5 Days Beijing Walking Tour to Forbidden City, Classic & Untour Hutongs

Nihao! Welcome to Beijing, the capital city of China! Upon your arrival at the airport/train station in Beijing, the tour guide and driver will meet and greet you at the exit, and then escort you to the well-selected hotel in downtown Beijing. The rest of the day is free on your own so you can have a good rest for the jet lag or explore by yourself around your hotel.

Arrival Ideas:

Beijing is well connected by air and high speed rail. There are two airports - Beijing Daxing International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport operating many international and domestic airlines. Travelers can go to Beijing by air from most cities of China, like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Kunming, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guiyang, Chongqing, and Lanzhou. In addition, travelers can take the high speed train to Beijing from Xian (4-5 hours), Shanghai (4.5-6 hours), Zhengzhou (2.5-3 hours), Wuhan (4-5 hours), Harbin (5-5.5 hours), etc.

Free Time Ideas:

You are welcome to ask your tour guide for some useful tips to spend your free time based on your time and interest.

Today you will spend the whole day exploring the ancient citadel Beijing through China’s famous landmarks, epic imperial grandeur.

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at your hotel and then head to Tian’anmen Square, which is the world’s largest public square and also the symbol of China. It has witnessed many big events in China over the past decades and from here you can take good pictures of Tiananmen Gate showing on CCTV News every day.

Walk across the square and you will visit the might and splendor of the awe-inspiring Forbidden City (World Heritage), the world’s largest palace complex and one-time home to 24 emperors of China. With about 500 years’ history, Forbidden City served as the political and ritual center of China during the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. With 9,999 rooms, the Forbidden City is not only China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings, but also a city within the city, like the Vatican in Rome. Enter through Meridian Gate and visit along the central axis to ensure you won’t miss any highlighted palaces. You can admire its brilliant architecture and numerous ancient art treasures while listening to your guide and learning more about the emperors’ stories hidden inside the Imperial Palace. Later, take another 15-minute walk up to Jingshan Park, where you can have a magnificent panorama of modern Beijing and princely views over the russet roofs of the Forbidden City.

In this afternoon, head to Temple of Heaven (World Heritage). The Temple of Heaven is much bigger than the Forbidden City and smaller than the Summer Palace. As a Taoist temple, it is also known for its rigorous symbolic layout, peculiar structure, and magnificent decoration. It used to be a place to offer sacrifice to Heaven by 22 Chinese emperors twice a year for good harvests. You can learn more about the grand praying ceremony there, as well as observe the amazing designs such as the Echo Wall and the Triple Sound Stones.

Recommended Optional Activity: You can try the famous Peking Roasted Duck at Quanjude this evening.

In the morning, you will visit Lama Temple (Yonghe Palace). The Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), is also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony". It was the birthplace of both the Yongzheng Emperor (1678-1735) and the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty. As the biggest temple of Tibetan Buddhism is located in the heart of Beijing, there are three treasures for you to explore: the largest sandalwood Buddha in the world, the bronze Buddhas of past, present, and future, and the 500-Arhat-Hill.

Then you will visit the Beijing Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum that is next to the Lama Temple. The museum is consisting of two parts: Confucius Temple (Kongmiao) and Imperial College Museum (Guozijian). Kongmiao is the place where people paid homage to Confucius during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Confucius is the greatest thinker and educationalist in ancient China. Guozijian (Imperial academy) is a kind of university/college in ancient China that can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty (581–618). Guozijian is also the place where the Emperor personally lectures. The college was constructed right next to the temple in accordance with Chinese tradition where a temple is always to the left of a school. This museum is a good place for you to learn more about ancient China's education system and ancient buildings.

During the lunch time, you can also enjoy a relaxing time exploring the ordinary local life through the famous Hutongs.

Dongcheng Hutongs - Wudaoying, Family Visit, Drum Tower, DIY: Visit Wudaoying Hutong, which is near the museum. It is the coolest non-touristy hutong alleyway street in all of Beijing. Travel through the narrow alleys with many featured shops standing on both sides. You can try Old Beijing yogurt and dumpling for lunch here before the exciting Hutong Family Visit. It is a great experience to communicate with the Beijingers who grow up in the Hutongs by listening to their stories about Hutong and typical lifestyle in the Hutong.

In the afternoon, you can have a bird's eyes view of the hutong area from the Drum Tower, and you will have the chance to view the drum performance there. After that, you will have 30 minutes to try a Chinese traditional handicraft, choosing between calligraphy learning, Peking Opera face mask painting, or paper-cutting.

Xicheng Hutongs - Yandaixiejie Street, Shichahai Rickshaw Tour or Cultural Hutongs Strolling: Then, you can hike in the Yandaixiejie Street, the oldest commercial street (about 800 years) and one of the oldest and top 10 popular hutongs in Beijing. Yandaixie Street, which means Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street in Chinese, is a 232-meter-long Hutong. During the Qing Dynasty, people were fond of smoking and carried tobacco pouches (Yandai) with them wherever they went. As a result, many tobacco shops (selling smoking sets) opened on this skewed (xie) street, giving rise to its name. Now you can still purchase tobacco pouches of various sizes and shapes there, including porcelain ones, jade ones, wooden ones, and bronze ones. Located close to the Shichahai Park and Nanluoguxiang Hutong, Yandaixiejie is also a cultural street, where many quadrangle dwellings (Si He Yuan) are dotted, attracting millions of visitors each year.

Next, you have two ways to further explore:

• Option 1 (Local Vibe): Sample Hutong food and take a Rickshaw Tour through Shichahai Area, viewing the Hutongs, Yinding Bridge, and bustling bar street.
• Option 2 (Deep Culture): Stroll with locals to discover former residences of celebrities, traditional gardens, Peking Opera, and authentic princely mansions.

Tip: If time is limited, choose Dongcheng or Xicheng district based on your preference.

Have a good rest tonight.

Today you will walk through the Outer City (Nancheng)—the area outside the Inner City where the common people and non-imperial royal families resided during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Unlike the Dongcheng or Xicheng Hutongs, this area boasts greater vitality and bustling street life. Historically, it was home to scholars, merchants, and Peking Opera masters, and today it remains a cherished local spot for Beijing residents to stroll.

Hutong Walk Route: Qianmen Street – Caochang Hutongs No. 4 to No. 8 – Sanlihe Park – Yangmeizhu Xiejie – Beijing Fun (Beijingfang)

Start your walk on Qianmen Street, Beijing's most famous commercial street since the Ming and Qing dynasties, situated right on the central axis. It was once the exclusive Imperial Road reserved for the Emperor and later evolved into a commercial hub connecting ancient and modern times. Next, duck into the quiet and peaceful Caochang Hutongs, some of the best-preserved old Hutongs in Beijing. Look for the classic Siheyuan (courtyard house) architecture—grey bricks, dark tiles, red doors with vermilion lacquer, and green window lattices. We recommend focusing on Caochang No. 4 to absorb the authentic resident atmosphere, and exploring Caochang No. 3 and No. 2 to learn about the "Guild Hall culture," which offers cultural fragments of how people from different provinces gathered in the Imperial City during the Ming and Qing periods.

Afterward, enter the nearby Sanlihe Park, often dubbed "Little Jiangnan." This serene spot, embraced by Hutongs on both sides, features softly flowing water. With its river system, small bridges, koi, reeds, lotus flowers, swans, and wild ducks, it presents a picturesque Jiangnan-style landscape. You can sit along the banks of the river and enjoy a "20-minute park break."

Then, we'll walk into Yangmeizhu Xiejie, an old street that perfectly blends a literary, artsy feel with vibrant local life. Here, you can enjoy coffee, browse various goods, and delve deeper into this ancient book publishing center. Finally, arrive at Beijing Fun (Beijingfang), where you can look down upon the Qianmen area Hutongs and Zhengyang Gate from a height.

If time permits, you can walk to nearby Liulichang and Hufangqiao to browse antiques and view ancient paintings.

It is time to end your 5 Days Beijing Walking Tour. You will have some free time in Beijing and explore more on your own till your guide escorts you to the airport/train station for your flight or high speed train to your next destination.

Thank you for choosing Asia Odyssey Travel for your China tour, and we are always here working for you and hope to see you again for your next trip to China/Asia.