[TJPORT 13]

Looking for a reliable and comfortable private transfer from Beijing to Tianjin Port Xingang with a two-day excursion in the city? Great Wall Adventure Club is here to help. We have a large fleet of cars and vans with licensed tour guides and professional drivers. We make sure that your private transfer will be safe, comfortable and relaxing.

Day 01: Arrival in Beijing

Upon arrival in Beijing, (at either the train station or airport), you will be met by your English-speaking guide and driver. You will be taken to your hotel in Beijing, where you will have the opportunity to relax and prepare for the days ahead.

Day02: Beijing (L)

You will be picked up from your Beijing hotel at about 8:30am, and from there we�ll make our way to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Although it has gotten a face-lift, it avoids the army of tourists that plague Badaling. Mutianyu offers some breathtaking views of the valley and wall below, and if you look to your right you�ll see a large sign engraved in the side of the mountain encouraging you to �Cherish the teachings of Chairman Mao�. Mutianyu has also become popular for visiting foreign leaders and celebrities (former U.S. President Clinton visited Mutianyu on one of his trips to China).

You can hike down to the parking lot, take a cable car, or take a toboggan ride (highly recommended, and lots of fun!) down to meet our driver.

After lunch we�ll make the drive to the Ming Tombs.  The Ming Tombs, about 50 km/31 miles from Beijing, are where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are buried. This site was carefully chosen for its feng shui principles by the third Ming emperor Yongle (who also moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and began construction on the Forbidden City). The tomb we will visit, Dingling, is the tomb of the Wanli Emperor. It is the only one of the Ming Dynasty Tombs to have been excavated. It also remains the only imperial tomb to have been excavated since the founding of the People's Republic of China. After viewing the tombs, we will head to the �Shenlu�, or the Spirit Way. The Spirit Way leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front gate consisting of three-arches, painted red, and called the "Great Red Gate". The Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying at the front of the area. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, this archway is one of the biggest stone archways in China today.

We�ll then head to the northern area of Beijing, in order to go to the Olympic Green. The Olympic Green was the center of the event that captivated the world for two weeks in August of 2008, and is where a majority of the Olympic events took place. The highlights that you will see today include the Bird�s Nest (officially known as the Beijing National stadium) and the Water Cube (the Beijing National Aquatics Center). The stadium gets its nickname from its outward design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implementing steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof, thus giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". The Bird�s Nest hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics, from 8 August to 24 August 2008. Since the Olympic�s end, the Bird�s Nest has been used to host events ranging from opera to a ski park.

You will then be taken to your hotel for the night.

Day 03: Beijing-Tianjin Port Xingang (L)

After picking you up from your hotel in the morning we will head over to the political center of the country, Tiananmen Square. The largest public square in the world, Tiananmen Square is seen as China�s political center. Its grounds have seen some turbulent moments, from the May 4th Movement of 1919 to the political turmoil of 1989. The south of the square is marked by the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, while the center of the square is dominated by the Monument to the People�s Heroes, an imposing 10-story granite obelisk. To the east is the National Museum of China, and to the west is the Great Hall of the People, home to China�s legislative bodies. The north of the square is dominated by the Gate of Heavenly Peace, known for its iconic portrait of Mao Zedong, and is the national emblem of China.

After walking across the street, we will enter what is perhaps the greatest attraction in China, the Forbidden City. After walking across the square we will enter the Forbidden City (known in Chinese as Gu Gong), the largest surviving palace complex and the former home of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The Forbidden City is one of the greatest attractions in the world. Built by the third Ming emperor between 1406-1422, the Forbidden City served as the official residence to the Emperor of China until the last emperor, Puyi, was forced to evacuate in 1924. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court, was where he lived with his royal family. Consisting of 980 buildings and with 8,707 bays of rooms, the Forbidden City is the best example of classical Chinese architecture in the world, and is a wonder to behold.

Following lunch we�ll head to Tianjin Home Port Xingang. Tianjin Port Xingang is about 200 km from Beijing and the drive will take about 2-3 hours. We should arrive at Tianjin Home Port at around 4:00pm or your designated time. Your tour guide will escort you from the beginning to the end. Your tour guide and driver will give you a hand in carrying your big pieces of luggage to the Tianjin Home Port Xingang Cruise Terminal Building from the parking lot. Bon Voyage!