Day trip options

Pre-booked for your convenience

All pre-booked day trips are operated by C.I.T.S (China International Travel Services) which is a state owned and operated company. These trips will operate as groups and you should expect to meet other western tourists.  The style of these trips will also include stops at commercial enterprises which sadly we cannot control.

From Beijing : Great Wall

Including Badaling Great Wall and Chang Ling area and the Ming Tombs
The well preserved sections of the Great Wall in Beijing are China’s most famous tourist site. These sections are mainly the remains from the Ming Dynasty, an era of tremendous construction. This area of the Wall is to the North of Beijing around 70 kms from the city centre. Here you will see a small section to include several passes and lookout towers. Lunch. This afternoon you will visit the Ming tombs. The general name given to the Mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1664). The Mausoleums have been perfectly preserved and the site has a high cultural and historic value.

English speaking guide.
Coach pick up from your hotel at 8am.
Expect to return 5pm.

£50 per person

The Forbidden City

Including  Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace.

A full day look into the lives of the Emperors. The Forbidden City lies at the heart of Beijing - it was the Imperial enclave of the city, entrance was “forbidden” to common citizens. Within this enormous city-within-a-city are museums, temples, and even, ehem, Starbucks. After lunch (included) the tour continues to the Temple of Heaven, a Daoist temple where the Emperors prayed for good fortune for their people. Finally we visit the Summer Palace, laid-out in oriental gardens around a huge lake. The Gardens represent the high point of their kind, and are recognised by UNESCO. (Normally 2 hours The Forbidden City, 2 hours The Summer Palace and 1.5 hours in the Temple of Heaven)

English speaking guide.
Coach pick up from your hotel at 8am.
Expect to return 6pm.

£55 per person

Mutianyu Great Wall Trip

£40 per person

Jinshanling & Simatai Great Wall Hiking Trip

This trip has two main advantages.  Firstly, the section of the Great Wall at Simatai is the most complete and well-preserved, and was not extensively altered later. Additionally it's quite a bit further from Beijing, so Simatai attracts fewer visitors than the hordes of day-trippers who visit the Wall at Badaling (the closest point to Beijing). The trip also routes via Jinshanling, but access to the Wall there is currently closed to allow restoration work to take place. You leave your hotel early morning (at 7am), and by 10am you're already at the Wall.  There is a hiking section (sturdy footwear needed!) along the top of the Wall itself at Simatai. After the hike there's a nice traditional lunch with locally-brewed beer, and a chance for some shopping. You'll be back at your hotel by around 6pm, traffic permitting.
English speaking guide throughout.
Coach pick up directly from your hotel at 7am.
Expect to return by 6pm. 

1 person price £285pp • 2 people or more £155pp

Tour of the Beijing Hutongs by Pedal-Cab (Half-Day)

The hutongs are Beijing's old lanes and alleys. In the days of the Emperors, Court Officials often had their homes in the more prestigious hutongs – wealthier merchants and other professional people lived alongside. Many hutongs were saved from demolition because of their great historical and cultural value – the houses along them might now be museums, private housing, shops, cafes, workshops or even hotels.  This guided tour (best in the morning or afternoon) includes a visit to a family who still live in one of the old houses in the hutongs. The pedal-cab transport adds a special Beijing flavour to the experience. In a city increasingly dominated by high-rise offices and mirror-glass skyscrapers, this is a unique chance to leave it all behind and immerse yourself in the legacy of an older and more typical Beijing-style environment.
English speaking guide throughout.
Travel to/from the Hutongs area is included – pedal-cab provided in the Hutong area only.
Half-Day excursion, timings confirmed locally by your guide. 

1 person price £90pp • 2 people or more £55pp

Evening Entertainment Program, with return transfers

The rich legacy of Chinese culture can sometimes seem closed-off to visitors who can't penetrate the language barrier – but there are still two great ways of enjoying an evening out with traditional Chinese entertainment. The first choice might be a Chinese acrobatic show. The versatility and dexterity of the performers never fails to amaze, but what often surprises visitors is the beauty and artistry with which the acrobatic routines are woven into a real treat for the eyes. Alternatively you might want to experience a Beijing opera. This is traditional Chinese entertainment – it's performed in Chinese, but your guide will explain the story before it begins. This is not European opera, but a different rich art-form which has evolved over many centuries.  Often the stories are very familiar – the Prince who falls in love with the beautiful country girl – but her father hopes to make money for himself from the wedding.. this kind of thing. Very often there's a comically irascible King who has to be placated too. Neither event is a “supper show”, so make your own dining plans separately.
English speaking guide throughout the evening
Return travel to/from the venue included.
Programme subject to confirmation and availability.

1 person price £85pp • 2 people or more £55pp

From Xi'an:Full Day Xi'an City Sightseeing Programme

“The Tang Dynasty” Evening Entertainment Program, with return transfers

Xi'an is especially proud of this special floorshow program, and it makes an entertaining way to spend an evening!  The substantial programme consists of a series of musical, dance, acrobatic and novelty acts, all loosely based on the idea of the Tang Dynasty – considered the high point of Chinese classical civilisation, and based in Chang'an (Xi'an's former name) from the C7th to C9th. Don't expect any authentic medieval performances!  This is less like Emperor Li's palace and more like Elvis Presley's bathroom. But it's a hoot of an all-singing, all-dancing all-costume spectacular, and there are even surtitles to help you make sense of the songs. There's no storyline you need worry about – it's a revue-style performance. And the whole thing is preceded and followed by a gigantic serve-yourself buffet of delicious Xi'an regional cuisine dishes and drinks – the only items not included are alcoholic drinks from the bar.  The theatre is laid-out restaurant-style.
Car/Guide from your hotel at 5:15pm
Buffet from 6pm, showtime 7:15pm, buffet open until the final curtain.

1 person price £90pp • 2 people or more £90pp

Guilin day trip

The Li River is the connecting water way between Guilin and Yangshuo and is one of the main tourist attractions of the area.

 

The River forms a green belt with the mountains on either side. You will cruise the 83 km stretch between the towns on a tourist pleasure boat. Water buffalo patrol the fields, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis. A very relaxing day.

Coach pick up from your hotel at 08.20am.
Expect to return 5pm.

£90 per person