Pingyao Ancient City Tours

Day 1: Pingyao City Wall - Rishengchang Exchange Shop - Mingqing Street - Armed Escort Company Museum - Pingyao County Government Office

This one-day tour will show you the highlights of this historic city. We will pick you up at the Taiyuan airport or at the Pingyao train station and transport you to the ancient city walls that have protected the town for centuries (construction was reportedly first begun in 1370 A.D.) where you will have the opportunity to climb up on the wall to overlook the town below. Afterwards, visit the Rishengchang Exchange Shop - opened in the 1700’s and believed to be the first bank in the entire country of China. Enjoy a traditional Pingyao lunch at a local restaurant, then visit Mingqing Street (Nanda Jie) for a look at the former commercial center of Pingyao. We will take you to visit the Armed Escort Company Museum - an appropriate museum for the home of the first bank in China! Later in the afternoon, see the County Government Office, an ancient city hall and law court - some of the most important of the old Pingyao governmental buildings.

Cost: 1 person: 1600 CNY / US$268; 2 - 5 people: 1100 CNY / US$184 per person; 6 - 9 people: 825 CNY / US$138 per person; 10+ people: 780 CNY / US$130 per person. Includes entrance tickets, personal English-speaking tour guide, lunch, and private ground transportation with professional drivers. (This is just a rough cost estimate - please contact us for an up to date price quotation).

Day 1: Beijing Airport Pickup
We will pick you up from the Beijing airport upon your arrival in Beijing and transfer you to your 4-star hotel. You can have the rest of the day to rest from your trip to Beijing, or we can take you out for a Beijing Duck or traditional Chinese hotpot dinner or even an extra evening show if you would like (not included in the tour cost below).

Day 2: Tian'anmen Square - The Forbidden City - Temple of Heaven - The Summer Palace
Your personal English-speaking tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in the morning for a tour of the must-see sites in Beijing. We will also treat you to a nice traditional Chinese lunch during your tour before taking you back to your hotel in the evening.

Day 3: The Sacred Way - The Ming Tombs - Great Wall of China at Juyongguan
Today you will have the opportunity to visit the Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs, a statue-lined roadway leading to the final resting places of 13 of the 16 Chinese emperors who ruled during the Ming Dynasty. After visiting one of the tombs, journey on to the Juyongguan Great Wall, a steep and beautiful section of the Wall not far from the Ming Tombs.

Day 4: Morning Flight to Xi'an - Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Terracotta Warriors
Your tour guide will pick you up early in the morning for your flight to Xi'an, where your English-speaking tour guide will pick you up by private vehicle for your tour of this historical ancient capital city of China. First, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist temple with a history of almost 1,400 years. After a nice lunch of the local Xi'an cuisine, spend the afternoon with the legendary Terracotta Warriors, one of the most spectacular archeological findings ever uncovered.

Day 5: Xi'an Provincial History Museum - Xi'an City Wall - Grand Mosque - Flight to Taiyuan
Today you can continue your exploration of this ancient city with a visit to the impressive Xi'an Provincial History Museum. Xi'an’s status as one of the most important cities throughout China’s history is reflected in some of the fantastic exhibits in this important museum. Afterwards, visit the Xi'an city wall, one of the few remaining complete city walls in China. That afternoon, visit the Grand Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Xi'an, which was first built during the Tang Dynasty (685 0 762 A.D.) After your day of exploring, your tour guide will help you transfer to the Xi'an airport for your flight to Taiyuan, where your English-speaking tour guide will greet you at the airport and help you check into your 4-star hotel for the night.

Day 6: Taiyuan - Pingyao - Ancient City Wall - Rishengchang Exchange Shop - Mingqing Street
This morning, your English-speaking tour guide will pick you up by private vehicle for the drive to Pingyao, one of the most well-preserved cities in all of China, including its intact city wall and surviving Ming and Qing Dynasty homes. Begin your visit by climbing the city wall for a great overview of the old city, then visit the first bank in China, Rishengchang, and the old commercial district on Mingqing Street. That evening, check into your 4-star hotel with time to walk around and enjoy the ambiance of an ancient Chinese city.

Day 7: Qiao Family Compound - Shuanglin Temple - Flight to Beijing
This morning we will leave Pingyao to visit the Qiao Family Compound, an incredible and well-preserved home that was built by one of the most wealthy families in China in 1756 during the Qing Dynasty. Afterwards, visit the Shuanglin Temple, with its thousands of intriguing clay statues before traveling on to Taiyuan for your flight back to Beijing. You will be met at the Beijing airport and transferred by private vehicle to your 4-star hotel for the night.

Day 8: Depart Beijing
Your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel by private vehicle to transfer you to the Beijing airport in time for your departing flight.

Cost: 2 - 5 people: 6406 CNY / US$1071 per person; 6 - 9 people: 5569 CNY / US$931 per person; 10+ people: 5153 CNY / US$862 per person. (This is just a rough cost estimate - please contact us for an up to date price quotation).
Includes 4-star hotel accommodations, your personal English-speaking tour guide, airport transfers, private ground transportation, all entrance tickets to sites mentioned in the itinerary, lunch each day. Please contact us for a no-obligation customized tour itinerary and our best price quotation.

Day 1: Beijing - Flight to Taiyuan - Chang Family Mansion - Transfer to Pingyao
We will pick you up in the morning from your Beijing hotel for an early flight to Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province. Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport by your personal English-speaking tour guide and a private vehicle to take you on to the ancient city of Pingyao. Along the way, you will have the opportunity for a side-trip to visit The Former Residence of the Family Chang (also known as the Family Chang Mansion), a massive former family compound that was once the largest in Shanxi Province and one of the largest in all of China. After your visit there, we will take you on in to Pingyao and help you check into your hotel in this historic city. The rest of the evening will be yours to enjoy wandering around in this incredible ambience of ancient China.

Day 2: Pingyao Tour - Flight to Beijing
After breakfast, we will take you to climb on the ancient city wall surrounding Pingyao that has protected the city for nearly 700 hundred years. Then visit the first bank in China, Rishengchang Exchange Shop and the historic commercial district on Mingqing Street. We will treat you to a traditional Chinese lunch, and visit the Armed Escort Company Museum and the County Government offices. After your tour, your tour guide will escort you back to the Taiyuan Airport for your flight back to Beijing, where we will greet you at the Beijing airport and transfer you back to your hotel.
Cost: 1 person: 2812 CNY / US$470; 2 - 5 people: 1982 CNY / US$331 per person; 6 - 9 people: 1452 CNY / US$243 per person; 10+ people: 1248 CNY / US$209 per person. (This is just a rough cost estimate - please contact us for an up to date price quotation). Cost includes hotel, all entrance tickets, breakfast, lunch each day, pickup and drop-off in Beijing, Taiyuan airport transfers, personal English-speaking tour guide and private ground transportation.
Please contact us for a no-obligation customized tour itinerary and our best price quotation.