7 Days Private Beijing Tibet Tour

Today you will land in Beijing, China’s capital and the metropolis that will enchant you with its inclusive charm blending history, traditional culture and modern fashion. Your guide and driver will meet you outside the customs at the airport and take you to the hotel. En route, you will be briefed on this Beijing and Tibet tour, get your first glimpse of the city’s vibes, and spot many landmarks which your guide will point to you. As your hotel sits at the heart of Beijing, you are encouraged to venture into the vibrant local life by yourself.

► Insider Tips on Dinner:
You are suggested to dine at the eatery Jing He Xi Rou Bing (Shuangjing Branch), a top-rated gem offering authentic Beijing snacks and dishes. The façade is small but you will find another compact world inside. Their signature is Pork Meat Pie, which is amazing for the thin skin and succulent, tender meat beneath. Order Millet Porridge and a bowl of Noodles with Soybean Paste (Zha Jiang Mian), the must-try Beijing specialty, to go with it! Besides, the friendly staff here will make sure you will be taken good care of. The eatery is a 20 minutes’ walk from Mercure Beijing Downtown Hotel and 15 minutes’ ride from Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong. It is tucked at the doorway of a residential compound and little hard to locate, so if you are really interested and it’s already dinner time, maybe let your guide drop you off here.

Let’s officially set off on our Beijing tour from today. This morning, first take a stroll on the Tiananmen Square, the largest city square on earth where many national edifices stand, including the National Museum of China and Great Hall of the People. It’s interesting to notice that architectures here were all designed to create a sense of harmony with the entire environment, like that of the giant flagpole made 32.6 meters (106.96 feet) tall, which is just the right height to match the surrounding solemnity. Pass the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen Tower) to reach our next and major destination, the Forbidden City. The City had been the imperial residence, office, and ceremonial center for centuries through Ming and Qing dynasties from the year 1421 until 1925, when the last emperor was expelled. We will follow along the central axis to visit magnificent halls and palaces and explore nooks and crannies to relive the past steeped in stories, some being uncanny. Do you know the City is even said to be haunted? In the Yin-Yang Alley, through which the bodies of servants wronged and sentenced were carried out, rumor has it that there are even ghosts roaming at night! Another major part is appreciating exhibited national-level treasures of ceramics, delicate furniture, sculptures, and more.

In the afternoon, extend your historical tour to the Temple of Heaven, the enigmatic sacrificial complex where the Ming and Qing emperors asked Heaven to bless his people. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests would be the most majestic building here, and you will revel in its magnificent circular body with layered distinctive blue glazed roofs, which symbolize heaven. Following is a rickshaw ride in Hutongs, old alleys with courtyard houses on either side. To let you interact with local life, we have also prepared for you a family visit right in one of those traditional houses.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Put on your most comfortable hiking shoes as we will spend most of today strolling or hiking. This morning, first head to the Summer Palace, the Qing royal garden for emperors and his families to temporarily live like in nature. There are not only palaces and pavilions, but an enormous lake with islets, tributaries and bridges as well as verdant hills set as the backdrop. The Palace is 4 times as big as the Forbidden City so it’s impossible to complete touring it within just one morning, so your experienced guide will take you on a most scenic route to get the most of your time.

Unwind and energize yourself during lunch break and then jump in our car to the Mutianyu Great Wall. Completed in the Ming era (1368 - 1644) and surviving almost intact to this day, this section lies on a strategic position and offers you the most beautiful glimpse of the entire military project. The walk path is undulating and even steep sometimes, but you will see it worth all the efforts, as you picture what vicissitudes the Wall has witnessed and find awe before this winding man-made wonder. To save time and energy, we've got you covered with round-trip cable car tickets. For cat people, there are many alley cats roaming round on the Wall to be a part of your photographs, but please keep safe distance as they may scratch you.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, embark on our pilgrimage to Lhasa, the Tibetan Buddhist center of the world! A morning flight will take you from Beijing to Lhasa, where perches 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) above sea level. Our guide will be expecting you outside the baggage claim area of Lhasa’s airport and then take you to the well-located hotel with a private transfer. After the hotel registration, to prevent or relieve altitude sickness, we recommend you to have a rest, take neither bath nor vigorous activities, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, avoid caffeine and alcohol, and prefer easy-to-metabolize carbohydrates. Anyway, please leave yourself some time to acclimatize to the high altitude. If there are any signs off, don’t forget we are always there for assistance.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Enjoy your first in-person experience of Tibetan Buddhism in Drepung Monastery, the largest lamasery in the world. The monastery has “rice heap (Drepung)” in its name - not only rice as a crop stands for prosperity, but you will see how the structures with white walls actually heap on a hill just like rice. This is the principle seat of the Gelug sect, the most influential in Tibetan Buddhism, which emphasizes practicing through rigorous discipline, and you will meet Gelug lamas in their iconic robes in red, the color of auspice and mercy. We will explore various halls and chapels for Buddhist treasures like statues and Thangka paintings, and discover the stupa tombs of early Dalai Lamas, who regarded here their home.

The early afternoon will see us strolling under the tree shades in Norbulingka Park, the largest man-made garden in Tibet and the local version of Beijing’s Summer Palace once for Dalai Lamas. It story dates far back to when it was the beloved bathing site of the young ailing Kelsang Gyatso, the 7th Dalai Lama, and it’s he upon adulthood who commissioned the park’s construction 200 years ago. The biggest highlight we will explore is his very palace, which sits right at the center in this landscaped expansive area signifying its significance. Later, head for Sera Monastery, another great Gelug site, sharing the same fame as Drepung. Among the seas of relics here, we will focus on the most-treasured image of Hayagriva, a wrathful form of Bodhisattva of Compassion. Also watch a debating session of lamas on Buddhist doctrines. Even if their language is strange to you, the scene, where up to 50 lamas argue with high spirit at the same time, can still be sensational!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, we will take you to witness the icon of Tibet, the highest palace in the world - the Potala Palace. It was constructed on the order of King Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650), who unified Tibet, for her wife Princess Wen Cheng from the Tang Empire (618 - 907) as a token of alliance. Since it became the winter palace of Dalai Lamas 300 years ago, it has remained the Tibetan center of religion and politics until the modern revolutionary era. We will explore the spiritual leaders’ living quarters, ceremonial halls, and chapels for more Buddhist paintings, sculptures, the eight ornately-decorated stupa tombs. The palace enjoys a grand castellar architecture against the snow-capped mountains behind - your guide will be willing to recommend a spot to photograph it from the best perspective.

This afternoon, join devout pilgrims to Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism for enshrining the statue of 12-year-old Sakyamuni Buddha, brought along with Princess Wen Cheng from her homeland. Sakyamuni, who protested against iconolatry, allowed only three statues of him to be built during his lifetime, and you will witness one of them today. We will also dive into the vibrant life on the Barkhor Street that surrounds the temple, which is the exact site to find the faithful approaching the temple on their hands and knees or practicing kora, the ritual of circumambulating a sacred place. Originally built for the prayers, the street gradually evolved to a market for traders from home and even neighboring countries. The heritage has survived to this day to include almost all daily commodities, exotic food, Thangkas, traditional clothing, handicrafts, etc. for you to browse. Stop by the only Nunnery in downtown Lhasa to find a beautiful Buddhist world managed by nuns.

► Insider Tips on Dinner:
After today’s trip, the Barkhor Street with assorted food options must’ve impressed you a lot! And we recommend you eat none other than here, to sample Tibet’s most iconic dishes or snacks like Tsampa, Butter Tea, Yak Yogurt and Yak Meat Hot Pot. Tsampa, glutinous roasted barley flour, is a staple food for Tibetan people, usually mixed with butter tea and kneaded to small lumps to eat. This tradition was from a time when Tibet was still a nomadic region, when people roamed and preferred to take food easy to carry - they would fill Tsampa into a pouch and while hungry, they mixed butter tea into it and squeeze it to turn the flour to easy-to-get lumps. According to our experience, you are suggested to visit the restaurant Xing Chen Tea House Tibetan Dish if you’d like to have a try. You will mingle in locals, pilgrims, and monks and be served with friendly smiles. It is 6 minutes’ walk from Tangka Hotel and 10 minutes’ ride from Shangri-La Hotel. Average cost per person here is CNY 52 / USD 7.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Your vacation comes to an end today. Please pack your baggage beforehand. Your private guide will meet you at the lobby at designated time, take you to the airport and see you off. Safe journey back home!

If you want to delve deep into Tibet, maybe extend this trip and let us take you to the cradle of Tibetan Buddhism, Shannan; visit marvelous natural beauties like Yamdrok Yumtso Lake that is sacred in local beliefs; or pass by a grey-walled monastery to witness Mount Everest right at its foot.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast