Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven

Beijing served as the capital for five dynasties over a period of 800 years. This excursion takes us on an imperial journey to the three most important and popular landmarks of imperial China.

We begin the excursion at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest squares in the world. Located in the heart of modern Beijing, Tiananmen Square was first built during the Ming Dynasty. Covering an area of 44 hectares, the enormous square also serves as the entrance into the Forbidden City.

We continue north to the Forbidden City and enter through the arched gateway with the iconic portrait of Mao. This magnificent complex with its many palaces and halls features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, lacquered pillars and vermillion walls. Most of the morning will be spent exploring the extensive grounds and many buildings.

Lunch will be a delectable meal consisting of the city's signature dish, roasted Beijing Duck.

After lunch, we'll continue sightseeing at the beautiful Temple of Heaven in the southern part of Beijing. This was a site of worship for the Ming and Qing emperors. Ceremonies for better harvests were performed at the Temple of Heaven. The area consists of the 38m-high Hall of Prayer, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the three-tier Circular Altar, Echo Wall and the Thrice-Echoing Stone. The afternoon will end with a visit to a silk exhibition hall where we'll be introduced to the intricacies of silk-making from the reeling of silk from cocoons to dyeing the fabric. A large variety of silk products such as dresses, blouses, bedding and hats can be purchased here.

This excursion can be purchased with the 6-day itinerary. 

Please note:
The excursion begins at one of The Great Wall Marathon hotels at around 8:30am. The exact time and place will be announced by your tour guide in advance. If you are not staying in one of the Great Wall Marathon hotels, you will need to arrange your own transportation to the hotel from which the tour starts. Excursions must be booked before arriving in China.