Meet your guide in your Beijing hotel lobby and depart for the Summer Palace, the best-preserved and largest imperial garden in China, where the Qing emperors used to spend their summers.

On the way, drive by the Beijing Olympic Park to see the Water Cube and Bird's Nest.

Continue to the Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing emperors used to pray for a good harvest and worship the God of Heaven each year.

After lunch in a cozy, non-tourist Peking Roast Duck restaurant, head to the Forbidden City, the place where the Ming and Qing emperors resided for more than 500 years. Having been off-limits to commoners for centuries, it was officially opened to the public in 1925 as a public museum.

See Tiananmen Square in the late afternoon to avoid long queues for the security check. It is the largest city center square in the world and has witnessed some of the most dramatic chapters of Chinese history. You have the option to drive by to avoid long-distance walking.