Explore Beijing City Off the Beaten Path with a Private Guide

Points forts

Inclus

Itinéraire

1. Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres, three-quarters of which is water. The Summer Palace used to be a summer retreat for the Chinese royal family. During the hot Beijing summers, the imperial family preferred the beautiful gardens and airy pavilions of the Summer Palace to the walled-in Forbidden City. Dowager Empress Cixi took up permanent residence there for a time, giving rise to some wonderful tales of extravagance and excess.

   2 h

2. Just north of the Imperial Palace, Jingshan Park occupied by Prospect Hill was a private park reserved for the use of the emperor in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), an artificial hill with five peaks was made, utilizing earth excavated when the moat of the Imperial Palace was dug. A pavilion was erected on each peak, and five bronze Buddhas given pride of place in them; four of these statues were removed by the troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force when they came to Beijing to relieve the Siege of the Legations in 1900. Prospect Hill was opened to the public in 1928. The artificial hill in Jingshan Park used to be the highest point in the city. The park is nice to walk around, but what really makes it worthwhile is that the temple at the top of the hill, the Pavilion of Everlasting Spring (Wanchunting), affords stunning, panoramic views over Beijing and the Forbidden City.

   1,5 hEntrée incluse

3. In ancient times, people could not scientifically understand and explain a variety of natural phenomena, such as the movement of the sun and the moon, the cycle of the four seasons, thunder, wind, rain, earthquakes, and tsunamis. They believed that these phenomena were governed by "Heaven", so they worshiped the "Emperor of Heaven". To better earn the respect of the people that was needed to govern and regulate them, Chinese emperors call themselves the "sons of Heaven". They also claimed that Heaven authorized them to govern the Earth (China). So, emperors in each dynasty regarded offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth as very important political activities. The Temple of Heaven was the outcome of the combination of the dynastic regime and Confucian theocracy.

   1 hEntrée incluse

Annulation

Annulation gratuite jusqu’à 24 heures avant le début de l’expérience, avec remboursement intégral.

Avis

Les notes proviennent de 2 avis recueillis par notre partenaire de réservation. Ce sont les mots des voyageurs, dans l’ordre où ils ont été écrits — jamais réorganisés pour flatter l’expérience.

À savoir avant de partir

How it compares in Beijing

• Its from-price is 46% above the median of the 3624 experiences we list in Beijing.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1156 of 3624.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Beijing

Pékin, capitale depuis des siècles, réunit palais impériaux, temples sacrés et tronçons de la Grande Muraille à portée de ses avenues modernes.

Au cœur de la ville, la Cité interdite s'étend derrière ses murs vermillon, un labyrinthe de salles et de cours qui abritait les empereurs des dynasties Ming et Qing. La place Tian'anmen se trouve au sud, et la colline du parc Jingshan, au nord, offre la plus belle vue sur ses toits dorés. Le Temple du Ciel, dans un parc où les habitants pratiquent le tai-chi et dansent, est un chef-d'œuvre d'architecture impériale.

Top-ranked sights in Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang).

See all 3624 experiences in Beijing