Imperial Beijing Private Tour: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Jingshan Park with Lunch
Discover Beijing's Imperial City, home to many of China's important historical sites. After meeting your guide in your Beijing hotel, take taxi or public transportation to Tiananmen Square to see the Tiananmen Gate, Monument to the Peoples Heroes, Great Hall of the People and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Spend time learning about and taking photos of the square, the Tiananmen Gate and the Forbidden City in the background.
Then, your guide will lead you to the Forbidden City, a Chinese imperial palace that served as a political center of the Chinese government for almost 600 years. Tour inside its various halls and the Imperial Garden, where you can admire elaborate Chinese garden landscaping. Walk through the north gate with your guide and on to Jingshan Park. Enjoy unobstructed views of the Forbidden City, Bell and Drum Towers and the Bird's Nest. Marvel at the parks elaborate pavilions and colorful peony garden and enjoy the sight of both locals and tourists enjoying activities like the ribbon dance.
**Please be advised that the Forbidden City is closed on Mondays. Temple of Heaven or Beijing Zoo where you can see lovely Giant Pandas will be substituted instead.
Next, take taxi or public transportation with your guide to a Beijing hutong nearby Drum Tower and Houhai Lake, a narrow alleyway lined by traditional courtyard residences. Experience how the locals live by hopping into a rickshaw and going for a ride through the city's ancient streets. Listen as your guide shares accounts of traditional culture and daily life. Then, go up the Drum Tower to view the impressive array of drums originating from all over China, and enjoy a 20-minute drum performance.
A local friendly family living in a old hutong will serve you a delicious home-cooked meal for lunch. Enjoy local delicacies, have a nice talk with the family to learn the real old stories about Beijing and locals life in the past and now. a great opportunity for you to walk in the local Beijinger's life and get in know about China. Then you tour guide will help you to get a taxi back to your hotel at your own expense. Your day tour will be finished here.