7 Days Beijing Highlights and Mt.Huangshan Essential Tour By Train

Day 1 Beijing Arrival

Beijing Airport or Train Station Pickup

On arrival, your guide meets you at Beijing airport or the train station holding a welcome sign that reads Your Way Holiday, then drives you to your hotel in downtown Beijing. The rest of the day is free to explore the city or rest from your flight, and your guide can recommend local restaurants for dinner at your own cost.

Day 2 Beijing

Tiananmen Square

Begin with Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world. It covers 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres) and can hold up to one million people. Tiananmen Gate on the north side is where Mao Zedong announced the founding of the nation. The flag raising on the square, with its red national flag and flower beds, is the first sight of the day.

The Forbidden City

Next is the Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, ranked among the five most significant palaces of the world alongside Versailles, Buckingham Palace, the White House, and the Kremlin. It covers 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and holds about 8,700 rooms, enclosed by a red wall 3,400 meters (3,718 yards) long. Begun in the Ming Dynasty, its construction ran from 1406 to 1420, and it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.

Temple of Heaven

In the afternoon, drive about 6 kilometers to the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420 in the Ming Dynasty and enlarged under the Qing Dynasty, it covers 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres). Ming and Qing emperors, who claimed the title sons of heaven, came here to worship heaven and pray for good harvests. The halls and cypress-lined grounds are now open to visitors for sightseeing and to watch local life.

Evening Return to the Hotel

After dinner, your guide drives you back to your hotel in Beijing. Meals are at your own cost, and your guide can suggest nearby local restaurants.

Day 3 Beijing

Transfer to Mutianyu Great Wall

In the morning, your guide meets you at the hotel and drives about 1.5 hours each way to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu is one of the best-preserved sections of the wall and once served as a northern barrier guarding the capital and the imperial tombs. Around it are dense woodland and open slopes that shift color through the year. Walk the restored watchtowers and ramparts at your own pace and stop for photos along the ridge.

Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way

In the afternoon, visit the Ming Tombs in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of central Beijing. The site is a cluster of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) burial grounds holding thirteen imperial mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines, and one grave for a eunuch, and it was added to the World Heritage List in 2003. Each tomb sits at the foot of its own hill, reached along a shared approach called the Sacred Way.

Return to Beijing

On the drive back to downtown Beijing, your guide pauses where you can view the National Stadium, known as the Bird Nest, and the National Aquatics Center, the Water Cube, from outside. Your guide then takes you to your hotel.

Day 4 Beijing-Huangshan

By Train from Beijing to Huangshan

Check out of your hotel and take the G27 high-speed train from Beijing to Huangshan, departing at 09:45 and arriving at Huangshan North Station at 15:18. Your Huangshan guide meets you at the station exit holding a sign that reads Huangshan Private Tour, then drives you to your downtown hotel to check in.

Tunxi Old Street at Dusk

After a short rest, your guide takes you to Tunxi Old Street, where you can choose a local restaurant for dinner at your own cost.

An Old Commercial Street

Tunxi Old Street is an ancient commercial street in the center of Huangshan Town. It is one of the best-preserved old pedestrian streets in China and keeps the architectural style of the Southern Song and Ming dynasties. The street runs 1,272 meters and holds more than 300 Hui-style buildings from different periods.

Museums and Local Snacks

Small museums line the street, including the Tunxi Museum and Wanci House, and the shops sell regional snacks such as stinky mandarin fish and Huangshan pancake. Your guide points out the Hui-style details in the shopfronts as you walk.

Return to Your Hotel

After dinner, your guide drives you back to your hotel in Huangshan.

Day 5 Mt.Huangshan

Route for the Day

Today your guide takes you to Huangshan Scenic Area, the best-known sight in the region. The plan for the day is to drive to the mountain, take the cable car up from Yungu Cable Station, then walk to Beginning-to-believe Peak, Brush Pen Peak, and Xihai Grand Canyon, finishing with an overnight stay at the summit.

Yungu Cable Car and Beginning-to-believe Peak

After breakfast, drive about one hour to Mt. Huangshan and take the cable car up from Yungu Cable Station. The first peak on the ridge is Beginning-to-believe Peak, at 1,683 meters above sea level. Its name comes from Huang Xiyuan, a Ming Dynasty writer who climbed here from Yungu Temple and gave the peak its name after seeing the view. It is one of the best points for seeing the mountain pines.

Brush Pen Peak

From there, walk about one kilometer to Brush Pen Peak, at 1,650 meters. One crag rises and splits at the top so that the rock resembles a brush set in its holder, which is how the peak got its name.

Xihai Grand Canyon

After lunch, reach Xihai Grand Canyon. Because of the height, low cloud moves through the canyon like a stream running under your feet, and locals also call it White Cloud Canyon. The valley runs about 15 kilometers in total. On a clear evening you can watch the sunset from Cloud-dispelling Pavilion.

Overnight at the Summit

Stay overnight at a hotel on the mountain summit.

Day 6 Mt.Huangshan-Xidi Village-Tunxi

Route for the Day

The plan today is to catch the sunrise if the weather allows, visit Bright Summit and Flying-over Rock, take the cable car down the mountain, then drive to Xidi Village and return to Tunxi for the night.

Sunrise at Huangshan

Huangshan sunrise is a major draw for visitors. If you want to see it, get up early; the best viewing point depends on where you stay on the ridge. The sunrise is weather-dependent and is offered only as a suggested option, and your guide lets you know the conditions the day before.

Bright Summit and Flying-over Rock

After breakfast, walk to Bright Summit, the second-highest peak on the mountain, then to Flying-over Rock, a large balanced boulder that appears to rest on the edge of a cliff.

Descend to Xidi Village

After the visit, take the cable car down the mountain and drive to Xidi Village, which sits about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Huangshan Mountain and some 10 kilometers from Hongcun.

Xidi Village History

Xidi was built in the Northern Song Dynasty and flourished in the early Qing Dynasty. It was first called Xichuan, or West River, after the stream that runs west through the village. In 2000, UNESCO listed it together with Hongcun as a World Heritage Site.

Hui-Style Houses and Local Food

The village keeps Ming and Qing dynasty homes in the Hui style, with more than twenty historic buildings inside. Your guide walks you through the layout and wood carvings of the old houses. Xidi also sits in the heart of Huizhou cuisine, one of the eight major culinary traditions in China.

Return to Tunxi

After the sightseeing, your driver takes you back to your hotel in Huangshan town (Tunxi).

Day 7 Huangshan Departure

Huangshan Departure

On your last day, the morning is free at your own pace until your guide and driver take you to Huangshan North Station or Huangshan airport, arranged around your departure time. Your tour service ends here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we travel from Beijing to Huangshan?

On day four you take the G27 high-speed train from Beijing to Huangshan North Station, which departs at 09:45 and arrives at 15:18. A guide sees you off at the Beijing station and a Huangshan guide meets you at the arrival exit, so the changeover is handled at both ends.

Which section of the Great Wall does this tour visit?

You walk the Mutianyu section, about one and a half hours each way from Beijing. Mutianyu is one of the better-preserved stretches, with restored watchtowers and fewer crowds than the Badaling section closer to the city.

Are meals included in the tour price?

Meals are not part of the tour price. Your guide recommends local restaurants each day and can adjust the choice to your taste and your location, and you pay for meals at your own cost.

Do we spend a night on top of Huangshan?

Yes, one night is spent on the mountain summit after the first full sightseeing day, which makes it easier to see the sunrise the next morning. The remaining nights are in hotels in Beijing and in Huangshan town (Tunxi).

Is this trip suitable for a first visit to China?

It combines the classic Beijing sights, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall, with a slower mountain section, so it works well as an introduction. The pace balances city culture and outdoor walking.

What should I bring for the Huangshan portion?

The summit cools sharply even in summer, so pack a warm layer and a light waterproof jacket. Comfortable walking shoes with grip matter most on the stepped paths, and a small daypack keeps water and a camera handy.

Price Per Person in US Dollars