Four days reading imperial Beijing — throne, wall and altar — then a two-hour train north into Shanxi, where 51,000 Buddhas wait in the sandstone cliffs and the timber halls of the Liao still stand.
Beijing shows how an empire organised space — a palace at the centre, a wall at the edge, an altar between the throne and heaven. Four days read it from those three angles, and each day is paired with something you do rather than look at: dumplings folded and eaten in a courtyard home, Peking opera from the stage door with the artists painting their faces beside you, a gongfu tea table in the gorge below the Great Wall, and tai chi at dawn among the cypresses of the Temple of Heaven.
Then the train north. Two hours on a bullet train puts you in Datong, and the argument changes: the grottoes where 51,000 figures were cut into a sandstone cliff from AD 460, a 1,500-year-old timber monastery pinned to a sheer cliff face, and the largest Liao–Jin timber hall in China still standing on its own columns. Where Beijing explains the empire, Datong explains what outlasted every one of them.
It runs as a small group of no more than twelve on fixed departures, or as a private journey on any dates you choose — same route, same guide, same argument. Six nights in hotels we have stayed in ourselves, breakfast daily plus three lunches and three dinners, all admissions, the train, every transfer and the five hands-on experiences in the price; never a shopping stop.
Beijing shows how an empire organised space; Datong shows the faith that outlasted it — read as a single narrative, not two stopovers.
Five hands-on experiences woven into the days — fold dumplings, paint an opera mask, brew tea below the wall, shave noodles, taste aged vinegar.
Bilingual guides with five to eight years in the field, and specialist guiding at the Yungang Grottoes.
Small group (max 12) on fixed departures, a private tour with any start date, or fully customised — the route adapts to the format.
“Beijing shows how an empire organised space. Datong shows the faith that outlasted it.”
Arrival day — no sites, one long table
Day 1 · BeijingMeet your guide outside baggage claim at Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX) and hear the city’s stories on the way to your inner-city hotel. In the evening, a welcome table of Peking duck, carved at the table — the city’s own ceremony to open the week.
Throne, hill and lakes — and the opera from behind the stage
Day 2 · BeijingTiananmen → the Forbidden City, home of emperors for five centuries → Jingshan hill for the classic view over the golden roofs → the lakeside lanes of Shichahai. In a courtyard home you roll, fill and fold your own dinner; then Peking opera from the stage door — watch the artists paint their faces, try on a costume, and paint a mask of your own to take home.
The quiet ridge first, the toboggan after — and tea in the gorge below
Day 3 · BeijingA civilised nine o'clock start from the hotel lobby. At Mutianyu you walk the unrestored western ridge first — the quiet side, where tour groups never go — before the watchtowers and the toboggan down. Lunch is a long one on a terrace overlooking the wall, then a tea gathering in the gorge below: three teas brewed gongfu style, the pot in your own hands, and the story of tea moving north and horses moving south. The evening is deliberately free.
Heaven in the morning air, the Qing court’s own temple after — and the set-up for Datong
Day 4 · BeijingDawn tai chi in the Temple of Heaven park if you wish, then the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests — 38 metres of timber raised without a single nail. Yonghe Temple, the Qing court’s own Tibetan Buddhist temple, quietly sets up everything Datong will say tomorrow; the Confucius Temple and Imperial College close the day. Lamb hotpot for dinner.
A two-hour train, a noodle workshop for lunch, and 51,000 Buddhas by afternoon
Day 5 · Beijing → DatongThe 09:50 G-train from Beijing North puts you in Datong by noon. Lunch is a workshop — a local cook shows you the wrist behind knife-shaved noodles, and yours go straight into the pot. The afternoon belongs to the Yungang Grottoes: 51,000 figures cut into a sandstone cliff from AD 460, from the 17-metre seated Buddha of Cave 5 to the open-air colossus of Cave 20. At dusk, walk the city wall as the old town’s lights come on.
A monastery pinned to a cliff — and the five steps of aged vinegar
Day 6 · DatongSouth to Hunyuan for the Hanging Temple — a 1,500-year-old timber monastery pinned to a sheer cliff, held by beams set into the rock, and the only temple in China to house Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism under one roof. Entry is pre-booked; daily numbers are capped. Mount Heng’s cable car is there for those who want the height. Back in Datong, an aged-vinegar tasting walks you through the five steps — steamed, fermented, smoked, strained, aged — before a copper hotpot dinner.
The largest Liao–Jin hall in China, a glazed screen of 426 dragons — and the train home
Day 7 · DatongHuayan Temple keeps the largest Liao–Jin timber hall in China, and a vegetarian lunch is served in its own dining hall. Then Shanhua Temple and the Nine-Dragon Screen — 45 metres of glazed tile and 426 dragons — before your transfer to Datong South Station or Yungang Airport. Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai all connect easily; ask us to build the add-on.
The Forbidden City closes on Mondays and the Hanging Temple caps daily numbers — your guide quietly adjusts the order of visits to fit your dates. Walking distances and times are anchors, not walls, and the order of sights may adjust for timed-entry slots.
Runs as a small group (max 12, fixed departures), a private tour with any start date, or fully customised. Year-round, outside China’s official holidays.
Six nights in 4/5-star hotels, daily breakfast plus three lunches and three dinners, all admissions, the bullet train, every transfer and all five hands-on experiences — the full list is below.
Prices are per person, twin occupancy, and are not valid during China’s official holidays. Infant (0–2) and child (2–11) pricing available. Cancellation: 15% (60+ days), 20% (45–59), 30% (30–44), 50% (15–29), 100% (within 14 days).
Six nights in 4/5-star hotels: inner-city Beijing within a short walk of the lakes and the lanes, and Datong inside or beside the walled old town. Twin or double, breakfast daily, taxes and service included.
The days do not change with the bed. Comfort is our standard 4/5-star level; Signature steps up to the better-known design and heritage houses; Luxury is each city’s best address. Same days, different doors.
Breakfast daily, taxes and service, twin or double as you prefer, and the bags taken up while you are out. Tell us about a hard bed, a soft pillow or a quiet floor — it goes to the hotel before you arrive.
Point us at your own hotel and we plan the days around your door; the accommodation comes out of your quote, and nothing else about the journey changes.
The Forbidden City caps visitors at 80,000 a day and closes on Mondays; the Hanging Temple caps daily numbers and is pre-booked only. Once your dates are fixed we book the whole sequence, hold the confirmations, and re-check every one of them the week you travel — you bring the passport and walk past the queue. If your dates land on a Monday, we re-order the days and tell you before you book, never after.
Specialist guiding at the Yungang Grottoes is part of the price, not an upgrade.
For spring and autumn dates, 60–90 days ahead is comfortable — the palace slots and the better houses both go early. Short notice? Ask anyway: we can usually move quickly on private departures.
Seven days is the core. Continue south to Xi’an for the Terracotta Army and the Tang capital, or on to Shanghai — both connect easily from Datong, and we will build the add-on and price it in writing.
Because the two cities finish each other’s sentence. Beijing shows how an empire organised space — a palace at the centre, a wall at the edge, an altar between the throne and heaven. Datong, two hours north, shows the faith that outlasted all of it: 5th-century grottoes, a monastery on a cliff, and timber halls that have stood since the Liao.
It is designed as one. No altitude anywhere on the route, city comforts throughout, and a pace that pairs one anchor sight a day with one hands-on experience. The bullet train between the two cities is part of the experience, not a transfer.
Small group (max 12 travellers, fixed departures), private tour with any start date, or fully customised. The route adapts to the format — ask us which fits your dates.
A tourist visa is required for most passports; eligible nationalities enjoy 30-day visa-free entry (check the latest policy). Your passport should be valid for 6+ months, with details due within 72 hours of booking.
Yes — infant (0–2) and child (2–11) pricing is available; adult pricing starts at age 12. Children must travel with an adult. The hands-on experiences are written with families in mind.
Any time outside China’s official holidays. Spring and autumn are kindest for wall and temple days; winter’s snow on the palace roofs is its own reward, and Datong’s dry cold suits the grottoes well.
The journey runs year-round, outside China’s official holidays. Spring and autumn are the kindest for wall and temple days; winter has its own rewards.
Wall days have steps and one toboggan; the grottoes are level underfoot and the cliff temple is reached on boarded walkways with landings. The vehicle is never further than the next gate.
Water and wipes ride in the car; a flask in the cold months, shade and a long lunch in the hot ones. Tell us about knees, hips and small legs in advance — the days bend around the answer, not the other way round.
Stone slabs, palace floors and the wall’s worn bricks across seven days — broken-in walking shoes are the single best thing in the bag.
Mornings on the wall and afternoons in the city differ by ten degrees or more; a layer you can stash beats a coat you must carry.
A hat and sunglasses for the wall and the grotto cliffs — there is no shade on the ridge and the light at three in the afternoon is honest.
Every timed entry is matched to it by name — the palace, the altar park and the cliff temple among them.
The vehicle carries the rest and meets you at every corner — pack for the morning, not for the day.
Refills ride on board, and hot water is what the country drinks — a thermos makes you local by day two.
Alipay or WeChat Pay set up before you land — we send a two-page guide with the booking; cards work in hotels, cash almost nowhere.
Mornings are the gentler hours — our days begin at nine, and breakfast keeps going whenever you come down.
Seven days, four World Heritage sites, and five things you make with your own hands.
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