The day begins between 8am and 9am when your private tour guide and personal chauffeur collect you from your hotel lobby. Your first stop is the UNESCO-listed Ming Tombs, about an hour from Beijing. Your guide will accompany you along the Spirit Way, the passage that leads to the 13 tombs where Ming dynasty emperors were buried. Lined with vast, monumental sculptures of guardian animals and officials, it's an impressive entrance to the tombs: rather than walk the entire 4.5-mile (7-kilometer) route, your driver will collect you to drive to the Chang Tomb. Built between 1409 and 1413, the Chang Tomb is the mausoleum of the third Ming dynasty emperor, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di: his consort, Empress Xu, is buried here too. The largest, oldest and best preserved of the Ming Tombs, its buildings cover an area of 30 acres (12 hectare). You'll have an hour to explore here with your guide.

From here, it's a bit over an hour to the UNESCO-listed Great Wall at Mutianyu. Enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant near the Wall before you explore. This stretch of the Great Wall is known for its beautiful surroundings – dense woods and rich pastures that change colors with the seasons of the year. It winds its way over 1000 meters to the crest of a mountain, before turning sharply and dipping downhill. You'll have around two hours to explore the Great Wall. It takes around half an hour to hike up on foot, or you can choose to take the cable car or chair lift: it's also possible to toboggan. After you've strolled along the Great Wall and captured iconic pictures, it's about a 2-hour drive back to Beijing. You'll arrive at your hotel between 4 and 5pm.