Beijing: A Journey Through Time and Tradition
9 DAYS
Beijing 2 • Great Wall of China 1 • Beijing 4
Basic Inclusions
Accommodations
Accommodations in centrally-located three-star or four-star hotels. Rooming on a triple basis.
Meals
All breakfasts. Seven lunches. All dinners. Lunch on Days 1-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Peking Roast Duck dinner on Day 3. Hotpot Dinner on Day 5.
Transportation
Tour does not include airfare. All public transportation tickets included where applicable.
Guide
Services of a specially-trained passports Tour Director throughout.
Travel Protection
Passports provides and pays for a Post Departure Travel Protection Plan that includes coverage for Trip Interruption, Trip Delay, Medical Expense and Evacuation and more.
Tour Summary
VISA REQUIREMENTS
At the time of publication of this itinerary, an entry visa is required for all non-Chinese citizens. It is the responsibility of the individual participant to contact his/her own embassy or consulate for visa requirements. The inability to obtain such documents shall not constitute grounds for cancellation without penalty. The visa fee is not included in the tour price.
Itinerary Includes
English-speaking Adventure Leader throughout
Days 1-2: Tour Starts in Beijing
Arrival transfer, Services of a guide escort throughout your stay in Beijing
Day 3: Beijing
Mandarin Language Class
Visit to Tian'anmen Square
Visit to the Forbidden City
Panoramic view from Jingshan Park
Dinner and Beijing-style variety show
Day 4: Beijing
Visit to the Temple of Heaven Park: Round-trip transfers
Mandarin Language Class
Hotpot Dinner
Day 5: Beijing
Excursion to the Great Wall: Local guide, Great Wall of China at Badaling
Peking Roast Duck dinner
Day 6: Beijing - Xi'an
Cooking class
Departure transfer, High-speed train Beijing-Xi'an, Arrival transfer, Lunch
Muslim quarter
Day 7: Xi'an
Excursion to Emperor Qin's Tomb and Terra Cotta Army with Xi'an City Sightseeing: Local Guide, Make Your Own Terra Cotta Warrior lesson at a reproduction factory, materials included, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Day 8: Xi'an - Shanghai
Bike tour on Xi'an's City Walls: helmet included, Local Guide
Calligraphy lesson
Departure transfer, Arrival transfer
Day 9: Shanghai
Mandarin Language Class
Visit to Shanghai People's Square
Huangpu River cruise
Day 10: Shanghai
Visit to the Yuyuan Garden
French Concession
Visit to the Shanghai World Financial Center Observatory: Round-trip transfers
ERA Acrobatic Circus and Theatrical Spectacular
Day 11: Tour Ends in Shanghai
Departure transfer
UNPARALLELED STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
Detailed Itinerary
Days 1-2: Arrival in Beijing
A dream comes true as your wide-bodied jet thunders off the airstrip, bound for China. Cross the International Date Line and land in Beijing, the city that sets the tone and chooses the direction for this vast country of over a billion people.
Meet the local guide who will escort your group throughout your stay in Beijing.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 3: Mandarin Language Class, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Dinner and Beijing-style variety show
Attend a Mandarin class led by experienced teachers and a carefully crafted curriculum, where you'll improve your conversational skills, express your thoughts more fluently, and better understand native speakers.
See the vast and bare expanse ringed by monuments such as the Gate of Heavenly Peace (which gave the square its name, Tian'anmen), the Great Hall of the People, the Monument of the People's Heroes, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
Enter the walled imperial palace that no one could access or leave without the emperor's permission. It took more than a million workers to build it, back in the early 1400s.
Cross the street that separates the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park, a lovely landscaped area crowned by a hill with five summits, one of which is the highest point in Beijing. Climb up and take in the panoramic view with the Forbidden City in the foreground.
Enjoy an original Beijing-style variety show while having Chinese tea. The 90-minute show covers Beijing opera art, Peking opera singing, Chinese kung fu, Sichuan opera face changing, tea art performance, national song and dance, magic acrobatics, etc., and includes 9 different performances depends on the season.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 4: Temple of Heaven Park, Mandarin Language Class
Visit one of Beijing's most extraordinary temple complexes to view the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Circular Mound Altar, and the spectacular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a three-tiered wooden temple constructed without using a single nail
Attend a Mandarin class led by experienced teachers and a carefully crafted curriculum, where you'll improve your conversational skills, express your thoughts more fluently, and better understand native speakers.
Savor the flavors of traditional hotpot, a must-try Chinese dish where a variety of proteins and fresh produce are cooked in a simmering, flavorful broth. Known as 'huo guo' in Mandarin, this communal dining experience is an authentic taste of China's culinary heritage.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 5: Excursion to the Great Wall
A local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Beijing and its surroundings, will accompany you today.
Supposedly visible from space, this wall thousands of miles long is over 2,000 years old in some sections. Qin began it. The Ming Dynasty rebuilt it. Nixon came to see it. Now you will too, at Badaling.
Tonight's dinner features a local specialty from the imperial era that's so famous that it still bears the 17th-century European spelling for Beijing.
Overnight: Beijing
Day 6: Cooking Class, Train to Xi'an, Muslim Quarter
Enjoy a cooking class that will teach you as much about cooking techniques and local food as about Chinese culture.
A fast train whisks you away to an ancient city long known as Chang'an. It took Marco Polo much longer to get there! At the time of his visit, Xi'an was one of the world's largest cities. Nowadays, it remains a special destination as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.
Explore the Muslim Quarter, a major feature of the Silk Road, which still includes food markets and shopping areas.
Overnight: Xi'an
Day 7: Excursion to Emperor Qin's Tomb, Xi'an City Sightseeing
Today you will enjoy an excursion outside of the city.
A local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Xi'an, will accompany your group.
Visit the fabulous mausoleum of the ruler who founded the Qin Dynasty, back in 247 BC. He became king at the age of 13, and was the first to unify China and rule as emperor. During his reign, he ordered colossal works, notably a defensive wall, precursor of the Great Wall, designed to protect the northern flank of his empire.
Marvel at the thousands of life-sized terra cotta soldiers, some atop their steeds, which form the imperial bodyguards of the defunct, but still mighty, Qin Shi Huang.
Proceed to a Terra Cotta Warriors reproduction factory, where you will see how life-size replicas are made to resemble their 2,200 years old models. Then, enjoy a hands-on lesson during which you will make your very own small-scale warrior to take home as a special souvenir.
Visit one of the best known landmarks in Xi'an, the pagoda also known as the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda as it once counted three more levels. This Buddhist shrine was built in AD 652 to preserve sacred scriptures and figurines of deities brought from India.
Overnight: Xi'an
Day 8: Xi'an City Walls Bike Tour, Calligraphy Lesson, High-Speed Train to Shanghai
See how the old city of Xi'an is surrounded by well-preserved and impressive fortifications built during the Ming Dynasty as you ride a bike on top of the Ancient City Wall.
A helmet is included with the bike rental.
A local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Xi'an, will accompany your group.
Enjoy a lesson that will introduce a few of the 50,000 Chinese characters as it brings out your artistic talents. You get to keep your calligraphy work as a souvenir.
Enjoy a journey to China's bustling metropolis aboard one of the high-speed trains that have transformed rail travel across the country. In 2019, China owned two-thirds of the world's high-speed railway networks, showcasing its modern engineering marvels.
Your guide welcomes your group at the train station.
Overnight: Shanghai
Day 9: Mandarin Language Class, Shanghai People's Square, Huangpu River Cruise
Attend a Mandarin class led by experienced teachers and a carefully crafted curriculum, where you'll improve your conversational skills, express your thoughts more fluently, and better understand native speakers.
Explore the vibrant Shanghai People's Square, a lively center of local culture and community where visitors can interact with people from diverse backgrounds and gain insight into various cultural perspectives. Then, take a leisurely stroll along East Nanjing Road, leading to the iconic Bund. Here, you'll uncover the city's rich colonial history while marveling at how Shanghai has evolved into a modern global metropolis.
Take in the impressive Shanghai skyline on both banks as you cruise along the Huangpu River: the historic west side with the Bund, and the contemporary east side with Pudong.
Overnight: Shanghai
Day 10: Yuyuan Garden, French Concession, Shanghai World Financial Center Observatory, ERA Acrobatic Circus and Theatrical Spectacular
Step back in time on a visit to the Garden of Happiness, rightfully celebrated for the beauty of its landscaping. First established in 1559 for a high-ranking official of the Ming Dynasty, it was restored in the 1960s as a National Monument. See pavilions and pagodas, meandering dragon walls, ponds, sculptures, and rockeries, in particular the Exquisite Jade Rock, 12 feet high, which is one of the three most famous rocks in China.
Don't miss the Bazaar near the Yuyuan Garden, which is a maze of alleyways with old-fashioned shops selling a variety of typical Chinese goods.
Head to the Luwan and Xuhui Districts, site of the former French Concession. Nowadays, this area is a popular shopping and dining destination for locals and tourists alike with its boutiques, art galleries, and antique stores.
Historic landmarks include the Former Residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, where the first President and Founding Father of the Republic of China resided between 1918 and 1925, and the Longhua Temple, a Buddhist shrine with a long history.
China's tallest building at 1,614 feet is the Shanghai World Financial Center. Its 101 floors house offices, conference rooms, restaurants, shopping malls and the world's highest observation deck, which you will visit for a spectacular overview of this gigantic city.
See how traditional Chinese arts are combined with multimedia technology to present an electrifying show!
Overnight: Shanghai
Day 11: Departure
You'll get the day back today as you cross the International Date Line once again, for an arrival back home on the same calendar day you left China.
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Arrival in Beijing
The Forbidden City
Temple of Heaven Park
Hotpot Dinner
Excursion to the Great Wall
Emperor Qin's Tomb and Terra Cotta Army
Bike tour on Xi'an's City Walls
Shanghai
Shanghai People’s Square
Yuyuan Gardens
Going Places Blog
Passports Teacher Training Conferences take educators on a journey to some of the most iconic destinations in the world. These conferences are more than just professional development—they’re a celebration of the hard work and dedication of group leaders. Watch the video to see why this is the ultimate reward for educators.