Beijing — Heart of the Middle Kingdom: 7-day classic China program

Beijing makes every other capital feel unfinished. Five dynasties, a century of revolution, and three decades of growth share the same square kilometres. Seven days with an AMIST guide is enough to read those layers — without rushing any of them.

Day-by-day

Day 1 — Arrival and Wangfujing. Hotel check-in; evening walk along Wangfujing pedestrian street and the snack lane. Briefing dinner.

Day 2 — Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. Early entry before the tour-group surge — outer and inner courts, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Imperial Garden. Lunch near Qianmen. Jingshan Park afternoon: the north–south axis, nine palaces in a line.

Day 3 — Great Wall at Mutianyu. 73 km north. Quieter than Badaling, restored battlements, forest on both flanks. Cable car up, optional toboggan down, lunch on the wall. Evening free in the Nanluoguxiang hutong neighbourhood.

Day 4 — Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen. Circular altar, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Long Corridor at dawn. Exterior stop at Tiananmen; afternoon free for Dashilar or a Peking duck lunch.

Day 5 — Summer Palace. Kunming Lake, painted Long Corridor, Marble Boat, Longevity Hill. Afternoon option: National Museum of China (free entry) or Olympic Park Bird's Nest.

Day 6 — 798 Art District and Lama Temple. 798 (Dashanzi): decommissioned munitions factory turned art district. Afternoon at Yonghe Temple — Beijing's finest Tibetan Buddhist complex, 18-metre sandalwood Buddha. Evening hutong rickshaw tour.

Day 7 — Departure. Late breakfast; optional market walk; transfer to Capital Airport.

What's included / who it suits

Six nights at 4-star hotels (Second or Third Ring Road). Return airfare via connecting hub (included on package booking). Private transfers. English-speaking AMIST guide. All entrance fees. Hotel breakfasts; two group lunches. Hutong rickshaw tour. Russian travel insurance. Suits first- or second-time China visitors, couples, and professionals. No technical demands; the Wall day has moderate hill climbing.

Practical notes

• Duration: 7 days / 6 nights.
• From price: ₽85 000 per person (≈ $940) double occupancy. Single supplement on request.
• Departures: March–May and September–November; private arrangement in summer and winter.
• Group size: 4 to 10 guests; private departures from 2 year-round.
• Visa: L-category Chinese tourist visa; AMIST provides documentation support. Allow 4–7 business days via Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk consular service.
• Best season: April–May (cherry blossom) and September–October (golden ginkgos). July–August is humid; January–February cold — but snow on the Wall is extraordinary.
• Currency: Chinese yuan (CNY). Carry some cash; Alipay and WeChat Pay widely accepted — guide assists setup.
• What to bring: Walking shoes, layers, day-pack, power bank, VPN.

Why we run it

AMIST has run China programs since 2001 — longer than most Far East operators. Beijing is where every client's China journey begins: the most legible city in the country. Our Beijing partners know which entrance to use at what hour and how to stand quietly in the Forbidden City when the crowds part and you see what the Emperors saw.