Northern Classics
8-Day Beijing–Pingyao–Xi'an Private Tour By High-Speed Train
Private guide and driver offer thoughtful service during your stay and have an in-depth exploration by visiting imperial places: the Forbidden City, the political center; the Summer Palace, a fancy royal garden; the Temple of Heaven, used as place to worship the heaven. Modern art zone at 798 feast your eyes. Of course, hiking on the Great Wall is another highlight.
One week tour to visit three "bright pearls" in the north part of China. They are full of culture, history and enjoy personal touch with your guide in each city.
Suggested Itinerary
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (Superior Room) (TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2015)
Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)
Your guide, driver and private car will be waiting for you when you arrive in Beijing at the airport. They will help you with your luggage and check-into the hotel.
Your afternoon or evening is for you to relax and recover after your long international flight. Your guide will also help point out to you places to eat or what you can do nearby your hotel.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (Superior Room)
Breakfast & Lunch
Visiting Beijing's Classic Sights
After a hearty breakfast you will be ready to explore some of Beijing's classic sights. Your guide will be waiting in the lobby for you when you are ready to roam. A visit to Tian'anmen Square located in the center of the city, has great cultural significance. Head to the north gate, and you can get panoramic shots overlooking the Square.
Make your way through the Forbidden City an important and historical monument that will open your eyes to what life was once like in the Imperial Palace. Take a rickshaw to the Hutongs from the Bell Tower to the Drum Tower to capture the experience of this once ancient lifestyle. Visit a family who has lived in the Hutong for generations and hear their life story. Enjoy the lunch at a local restaurant.
Enter into a Chinese Village Kindergarten
Take a trip to Gaobeidian Village with a history of over 1000 years. You will have an opportunity to the village kindergarten to enjoy the children's performance and play games with them.
Did you know …
Tiananmen Square is named after the Tiananmen Gate meaning Gate of Heavenly Peace and is located north of the square – the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (Superior Room)
Breakfast & Lunch
Walking on the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall
This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a about 2.5 hours' drive from downtown Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains.
Good to know
If you are interested in hiking, we also offer a 3-4 hour hiking from Simatai west to Jinshanlin section.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (Superior Room)
Breakfast & Lunch
Visit more Cultural Classics and Royal Gardens
Today, your guide will take you to see some classical royal relics, including the Temple of Heaven which was used by the emperor to offer prayers to the highest God. We then head to the Summer Palace also known as the Museum of Royal Gardens, which was initially built in 1750. You can take a short boat ride on the lake to the Island Temple like the ancient royals in the Qing Dynasty. We will lunch at the Jardine Matheson Spring Restaurant.
If you are an art or antique lover, the choice is yours to see :
The 798 Art District, once an abandoned factory built in the 1950s now displays the largest and most popular art zone in China.
Good to know
Things to do in the evening – acrobatic shows, puppet theatre, or see a Beijing opera show!
Hotel: Yunjincheng Folk Hotel
Breakfast & Lunch
Early Morning Train (HSR) to Pingyao
You will be transferred to the railway station for the morning train leaving Beijing at 07:58 and get to Pingyao at 12:09 in the morning. You will be met at the station in Pingyao and taken to your hotel.
Walk around the Pingyao Ancient Town
Go back in time as we explore Pingyao Ancient Town. Considered the best ancient walled city in China, it is off-limits to cars so you can walk along the cobbled streets. The buildings are delicately constructed and decorated in a Ming and Qing style, comfortable and easy for visitors to appreciate the authentic flavor of old times.
Hotel:Wyndham Grand Xian South
Breakfast & Lunch
Visit Wang Family Courtyard
After breakfast, your guide, driver and private car will be ready for you to visit Wang Family Courtyard, a North China Folk House during the Qing Dynasty. Folk residences are the earliest architectural types in the history of China. These residences are usually in diversified forms with no restrictions and built according to local conditions.
Pingyao to Xi'an by HSR
Leave the hassles of transfer to your guide, as you will be taken to the railway station to Xi'an – hometown to the Terracotta Soldiers.
Hotel: Wyndham Grand Xian South
Breakfast & Lunch
Visit Xi'an's Historic Site – The Terracotta Warriors
Visit the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty. This magnificent army of Emperor Qin dates back to 210 B.C. Enjoy a lunch at A Wa Shan Zhan Restaurant before you turn back to the city center.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and enjoy a walk around the park. The pagoda was built around 400 AD and offers a view of the city as you ascend to the top.
Biking on the Ancient City Wall is also a highlight of Xi'an to take a birds'-eye view of the whole city.
Good to know
In the evening, you can visit the Muslim Quarter, walk around the many stalls and sample some of their local delicacies. The Bell Tower is nearby which is lit up at night.
Price includes:
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
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Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
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Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
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Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
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This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
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Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
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Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
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Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
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Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
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Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
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Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
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Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
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Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
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Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
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Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
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Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
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Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
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Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
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HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
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