Beijing Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Qianmen Street Day Tour

Depart from the guest’s hotel in the morning.

Tiananmen Square (First stop)

[Tiananmen Square] — The heart of Beijing and the world’s largest city-centre square.

The Palace Museum (Second stop)

[The Palace Museum] — The Forbidden City was once the imperial palace of China’s Ming and Qing dynasties. Also known as the Forbidden City, it is the largest and most complete ancient royal architectural complex still existing in China. The Forbidden City is grand in scale, strictly laid out, beautifully built and richly decorated. It houses many rare cultural relics and represents the essence of ancient Chinese architecture, culture and art. Covering 720,000 square metres, it has more than 9,000 palace rooms and buildings. It is the best-preserved and largest ancient palace complex in the world today. In October 1925, it opened as the Palace Museum. It was included in the first group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, and in 1987 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Main visiting points include the Meridian Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, Hall of Preserving Harmony, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, Palace of Earthly Tranquillity and Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lunch at your own expense.

Temple of Heaven (Third stop)

[Temple of Heaven] is a World Heritage Site, a national 5A tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. It is 3 kilometres from the city centre, located to the south-east of Beijing’s Zhengyangmen. It was the dedicated altar where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven, prayed for rain and prayed for good harvests. It is the world’s largest and most complete ancient complex for worshipping Heaven still in existence. With its unique cultural landscape and architectural style, it has become an iconic symbol of Beijing.

Qianmen Street (Fourth stop)

How can you visit Beijing and miss Qianmen Street? But how should you explore Qianmen Street? Do not simply walk from north to south and leave. In fact, the Qianmen area is one of the densest and richest hutong areas in Beijing.

The Qianmen area is truly very large. I recommend walking through the western section, and adding Sanlihe Hutong if you have time.

Suggested route: Wupailou — Beijing Fun — Xianyukou for snacks — Dashilar — Yangmeizhu Xiejie. Wupailou at Qianmen Zhengyangmen is the best photo spot, and the whole street has many long-established Beijing brands.

After the tour, return to the guest’s hotel.

Night cycling: Cycling along Chang’an Avenue at night is now time-restricted. From 19:00 to 23:00, bicycles cannot pass along Chang’an Avenue. If you still want to stroll and ride for a while, you can start from Chongwenmen and cycle west to Hepingmen, passing the south side of Tiananmen Square and Qianmen. From Hepingmen, go north along Fuyou Street, then head east. You can see the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, the Red Building of Peking University and the National Art Museum of China. You can cycle to Dongsi, then head south back to Chongwenmen. The scenery along this route is also very good, and you can enjoy the evening breeze when you have time.