7 Days Winter Vacation to Beijing and Harbin

Day 1

Arrival Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, the Capital city of China, your local guide will meet you at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No meals
Accommodation: In Beijing
 
Beijing, China's capital and one of the great travel destinations of the World, offers sights and cultural relics found no where else on Earth. The city has a character all its own; there are quadrangles, small alleys, tricycle, boiled mutton, roasted duck, arts and crafts, Peking Opera, The Great Wall, the 2008 Olympics venue and a vibrancy that is the distinctive flavor of Beijing.
 

Day 2

Beijing
Depart from your hotel, you will enjoy your today’s visit covering Tian'anmen Square, the World's largest urban square and the Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. Peking Roasted Duck is available for your optional dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

As the biggest city center square in the world, Tiananmen Square covering 44 hectares in the heart of Beijing. It is the place where history-changing events and ceremonies occurred. A few steps away, come to visit the Forbidden City, which was the Imperial Palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and, it is one of the largest, and certainly the most completely restored, ancient architectural complex in the world. Walk in the footsteps of Emperors; come to the museum and see with your eyes, and feel with your hearts; you’ll begin understand what life in this richest of feudal realms was like for the Imperial Rulers, their concubines and their slaves.

After enjoying a delicious lunch, continue on to the Temple of Heaven. Departing from the Imperial vermilion and gold hues of the Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven is decorated in blue, the color of the Heavens. The perfect harmony between the architectural environment and nature can be felt here; you might easily imagine the vivid spectacle of a great sacrifice to the Heavens for a good harvest. The magnificent Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest is one of the most important and impressive building in China.

For today optional dinner, how about taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck, as it is the best-known dish in Beijing. It is very tender and unforgettably delicious. You’ll visit a local restaurant to enjoy a full meal and learn the proper way to experience Peking Roasted Duck. From the whole roasted duck to the soup of duck bones, you'll enjoy a banquet made from every part of the duck. Moreover, the chef will demonstrate his skill of cutting the skin of the duck for your entertainment. 
 

Day 3

Beijing
The star attraction of China is its Great Wall, a massive defensive structure built to keep intruders from entering the mainland. Today you will have the opportunity to traverse the ancient steps of Badaling Great Wall. Then drive to the Ming Tombs site (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, for visiting.  If you desire, you can enjoy an optional Peking Opera tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Beijing

Just 75km North-west of Beijing, along a smooth and comfortable highway is the Badaling Great Wall, which is one of the best-preserved and most accessible sections. The Great Wall is an internationally admired structure, symbolic of the cruelty of the ancient rulers, and the stoicism and determination of the Chinese people. The construction of the Great Wall began in the 5th century BC.

Then, you will have chance to visit the The Ming Tombs which located in the northern suburbs of Beijing. Altogether there are thirteen tombs of Ming Dynasty Emperors from the period after the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. You’ll visit the Changling Tomb, burial site of Emperor Yong Le, the biggest and first built at this historic site. The Lingsi Palace in Changling Tomb's second yard really deserves a visit. This is unique, a magnificent palace made of camphor wood. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor is decorated with gold bricks.

Peking Opera is China national treasure. Expert performers convey powerful emotions to the audience through song, dance, facial make-up, exquisite masks and costume, skilled use of body language and sympathetically integrated musical accompaniment.
 

Day 4

Beijing    Harbin
After breakfast, be transferred to Beijing airport for your 2 hours flight riding to Harbin, this snowy land of northern China. You can take a stroll along the city path and get ready to explore this muti-cultural city. And the most important, the famous Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival is waiting for you!
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Harbin

Harbin is the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. It locates on the southern bank of Songhua River. Harbin is the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key political, economic, scientific, and cultural and communications hub in Northeastern China.

This city is most famous for its beautiful display of ice sculptures in winter and is known as China gateway to trade with Russia. In the 1920s, Harbin was considered China fashion capital as new designs from Paris and Moscow reached there first before arriving in Shanghai. Harbin is also a potential candidate for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
 

Day 5

Harbin
Enjoy your one day city tour. In the morning, you will have a leisure stroll along the beautiful Songhua River, where you will find many local people swimming in the chilly water. Then continue to the Sun Island to see the amazing snow and ice sculptures, which play an important role of the Ice and Snow Festival. After your exploration in this sculpture world, you can then take a walk along the century - old Central Street, and to visit St. Sofia Orthodox Church which is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East. Here you will find out why Harbin is called 'Little Moscow'. Tonight traditional Northern China dumpling Banquet will be your optional dinner. After dinner, continue your visit to the famous Ice Lantern Exhibition.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Harbin

The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival has been held since 1985. Although the official start date is January 5 each year, in practice, many of the sculptures can be seen before. While there are ice sculptures throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas: Enormous snow sculptures at Sun Island (a recreational area on the opposite side of the Songhua River from the city) and the separate "Ice and Snow World" that operates each night. Ice and Snow World features illuminated full size buildings made from blocks of ice. Winter activities in the festival include Yabuli Alpine Skiing, winter-swimming in Songhua River, and the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden.

The "Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival" is one of the world's four largest ice and snow festivals, along with Japan Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada Quebec City Winter Carnival, and Norway Ski Festival.

Central Street, also known as St. Kitaiskaya, one of the main business streets in Harbin, is a perfect remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. The 1.4km long street is a veritable museum of European architectural ways.

The Russian Orthodox Church, St Sophia, is also located in this central district of Daoli. St. Sophia took nine years to build and was completed in 1932. It has now been made into a museum as a showcase of the multi-cultural architecture of Harbin.
 

Day 6

Harbin    Yabuli Ski Resort
What is the most popular outdoor activity in winter? Yes, skiing! So today, why not enjoy your full day time in Yabuli Ski Resort and promote your skiing skill?! After breakfast, you will be transferred to Yabuli Ski Resort which is the largest ski resort in Asia. On route enjoy the spectacular pastoral scenery covered with snow. This is unique in Northeastern China. Enjoy the rest of the day free at your own leisure in the world of snow. You will have a one night stay in the resort.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Yabuli Ski Resort

Yabuli Ski Resort is the largest ski resort in China. It is 177 km southeast from Harbin. Yabuli hosted the 1996 Winter Asian Games and the 2008 National Winter Games. It will also be a site for the 2009 Winter Universiade. The resort provides great skiing with high mountains and good snow. Local skiers enjoy the high elevation and the fact that the snow is neither too hard nor too powdery. The lowest temperature is -47.2 F. Because of the high elevation, snow falls for a long period of about 170 days. The period from November to late March of the next year is the best time to ski at Yabuli Ski Resort.
 

Day 7

Yabuli Ski Resort    Harbin, Departure
In the morning, enjoy your free time at the Ski Resort. Afterwards, be transferred back to Harbin for your flight to next stop.
Meals: Breakfast

Service Ends