Looking forward to discovering some surprises in this magical land of China? This 6 days Beijing and Zhangjiajie tour will do its best to bring your fantasy into reality. Today, whenever your flight touch down at the airport in the capital city Beijing, your expert private guide will be waiting to warmly welcome you at the exit and then escort you to the hotel downtown. After checking in, you can spend the rest of time either relaxing in the hotel for tomorrow’s glamorous trip or wandering around the neighborhood for fun.

► Dinner Suggestion (at your own expense):

When it comes to Beijing food, most people immediately think of roast duck, and if you are in the mood for this gastronomic delight, go to the century-old restaurant Purple Light Garden for dinner. Just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, there is right a branch of it, the Jianguo branch. It is a chain halal restaurant brand specializing in Beijing cuisine, attracting a continuous stream of diners with its authentic flavors and affordable prices. The restaurant is frequented not only by Beijingers, but also by travelers from all over the world. At the moment when the sliced duck, cucumber strips, scallions and sweet sauce rolled in a thin pancake, is brought into the mouth, the wonderful taste seems to dance on the tip of the tongue. There are also many foodies who go for its homemade milk skin yogurt, and if you are interested, try it too.

Average cost per person: CNY 75 / USD10.5

Address: No. 101, South side of 1F, No. 24, Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing 

Today, our first destination is Tiananmen Square, which holds not only the iconic building group in Beijing, but also an important symbol of China. On the north side of the Square, you will see the Tiananmen Gate Tower, the main gate of the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911), and the place where China held major celebrations and military parades. Standing high in the center of the square, the Monument to the People’s Heroes is solemn, as if telling the stories of those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence. To the west sits the Great Hall of the People, bearing witness to China's historical changes. With our guide, you will learn more about Beijing as a city with a long history and a growing presence.

Walking across the Chang’an Avenue, we will come to Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, boasting rich court culture and history of feudal China. The palace, which has survived for over six centuries, is the largest wooden architectural complex on the human planet. It stands alongside other iconic palaces like the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in Britain, White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia. Symmetry aesthetics is the most harmonious melody of its layout, and you will definitely be awestruck by all golden glazed halls, vermilion walls and white marble steps symmetrically distributed along the central axis. From the three main halls to the inner court to the imperial garden, let’s travel back to the Ming and Qing dynasties to explore the countless work and life anecdotes of 24 emperors.

In the afternoon, continue our tour to the Jingshan Park. Inside the park, what will fascinate you first are the millenary towering trees and quaint halls and pavilions. Of the five pavilions on Jingshan Mountain, the Wanchun Pavilion, which lies at the commanding height of the central axis, enjoys the most advantageous position, from where you can get a panoramic view of the Forbidden City. Next, let’s move on to the Temple of Heaven, the largest extant imperial religious building complex, where the ancient Chinese cosmological view of round heaven and square earth is well reflected. Upon entering the compound, your sight will first be caught by the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a large circular building with three layers of blue glazed tile roofs, mainly playing a role as its name suggests. Also follow our guide to see the Circular Mound Altar, where the emperors used to worship heaven on winter solstice. At its center is the Heaven Heart Stone, and legend says that the heaven and earth would respond to prayers when the emperor stood on it to perform sacrificial rites. The Echo Wall that encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven is an amazing acoustic architectural miracle. In ancient times, when someone spoke softly against the wall, the sound would travel along it to other people on the other side. Afterwards, you will be escorted back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, the guide will accompany you on a private car ride to suburban Beijing to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. Known as the most beautiful part of the China Great Wall, the Mutianyu section is a paradise for shutterbugs no matter what the season as its surroundings are 96% vegetated. In spring, it is surrounded by flowers in full bloom. In summer, under the backdrop of the lush cypresses and pines all over the mountains, it shows a strong vitality. In autumn, it looms in the red leaves on the lofty mountains; while in winter, the Mutianyu Great Wall put on a silver shiny coat, looking more majestic. On the Wall, there is a series of watchtowers, arrow towers and beacon towers, which once contributed the glory of China’s ancient military defense and now provide a unique visual spectacle.

After that, we will transfer you to the downtown Beijing and take a Hutong rickshaw tour. Hutong alleys are like the vein of Beijing city, in which the Siheyuan courtyards built with black bricks and grey tiles are the cells. Riding in a rickshaw through those narrow and winding alleys, you will have a basic understanding of ordinary Beijingers’ lifestyle. From time to time, you may come across hawkers selling rock candy gourds, outdoor barbers, or repairmen on bicycles shouting about repairing furniture, and perhaps the scene is the same as it was decades or even a hundred years ago. Besides, accompanied by the guide, you will then go deep into a traditional courtyard and pay a family visit to gain insights into the authentic old Beijing culture.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Start today with a desirable date with China’s national treasure, giant pandas, in the Panda House of Beijing Zoo. As the oldest and largest zoo in China, Beijing Zoo holds the honor of having the first captive panda born here, and is now popular with visitors mainly for its Panda House consisting of Asian Games Hall and Beijing Olympic Games Hall with a total of 11 pandas, and you will have a chance to greet nine of them. We arranged to come here in the morning because this is when pandas are most active for you to observe their life habits, or they can only be seen sleeping in static positions. Prepare to be amused by the sights - they lean their round bodies in black and white fur coats against manmade stakes or slides to eat bamboo shoots, fight with each other, or swing in hammocks.

Next, we will visit the Summer Palace, a UNESCO-honored imperial garden. Based on Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, Qianlong, the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, built the Summer Palace as a birthday gift to his mother. Now, due to its vivid landscape, it is a must-visit for all travelers to Beijing. Here, you will surely be amazed by the Long Corridor with thousands of paintings on its beams, and just raise your head to enjoy flowers, birds, mountains, rivers or character stories when strolling through. It is said that Qianlong’s mother was pretty fond of taking a walk here after dinner. Moreover, get an eyeful of Chinese classical structures, including halls, pavilions, and archways in other parts of the garden.

In the late afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for a 2.5-hour flight to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, the guide there will pick you up to a hotel near the core scenic area of Zhangjiajie that you will visit tomorrow.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, devote yourself fully to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The first surprise here will be the world’s highest cliffside Bailong Elevator, which will give you an unforgettable sightseeing experience in just 88 seconds. As it smoothly sends you to the summit, a large number of peaks rise straight up like a group of soldiers lining up in front of you. Every second your view will be a little more open, and the motional mountain scenery is so breathtaking that you won’t want to blink. Then we’ll arrive at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, which is hailed as a magical Pandora world because it is the real-scene filming location for the movie Avatar. Hike around here, you will see that world-famous Hallelujah Mountain, the inspiration for the floating mountain in the movie. It is originally named Qiankun Pillar, and its upright 300-meter-high body is covered with lush plants, making you overwhelmed by the power of nature. Afterwards, follow the guide to take a shuttle bus to Tianzi Mountain to see the distinctive quartz sandstone peak forest accompanied by rich fauna and flora. Here, those grotesque stone peaks formed by hundreds of millions of years of water erosion and weathering can really be called masterpieces of nature sculpture. One of them we will appreciate is the Flower Fairy Peak. According to the legend, a Tujia girl who deeply loved the local king held a flower basket and lovingly looked in the direction of the king’s martyrdom for countless years, and then became this natural stone peak.

Take the cable car down the mountain, and then continue to hike along the Golden Whip Stream. Through the valley, a 5-mile-long bluestone path along the clear stream twists and winds towards the deep. Looking up, the two sides are bristled with steep cliffs and peaks covered with verdant trees and brilliant flowers. The sun shines through tree gaps and casts mottled shadows in the stream, which will give you a kind of peaceful enjoyment. Then hop on a Chinese zodiac-themed sightseeing train to enjoy the picturesque scenery of the Ten-Mile Gallery, which stretches out with peaks on both sides in various shapes. About 30 meters from the entrance, there is a stone peak just like an old man with his left hand raised high to greet people from afar, and that is named Longevity God Welcoming Guests. Finally, get back to the hotel and have a good rest.

► Dinner Suggestion (at your own expense):

If you are a food lover, you may can’t wait to see what Zhangjiajie offers. It is recommended to discover authentic Hunan flavors in The Mao's Restaurant, which ranks No.1 on the local popular restaurants list and is near the exit of the scenic area. It is a big restaurant with three floors, decorated with ethnic ornaments and a drawing depicting a Miao girl standing in front of a village on the wall, showing strong Western Hunan characteristics. Hunan cuisine is overall quite spicy, so remember to confirm with your waiter the spiciness of each dish.

Average cost per person: CNY 60 / USD 8

Address: No. 300, Weiyang Road, Wulingyuan District, Zhangjiajie

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

This morning, in the company of the guide, you will set out to explore Tianmen Mountain, the second largest forest park in Zhangjiajie. To make your trip less strenuous, we have specially arranged a round-trip cable car ride for you. After reaching the cableway station halfway up the mountain, marvel at the iconic Tianmen Cave (Heaven's Gate), which is famous all over the world for all kinds of extreme challenges that have taken place here. As early as 1999, six pilots from the United States, Russia, and four other countries successfully flew through the Tianmen Cave, creating a Guinness World Record. French “Spiderman” Robert took the climbing world by storm in 2007 when he climbed Tianmen Cave with his bare hands. When taking the 7-level transmountain escalator up to the summit, you will be welcomed by a 2-hour hike to discover more stunning views. First set your foot on the Guigu Plank Road, which has cliffs on one side and bottomless valleys on the other. It is famous not because of the boardwalk itself, but because it is the perfect site to enjoy the cloud sea landscape. The following transparent Glass Skywalk is even more amazing. Standing on it is like hanging in the air, and the thrill is self-evident. After finishing the mountaintop tour, descend the mountain by the escalator, an eco-bus of the scenic area along the 99-bend mountain road, and the cable car successively.

By now, your 6 days Beijing to Zhangjiajie tour is over, and the guide will see you off at Zhangjiajie’s airport or train station. If you have more travel plans, feel free to contact our consultant to customize tours to your satisfaction. Farewell!
 
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch