Beijing – Xi’an 5N6D Tour

On arrival into Beijing Capital Airport, you will be met by your dedicated tour guide outside the baggage claim area. On the way to your pre-booked four or five star inner city hotel, your guide will point out the highlights and history of Beijing. Spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible city.

Meals included: None

After breakfast today explore Beijing with your guide who will collect you from your hotel. Visit the world’s largest city square, Tiananmen Square. Make your way across the road to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally historic landmark in China, which was the former residence of Chinese royalty for five centuries. After the Forbidden City tour, exploration continues with a visit to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum. Stroll through Wudaoying hutong and experience local life as you wander through quaint shops, enjoy a coffee, and gain an insider’s view of a real Beijing community. Before heading back to the hotel, sample the famous local food market Sanyuanli where you can stock up on fruit and snacks for your next day’s trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to closure of the Forbidden City each Monday.

Today after an early breakfast and hotel pickup, the first stop is the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less frequented part of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic landmark located approximately 70 kilometers from Beijing. Take a pleasant and comfortable round-trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery. Walk the wall to take in the Ming dynasty guard towers and sensational views. On return to the city in the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace. Appreciate the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of royalty who enjoyed this summer resort during imperial times. A stopover at Beijing’s stadium and pool – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a modern contrast to China’s ancient history. Return to the hotel at the end of the tour.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start today with a visit to the remarkable Temple of Heaven, where emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties performed ceremonies and rituals to pray for good harvests and blessings for the country. Transfer to the Beijing West railway station and be checked in by your guide to travel by high speed rail journey to Xian. Approximately a five hour trip, travelling at 300 kilometers per hour, you can relax and absorb the diverse landscape along the way. On arrival at the Xian North Station, you will be met by your local tour guide and escorted to your inner city four or five star hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s tour highlight is the world-renowned Terracotta Army, recognized as the largest underground military base in the world. Take in this extraordinary archeological discovery, which houses thousands of unique life-sized figures. Return to the city and explore Xian’s ancient City Wall, currently the largest and best-preserved wall of its type in China. Enjoy your free time by exploring on foot or bicycle almost 14 kilometers of the wall enclosing China’s former capital city. For a change of pace, take in the quiet of Xian’s Great Mosque, located in the middle of the city’s old block. Built mid-seventh century, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic mosque in China. Mix with locals and find food of every flavor in Muslim Street, which bustles with authentic eateries and souvenirs. Today’s final destination before returning to your hotel is Xian’s famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast and check out from your hotel, the tour guide will take you to the Shaanxi History Museum where you’ll discover over 370,000 relics of Chinese history. Take in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of two iconic Buddhist pagodas in Xian. You may have the chance to enter the top of the pagoda and look out over Xian’s 1,400 years of history, then take a contemplative walk through the temple and gardens. Following on from the morning’s activities, you’ll be driven to the airport or the train station for your next destination. Alternatively, you can start your own exploration journey in Xian.

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Shaanxi History Museum is closed Mondays.