6 Days Beijing Landmarks with Simatai Great Wall Night Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Beijing Arrival

   Hello, welcome to this 6 days Beijing trip featuring Simatai Great Wall night exploration. Upon your arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, your local driver will meet you and you will be escorted to a hotel in the city center for check-in.

   In the evening, you can freely explore some labels of Beijing such as taking a stroll in Houhai Lake, where you can find a lot of busy bars and snack stalls or tasting Beijing roasted duck which used to be a court dish. (no tour guide today)

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
2. Day 2: Beijing Must-sees
   Discover Imperial Grandeur at Forbidden City and Temple Of Heaven

   After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at the lobby and start your exploration at Tian’anmen Square, a symbol of China as the world’s one of the largest city squares where one million people can be accommodated at the same time for a grand gathering.

   

   The Forbidden City is the must-see on a Beijng tour, only 10-minute walk from Tiananmen Square, which was a royal palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. From your knowledgeable tour guide, you will learn about some facts about: it is the largest and most well preserved wooden structure ancient architectural complex in the world; there was 24 emperors lived here; it has as many as 8707 rooms... In limited time, the guide will take you to visit some of the most famous halls and gates such as Meridian Gate, Shenwu Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony and so on. Glimpse of the majesty of Chinese royalty through golden tiles and red walls.

   In the afternoon, learn about how the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worship the heavens at the Temple of Heaven. For praying for grains, this royal altar was built. Through the architecture layout, you can find the ancient Chinese cosmology of "Round Heaven, Square Earth". You mainly visit the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests which has three eaves covered with blue tiles. After the visit, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
3. Day 3: Beijing Ancient and Modern Life
   Experience Royal Gardens, Hutong Life, Vibrant Sanlitun Nightlife

   The Summer Palace is your first destination and it represents the biggest royal garden in China. The garden started in 1750 with a design which took inspiration from West Lake in Hangzhou and incorporated all southern Yangtze River garden design elements. The entrance leads you to the views of impressive classical buildings such as the Buddha Fragrance Pavilion. The Long Corridor provides a path to walk while appreciate more than 14000 bright paintings which decorate its beams and rafters. You can enjoy a boat ride on Kunming Lake and see the entire garden from a different water perspective.

   

   Afterwards, you will go to Yonghe Temple, which is now a Tibetan Buddhist temple with diverse architectural styles including Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan. You will see exquisite thangkas, murals and Buddha statues everywhere in this temple. In Wanfu Pavilion stands a statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva carved from a whole white sandalwood, with a height of 18 meters above ground. It is a treasure among the world's single-wood-carved Buddha statues.

   Hutong and Sanlitun are two extreme contrasts of Beijing's urban landscape. First, you go to the hutong alleys, which are the living museums of old Beijing, mainly located around the Forbidden City. Touch the grey brick and tile courtyard buildings, observe the details of door piers and brick carvings and understand how they were formed. Sanlitun is one of the most international modern landmarks in Beijing. Here, numerous international brand stores, exquisite cafes and various specialty bars are gathered. It is the main place to experience Beijing's international nightlife.

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
4. Day 4: Great Wall Day & Night Exploration
   Hike Mutianyu Great Wall, Enjoy Stunning Night Views at Simatai And Gubei

   Today is the time for the Great Wall. After breakfast, you will drive to Mutianyu Great Wall first. As the most pretty section of the Great Wall, Mutianyu features dense enemy towers. No matter what season you come in, the scenery here is always amazing: pink flowers in spring, green mountains in summer, red maple leaves in autumn and white snow in winter.

   

   Hike up the wall or you can choose to take a cable car to quickly reach the top. Walk up and down for 3 hours while taking photos of the surrounding landscapes. Do not miss the Haohanpo, namely Hero Slope. From the highest point of Mutianyu, have a panoramic view of the Great Wall. For descent, you can also take the cable car or a toboggan ride for more fun (Note: children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult on the toboggan).

   After that, drive to Gubei Water Town for another Great Wall exploration. The Simatai Great Wall is currently the only Great Wall in China that offers regular night tours. Under professional lighting, the winding walls resemble a brilliant giant dragon perched on the mountain ridges. You can stroll along the safe trail and enjoy a unique climbing experience that is quiet, cool and relatively less-crowded.

   After descending the Great Wall, move into Gubei Water Town. Explore the night in the water town on your own. The town is crisscrossed by rivers, with ancient bridges, old houses, and pagodas reflecting in the water under the embellishment of lights. If you are interested, take a rowing boat to enjoy the lights on both sides of the water; take a nap in tea houses, bars, or watch water dance performances.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
5. Day 5: Gubei Town Back to Beijing City
   Explore Traditional Crafts in Gubei and Iconic Olympic Landmarks

   This morning, continue to visit Gubei Water Town during daytime, which is a resort town with Ming and Qing style architecture inspired by the river layout of Jiangnan water towns. Unlike night tours, you can clearly see the Simatai Great Wall winding along the mountaintop.

   Visit and experience a variety of traditional handicraft workshops, such as tie dyeing, paper cuttings, or learn about the escort agency culture. These activities require you to pay for them yourself and your guide can assist you. There are various snacks sold on Tangshi Street and cheese and shredded radish cakes are popular among tourists. Of course, you also have the opportunity to purchase some unique handicrafts as souvenirs.

   

   In the afternoon, drive for about 3 hours back to the city. Along the way, stop at two iconic landmarks, the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, to take photos (do not enter).

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
6. Day 6: Departure from Beijing

   This morning, enjoy your breakfast leisurely and your driver will pick you up at the hotel lobby and then send you to the airport or high-speed station for departure. This 6-day Beijing tour ends here. Hope you have a good time with China Xian Tour. Look forward to seeing you on your next China trip!

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