Ancient Beijing

  • 8 Days
  • Explorer Value Trip

We're always ready to personalize
a tour to your unique needs

Ancient Beijing Get Started

Map & Route

Depart

Overnight Flight

1 1 Night

Beijing

6 6 Nights
Return
map Ancient Beijing

What's Included

Our itineraries reflect 40 years of experience in crafting exceptional educational tours. That means we know exactly how to make the best of your time abroad—incredible destinations, immersive activities, centrally located hotels, and smart, well-traveled tour managers who ensure your educational goals are met. Here are some of the exceptional features of this tour.

ACIS Guarantees

We have high standards, which is why we take care to include these features in every tour.

Round-Trip Flights

Leave the airlines to us.

3-Star Hotels

After a busy day, comfort is key.

Centrally Located Hotels

Save the commuting time, beat the morning crowds and keep right on exploring after dark when your hotel is in the heart of the city.

Double Occupancy

Daily Breakfast and Dinner (unless otherwise noted)

Delicious, authentic, multi-course dinners at local restaurants with meal times tailored to maximize your experience.

24-Hour Tour Manager

Part guide, part educator, part engineer, part mind-reader, part magician—ACIS Tour Managers are your travel partner.

Start Exploring

Never wait hours at the airport to share a transfer with other later groups.

Service Guarantee

We're so sure you're going to love your tour, we guarantee it!

All Local Transportation

Urban transportation is on us, allowing you to explore each destination with ease.

Global Network

24/7 on the ground support whenever and wherever you need it.

Exceptional Experiences

Our tours are designed to help you and your students be in the moment and experience everything the world has to offer.

Taiji Exercises

Taiji Exercises

Touted for providing great physical and mental health benefits to practitioners of all ages, Taiji (or Tai Chi) exercises are practiced regularly by many Chinese citizens and natives of other countries as its popularity has spread across the globe. Join locals on the grounds of the Temple of Heaven to learn about the graceful movement sets and transitions of this popular martial art and to try the exercises for yourself.

Learn More

Touted for providing great physical and mental health benefits to practitioners of all ages, Taiji (or Tai Chi) exercises are practiced regularly by many Chinese citizens and natives of other countries as its popularity has spread across the globe. Join locals on the grounds of the Temple of Heaven to learn about the graceful movement sets and transitions of this popular martial art and to try the exercises for yourself.

Visit with Local Students in Beijing

Visit with Local Students in Beijing

Visit with the local students at a Beijing school. As you participate in a joint activity, sharing laughs and stories, you'll gain an understanding of their daily lives and studies and have the opportunity to contrast what you learn and experience with your own lifestyle and educational system at home.

Learn More

Visit with the local students at a Beijing school. As you participate in a joint activity, sharing laughs and stories, you'll gain an understanding of their daily lives and studies and have the opportunity to contrast what you learn and experience with your own lifestyle and educational system at home.

Chinese Tea Ceremony in Beijing

Chinese Tea Ceremony in Beijing

The practice of drinking tea originated in China before spreading to other parts of the world. Connect to the local culture through this important Chinese custom as you learn about the different varieties of tea, tasting methods and of their unique preparation and consumption traditions. Aromatic and comforting, you'll enjoy experiencing first-hand why tea has become an essential part of Chinese meals, celebrations, rituals, health and history.

Learn More

The practice of drinking tea originated in China before spreading to other parts of the world. Connect to the local culture through this important Chinese custom as you learn about the different varieties of tea, tasting methods and of their unique preparation and consumption traditions. Aromatic and comforting, you'll enjoy experiencing first-hand why tea has become an essential part of Chinese meals, celebrations, rituals, health and history.

Beijing Tour with Guide

Beijing Tour with Guide

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square

Peking Duck Dinner

Peking Duck Dinner

Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

Kung Fu Show

Kung Fu Show

Summer Palace

Summer Palace

Kunming Lake Boat Ride

Kunming Lake Boat Ride

Rickshaw Tour of Hutong Area

Rickshaw Tour of Hutong Area

Video

China

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Itinerary

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.

Optional Extras

Ultimate-Plus Protection Plan

Most Enhanced health coverage, program interruption, baggage delay/loss and travel delay protection while on tour. Plus, enhanced medical/job loss cancellation refund policy

Rate $400

Add to Tour

Ultimate Protection Plan

Enhanced health coverage, program interruption, baggage delay/loss and travel delay protection while on tour. Plus, enhanced medical/job loss cancellation refund policy

Rate $280

Add to Tour

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