Beijing Chengde Train Tour

In the morning after you have breakfast, our guide will pick you up at your hotel. The guide will contact you in advance to confirm the meeting time with you. Then private transfer takes you to the railway station to take a soft seat train to Chengde. Upon arrival in Chengde, your local professional guide will meet you at the railway station holding a banner with your name on it. Then you will be transferred to the well selected 4-star Yunshan Hotel in a clean and comfortable van. The afternoon highlight excursion will take you to visit one of the greatest ancient building complexes in China, the Mountain Retreat. Constructed from the year 1703 and finished in 1790, it was really a large scale project and almost lasted for a century. The spot covers an area of 5.6 million square meters which is twice in acreage than that of the Summer Palace. The Mountain Retreat is originally built for emperors in Qing Dynasty to relax themselves and to escape from the high temperature in Beijing in summer. The Retreat is divided into two main parts, the Court Palace and the scenic area by layout.  Characterized by its grand architectural complex, the charming scenery surrounded and a pleasant climate, the Mountain Resort has attracted more and more travelers from home and abroad for a visit. (L)

After having the breakfast in your hotel, the morning excursion will take you to visit the Eight Outer Temples including the Puning temple and the Putuozongcheng temple. The Eight Outer Temples is a collective name of 12 temples distributed in the northeast of the Mountain Resort with each temple a distinctive style. The temples are also used as administrative department of the government for managing affairs of the minorities such as the Mongolia, Sinkiang and Tibetan, of which eight of the temples were directly administrated by the Qing government. According to the architecture difference, the temples are mainly divided into three main styles which are Tibetan style, Han style and combined style of Tibetan and Han. The architecture of the temples syncretize the elite of Han and Tibetan architectural art and are of great royal vigor. The Mountain Resort together with the Eight Out Temples were listed as a World Heritage Site in 1994. The lunch will be served at a local restaurant when the morning tour ends. In the afternoon, prepare to leave Chengde. Private transfer will take you to the Chengde railway station to take a soft seat train back to Beijing. Your pleasant Chengde tour ends here and you will arrange your activities by yourself after you arrive in Beijing. (B+L)