Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace

Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace

Departure: Except Monday
Duration: Approx 8 hours
Pick-up point and time: Your Hotel between 7:30am – 8:00am
Finishing point and time: Your Hotel around 5:00pm – 5:30pm
Language: English

Itinerary:

Pick-up will be from the hotel between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM. The tour begins at Tian’anmen Square, a symbol of China’s modern history, with numerous monuments reflecting the influence of communism, particularly Mao. From there, you’ll proceed to the Forbidden City, the world’s largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex, with a history spanning over 500 years. You’ll explore the Forbidden City along the central axis from south to north for about 2 hours.

On the way to the Temple of Heaven, you’ll have the chance to experience Chinese traditional medicine culture. After a brief rest, we’ll visit the Temple of Heaven, the largest ancient imperial worship complex in the world, where ancient emperors prayed for peace and bountiful harvests. The visit will take about 1 hour.

After a delicious Chinese lunch (40 minutes), we’ll make a brief stop at the Pearl free Market for some shopping. Then, we’ll drive for about 30 minutes to the Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful imperial garden in China, often regarded as a “museum of gardens.” The visit will last about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

You’ll be transferred back to your hotel around 5:30 PM.

Forbidden City Important Notice:

1. Forbidden City is closed for the entire day every Monday, except the Chinese national public holidays and the summer vacation from Jul. 01 to Aug. 31;
2. Forbidden City Ticketing Purchase is based on real name policy;
3. You need to Show your passport to buy your entrance tickets;
4. Free of charge for children under 1.2 meters, each required to be escorted by an adult;
5. There are some exhibits within Forbidden City that require additional tickets to access such as the Treasure Gallery and the Clock and Watch Gallery.

Price Information:
Treasure Gallery: RMB 10
Clock and Watch Gallery: RMB 10

Forbidden City Opening Hours:
April 1st – October 31 (8:30 – 17:00)
Last Entry at 16:10
Tickets sold until 16:00
November 1st – March 31 (8:30 – 16:30)
Last Entry at 15:40
Tickets sold until 15:30

Proceed to the Temple of Heaven, the place where the Emperors prayed for peace and harvest. It is located in the southern part of Beijing, and had been one of the most holy places for the whole country for more than five centuries. It used as a complex of sacrificial buildings for the Ming and Qing emperors.

Temple of Heaven Travel Tips:

The park is so huge. You are advised to wear your most comfortable shoes. It’s a long walk! For summer time, be ready to bring an umbrella for sun protection, and bottles of water. Inside the huge park, there is a lovely temple complex, which is composed of three main parts – Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and Circular Mound Altar sitting along an axis from south to north.

Don’t miss the Cypress Grove. Old cypress trees are worth having a close look. Some of the cypresses are more than 600 years old. Dr Henry Kissinger, when he visited the temple, stated that while the USA could recreate the Temple of Heaven if it desired, it could not create the trees!

Temple of Heaven Opening Hours:
The park opens at 6am and closes at 8pm.
The main buildings inside the park：
From March 1 to June 30 (8:00 – 17:30)
From July 1 to October 31 (8:00 – 18:00)
From November 1 to February 28 (8:00 – 17:00)
Kindly reminder: Through tickets selling is stopped at 16:00

Continue to visit Summer Palace, one of China’s largest imperial garden. Summer Palace was originally a royal garden and a temporary dwelling palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty, Its predecessor was the Garden of Clear Ripples (Qingyiyuan) started in 1750 and burned down by the British and French allied troops in 1860.

Summer Palace Travel Tips:

Normally it takes 2 hours to walk around Summer Palace. Visiting Summer Palace needs a bit b legs with a lot walking since Summer Palace is huge.

Dress for the hot or cold weather. The summer in Beijing could be humid and close, sometimes extremely hot. Also winter could be very cold. So well prepared for the uncomfortable weather both in winter and summer. You are advised to wear your most comfortable shoes.

Summer Palace presents itself with different views for different seasons. Winter sees people skiing on the Kunming Lake; Spring time finds people breathe under fresh trees and flowers; Summer time often sees Summer Palace in a foggy day like a beautiful “water and mountain” Chinese scroll painting. Autumn is the best time walking around Summer Palace, clear and blue sky with comfortable weather.

Summer Palace even at different times of a day allows you to see the different views under sunrise in the morning and sunset in the later afternoon.

Price Information:
1. Children are less than 1.2 meters free,
2. Taking a boat ride starting from the Marble Boat across the lake to the beautiful 17-Arch Bridge is a fun way to have more stunning views. Boat Ride: 20 yuan.

Summer Palace Opening Hours:
High Season (From April. 1 to Oct. 31)
Open: 6:30
Tickets stop selling at 18:00;
Close: 20:00
Low Season (From Nov. 1 to Mar. 31 next year)
Open: 7:00
Tickets stop selling at 17:00;
Close: 19:00

Lunch: Typical Chinese lunch

After the layover tour, return to your hotel around 5:30pm.

Just a Kindly Reminder:

This group day tour is available daily all the year round. Each morning, you will be picked up from your midtown hotel, then you will go visit the major attractions together with other tourists. Groups are kept to about 10-15 passengers in an air-conditioned coach or van with a professional Beijing chauffeur and a licensed Beijing English speaking tour guide on board who will pass on their knowledge of the sites including facts, stories and local information. There are two shopping stops on the tour.

1. On the evening before your tour departure early next morning, you will get a call to your hotel room or message at your hotel front desk from your tour guide to reconfirm your next morning’s pickup time which is normally set around 7:00am.
2. Our pick-up service starts from the hotels in the southern Beijing to the hotels in the northern Beijing. If you stay in the south of Beijing, please have the patience in waiting for all the participants to be on the seat-in coach before starting your group tour.
3. If you stay in an apartment block, please find a nearest hotel as your pickup point.
4. If you stay in a hutong hotel in a narrow lane, please walk a few steps and wait for our bus parking on a main street.
5. We offer complimentary pick up service from your hotel located within the third ring road in Beijing. For pickup service for the hotels beyond the third ring road in Beijing, please contact our trip advisors for the details.
6. You will have the narratives of local history and culture by your tour guide while you are comfortably sitting on a shared air-conditioned vehicle and enjoying the views passing by.
7. All tours & transfers are all based in English Speaking local guides.

Travel Tips:

Wear casually and pay attention to the climate in Beijing.

Special Features:

Only English-speaking travelers in the coach;
Well-trained english speaking tour guide;
Keep proper quantity travelers in suitable type air-conditioned coach.

Add-ons:

If you have some free time in the evening, you are kindly advised to join some of the Beijing night shows or night tours below to supplement your daytime activity.