Walk on Historic Backbones

Upon your arrival in Beijing, please make your own way to the hotel we’ve reserved for you in downtown for check-in. After settling in, you may rest at your hotel or venture out independently for your first impressions of this vibrant capital. 

► Transport Reference:
1. From Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK): A taxi to your hotel takes about 1 hour and costs USD 21–28. The subway takes about 1.5 hours and costs USD 4.5: take the Capital Airport Express to Dongzhimen Station, transfer to Subway Line 2 (Inner Ring) to Qianmen Station, then switch to Line 8 and get off at Tianqiao Station (Exit D), from which a 15‑minute walk west brings you to your hotel.

2. From Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX): A taxi also takes about 1 hour and costs USD 21–28. The subway takes about 1.5 hours and costs USD 5.5: take the Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao Station, transfer to Subway Line 10 (Outer Ring) to Dahongmen Station, then switch to Line 8 and get off at Tianqiao Station (Exit D), followed by a 15‑minute walk west. For a faster option, take the Airport Express to Caoqiao Station, leave from Exit E1, and hail a taxi to your hotel. This combined journey takes about 50 minutes and costs USD 7. 

► Free Time Inspiration: 
Consider visiting Qianmen Street on your own, just a 10-minute taxi ride (USD 3) from your hotel. Alternatively, take Subway Line 8 from Tianqiao Station and get off after 2 stops at Qianmen Station (Exit I), which takes 25 minutes (USD 0.4). In the evening, the street comes alive with traditional architecture illuminated by golden lights and red lanterns. You’ll find authentic Beijing snacks here, such as candied hawthorn skewers and glutinous rice rolls dusted with soybean flour. Just a tip: skip the famous fermented mung bean juice, as its strong, pungent flavor is often unbearable, even for many Chinese people. Very next to the west is Dashilar Street, Beijing’s first shopping street built about 600 years ago, where you can find many century-old shops nestled in the traditional wooden façade. 

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)

★ Mini Group: Bang for Your Buck

Join our hassle-free 2‑day Beijing mini group tour covering admission tickets, an English‑speaking guide, a driver, an air‑conditioned vehicle, and hotel pickup and drop‑off. It also includes a choice of transport at the Mutianyu Great Wall: either a round‑trip cable car or a chairlift up and toboggan down, along with a featured rickshaw ride through Hutong alleys and a visit to a traditional courtyard home.

Route: Hotel pick-up → Tiananmen Square → Forbidden City → buffet lunch at the foot of Mutianyu Great Wall → cable car or chairlift up the mountain → 2.5-hour hike on the Great Wall → cable car or toboggan downhill → hotel drop off
See detailed itinerary.

Meals: Breakfast, Buffet Lunch
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)

Route: Hotel pick-up → Temple of Heaven → take a rickshaw to explore Hutong alleys → local courtyard home visit → Lama Temple → Summer Palace → hotel drop-off
See detailed itinerary.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)

After checking out in the morning, please make your way to Beijing North Railway Station for a 2‑hour high‑speed train we’ve reserved and included for you to Datong in Shanxi Province. On the way, watch the scenery shift from urban architecture to open landscapes of glistening lakes, rolling hills, grasslands, and fields of wind turbines. Upon arrival, transfer on your own to the hotel we have booked for you.

► Transport Reference:
1. Hotel → Beijing North Railway Station: A taxi takes about 35 minutes and costs USD 5. Alternatively, public transportation takes about 50 minutes with a fare of USD 0.9: walk west 10 minutes to Taiping Street Bus Stop, take Bus 66 to Hepingmen East Station, transfer to Subway Line 2 (inner loop) to Xizhimen Station, and finally a 5-minute walk will lead you to the railway station.

2. Datong South Railway Station → Hotel: It takes only 15 minutes and costs USD 4 by taxi. Buses are also convenient, taking 40 minutes and costing USD 0.3. From the station, walk west 5 minutes to the Datong Comprehensive Passenger Transport Center. Take Express Bus 608 for 3 stops to Datong No.1 Middle School, transfer to Bus 2 to Yungang Jianguo Hotel, then walk 3 minutes west to your hotel.

► Datong Free-time Recommendation: 
After settling in, the rest of the day is free. You can visit Datong Ancient City (free entry) independently. It’s a 20‑minute walk north from your hotel via Yongtai East Gate, or take Bus No.61 from Yungang Jianguo Hotel Station to Northern Wei Cultural Park (15 min, USD 0.3). Inside the Ancient City, historic temples and archways offer a glimpse into the past. Huayan Temple, built in 1038 AD, is among China’s largest and best‑preserved temple complexes, whose Main Hall features murals painted over a century ago depicting Buddhist stories. It interested, you can walk 15 minutes east to the Nine-Dragon Screen or ascend the city wall to take in panoramic views of the old city. Beyond historic buildings, browse souvenir shops and sample local snacks like deep‑fried millet cakes and spicy potato jelly. After your visit, return to your hotel on your own.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yungang Meigao Hotel, Datong (4 stars)

Today, your private guide and the driver will pick you up from your hotel and escort you on a 30-minute drive to the Yungang Grottoes. Carved during the 5th century, this UNESCO World Heritage site stretches about 1 kilometer (1,100 yards) along a cliff and contains 45 major caves with more than 59,000 Buddhist statues. If you are a fan of the game “Black Myth: Wukong,” you’ll recognize the sculptural group at the entrance of Cave 19, which inspired the “Crouching Tiger Temple” in the game. Equally impressive is Cave 12, the “Music Cave,” where you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into a heavenly concert: celestial musicians play flutes, waist drums, and other instruments while apsaras dance across the ceiling, scattering blossoms.

Later, we’ll drive about two hours to the Hanging Temple. Built in 491 AD into a vertical cliff and supported only by crossbeams, it looks like an embossed carving clinging to the rock. After the visit, we’ll escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yungang Meigao Hotel, Datong (4 stars)

After breakfast, reversing the transport routing provided on Day 4, make your way back to Datong South Railway Station independently. From here, take the 3-hour high-speed train we’ve reserved and included for you to Pingyao. Upon arrival, please proceed to the hotel we’ve booked for you on your own. You can take the bus: from the bus stop just at the front square outside the railway station, board Bus No. 108 (North Route) for 11 stops, get off at the Moat River Mouth Station, then walk south for about 15‑20 minutes to reach your hotel. The entire journey takes about one hour for 15 US cents. A taxi takes only 15 minutes and costs approximately USD 4.

► Pingyao Free-time Inspiration: 
After checking in, if you don’t feel like lying back in your room, just make your own way to Pingyao Ancient City, a 6‑minute walk west from your hotel. As a living chronicle of Shanxi merchants’ prosperity from the late 14th to early 20th century, it was once known as the “world’s wealthiest city.” Its 750-meter-long (2,400-foot) flagstone thoroughfare of Ming-Qing Street is lined with shops that once served as banks, pawnshops, pharmacies, etc. Centuries ago, merchants from across China gathered here, transporting goods and silver by horse-drawn carriage. Other historical sites like Ancient Government Office, Rishengchang Exchange Shop, and Tongxing Armed Escort Company are all witnesses of the city’s flourishing. Don’t hesitate to climb up the Ancient City Wall. If you head toward the West Gate, the ramparts will offer a glimpse into local life, where you can see vegetable gardens in traditional yards and hear vendors hawking in narrow lanes. After sightseeing, please return to your hotel independently. 

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yide Guesthouse, Pingyao (4 stars)

This morning, your private guide and driver will greet you at your hotel, and we’ll head to the Qiao Family Compound. Built in 1756 AD, this merchant mansion has grown through several expansions to cover an area larger than 20 basketball courts. It witnessed the rise and fall of the Qiao family. At its peak, the family's liquid assets would be worth about US $150 million today. Given such prosperity, the compound might have been an obvious target for bandits. But standing outside and looking up at the 10‑meter‑high (33‑foot) enclosing walls, topped with battlements and as thick as city fortifications, you’ll see why it remained untouched. Venturing deeper into the courtyards, you’ll find intricate brick carvings on screen walls and pillar bases, along with finely detailed woodwork decorating doors and windows. Wind chimes whisper between courtyards and red lanterns sway beneath the eaves, preserving the atmosphere of past daily life. 

We’ll then continue to Shuanglin Temple, another key visual inspiration for “Black Myth: Wukong.” Originally constructed around 520 AD, the temple is celebrated for its exquisitely painted clay sculptures. Among the most revered is the statue of Weituo in the Thousand-Buddha Hall, which is known as the “Oriental David” for its powerful S-curve posture, finely rendered musculature, detailed armor, and intense gaze.

After sightseeing, your guide and driver will escort you to the railway station to board a 2.5‑hour high‑speed train we’ve booked for you to Xi’an. Upon arrival, make your own way to the hotel we’ve reserved for you. Take Subway Line 2 for 9 stops to Beidajie Station (Exit C), then walk 7 minutes to the hotel. The trip takes about 30–35 minutes and costs 70 US cents. Due to traffic, a taxi isn’t much faster than the subway, but it offers door‑to‑door convenience for about USD 6.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Days Inn City Centre Xi’an (3 stars)

Route: Hotel pick-up → Terracotta Army Museum → buffet lunch → Giant Wild Goose Pagoda → ascend the Xi’an City Wall (rent a bike to cycle on the ancient wall at your own expense if interested) → pass Muslim Quarter (end here if you like) → hotel drop-off
► Tip: The Muslim Quarter, featuring a bustling market to explore local food, is about a 20‑minute walk or a 10‑minute taxi ride (USD 3) to your hotel.

See detailed itinerary.

Meals: Breakfast, Buffet Lunch
Accommodation: Days Inn City Centre Xi’an (3 stars)

Today marks the end of your tour. Please make your own way to Xi’an airport or railway station for departure. If you’d like to extend your trip to other popular destinations such as Zhangjiajie, Guilin, or Shanghai, we’d be happy to assist.

► Transport Reference:
To Xi’an North Railway Station, please follow the Day 7’s ending transport instructions in reverse. For the ways going from your hotel to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY), you have two options:
1. Taxi: About 40–45 minutes, costing USD 6–10.
2. Subway: About 1.5 hours, costing USD 1. Walk 7 minutes from your hotel to Beidajie Subway Station, take Line 2 to Xi’an North Railway Station, transfer to Line 14, and get off at the airport.

Meals: Breakfast