6 Days Private Beijing & Guilin Tour

We are glad to have you in the capital of China! As you make your way out of the airport, you will meet your guide and driver outside the customs who’ve been waiting for you to take you to the hotel. Check in and have a good rest if you are impacted by jet lag or, as your hotel is conveniently located in downtown, enjoy your free time by taking a dip in the local life beneath. The luxury hotels we handpicked for you will also give you surprises, like Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong’s Japanese-style garden, a small patchwork of a pond, a pavilion, vegetation including special cherry blossom trees and gooses perhaps kept as pet.

Your Beijing tour officially gets underway today! We will begin from the largest and the most magnificent city square of the world, the Tiananmen Square, the place where Chairman Mao proclaimed the establishment of People’s Republic of China in 1949. We will pass many great buildings like Mao’s mausoleum and Monument to the People’s Heroes to our next destination, the Forbidden City. Once home and office of Ming and Qing (1368 - 1644) emperors and his family, the City was built on a site considered to be “the center of the world”. Although it’s out of superstitious belief, it indeed sits at the heart of Beijing and at the middle of the vertical axis, which is UNESCO-honored and dotted with many other historical sites spreading out, cutting the city into symmetrical parts. Within the impenetrable walls, a resplendent world awaits us to explore. We will first stroll around the outer court, arranged without trees to enhance solemnity, and climb to the ceremonial or administrative halls to imagine the emperors’ enthronement and working life; as we reach the inner court or their living quarters, discover a beautiful realm with gardens and vibrancy.

After lunch, continue a bit northwards to the Jingshan Park, the back garden that offers a break for the emperors from their palace life. Facing directly at the Forbidden City with a pavilion perching on the highest point on the central axis, this is a wonderful place to capture the breathtaking panorama of the imperial scenes at the base. Later, we will dive into ancient Chinese beliefs at the Temple of Heaven, where the imperial rulers asked Heaven for abundant harvests. Follow your guide to marvel at the round roofs and square bases of architectures here, which hints at the idea that “Heaven is round and Earth square”. At the end of your tour, you can either let your guide take you to the hotel or linger around on your own. Temple of Heaven is open until 21:00, and if today falls on Friday or Saturday, in the evening you will see the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the major building, marvelously lit all over.

► Insider Tips on Dinner:
As our trip today ends at the Temple of Heaven, we suggest you sample some Beijing local food at Da Hai Wan (Tianqiao branch) just across a road from the West Gate. Dumplings is their signature dish, but you won’t want to miss their popular Chinese Almond Tofu. The tofu is dipped in cold sauce, sweet but not overly so, and you can pair it with the savory dumplings to balance each other. The Glutinous Rice Roll with Sweet Bean Flour is also worth trying, which will please you with its soft while still chewy bites, with sweet filling of red bean paste complementing the exterior. Average cost per person here: CNY 40 / USD 5.5. After dinner, you can hail a taxi or hop on a train at the opposite subway station to go back to the hotel. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, hop in our car to the Mutianyu Section of Great Wall, the greatest military defensive system ever built by mankind that traverses across half China. We will witness the most beautiful segment and take a round-trip cable car to ascend and descend. Please wear a pair of comfortable shoes as you will spend 2 to 3 hours hiking on the Wall. There are three routes in total and the one we arranged for you is the most classic to best experience it, as it represents the essence and meanwhile has gentler slopes and stairways. You will walk from No.14 watchtower westwards taking in how the Wall serpentines on mountain ridges, and at last climb No.20 tower, the highest, to overlook it all. It’s interesting to note that there are also many stray cats patrolling or lazing around.

In the afternoon, we will you take you on a rickshaw ride through Hutongs, alleys lined with old courtyard houses, to experience local traditional life. While the entrances are often bustling with vendors and shops, as you weave into the labyrinth inside, the original life unfolds. You will see people riding old-style bikes, listening to traditional opera, gathering to play Chinese chess… and more! These parts of Beijing are so treasured, and it might go against common sense to learn that the grey and even rundown traditional houses can be sold at up to about CNY 300,000 (USD 41,300) per square meter! Later, a family visit in a courtyard will get you more inside scoop. Finally, go back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, go on a walk through the Summer Palace, the tremendous imperial garden that illustrates the peak of Chinese garden design. We will amble by a lake, see and visit pavilions dotted everywhere, explore corners, and learn the histories involved. Highlights include a palatial complex named “Wander in Painting”, where you will find a unique picturesque vista in every step.

This afternoon, you’ll be escorted to the airport for a 3-hour flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, your local guide and driver will pick you up from Guilin’s airport and then transfer you to the downtown hotel for check-in.

► Insider Tips on Dinner:
Eager for a taste of Guilin cuisine? Don’t miss the iconic Beer Fish and Guilin Rice Noodles. To experience them both and more we recommend you drop by the top-rated restaurant Yu Xiao Jing. It specializes in Beer Fish and prepares it by stewing a native fish species known for its tender meat and fewer bones with beer and other spices and ingredients. Its taste on the sour and spicy side will give you a symphony for the palate. The service is considerate as well since there will be waiter coming over to help make sure the fish meat won’t stick to the bottom of the pot, which it is served on. You can also sit by the big window to find the Li River is just nearby. The restaurant is 15 minutes’ taxi ride from either the hotel you choose. Average cost per person: CNY 62 / USD 8.5

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, take a 4-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo. This 83-kilometer (52-mile) waterway, flanked by endless grotesque karst hills demonstrating the beauty of Guilin, will keep you riveted all the way. En route, spot attractions whose looks and vibes have earned themselves fame and names. You will see hills in the shape of gourd and crocodile, the cliff with fresco-like image of nine horses on it, and the landscape with ethereal reflections that is such a landmark as to be printed on the note CNY 20. Also encounter fishermen rafting to fish and buffalos toiling in the fields! A gentle reminder is that the lunch today will be a simple boxed meal provided by the cruise company, which is convenient but could not be spoken highly of. Therefore, you're kindly suggested to have a hearty breakfast this morning and take some snacks for supplement if necessary.

Once arriving, let’s head to the countryside to enjoy the idyll. You can just let our car take you for a ride, or pedal a bike around and stop for photographs whenever you want. We strongly recommend touring by bike because it not only reduces our carbon footprint, but is more convenient to manipulate. You get to observe up close the lovely hills, pass through old alleys, and cross the ancient bridges over the Yulong River. Meet local peasants and children along the way. Later, go back to Guilin and stop halfway to climb the Xianggong Hill for a panorama of the karst topography beneath enveloped by the sunset glow. Upon in Guilin, check in at the hotel. Wish you have a sound sleep.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, lunch

After breakfast, complete our time in Guilin with visits to another two karst masterpieces, Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill. At the cave, you will marvel at stalactites and stalagmites in various shapes sculptured by nature 180 million years ago, while by the hill, as its name indicates, you will be amazed by how it looks like a giant stone elephant sucking water from the Li River. Afterwards, your Beijing and Guilin tour will reach its end. Your private guide and driver will see you off at the airport or railway station according to your request. Wish you a nice trip!

We need to remind you that Guangxi is more than just Guilin! Maybe extend this trip to go just a little beyond to let us take you to see the life of minority groups and their spectacular rice terraces, located not far from Guilin.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast