Ancient Beijing

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Beijing

Meet your ACIS Tour Manager and begin to explore the exciting capital city of Beijing. As the former seat of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the city is steeped in history and is considered China's cultural and political center.

Day 3: Beijing

Start the day with the popular Taiji exercises alongside local residents, who practice this synchronized form of martial-arts-related exercise to boost physical strength and mental clarity. Then it's on to some of Beijing's most revered attractions, starting with the stunning Temple of Heaven, built in the early 1400s by the Yongle emperor. The same emperor also ordered the construction of the next destination, the awe-inspiring Forbidden City, which served as the imperial palace from the early 1400s until 1912. Then your guided sightseeing tour shows you Tiananmen Square, the center of the city. If all that sightseeing works up an appetite, you're in luck: A traditional Peking Duck dinner at a local restaurant concludes the day's menu of activities.

Day 4: Beijing

The day begins with a trip to the Great Wall of China, one of the world's most amazing feats of engineering. You'll visit the Juyongguan section, an impregnable, fortress-like portion that includes one of only three passages through the wall. En route you'll see the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics, which marked only the third time an East Asian country has hosted the event. After dinner enjoy an entertaining kung fu show where you'll understand why this graceful form of martial arts has prevailed for centuries.

Day 5: Beijing

An all-day cultural-exchange visit with students at a local school will offer unique, real-life insights into life in this fascinating country and provide a chance to practice your Chinese—or learn a bit of the language—with those who speak it most fluently. You'll get a chance to compare notes on things such as education, family customs and lifestyles in an informal setting that promotes meaningful conversations and shared understanding.

Day 6: Beijing

Start the day with a trip to the Summer Palace, built in the mid-1700s as a luxurious oasis for royal families. Today it's a well-preserved park, filled with magnificent gardens, tranquil ponds and artfully designed pavilions, temples and bridges. During your visit, you'll get a different perspective of the park during a boat cruise on Kunming Lake. In the afternoon enjoy a visit to the 798 Art Zone in the Dashanzi District, where artists and cultural organizations have transformed a complex of factories into a hip and funky neighborhood filled with eclectic art galleries, artists' studios and restaurants. Afterwards, take advantage of free time to see more of this enchanting city at your own speed, perhaps taking in cultural treasures such as the National Art Museum of China or the Beijing Capital Museum.

Day 7: Beijing

The morning begins with a rickshaw tour of the Hutong area, the local name for the narrow streets and alleyways that offer a timeless look at “old” Beijing. Then witness a traditional tea ceremony, a ritual that reflects the important role this calming beverage plays in Chinese culture. Afterward, discover more of Beijing at your leisure, perhaps visiting Fragrant Hills Park, a former imperial garden, or Fayuan Temple, the city's oldest Buddhist temple, built by the Tang dynasty 1,300 years ago.

Day 8: Departure

Depart for the USA.



Optional Extensions and Extra Nights:

Continue your immersion in Chinese history and culture on a two-night extension to Shanghai by flight from Beijing including sightseeing and attractions such as the Jade Buddha Temple and Yu Yuan Garden.