Meet your private guide at your hotel at 8:00am for the short drive to Tiananmen Square, an urban enclave that has witnessed hundreds of years of Chinese history. Since Chairman Mao first stood in the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen Tower) and proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, it has been the symbolic center of China.

From here, you'll walk to the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most tour groups hurry along the central axis of the Forbidden City. Your guide will show you a different and less crowded route. You'll walk on the newly opened, 26-foot (8-meter) wall to get a bird's-eye view of the complex as a whole, enter the Watchtower and the East Gate, and explore the Hall of Clocks and Watches and the Treasure Gallery, home to exquisite artifacts hand-crafted in gold, jewels, and jade.

After the famous Peking Roast Duck lunch with other dishes in a local restaurant, continue to take a canopy boat (40 minutes) along the Imperial Waterway to visit the Summer Palace, whose landscaped gardens and pavilions were created in 1750 as a summer retreat for China’s rulers.