From CNY
3,120
details
1 day
As you request
TCG-64
Fly from Shanghai to Beijing and back in one day to see Beijing's major sites. If you are on a tight schedule then this is the tour for you. Flight prices will vary from day to day so please check with our agent and we will get you the best possible discount at the time you book.
We don't take up any of your time with unscheduled commission shopping stops and there are no hidden costs. We include the gondola ride at the wall and you can slide down from the Great Wall on a toboggan sled if you wish.
Of course no trip to Beijing would be complete without a Peking Duck meal. We make sure you have a good one, not in a tourist restaurant, with unlimited drinks and other Chinese dishes to complement the duck. If you don't want duck we can change the plan.
» Your tour day starts and ends at a hotel in the city, which may or may not be included. If a hotel is included it is listed by name on the itinerary for each night.
» Discounts for children in China are based on height. Let us know your child's age and height and we can calculate accordingly.
All tours are billed in Chinese CNY. Prices in currencies other than Chinese CNY are displayed for reference only. The exchange rates are subject to daily change.
Get a free quote
Let us modify the tour's itinerary for free and with no-obligation to suit your needs. We can change the activities, add or change hotel rooms, flights or trains as you wish.
Why book a tour with The China Guide?
» Zero shopping stops at overpriced commission factories.
Your time and money is better spent.
» Flexible time schedule to suit your pace.
No rush and can cater to children's needs.
» Guides selected and trained by American management.
Excellent English, accommodating, family friendly.
» Meals are in quality local restaurants.
We order according to your tastes and diet.
» Western style service.
Our agents and guides are there to make you happy.
» We have traveled in China with our own children.
The American owners have four young children.
» Domestic flights, economy class as listed in the itinerary
» Admission tickets to all sights listed on the itinerary - no hidden costs
» Meals in quality local restaurants with unlimited standard drinks (Coke, Sprite, bottled water, Chinese tea)
» Free bottled water supplied in your vehicle - drink up!
» Private English speaking guide (selected/trained by our western staff), experienced Chinese speaking driver and quality, air-conditioned vehicle.
Not included in the tour price
» You may tip your guide and driver for good service.
» International travel insurance (you should purchase your own policy in your home country)
For tour booking terms & conditions, please review our company policies.
Tiananmen Square 天安门广场
Most people visit Tiananmen Square on their way to the Forbidden City, both can be done together in a morning or afternoon. Chinese citizens from around the country descend on Tiananmen to take their photos in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao.
When there is a breeze you can buy a kite and fly it on the square.
Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. It is a tourist site everyone tends to visit on their trip to Beijing. A vast desert of paving stones, the square can hold over one million people. It lies on the historical central axis going through the Forbidden City.
Expect to go through airport level security when going onto the square, with metal detectors and x-ray machines. There is also a high level of police presence. Nonetheless people are very friendly and its on most Beijing itineraries.
Average time for this activity:
1 hour
Opening hours:
5:00am until 10:00pm
The Forbidden City 故宫
The Forbidden City was the former imperial palace which was the home to twenty-four Chinese emperors over 491 years between 1420 and 1911. The Forbidden City is now known as the Palace Museum and is open to Beijing's visitors.
Wear comfortable walking shoes as the palace is 960 metres long and 750 metres wide. It has 9,999 rooms - a room being the space between four pillars.
The well guarded palace is surrounded by a moat 3,800 metres long and 52 metres wide. Intruders were discouraged by guards in watchtowers with bow and arrows.
There are five entrances to the gate - the central one reserved for the emperor. The empress was allowed through it only once - on her wedding day.
As well as walking through the wide open courtyards along its central axis, the sides offer some museum exhibits and small courtyards worth exploring.
An excellent view of the Forbidden City from the north is seen atop Coal Hill in Jingshan Park. The hill is made from the dirt excavated from the moat surrounding the Forbidden City, and according to Feng Shui, keeps the evil spirits from the north from entering.
Average time for this activity:
1.5 hours
Opening hours:
8:30am until 5:00pm with last admission at 4:00pm
Great Wall Mutianyu Section 慕田峪长城
For those who want to see a restored section of the wall which is more fun and less touristy than Badaling and not as far as Simatai or Jinshanling, then Mutianyu is a good choice. Just over an hour from Beijing in normal traffic, it is possible to see in a morning or afternoon and combines well with the Ming Tombs.
Mutianyu has some good options. You can take the cable car up, have a little stroll on the wall then come back down the cable car. Or you can take the cable car up and walk for about 45 minutes on the wall, down hill mostly, to the toboggan sled. Its pretty long run on the toboggan track down the hill from the wall. There are double cars for parents with kids as well as the usual single cars. Fun and safe, everyone seems to enjoy this.
In Mutianyu village there are fish farms and restaurants, so you can fish out your own trout from the pond and have it cooked up for your lunch.
The Great Wall was key to protecting agriculture and resisting cavalry of the Huns and other warrior tribes from the north. The advantages of the enormous barrier diminished with the advancement of gunpowder and other weaponry.
The wall was originally built of stone, wood, grass and earth. In the Ming Dynasty bricks were produced in...
Read more here
Average time for this activity:
2 hours
Opening hours:
8:00am until 5:00pm with last admission at 5:00pm
Shanghai 上海
Shanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Shanghai is a modern city with a past linked to foreign occupation through World War II. The row of historic bank buildings on the Bund shows the architecture brought by foreigners when Shanghai was the banking capital of Asia. Now modern development in Pudong has changed the face of the city into a modern metropolis. Shanghai maintains some of its 1930's feel to it. Chinese people in Shanghai are more liberal and modern, being farther from Beijing. Foreigners living in Shanghai are there for business reasons, and thus Shanghai has more of a "New York" feel to it.
Beijing 北京
Beijing offers much for visitors to do. It is the gateway to the Great Wall, which is 1 - 2 hours drive from the city depending on which part you visit. Within the city, the major sights include The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hutong tours and cycle rickshaw rides.
Aside from the sights Beijing is a fabulous place to dine. Arguably, it has some of the best Chinese food in the world with lots of regional variations. Western food in Beijing is also excellent due to the abundance of foreigners and embassies.
Beijing also boasts some fantastic parks, with boating, amusements for children, Chinese martial arts and good people watching in a quiet green atmosphere.
The pollution in Beijing comes and goes, blown away by a good wind. Sometimes it builds into a haze, but visitors planning a short trip should not put off. It's just another aspect to life in a city of over ten million.
Hotels in Beijing vary greatly, with the huge buildup and many renovations that occurred in conjunction with the 2008 Olympic Games. There are some palatial five star hotels, plenty of great four star hotels and budget hotel abound. Finding the good ones can take some effort but we personally check the ones we use...
Read more here
Breakfast
Most hotels come with breakfast, or if not it can be added at a cost. Four and five star hotels will generally offer a good western and Chinese buffet breakfast. Three star hotels may only have a Chinese breakfast, or a Chinese interpretation of a western breakfast. Anyway a Chinese breakfast is not bad - rice porridge, eggs, Chinese style breads and vegetables.
Drinking Water:
Most of our tours offer unlimited bottled water in the vehicle so you can keep hydrated and healthy all day long. Grab a couple bottles to take to your room for the night. Tap water in big cities in China is not going to make you sick, it is chlorinated. Fine for brushing your teeth but best to stick to bottled water as you don't want to upset your system on your big trip.
Children and Special Diets:
Our guides are accustomed to handling special diets or the selective eating of children. Let us know in advance if you have food allergies or other special requests and we can plan for you. Children often find they like certain Chinese dishes, such as noodles, fried rice or sweet and sour pork. If a stop at McDonalds or KFC is required your guide can do this on the go.
Lunch
We consider experiencing good Chinese cuisine to be an important part of the tour experience. When on a tour, lunch is generally Chinese style and normally included in the price. Our guides will help you order according to your taste. Mild, spicy, meat, vegetables, rice and/or noodles. Dishes are served family style and shared by the guests. The driver may eat on his own but the guide will join you if you like.
Food in Beijing is quite good quality and we take our guests to genuine local restaurants, not tourist traps. We consider it distasteful to ask you for small amounts of money during the tour, so we offer unlimited standard drinks including Coke, Sprite, bottled water, Chinese tea and local beers. You also won't leave the table hungry, if you need more to eat just let your guide know.
We don't have fixed restaurants we must use, it depends on where you are at the time you are hungry. When traveling around China we normally have the same arrangements outside Beijing but this may vary depending on your exact itinerary.
Drinking Water:
Most of our tours offer unlimited bottled water in the vehicle so you can keep hydrated and healthy all day long. Grab a couple bottles to take to your room for the night. Tap water in big cities in China is not going to make you sick, it is chlorinated. Fine for brushing your teeth but best to stick to bottled water as you don't want to upset your system on your big trip.
Children and Special Diets:
Our guides are accustomed to handling special diets or the selective eating of children. Let us know in advance if you have food allergies or other special requests and we can plan for you. Children often find they like certain Chinese dishes, such as noodles, fried rice or sweet and sour pork. If a stop at McDonalds or KFC is required your guide can do this on the go.
Dinner
Unless there is a special activity planned or you prefer to have all your meals catered, guests often prefer to relax after a days tour and arrange their own dinner. This gives you flexibility in time and cuisine. Having all your meals catered every day can be tiresome. Handling your own dinner allows you to have some control and also strike out on you own. Your guide can give you restaurant suggestions and in big cities you can find lots of options for fine dining, fast food, both western or Chinese. Hotel staff can often make restaurant recommendations within walking distance.
If you get the taste for a burger or pizza after a lot of Chinese food, this is easily found in Beijing, Shanghai and many other cities around China. Many hotel restaurants offer nice food. China also has its share of McDonald's, KFC and Subway sandwich chains if you need a fix.
Drinking Water:
Most of our tours offer unlimited bottled water in the vehicle so you can keep hydrated and healthy all day long. Grab a couple bottles to take to your room for the night. Tap water in big cities in China is not going to make you sick, it is chlorinated. Fine for brushing your teeth but best to stick to bottled water as you don't want to upset your system on your big trip.
Children and Special Diets:
Our guides are accustomed to handling special diets or the selective eating of children. Let us know in advance if you have food allergies or other special requests and we can plan for you. Children often find they like certain Chinese dishes, such as noodles, fried rice or sweet and sour pork. If a stop at McDonalds or KFC is required your guide can do this on the go.
This classic and popular China tour can be a great experience when well done. We give you our guides who are vetted by our American staff and don't surprise you with unscheduled shopping stops taking time out of your day and expecting to make an extra buck in commissions. If you are asking why our price is not the lowest then you should consider the extra expenses you might find in our...
This family adventure tour follows the path of the Kungfu master's through ancient and modern China. Tailored to be fun for families, we can modify aspects of this tour to suit your needs.
Because hotel requirements and room configurations for families vary widely, we do not include accommodation in this itinerary, our agent can add it for you and give you a quote. We have hotels which...
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