All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners are included. Food is cheap in China and you can avoid the spicier regional food if you wish. The cuisine on this trip is fantastically varied with lots of new flavours and ‘things’ to try.

Gastronomically the trip can be divided into two parts: ‘tourist hotels’ and ‘local hotels’. In tourist hotels the breakfast is normally a buffet, with a huge spread of Chinese and western food, including coffee, juice, breads, cakes, fruit, eggs, bacon and a wide variety of noodle and stir fried dishes. Dinners are normally taken in the hotel or local restaurants, serving rice with assorted vegetables, pork, fish, chicken and duck dishes with flavours roughly approximating those you would find in a Chinese restaurant in the UK. In the local hotels, breakfast includes rice porridge, dumplings, eggs, noodles, etc, however, we tend to augment this with fruit and cakes where available. Dinners are taken in local restaurants where the food is heavily flavoured with ginger, garlic bamboo shoots and chilli. Lunches are taken in local village restaurants and will normally consist of noodle soup or stir fried vegetable noodles. Expect an audience most lunches as the locals crowd around to watch the ‘big noses’ trying to master the use of chopsticks!

Vegetarians can be accommodated, though options are often quite limited. Vegans will find options are very limited. Not all food allergies and intolerances are well understood in China. Options that contain no gluten at all are very limited (soy sauce contains gluten and is very widely used). Peanut oil is also used widely.

Cross a masterwork of Ming fortification as you cross the Jinshanling Great Wall between Erchi Tower and Zhuandoukou. Walk broad ramparts, climb arrow towers, and admire the line of 60+ watchtowers, including the celebrated Big and Small Jinshan Watchtowers, set against sweeping mountain backdrops.

Here, Ming dynasty engineering is on full display: thick bricks, crenellations, and beacon towers once coordinating signals across the frontier. Peer into alcoves that served as weapon stores and soldiers’ quarters, tracing the wall’s strategic logic along high, wind-brushed ridges.

Add time in the former Silk Road capital Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, an archaeological wonder revealing vaults of life-size warriors and horses guarding the first emperor’s mausoleum.

Museum galleries, excavation pits, and interpretive exhibits illuminate 3rd-century BCE craftsmanship and imperial ambition. This extension is at additional cost and can be arranged in advance or on tour, with travel and guiding coordinated for a seamless add-on before or after your Beijing stay.

Explore a beautifully rebuilt rampart as you step onto the Mutianyu Great Wall and trace its path between pine-clad ridgelines. Climb battlements and duck into towers on a guided panoramic walk, taking in far-reaching views and the rhythm of 22 watchtowers linked by stone stairs.

Once a key shield for the capital and imperial tombs, these Ming dynasty defenses showcase sturdy brickwork, arrow slits, and beacon points. The forest-covered ridgelines and lighter crowds make Mutianyu an atmospheric window into China’s monumental frontier.

Trek the untamed spine of the mountains as you trek the Jiankou ‘Wild Wall’, an unrestored, rugged stretch where masonry clings to knife-edge ridges. Navigate broken steps and wind-scoured parapets, with an optional short scramble up the Spiderman Wall (Sanshibadeng) for a thrilling panorama.

Unreconstructed towers, lichen-darkened bricks, and precipitous drops give Jiankou its legendary character. If conditions align, linger to watch sunset over the mountains, when ridgelines glow and ruined watchtowers silhouette against the deepening sky.

Follow a storied frontier as you hike the Gubeikou section toward Panlongshan, where the wall remains largely unrestored. Tread original brick and tamped-earth battlements to the distinctive 24 Window Tower, with long views across folded hills and misty mountain passes.

Gubeikou guarded a vital approach to the capital and witnessed clashes across dynasties. The original brick and earth ramparts, weathered battlements, and time-softened towers lend a palpable sense of antiquity and strategic purpose to every step.

Walk the final stretch of the Panlongshan Great Wall, tracing a scenic ridge from the north gate to the main entrance. The ramparts undulate across a coiled-dragon ridgeline, offering high lookouts for mountain vistas and close study of crenellations and surviving towers.

Named for its serpent-like course, Panlongshan showcases layered defenses and line-of-sight communication posts. This contemplative end to the hiking sequence invites you to pause for photos and reflection amid wind-bent grasses and far-ranging horizons.

Walk the hutongs—narrow lanes lined with traditional siheyuan courtyards—to glimpse daily life in old Beijing. Continue to Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s largest public squares, before entering the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) with its throne halls, ceremonial courtyards, and vermilion gates.

Hear how imperial power shaped the city’s grid from the Ming and Qing eras. If Forbidden City tickets are limited, your guided visit features the Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Ancestral Temple, preserving the day’s rich architectural and cultural arc.

Gather with your group to meet your Tour Director and sample Beijing (Peking) duck, lacquered and carved tableside. Wrap crisp skin and tender slices in warm pancakes with scallion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce, sharing favorites from a lazy Susan of regional dishes.

Linked to imperial banquets since the Ming era, roast duck remains Beijing’s signature flavor. Expect convivial toasts—toasting the journey ahead—and a delicious introduction to the city’s culinary heritage, typically early in the tour.

Choose your night out: experience a Peking Opera performance of stylized movement, acrobatics, and falsetto singing in colour-splashed costumes, or opt for a high-energy Kung Fu show blending martial arts, choreography, and theatrical spectacle.

Both performances illuminate Beijing’s stage traditions—from courtly storytelling to modern athletic theatre. This activity is at additional cost, bookable on tour, with convenient theatre options and transfers arranged by your leader. Expect vivid staging and the thunder of drums and gongs.

Unwind after your wall walks and opt for a foot reflexology treatment guided by traditional Chinese medicine principles. Therapists focus on pressure points to soothe trekking-tired feet and refresh weary calves.

Typical sessions run 45–60 minutes in reputable local clinics near the hotel. This restorative experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour—ideal mid-journey or toward the end for a calming reset.

Conclude your adventure with an optional group meal to share a farewell dinner of regional classics—hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, and spice-laced stir-fries—in a convivial neighborhood restaurant.

Reflect on summit views and stone ramparts as you raise a glass to the Wall and new friends. This experience is at additional cost and can be arranged by your Tour Director for a relaxed final evening.

Hike a quieter stretch of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall, where crenellated stone threads above a reservoir and terraced hills. Follow mountain paths and stair-steps as you join a guided hike along lakeside ramparts, pausing at watchtowers for sweeping views across forested valleys.

Learn how this Ming-era stronghold took its name, “Yellow Flower City,” from summer blooms that color the slopes. A mix of restored wall and weathered masonry reveals centuries of frontier defense—perfect moments to pause for photos and reflection amid rugged scenery.