Picked up in your Beijing hotel lobby at 8:00am, and start the tour by visiting Tiananmen Square, the largest city center square in the world. This famous location witnessed some of the most dramatic chapters of Chinese history. Stroll through Tiananmen Square to see the Front Gate, Chairman Mao's Mausoleum, Monument to the People's heroes, Great Hall of the People, and Tiananmen Gate.
Proceed north to see the Forbidden City, and spend 2 hours exploring the palace where the Ming and Qing Emperors resided for more than 500 years. Having been off-limits to commoners for centuries, it was officially opened to the public in 1925 as a public museum.
After lunch, drive to the Purple Bamboo Park to embark on a canopy boat to start the 40 minutes scenic cruise along the Imperial Waterway to the Summer Palace. The river is the only imperial waterway in Beijing, with a history of more than 700 years. Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of this part of the waterway, using it to reach the Summer Palace more than 30 times in her life; so it is also called the Waterway of Empress Dowager Cixi.
Then explore the Summer Palace, the largest imperial garden existing in China where Qing emperors spent their summer time.
