Top Attractions & Things to Do in Beijing & Yantgtze River

Features and Best Experience for a Beijing Yangtze Tour

● A combination of culture and nature for the two destinations exploration.

Long history has left numerous famous historical sites like the imperial palace, temples, gardens, museums, hutongs in Beijing, which possess great aesthetic and cultural values. While, a cruise along Yangtze River will pass the beautiful Three Gorges - Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge for the Chongqing Yichang section.

● Both OLD China and MODERN China are shown in the short trip.

Explore the ancient part of Beijing is a must for your Beijing trip. But travelers could also catch the chance to see the modern side of Capital of China. You won’t miss the attention-getting architecture buildings like Bird’s Nest and Water Cube in the Beijing Olympic Village. A cruise on Yangtze River, you’ll see the ANCIENT – trestle road along cliff, boat tracker, hanging coffins, the real rural villages of China…

● Hiking, Walking Experience with a totally relaxing river cruise…

In Beijing, you really need to walk a lot for the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven are so big that it takes time and energy to track back to the old times. “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero.” Hiking up to Great Wall of China also challenges you. It takes 2-3 hours to climb up. After the tight pace exploration, taking a Yangtze cruise for break will make you relaxed and comfortable. This is also why many travelers choose a Yangtze cruise as a short break for their land tour.

Top Attractions in Beijing

Beijing, the ancient heart of China, is always the first choice for first-time travelers. With so many amazing attractions to explore, it is good to take 2 to 3 days even longer in Beijing.

Forbidden City

Forbidden City, located in the center of Beijing, was served as the home of emperors and their households from Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It was listed as World Heritage Site in 1987. Visitors could take the central axis from south to north when first inside Forbidden City. After reaching the Imperial Garden, you can backtrack to explore the buildings and exhibitions to the east and west of the central axis.

Summer Palace

Take a walk in the imperial garden – Summer Palace. It is mainly dominated by longevity Hill (Cloud-dispelling Hall, Temple of Buddhist Virtue, Sea of Wisdom Temple etc.) and Kunming Lake, listed as World Heritage Site in 1998.

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven is a complex of religious buildings visited by Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. Visit the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Circular Mound Altar etc.

Great Wall of China

It is recommended to hike on the Great Wall of Mutianyu. Mutianyu is not as crowded as the nearby Badaling or Juyongguan sections of the Wall. It stretches 2.5 km taking you to walk for about two hours to explore the 22 watchtowers and the valley on both sides of the wall.

Useful Beijing Travel Guide:

Popular Beijing Tours / China Great Wall Tours/ Top Things to Do in Beijing

Most Popular China Tours with Beijing & Yangtze Cruise:

✔ 7 Days Beijing Essence & Luxury Yangtze River Cruise Tour

✔ 9 Days Beijing Shanghai Tour with Relaxing Yangtze Cruise

✔ 11 Days China Golden Triangle Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

✔ 13 Days Classic China Vacation Tour with Yangtze Cruise

Great Wall in Beijing

 

Forbidden City - Palace Museum

Attractions along Yangtze River

It is good to spend some relaxing days sailing along Yangtze River. It takes 4 days and 3 nights for the downstream cruise from Chongqing to Yichang and takes 5 days and 4 nights for the upstream cruise from Yichang to Chongqing. No matter downstream cruise or upstream cruise you take, you won’t miss the attractions and highlights in Chongqing, Yangtze River and Yichang.

Every day, besides take some quiet time to view the Three Gorges (Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge) passing by, you will be busy for your life onboard and ashore. During the daytime, you could learn to play Taichi, attend the Chinese Yangtze River history and culture lecture, enjoy the welcome party and farewell party; go shore excursion to get in-depth of Yangtze River and explore the beautiful natural scenery and local culture; at night, you’ll watch the fashion shows or cabaret shows performed by the cruise staff. When the day passing the Three Gorges Dam ship locks, you’ll witness and know how the project works.

Arranged and optional shore excursions for a Yangtze Cruise

♦ Three Gorges Dam
♦ Shennong Stream
♦ Shennv Sream
♦ Shibaozhai Pagoda
♦ Fengdu Ghost City
♦ Tribe of Three Gorges

Useful Yangtze River Cruise Tour Guide:

Popular China Yangtze Cruise Tours / All Yangtze River Cruise Guide
Yangtze Cruise Onboard Experience / Yangtze Cruise Shore Excursions

Most Classic Yangtze Cruise Tours:

✔ 4 Days Chongqing Essence Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

✔ 5 Days Relaxing Yangtze River Cruise Tour (Yichang - Chongqing)

Yangtze River Cruise

 

Three Gorges Dam Ship Locks