Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Beijing Zoo,Summer Palace and Opera Show - Full-Day Private Tour

We present you with a Local English tour guide and driver who picks you up between 7am and 8am from the hotel to the Tian’anmen Square.Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. We then move on to The Forbidden City which was designed to be the center of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.

Our next destination will be The Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is a rectangle, with 961 metres (3,153 ft) from north to south and 753 metres (2,470 ft) from east to west. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,886 bays of rooms. A common myth states that there are 9,999 rooms including antechambers, based on oral tradition, and it is not supported by survey evidence. The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.

The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north–south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China, and on to Yongdingmen. To the north, it extends through Jingshan Hill to the Bell and Drum Towers. This axis is not exactly aligned north–south, but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees.

Traditionally, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The Outer Court (外朝) or Front Court (前朝) includes the southern sections, and was used for ceremonial purposes. The Inner Court (内廷) or Back Palace (后宫) includes the northern sections, and was the residence of the Emperor and his family, and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes. The most important buildings are situated on the central north–south axis.

We later drive you to a beautiful local restaurant to enjoy a great Chinese lunch. After the lunch we continue to the Beijing Zoo to see the amazing giant pandas. Beijing Zoo is comprised of 16 different exhibition areas and halls. The most popular is the Panda Hall. Built in 1989 and covering an area of around 2.5 acres (10,000 square meters), it delivers an impressive aesthetic scene while also managing to account for the practical considerations of housing such large and physical animals. The inside of the hall replicates the style of traditional Chinese gardens and is shaped in the pattern of a Tai Chi diagram.

We then move to the Summer Palace which is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water. The entire Summer Palace is centered around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with the latter covering about three quarters of the area. Most of the important buildings were built along the north–south axis of Longevity Hill, which is divided into the front hill and the back hill. There are three small islands within Kunming Lake: Nanhu Island, Zaojiantang Island and Zhijingge Island. The West Dam of Kunming Lake divides the lake into two. The East Dam was constructed during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor. The attractions in the Summer Palace may be divided into six different sections or scenic areas: the Halls, Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, the Long Corridor, and the Central Axis area.

Lastly, we enjoy the classic Beijing Evening Opera Show.You will experience Beijing at night with our signature evening tour of traditional Beijing Opera and a drive through the city to provide a truly memorable evening in Beijing. Peking Opera has entertained Beijingers for over 200 years with its elaborate costumes, ear-splitting arias, dazzling martial arts and musical dialogue. Peking opera of China is a national treasure with a history of 200 years. In the year 1790 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there were the four major Huiban opera Troupes which came to the capital and blended with Kunqu opera, Yiyang opera, Hanju opera and Luantan in Beijing's opera circle of that time. After the combination and integration of various kinds of opera over half century, the present Peking opera, was formed.

Beijing Opera is quite a cultural experience, completely different of the western opera. The ritual of the dressing, the make-up and the masks are unique. The stories are interesting, they play several short performances with very different characters.

After the show we drive you back to your hotel.