The secret to travelling at a reasonable price, is being flexible with booking dates and being able to book a deal as soon as you find it. I was lucky enough to snatch a deal to Beijing from DC for less than $500. Typically, flights from DC to China can be four times as high.  Finding a deal this good was ideal for me as visiting the Great Wall of China was one of my bucket list items.

I decided to spend a total of 6 days in China, and with flight time being approximately 18 hours I truly had 5 full days to explore Beijing. I also found an amazing tour package which had 3 full days of tours.

Below are a list of places visited while on this tour:

Day 1 – Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and The Great Wall of China

Day 2 – Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and Jingshan Park

Day 3 – Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple, Take a Rickshaw and Walking Trip with a Home-Visit in the Hutongs

Needless to say, each day was packed to the gills, and the tour covered most of the highlights of Beijing. Apart from the tour I visited unique restaurants with exquisite cuisines, including the  famous “Scorpion Street,” a popular area of downtown Beijing where locals and tourist can enjoy inimitable delicacies like Star fish, Scorpions on a stick and octopus.

Shopping for teas is a must in China.  Some of the most amazing loose leaf teas come from Asia. Be sure to grab a show at the theater while visiting as well – amazing performances are a usual part of evening entertainment in Beijing.

I had a wonderful time and although it could be considered a short trip, planning it well prior to visiting was key to making the time there completely worthwhile.

Travel far enough to meet yourself! ~ Sancha