8 Days Beijing and Lhasa Tour by Overnight Train

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

   Welcome to the capital of China - Beijing to join the well-designed 8-day China train tour. Upon your arrival, your private tour guide has been waiting for you at the exit with a welcome sign reading “China Xian Tour” or your name. Then drive you to the hotel in city center.

   The rest of the day is free for you to explore on your own. Feel free to ask your tour guide or 1-to-1 travel consultant for recommendations. Here are some options for your reference: a stroll around Houhai Lake; acrobatic performance; Beijing nightlife at Sanlitun.

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
2. Day 2: Great Wall of Beijing
   Take a Great Wall Hike with Beautiful Mountain Views

   Your first visit to the Temple of Heaven begins when you meet your guide in the hotel lobby after breakfast. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held sacrificial ceremonies including their prayers for harvests here. The Inner Altar is your main destination where there is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests which features three eaves and reaches a height of 38.2 meters and has blue glazed tiles.

   The nearby park provides a space where local people practice their morning exercises through calisthenics and Tai Chi.

   

   Then drive for about 2 hours to reach the Mutianyu Great Wall. Undoubtedly, this is one of the highlights of this 10-day tour. It is the longest Great Wall in China with a total length of 5400 meters. This section is considered by the vast majority of tourists to be the most beautiful among all the Great Walls. The guide will lead you to start climbing from the No.6 watchtower and then ascend all the way to the highest point, Haohan Slope.

   Of course, if you want to save your energy, your guide can help you purchase tickets for the enclosed cable car on the spot (at your own expense, optional) to reach the No.14 enemy tower quickly. Walk up and down the steps while enjoying the continuous mountain ridges that resemble a dragon which are dressed in green in summer and turn red with maple leaves in autumn.

   

   For going down the mountain, you can hike down, take the cable car or enjoy the fun of the toboggan (optional, at an extra fee). Please note that for children under 10 years old, they must be accompanied by an adult when riding the toboggan.

   After the exploration of the Great Wall is completed, you will be sent back to your hotel in the city. If time permits along the way, stop and take photos at the two Olympic landmarks of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube (do not enter the interior for sightseeing).

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
3. Day 3: Beijing City Highlights
   Uncover the Secerts of Royal Family and Explore Traditional Hutongs

   In the morning, go to visit Tiananmen Square first, located in the very center of Beijing city. The square covers an area of 440,000 square meters and can accommodate 1 million people for a grand gathering at the same time. See the National Flag Pole, the Monument to the People's Heroes and Zhengyangmen Gate from north to south. Also you can get some historical facts behind this square.

   Continue your visit by a 10-minute walk north to the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties - the Forbidden City. The building complex covers an area of 150000 square meters and is divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court.

   The center of the outer court - Taihe Hall, Zhonghe Hall and Baohe Hall - are the places where major ceremonies are held. When visiting inner court, focus on the Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace and Kunning Palace which are the palaces where the emperor and empress reside. In the limited time of about 2.5-3 hours, your guide will choose the best route to show you the most essence.

   

   After lunch, move on to Summer Palace, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty spent their summers. It is so big, boasting an area of 2.9 square kilometers. Feast your eyes with the amazing lake view, appreciate the Guinness-World-Record Long Corridor that features 14000 colored paintings, step on the elegant 17 Seven Arch Bridge...

   In addition, you can take a boat ride on the Kunming Lake (optional, if the weather permits) to take a close-up shot of the panoramic view of Wanshou Hill.

   After that, experience a rickshaw ride through the old hutongs. You will visit a local family and learn about their daily life in siheyuan houses and even try some optional cultural activities such as learning calligraphy and paper cutting (extra charge).

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
4. Day 4: Beijing to Lhasa by Train
   Enjoy an Train Journey through Qinghai Tibet Plateau

   After breakfast, board the train from eastern China to western Tibet. Along the way, get your camera ready to capture vast plains, winding rivers, little lakes, beautiful towns and other plateau landscapes.

   Duration: 40 hours

   Starting and Ending Points: Beijing, Lhasa

    

   

   After the train arrives in Xining, transfer to a dedicated carriage that uses dispersed oxygen supply. This can effectively simulate oxygen rich environments at lower altitudes, greatly alleviating altitude sickness.

   The Xining-Lhasa section is the essence of the Qinghai Tibet Railway. Through the windows, you can enjoy the deep blue Qinghai Lake, the vast no man's land of Kekexili (you may spot Tibetan antelopes), the snow capped peaks of Tanggula Mountain and the endless Qiangtang grassland. This train trip is not only a means of transportation, even more of a landscape adventure.

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   Overnight on the Train
5. Day 5: Arrival in Lhasa

   The train will pull into the Lhasa Train Station around noon. A local professional guide in Lhasa will pick you up and escort you to your downtown hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to acclimate to the high altitude.

   Warm Tips:

   • Do not take a shower to avoid catching a cold.
   • To reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness, you need to avoid strenuous exercise on your first day in Lhasa.
   • Drink plenty of water and get enough rest.

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   4-Star Hotel in Lhasa
6. Day 6: Monastery Visits in Lhasa
   Witness the Buddhist Debates at Sera Monastery

   Today, your guide will take you to visit two of the three major monasteries in Lhasa. In the morning, go to Drepung Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Xizang. Built along the mountain, it looks like a huge white mountain city. At its peak, nearly ten thousand monks practiced here, which is enough to demonstrate its status. Follow your guide to enter a college to learn about the living conditions of Tibetan monks, by visiting their dormitories.

   

   In the afternoon, head to Sera Monastery to witness the famous debate site. Every afternoon (usually excluding Sundays), monks engage in Buddhist debates in an open space. They explore Buddhism through intense body language such as clapping and questioning.

   After the tour, China Xian Tour has arranged a Tibetan style welcome dinner for you.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Lhasa
7. Day 7: Lhasa City Must-sees
   Discover the Spiritual Essence of the Rood of the World

   This morning, walk up Potala Palace, the largest palace-style architectural complex with the highest altitude, located on Marpo Ri (Red Mountain). The main building is divided into the White House and the Red Palace. At the top of the Red Palace stand three gilded copper tile roofs, shining brightly in the sunlight. There are a large number of thangka paintings, murals and Buddhist scriptures stored in the palace.

   What truly amazes you is the stupendous golden stupas of the successive Dalai Lamas. The fifth Dalai Lama's stupa is completely covered with gold and is adorned with countless precious jewels. Ascending to the upper part of the palace, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Lhasa River Valley and the entire city.

   Travel Tips:

   • Photography is strictly prohibited in the palace and please maintain silence.
   • It requires many steps to go up the palace, so it is recommended to walk slowly to prevent altitude sickness.

   

   After lunch, head to the most sacred place of Tibetan Buddhism - Jokhang Monastery. With a history of over 1300 years, this temple blends Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian architectural styles. Inside the temple, a 12-year-old statue of Sakyamuni brought into Xizang by Princess Wencheng is enshrined, which is the most precious sacred object in Tibetan Buddhism.

   Afterwards, walk clockwise on Barkhor Street. This is a famous pilgrimage route in Lhasa and also the busiest commercial street in Lhasa. On both sides of the street, there are shops selling thangka, Tibetan knives and Nepalese handicrafts, and the air is filled with a mixed smell of butter tea and Tibetan incense.

   

   Before the end of the trip, you will visit a tea house and taste traditional sweet tea with local Tibetans. After that, you will be driven back to the hotel to rest.

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   4-Star Hotel in Lhasa
8. Day 8: Departure from Lhasa

   After breakfast, your driver will pick you up and send you to the airport. Please make sure to confirm your flight schedule with us in advance. This is the end of your 8-day Beijing Train Trip to Lhasa. Thank you for choosing China Xian Tour. And we hope to see you on your next China trip.

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