Two-Day Private Trip to Chengde from Beijing with English Speaking Driver

Day 1, Beijing-Gubeikou Great Wall-Small Potala Palace in Chengde

Your English speaking driver will pick you up from your hotel in Beijing at 7:00am and head to Gubeikou Great Wall (about 2 hours driving time).This part of the wall once played a key role in protecting China from Mongol invasion and today stands as an untouched architectural feat—the last reconstruction work took place in 1567 and no renovations have been done since then. 

After lunch at a local restaurant, transfer to Chengde and visit the Small Potala Palace, which is called The Putuo Zongcheng. It is a Qing dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and 1771 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796). The temple was modeled after the Potala Palace of Tibet, the old sanctuary of the Dalai Lama built a century earlier. Hence the Putuo Zongsheng has been nicknamed the “Little Potala Palace”.

Then transfer to your hotel in Chengde after you finish the visiting.

Day 2, Chengde-the Imperial Summer Resort-Puning Temple-Beijing

Your friendly driver will meet you at 8:00am in your hotel and head to the UNESCO-listed Imperial Summer Palace of Mountain Resort, built between 1703 and 1792 during the Qing dynasty. This gloriously landscaped summer palace took almost a century to complete and was home to Qing Dynasty emperors, eunuchs, courtiers, and concubines during Beijing's scorching summer months for many years.

After enjoying your lunch at a local restaurant, continue your trip to Puning Temple, which is located along the north of Mountain Resort. Puning Temple is also known as Dafo Temple, for a golden lacquer wood carving Buddha,a 78 feet (24 m) tall Buddha image of Guanyin is enshrined here. Puning Temple is the most intact and magnificent complex among the Outlying Temples of Mountain Resort, Chengde.

Then start the 2-hour return drive to Beijing from here. You should be back at your hotel by 6:00pm.