Itinerary Details
Note: Only one group airport transfer is included in the price. Additional transfers can be arranged at an extra cost.
Upon arrival at the International Airport of Beijing Daxing airport, you will be welcomed by a Rahhalah representative who will take you to your hotel, where you can relax or explore the neighborhood at your own pace. At 6pm, the group will assemble at the lobby for a briefing session with your guide and an orientation walk around the hotel.
Accommodation: Holiday inn or Mercure hotel 4* or similar in Beijing
7-8am, enjoy hotel breakfast. At 8am, you will embark on a full-day walking tour around Beijing. You will begin with a metro ride to Tiananmen Square: one of the most famous squares in the world, and certainly the largest. You will then continue to the Forbidden City, which dates to the 15th century and was the political and ceremonial center of China's ruling families. Next stop: a Hutong neighborhood, where you will stroll through the quaint alleys, checking the traditional courtyards that comprise the local lifestyle of Old Beijing. You will end the day with dinner.
Accommodation: Holiday inn or Mercure hotel 4* or similar in Beijing
7-8am, enjoy hotel breakfast. 8am, check out and take a 2-hour car ride to Jiankou, from where you will begin your hike on the Great Wall of China. The section of the Wall in Jiankou is steep, constructed on the edge of the mountain top, offering stunning views and an initial understanding of the construction’s difficulties in such uneven terrain. After a 2-km hike, you will reach the Mutianyu section, which is blocked by the authority now. If you cannot walk to Mutianyu from here, you will get back to start and take about a 20-minute car ride to the Mutianyu Great Wall entrance, which is repaired and much easier to climb. This part is considered the most beautiful one near Beijing. At the end of the hike, you will be picked up by the car to drive to Xishuiyu (a 50-minute drive), where you will spend the night in a local guesthouse.
Hiking distance: 8 km.
Hiking time: 5-6 hours.
Driving time: 2 hours + 50 minutes.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
7-8am, enjoy hotel Chinese breakfast. At 8am, you will enjoy a 6-hour hike of moderate difficulty, starting from Xishuiyu and ending at the Huanghuacheng section of the Great Wall. The beginning of the trail offers spectacular views of the Wall and the surrounding mountains. Huanghuacheng is the only lakeside part of the Great Wall in Beijing, and, as such, one of the top destinations on the Wall for all visitors. At the end of your hiking day, you will ride the car again, heading to Gubeikou, where you will spend the night in a local guesthouse.
Hiking distance: 6 km
Hiking time: 6 hours.
Driving time: 2 hours.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
7-8am, enjoy hotel Chinese breakfast. At 8am, you will head to Gubeikou Great Wall. This part of the Great Wall is somewhat dilapidated but maintains its original beauty and historical importance since many battles were fought there throughout Chinese history due to the region’s strategic location. The crawling wall along the mountain range and the still-standing watch-towers still remind of this section’s past glory. In the morning, you will hike for about 3.5 hours, before a lunch break at a local restaurant (which you will reach by car). In the afternoon, you will be transferred to another part of the Wall in Gubeikou to continue your hike for about 3.5-4 hours.
Hiking distance: 9 km.
Hiking time: 7-7.5 hours.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
7-8am, enjoy hotel Chinese breakfast. At 8am, you will hike eastwards, from Gubeikou to Jinshanling. On the way, you will enjoy landscapes full of lush vegetation and will learn how this part of the Wall has crumbled because in the 1950s local farmers took bricks and stones to build their houses. You will also pass by local village and will walk around the inner circle of Wall: the second defense in case of an external breach. At the end of the day, you will reach Jinshanling, where you will spend the night in a local guesthouse.
Hiking distance: 12km
Hiking time: 7-8 hours
Accommodation: Guesthouse
7-8am, enjoy hotel Chinese breakfast. At 8am, you will hike from Jinshanling to Simatai West, enjoying on the way both original and restored sections of the wall, plus scenic views of impressive watchtowers. Some of these 2- or 3-story towers have flat roofs, others rounded, and others are pitched with upturned eaves. Most of today’s trail is paved, though there are a few unrestored stretches with stairs and steep gradients. Once at Simatai West, your hiking adventure on the Great Wall of China will be over, and you will be transferred to Gubei Water Town. Check in the hotel, enjoy the hot spring experience before 9pm (included once). Enjoy the light show and fountain show in the evening.
Hiking distance: 7 km
Hiking time: 5-6 hours.
Driving time: 30mins
Accommodation: Gubei Beijing Wtown Resort(5-star) or similar
8-9am hotel breakfast. After hotel breakfast, you will explore the water town to the Yuantong Pagoda Temple, Zhenyuan Escort Agency, Tanghe Old Street, Sima Winery, and other historical places. Enjoy a boat ride. Later, you will take a 3-hour car ride back to Beijing.
Accommodation: Holiday inn or Mercure hotel 4* or similar in Beijing
Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home. Alternatively, you may choose to extend your stay to explore X’ian.
Optional extension to Xi’an: the cradle of the Chinese civilization (3 days)
In the morning, you will be transferred from the hotel to Beijingxi Railway Station to catch the bullet train to Xian.
Note: no guide on the train, but the Beijing guide will arrange everything well to board the train.
Upon your arrival at Xi’an, you will be welcomed by your local guide, who will transfer you to the hotel for a brief refreshment before you embark on a walking tour, including the Grand Mosque and the Muslim quarter. The tour will end in one of the best-preserved old residences of the city for a Shadow Puppets Play experience. There, you will have the opportunity to step backstage, interact with the staff, and even try your hand at your own show if you will.
Accommodation: Hampton by Hilton Xi‘an South Gate City Wall 4*or similar.
After breakfast, you will visit the famous Terracotta Warriors. This incredible archaeological treasure was discovered in 1976, after having remained buried for 2,000 years, by farmers digging a well. Three main pits are open to visitors, where you can admire around 2,000 of the total 6,000 warriors standing in battle formation, each individually sculpted from clay, having different costumes, heights, or even facial expressions.
Later, you will take the bus to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which, in the past, hosted old Buddhist relics and classics brought from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. If lucky, you may also watch a fantastic musical fountain show at the north square of the temple.
Accommodation: Hampton by Hilton Xi‘an South Gate City Wall 4*or similar.
In the morning, you will head to the ancient City Wall: the most significant and best-preserved city wall in China stretching over 13 kilometers around Xi’an.
You will then head to the train station to catch the bullet train back to Beijing. From there, you can head to the Beijing International Daxing Airport for your departure flight back home.
Note: No transfer is included to the Beijng International airport. You can take the metro to the airport.
