Imperial China
to the Yangtze

Arrive in Beijing from your point of origin, with private airport or railway-station transfer to your hotel and time to settle into the capital.

Start from Tiananmen Square, then enter the Palace Museum through Meridian Gate for an in-depth visit of approximately four hours focused on the central axis and the eastern and western palace areas.

Exit through Shenwu Gate and climb to Wanchun Pavilion in Jingshan Park for the panoramic view over the Forbidden City. The evening continues along Qianmen Street, followed by an Old Beijing food experience featuring Peking duck.

Travel to the Badaling Great Wall, climb toward the North Tower and Heroes' Rock, and use the cable car as specified in the itinerary. Return to the city in the afternoon for Olympic Park, where the Bird's Nest and Water Cube provide a striking contemporary contrast to the morning's heritage landscape.

The day concludes with a Beijing-style hot pot dinner.

Visit the Temple of Heaven and its core ceremonial architecture, including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Echo Wall. Continue to the Summer Palace to walk the Long Corridor, experience its classical garden composition and take the specially arranged boat trip on the lake.

In the afternoon, explore Nanluoguxiang and the surrounding hutong area, where smaller side lanes preserve more of old Beijing's residential character.

Summer Palace imageBeijing · Summer Palace

Begin at Yonghe Temple, then walk to the neighboring Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy Museum. In the afternoon, continue to Shichahai for the specially arranged rickshaw tour through the hutongs and a visit to Prince Gong's Mansion.

The evening is left for a walk around Shichahai Bar Street or Yandai Xiejie, allowing the day to finish at the more intimate scale of old Beijing's lakes and lanes.

Shichahai imageBeijing · Shichahai evening

Take the high-speed rail from Beijing West to Wuhan, with an approximate journey time of four hours. After hotel check-in and a short rest, visit Yellow Crane Tower for views across the Yangtze and Wuhan's three urban districts.

Continue on foot to Hubu Alley for Wuhan snacks such as hot dry noodles, doupi and duck neck. The evening ends with a walk around the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge to watch the river at sunset and the lights on both banks.

Visit Hubei Provincial Museum to see major objects including the Zeng Houyi chime bells, Sword of Goujian and Yunxian human skull fossil. The itinerary also specifies an approximately 30-minute chime-bell performance.

Continue to East Lake Moshan Scenic Area and its Chu cultural landscape, then take the specially arranged greenway cycling segment. In the evening, head to Chu River Han Street for Hubei food and the canal-side night atmosphere.

East Lake cycling imageWuhan · East Lake greenway

Begin at Guiyuan Zen Temple, then continue to Qingchuan Pavilion and its Ming-Qing Jingchu architectural setting. In the afternoon, cross into the story of modern Hankou through Jianghan Road, Riverside Boulevard, Ba Gong House, Lihuangpi Road and the Jianghan Customs House.

The journey concludes with dinner at Jiqing Street and an introduction to Wuhan's lively street-food culture.

Historic Hankou imageWuhan · Historic Hankou