Beijing Travel Diary: My 7-Day Beijing Imperial Trip

I’m from Malaysia and flew all the way to Beijing, China, with my best friend. I’ve long been captivated by the ancient imperial landmarks and wanted to see this world-class, otherworldly landscape with my own eyes. We saved an average of RM447 per person by avoiding overpriced scalper tickets, unnecessary optional extras, and detour-related transport costs.
Tip:If you need any help, you can contact the tour guide Kai I recommended. His WhatsApp number is +86 18907331470

Click here for a detailed itinerary.

1. Cost Guide

There are 4 of us in the group. We originally planned an independent trip to Beijing. After checking many travel guides, we found the total estimated cost would be around RM7,025. My friend recommended Kai, a Beijing-based travel planner. He helped us customize our private itinerary, booked the 5-star hotel, attraction tickets and private transfer vehicles. We saved roughly RM1,571 in total! Kai is a local private guide, very patient and accompanied us throughout our entire journey. "Strongly recommend!"

This is Kai's WhatsApp +86 18907331470

Email: zhangjiajiekai@outlook.com

2. Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival & Initial Exploration

Arrival in Beijing - 24-hour airport pick-up service - Designated consecutive stays: 5-star hotel Our flight landed late at Beijing airport, and Kai’s private car was already waiting for us. No need to struggle with taxi queues after a long flight. We were smoothly transferred to our reserved 5-star hotel. The room was spacious and comfortable, perfect for us to rest and recover from jet lag before starting our 7-day adventure.

• Tip: The hotel has great breakfast, so get up early to try local Chinese pastries and congee.
• Local encounter: We chatted with the hotel concierge, who gave us great recommendations for late-night Beijing snacks nearby.

Day 2: Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City, Shichahai Hutong with Mei School Peking Opera

We started early to visit Tiananmen Square, then headed into the Forbidden City. With the pre-booked tickets and audio headsets, we explored the palace’s Treasure Gallery. Riding the double-decker shuttle bus to Shenwu Gate saved us a long walk. In the afternoon, we wandered the quiet lanes of Shichahai Hutong. Inside a traditional courtyard house, we watched a wonderful Mei School Peking Opera show. Looking at old Republic of China photos, we felt like we stepped back into old Beijing.

• Cultural shock: The elegant singing and costumes of Peking Opera were totally different from any performance we had seen before.
• Food tip: We tried fried dough sticks and soybean milk for breakfast near the hutong, classic local breakfast.

Day 3:Mutianyu Great Wall, Temple of Heaven & Liulichang Cultural Street

Today we visited Mutianyu Great Wall. The mountain view was breathtaking, the shuttle bus took us right to the entrance so we saved energy for hiking. Later we went to Temple of Heaven. Standing at the Echo Wall, we were amazed by the ancient acoustic design. We finished the day walking Liulichang Street, browsing antique shops, calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings.

• Fun fact: We whispered at Echo Wall and could hear each other clearly even far apart, such amazing ancient engineering.
• Tip: Bring enough water for the Great Wall hike, there are limited shops on the wall.

Day 4:Yonghe Temple, Wudaoying Hutong & Summer Palace with Long Corridor

The morning began at Yonghe Temple. The huge Buddha statues and peaceful temple atmosphere calmed us down. Next we strolled Wudaoying Hutong, full of cute cafes and handmade craft shops. In the afternoon, we explored Summer Palace with audio headsets. We walked the famous Long Corridor painted with hundreds of ancient stories, and enjoyed the wide view over Kunming Lake.

• Local encounter: We met an old painter by Kunming Lake who painted a quick sketch of the lake scenery for us.
• Cultural highlight: Every painting on the Long Corridor tells an old Chinese legend.

Day 5: Gubei Water Town Full Day Trip

We set off for Gubei Water Town for a full day trip. The ancient water town with canals and red lanterns was absolutely stunning. We wandered stone streets, climbed sections of Simatai Great Wall and watched the sunset over the mountains. The night view of lit-up town along the canal was unforgettable.

• Tip: Stay until dark, the lantern-lit night scenery is far more beautiful than daytime. • Food tip: We tried local braised pork dishes in a waterside restaurant in the water town.

Day 6: Free Day - Pop Mart Theme Park & Wangfujing Shopping

No fixed schedule today! We slept in and had a slow morning. Half of our group visited the Pop Mart theme park, while others went to Wangfujing Street for shopping. We picked local snacks, tea and small gifts to bring back home. It was really nice to arrange our own pace without a tight itinerary.

• Fun note: We bought many cute figure toys and Beijing candied hawthorn as souvenirs. • Relax tip: Wangfujing has many restaurants if you want to try different Beijing food.

Day 7: Free Morning, Private Car Transfer to Airport & Departure

We enjoyed a slow morning before checkout. Kai’s private car arrived punctually to pick us up. The 24-hour airport transfer service meant we did not need to worry about rushing or traffic on our way to catch the flight. What a smooth ending for our Beijing journey.

• Final tip: Leave extra time on the way to airport for security checks.

3. Experience with Guide Kai

• I have been communicating with Kai for half a month. His attitude is very good.

• We talked a lot and found that the local tour guide's plan is better than our travel guide! A lot of money and time have been saved.

• When visiting Beijing, people often ask him for help with planning and booking (saves money and effort, can have a great time and make friends).

4. Personal Suggestion

• No need to spend energy studying travel guides and experiences (many are plagiarized).

• Recommendation: Directly ask a familiar local tour guide for a free guide (saves money and energy every time I travel).

• Personal feeling: High cost performance, great deal; we had a very free and enjoyable time.

• Gratitude: Extremely grateful to Kai, the tour guide, for planning the itinerary throughout; my friend and I had a great time! So I want to give Kai a little advertisement.

Share kai's whatsApp: +8618907331470

Kai 's email address: zhangjiajiekai@outlook.com

Kai's wechat ID: s1025566476