A Culinary Adventure
8-Day Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou Tour
One popular summary of Chinese food is "sour in the south, salty in north, spicy in the west, and sweet in the east". During this culinary adventure combined to the best sights your will experience salty in Beijing, spicy in Chengdu, and sweet in Guangzhou.
Suggested Itinerary
It's our aim to make travel less stressful. Your dedicated private guide, driver and car will ready to handle the luggage, transfer and check-in, and ensure your holiday begins in arrivals. The rest of the day is yours to explore or rest. Please ask your guide for suggestions for which of the myriad of restaurants to go to for dinner.
Tiananmen Square is a very impressive place: south and north sides are adorned with magnificent gates, and east and west have a colossal government building and a museum. The Forbidden City continues the imposing proportions; it was built to make the subjects of the emperors feel small.Have lunch at Courtyard 7 Restaurant, whose dishes are a fusion of eastern and western flavor.
After lunch, Summer Palace is a wonderful place to walk it off in its stunning gardens. The nature and the ancient buildings connected by the lake are a very pleasing combination. For dinner, you will taste imperial court cuisine in ancient Chinese garden style Baijia Dayuan Restaurant.
The Mutianyu Great Wall is much less-crowded section than Badaling, but has actually got more dramatic scenery. There is also a lovely ride through the countryside to reach it, and there is a cable car. Enjoy farmhouse dishes for lunch at Xinshuangquan Restaurant near the Great Wall.
Temple of Heaven was the stunning setting for annual ceremonies for good harvests, and now the vast park surrounding it is a meeting place for the locals, coming here to practice taichi, among other things. A special treat is offered for dinner - Beijing Roast Duck at famous Quanjude Restaurant.
The morning starts with a cookery class at Beijing High School, where you will first learn about the ingredients and then how to cook in Chinese style before tasting the end results.
Your afternoon flight takes you to Chengdu in time. Have dinner at Qinshanzhai Restaurant, serving light-flavored and healthy dishes in garden style decoration.
The Panda Breeding and Research Center is a safe haven for these delightful creatures and other endangered species. You get to visit the nursery and see the panda babies.
The Panda Breeding and Research Center has a donation program which allows you take pictures with holding a panda one minute by donating RMB 2,000 Yuan (for reference only). Only 20 tourists are allowed to hold pandas a day. If you want to hold a panda, please tell your travel advisor or tour guide in advance because you must book it at least one week in advance.This program is subject to the availability of pandas on that day. Please bring enough RMB cash as payment by credit card is not accepted there.
After lunch at Baguo Buyi Restaurant enjoying authentic Chengdu food, continue your tour. Sanxingdui Museum is a beautifully presented exhibition of the cultural relics found in sacrificial pits of the mysterious Shang Dynasty (from 16th-11th century B.C.), unlike anything else found in China. Have hotpot for dinner.
Good to Know
Hotpot is a Chengdu specialty and each restaurant has their unique recipe for the broth; Morals Village is especially well known for theirs. Do try the spicy and numb flavor, but we warn you: it can be an addictive experience.
Jinli Old Street is a lively shopping area restored in Sichuan style to continue its history as a commercial center. Wu Hou Temple is not only a shrine to a revered Marquis of Wu but also a delightful garden.
In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the airport to catch a flight to Guangzhou. You will be picked up and taken to your hotel before dinner.
Chen Ancestral Shrine is nearly 150 years old and celebrated for the traditional Guangdong style architecture and decoration, displaying beautiful craftsmanship. Qing Ping Market is the largest street market in Guangzhou, still very authentic place to buy your Chinese medicines, such as live scorpions and flowers, among other weird and wonderful things. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall celebrates this founding father of the Republic of China.
Guangdong cooking is considered unique among other Chinese styles; especially the use of herbs and spices is done in a more delicate way. Your guide will be happy to introduce Cantonese cuisine culture to you.
Price includes:
What Our Customers Said
Fantastic
What an epic day we had with or guide “Ivy” from the tour company “China Highlights” visiting Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, having a local Chinese meal and walking on the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu!! Ivy was informative, personable, fun, caring and delivered a great experience for us. Her guide experience was evident in her management and pace of our day and making sure we went to great picture locations that created lasting memories of our trip!! Highly recommend you asking for Ivy. moreMar 2023, Drew Walker
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Adorable trip to Beijing with China Highlights
Such an amazing time spent together with my husband and our guide Nancy in Beijing. We recommend booking the tour with China Highlights as that was an incredibly smart idea and trip we have had over past few days. Visiting the Great Wall of China, the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven etc., getting more close to the history of China, having the delicious food - that was all done by the CH. We won’t be having such wonderful time without you guys. Still being so amazed and impressed by the historical progress of the country. Much appreciated for your support, help and time, Dear Nancy and China Highlights. Kind Regards, Kenneth&Assel Gillan moreMar 2023, Assel G
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Great Wall Day Trip with Ivy
She answered our questions thoroughly and she also provided us with recommendations for food and things to see outside of our Great Wall day trip. The driver was also a very safe driver and made it a comfortable drive from the city center. We hope to use China Highlights again for future trips. And if you’re in Beijing, you can request for Ivy as your guide. moreFeb 2023, kattaubry
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Great Wall Tour with Ivy
Ivy was a wonderful guide! We took a day trip to the Great Wall and she made our time enjoyable and customized to what we wanted. She was obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about the city. We also avoided tourist traps and she took group photos for us! moreFeb 2023, Customer
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Great Wall Tour with Ivy
We recommend booking with China Highlights! They were able to create a custom trip for us with just a day’s notice. They’re very responsive on WeChat and very professional. moreFeb 2023, Customer
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Fantastic Beijing Tour with Tour Guide - Angela
Had a great time visiting Beijing over Chinese New Year! The city was quiet, but that made it easier to see everything that we wanted to. Our tour guide, Angela, was very knowledgeable and friendly. We found a local brewery, Slow Boat, that we went to twice it was so good. Amazing beer and best burger of my life! We can't wait to book another trip with China Highlights. moreFeb 2023, Kate P
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Beautiful experience in Beijing
The Forbidden City was a highlight of the tour. With Christina's knowledgeable and engaging commentary, we learned about the history of the imperial palace and its role as the center of Chinese politics for over 500 years. The complex is massive, and it was impressive to see the intricate details of the architecture and gardens. moreFeb 2023, Valeria RP
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Amazing 2 day trip to Beijing
Our guide Lily and driver Leo were amazing and super conscious that we were traveling with a toddler. Lily was knowledgeable about all of our stops and was very conscious of our time. She even took special time to relate and connect with our daughter which made the trip even more enjoyable for all of us. moreJan 2023, Jessica T
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