Eat and Explore China with Sissi Chen

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. Once the trip is confirmed, I will establish a group to share all the important practical infos. Ask away all your questions about planning this trip, especially about transfer, language, bookings, payments etc. if you need help. Happy to give you all the tips I have!

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. I will be in Beijing some days prior, so if you are thinking about coming before this trip officially starts and acclimatize or just hang out, let's do it! I'm very happy to take you around and see all the cool things, that is not covered in the next few days and start eating my favorite foods!

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. Since we are in my hometown, I will tell you about everything that local people like to eat. If there's enough time, we can try a Beijing duck, go for the famous Beijing Zhajiangmian, share a traditional charcoal hotpot, learn about some very local foods, that are very Beijing specific and all the many snacks I grew up with. Buckle up, because we will basically stuff our faces everyday!

Welcome dinner at a local restaurant is included. Tonight you will be enjoying some famous Beijing Duck. Dinner will typically be a spread of dishes shared family style. Additional food and beverages will be at your own expense.

Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. The hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

You will take about a private transfer from the hotel to the Mutianyu section of The Great Wall.

Take a cable car ride to the top of the Great Wall and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains. When you come down, you will have the options to either take the cable car or an exhilarating toboggan ride downhill.

This morning you’ll visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and spend some time exploring, taking photos and learning about the history of the 6000km wall which snakes through the hills almost endlessly into the distance. It's up to you how far you walk once up on the wall. Note that steps could be inconsistent in sizing and steep.

Take a 15 minute private transfer to a town close to the Great Wall. Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Your meal is typically a set menu shared family style. Additional food and drinks at your own expense.

You will take a private transfer after lunch back to the hotel in Beijing.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. Nanluoguxiang is where people like to hang out, go for fun activities like spontaneous ceramic painting, grab a cool drink or coffee, shop for nic nacs and of course eat A LOT of snacks and foods! It's also in a traditional Beijing Hutong and a great combination of fun exploring and cultural understanding of how people in the past lived here. We'll stroll around and I'll show you the cool bakery, where I had the delicious Laugenstange with thick butter and red bean paste, it was so good! If we still have stomach space, maybe we'll had to dinner for some Zhajiangmian.

Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Beijing Sunworld Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

From the hotel, you'll take a 30 min private transfer over to Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is a monumental public square in the heart of Beijing, known for its historical and political significance. Spanning 109 acres, it is one of the largest city squares in the world. The square is surrounded by key landmarks such as Chairman Mao Mausoleum, National Congress Hall, and National Museum - all visible from the outside during your visit.

Then take a 15 minute walk to The Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is a vast imperial palace complex that served as the home of Chinese emperors for nearly 500 years, from the Ming to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Enclosed by impressive walls and a large moat, it is a remarkable example of traditional Chinese palatial architecture. Featuring over 9,000 rooms, the Forbidden City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is renowned for its intricate wooden structures, grand halls, and stunning courtyards. Today, it stands as the Palace Museum, allowing visitors to explore its rich history, imperial artifacts, and the symbolic significance of each meticulously designed section. *Note that due to recent capacity restrictions at the Forbidden City, this activity is subject to ticket availability. In the case that tickets are not available, you will alternatively visit the Ancestral Temple nearby that resembles Forbidden City's architecture style and the Summer Palace, the ancient imperial garden and also a must-see in Beijing.

Then hop on a 15 minute private transfer to the Beijing Hutongs. Hutongs are narrow alleys or lanes, typically lined with traditional courtyard residences known as siheyuan, offering a glimpse into the city's historical architecture and way of life. These ancient, maze-like neighborhoods form a unique part of Beijing's cultural landscape, showcasing a traditional urban lifestyle that dates back centuries. Nestled within the narrow alleys, you’ll participate in a dumpling making class allowing you to learn the art of crafting traditional Chinese dumplings. Under the guidance of the local family, you'll discover the secrets behind preparing the perfect dough, creating various dumpling fillings, and learn various dumpling pinching techniques. As modernization continues, efforts are being made to preserve and revitalize hutong areas, balancing the city's development with the conservation of its rich heritage.

Lunch is included with the dumpling making class. Enjoy the dumplings of your labor that you have helped craft.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. Depending on where the program will end, we will head to the Jingshan Park and/or Beihai Park and/or Shichahai. From a small hill at Jingshan Park, you'll have the best view of the Forbidden City and it's absolutely beautiful. The Beihai Park and Shichahai are both chilled green areas with small lakes to stroll around, eat ice cream, have a cold drink and chill. From there, we can head to the nearby Hutongs for some local snacks and/or dinner.

Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Beijing Sunworld Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

Take a 40 minutes private transfer from the hotel in Beijing to the train station. Then board the 9:55am bullet train on a 2nd class fare from Beijing to Xi’an. Once you arrive at the Xi’an station, take a 40 minute transfer to the hotel. Restrooms are available on the train.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. I have visited Xi'an in 2024 and vividly remember all the good places and must eats, when you travel to Xi'an. There's so much history combined in the dishes and if you have never heard or tasted Muslim Chinese food, you're in for a treat! After arriving in Xi'an we can explore the surrounding a little bit by foot and dig into some of my favourite Xi'an snacks!

Overnight in Xi'an.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Xi’an Bell Tower Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

The city wall of Xi'an is the best preserved and most popular ancient city wall. Cycling on Xi'an City Wall offers a unique perspective of the ancient capital, enjoying panoramic views of the city's historic architecture and surrounding landscapes. The well-preserved wall, dating back over 600 years, provides a leisurely and immersive way to experience the rich cultural heritage of Xi'an. This morning you'll be cycling on top of the city wall. The total length of the wall is about 8.7 mi (14km), and it takes about 1 hour and 30 min to cycle the whole wall. The wall is mostly flat, but has some bumps, and moderate difficulty. There is also an option to rent a golf car on top of the wall at your own cost if you do not want to bike.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. After the bike ride, we can had to the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an and watch millions of food stalls serving delicious declicacies. You'll see people prepare lamb skewers for the night, stands with pickled veggies, old school artists selling small masterpieces and of course eat our way through the neighborhood. Xi'an was the starting point of the former Silk Road, so there was a huge Muslim influence historically. We will see a few smaller mosques on the way and visit the Great Mosque to admire Chinese Muslim architecture and design.

Dinner at a local restaurant is included. Your meal will typically be a dumpling banquet shared family style. Additional food and drinks at your own expense.

Overnight in Xi'an.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Xi’an Bell Tower Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

You will take a private transfer to the site of the Terracotta Warriors.

Visit the Terracotta Warriors. The first emperor in China history built an incredible tomb for himself and made an artificial army to protect it, known as the Terra-cotta Warriors. The clay warriors were discovered in 1976 by farmers digging a well, after being buried for 2000 years. Three main pits are open for you to view, where over 6000 warriors – each individually sculpted from clay, with a different costume, height, and even facial expression – stand in battle formation.

Lunch is included with a local family by the Terracotta Warrior Museum. You will visit one of the families in the village and enjoy a farmer style home-cooked lunch shared family style.

You will take a private transfer back to the hotel in Xi'an.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. One of the most popular and fun activity to do in China is to dress up as emperors and empresses. It might sound weird at the beginning, but everyone will walk around dressed up and taking photos and it's a whole activity. There will be hair, make up and clothes according to the Tang dynastie and it's a fun way to create some lighthearted memories.

Overnight in Xi'an.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Xi’an Bell Tower Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

**Informal Gatherings are optional and not included in your trip cost or paid for by your host. The Giant Big Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist Pagoda, located in a beautiful park. If was brought by India and showcases a beautiful blend of Indian and Chinese spirituality, Buhhism and Hinduism. For lunch, we'll eat nearby at one of the local restaurants and see if they have a different version of Biang Biang noodles we haven't tried yet. Afterwards, if we get tickets, we can also visit the National Museum or heard back to the city center and stroll around more, because it's a big area to explore. For dinner, we'll eat close by, either in the Muslim Quarter or close to our hotel in one of the many eateries.

Farewell dinner at a local restaurant is included. You will be trying a set menu featuring variety of Xi'an cuisine shared family style. Additional food and beverages at your own expense.

Overnight in Xi'an.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Xi’an Bell Tower Hotel offers a buffet with a combination of Chinese and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.