Water Activities
Feature itineraries
Impressions of Beijing
1
1 DAY
Fairly EasyThis is a full day in Beijing structured around the city's defining historical sites and the quieter residential fabric that surrounds them. Beginning at Tiananmen Square, the day moves into the Forbidden City, the largest surviving complex of ancient wooden architecture in the world. From there, pace slows as the route enters the hutong quarter, the lane-and-courtyard neighborhoods that formed the social architecture of imperial Beijing. The afternoon reaches the Temple of Heaven before the day closes with a return by metro. The guide remains with you throughout, providing context at each site and managing movement across the city. Travel by subway is deliberate, not incidental: it reflects how the city actually functions and keeps the day grounded rather than insulated.
Shaolin Monastery and Longmen Grottoes by High-Speed Rail from Xi'an
1 1 DAY Fairly EasyThis day journey from Xi'an uses the high-speed rail network to reach Luoyang, where two of China's most significant historical sites sit within a short transfer of each other. Shaolin Monastery, set against the forested slopes of Song Shan, is the origin point of Chan Buddhism and the martial tradition associated with it. Longmen Grottoes, carved into limestone cliffs along the Yi River south of the city, represent one of the most concentrated accumulations of Buddhist stone sculpture in the world. The route is efficient without being rushed, and the contrast between the two sites — one defined by living practice, the other by centuries of carved devotion — gives the day a coherent arc.
Bike Beijing: Hutong, Lama Temple, Forbidden City
1 1 DAY Fairly EasyBeijing rewards those who move through it slowly and at street level. This full-day private cycling tour connects the city's most significant sites — Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the hutong lanes north of the imperial axis, and the Lama Temple — in a sequence that reflects how the capital is actually structured, rather than how it is typically packaged. An experienced local guide sets the pace and provides context that shifts the experience from sightseeing to genuine orientation.
Pingyao Private Day Tour from Xi'an
1 1 DAY Fairly EasyThis single-day private journey travels by bullet train from Xi'an to Pingyao, one of the most coherently preserved walled cities in China. The route moves from the monumental Wang Family Compound — a private residential estate completed in 1811 and now a serious museum of decorative and architectural craft — into the layered streets of Pingyao Old Town itself. The afternoon covers the city's civic and commercial core: its ancient government offices, the Rishengchang Exchange Museum housed in China's earliest known financial institution, and the intact city wall that still follows the outline of its Ming-era reconstruction. The return bullet train to Xi'an closes a day that covers considerable historical range without requiring an overnight stay.
Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace
1 1 DAY Fairly EasyThis single day in Beijing moves through three distinct layers of the city. The Temple of Heaven offers a morning encounter with one of the capital's most considered ceremonial spaces, set within a park where residents gather daily for music, exercise, and quiet competition. Hongqiao Pearl Market follows, a dense commercial interior where pearls sit alongside clothing, electronics, and craft goods, and where the transaction between visitor and vendor is an experience in itself. The day closes at the Summer Palace, the Qing dynasty's expansive lakeside retreat, where covered walkways, hillside temples, and open water define a landscape built for contemplative movement.
Forbidden City and Summer Palace — Private Day Tour, Beijing
1 1 DAY Fairly EasyThis private day tour moves through the symbolic core of imperial Beijing in a logical, measured sequence. A dedicated guide provides historical context at each site, and a private vehicle handles all transfers. Entrance tickets are arranged in advance, removing queuing variables from the schedule. The day covers Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace — three sites that together form an unusually coherent picture of how successive dynasties chose to inhabit and display power in this city.
Why Adventure Asia
The company aims to serve soft/medium vacation options to the experienced adventure customer seeking uniquely styled expeditions, rather than traditional tourist-oriented itineraries that are prevalent.
