Essential Beijing: Badaling Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

You will be picked up from your hotel and taken in an air-conditioned coach for a sightseeing tour of the Badaling Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. An English-speaking tour guide will accompany you on this tour.

The highlights of the tour are:

Tiananmen Square: Located at the centre of Beijing city is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Tower. Initially built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty, the Square was the front door of the Forbidden City. The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is just at the centre of Tiananmen Square.

Forbidden City: From here walk to the legendary Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace Museum. With over 180 acres and a collection of great halls, you will see antiques and treasures representing all of China’s history. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Stop for a substantial lunch in a local restaurant. Continue to:

Badaling Great Wall: Arrive at Badaling, one of the best preserved sections of this 2,000-year-old architectural wonder. The Wall is about 80 kilometres Northwest from down town Beijing. Begin your trek on the Badaling section of Great Wall, which is about 3.7 kilometres long and 8 metres high. The hike will take you up a steep slope but the effort will be worth it as you feast your eyes on the spectacular views from the top.

Bohua Jade Factory: Round off your trip with a shopping spree at the world-renowned Bohua Jade Factory. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped back at your hotel in Beijing.