Upon arrival, take a short 2-minute walk from the parking lot to reach the Wall. Juyongguan is located in the 11-mile long (18 kilometer) Guangou Valley where the Jundu Mountain and Yan Mountain meet; it was the only route between Beijing and Mongolia.Today, it is one of the three greatest mountain passes of the Great Wall and is roughly circular with a perimeter of over 2.5 miles (4 kilometers).
Continue by taking a 30-minute drive to the Sacred Way. Begin at the stone memorial archway and stroll along the Sacred Way while learning about the fascinating myths of ancient China. The 4.3-mile (7 kilometer) divine path was considered to be the distance between the secular and celestial worlds. Admire the magnificent statues in place to guard the Ming emperors' afterlife. The Ming emperor believed that after their coffin was carried through the Sacred Way, their soul could rise up to heaven.
Following your 40-minute walk along the Sacred Way, enjoy a traditional Chinese lunch in a local restaurant with quality food. Lunch will be served in a traditional fancy restaurant where performances like face-changing, acrobatics, and Peking opera are staged between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. daily.
After lunch, travel onward to Dingling, the only imperial tomb among the Thirteen Ming Tombs that has been excavated. Visit the tomb belonging to the 13th Ming Emperor Wanli, who had the longest ruling time out of all 16 Ming Emperors. About 3,000 pieces of artifacts have been found in the Underground Palace of Dingling; some of them are displayed in the museum of Dingling. Following the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Beijing.
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Continue by taking a 30-minute drive to the Sacred Way. Begin at the stone memorial archway and stroll along the Sacred Way while learning about the fascinating myths of ancient China. The 4.3-mile (7 kilometer) divine path was considered to be the distance between the secular and celestial worlds. Admire the magnificent statues in place to guard the Ming emperors' afterlife. The Ming emperor believed that after their coffin was carried through the Sacred Way, their soul could rise up to heaven.
Following your 40-minute walk along the Sacred Way, enjoy a traditional Chinese lunch in a local restaurant with quality food. Lunch will be served in a traditional fancy restaurant where performances like face-changing, acrobatics, and Peking opera are staged between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. daily.
After lunch, travel onward to Dingling, the only imperial tomb among the Thirteen Ming Tombs that has been excavated. Visit the tomb belonging to the 13th Ming Emperor Wanli, who had the longest ruling time out of all 16 Ming Emperors. About 3,000 pieces of artifacts have been found in the Underground Palace of Dingling; some of them are displayed in the museum of Dingling. Following the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Beijing.
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
- Experienced English-speaking guide
- Mineral water
- Quality Chinese Lunch
- Entry/Admission - Dingling Underground Palace
- Entry/Admission - Juyong Pass of Great Wall
Not included
- Gratuities (Optional)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- This is a private day tour, no shopping stop is included
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Adult price applies to all travelers as long as they take a seat
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
85%
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This is a wonderful tour for anyone who wants to experience the ancient history of China. But the tour was made worthwhile by my outstanding tour guide, Angie. She was not only knowledgeable of the area but was able to put the sites within the timeline of Chinese history in an understandable way. If there was something she was not sure of she would look up the facts to provide the most accurate information--unlike some tour guides I experienced. If you are lucky enough to take this tour, insist on having Angie as your tour guide. The tour began at 8:30 a.m. with the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall. This is a popular location that is quite busy and commercialized but the scenery was very beautiful. We then began the first part of the tour of the Ming Tombs that included a wonderful and peaceful stroll down the Sacred Way. Lunch was enjoyed at one of the most beautiful restaurants that I visited in China with entertainment, wonderful décor and delicious food. Finally the day closed with a visit to the underground tomb of a Ming emperor. The tour was wonderful and well worth the money. The tour guide, Angie, made it a great experience.
Worth it. Instead of being packed onto a bus full of 49 other tourists to be schlepped off to the jade factory for 2 hours and the Great Wall for 30 minutes, I chose to go the private tour route. I'm glad I did. I've been to Badaling before, but I think Juyongguan is nicer. The Wall here is a loop, and encircles the road that comes through the pass. There was no separate stop for shopping, which was as advertised, but we did request a stop at the gift shop for a cold beverage and so we could pick up a few souvenirs. Our guide called in sick, but the company owner showed up only about 2 minutes after the appointed pick-up time to lead the tour himself. Everything was as expected. Lunch was at a decent place. Our guide joined us for lunch, so we were able to continue or education as we dined. For the two of us we were provided with a driver, guide, and minivan. This was a trouble-free tour.