🐎 Grassland & Great Wall
: Beijing → Chengde → Inner Mongolia
📅 July 2026 | 📍 History lovers & nature seekers | ⏱️ 7 Days / 6 Nights
Most visitors to Beijing never leave the city. Big mistake. Two hours north, the Great Wall snakes through mountains that give way to rolling grasslands. Chengde has an imperial summer palace that rivals the Forbidden City. And Inner Mongolia — well, Inner Mongolia is where you learn what “wide open spaces” really means.
This route is about contrasts: urban density → imperial retreat → endless grassland. By Day 7, you’ll have a completely different picture of China than the one you started with.
🎯 Before You Go
Must-Have Apps
- Alipay / WeChat Pay — Essential
- 12306 — Train booking
- Amap (高德地图) — Navigation
- VPN — Standard
- Ctrip/Trip.com — English booking
Best Season to Visit
- June–September — Grasslands are green, temperatures are warm (20–28°C). July–August is peak season
- September–October — Autumn colors, fewer crowds
- Avoid: November–March — Grasslands are brown and frozen, temperatures drop to -20°C
Budget Estimate (per person)
| Category | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Transport (trains + local) | ¥1,500 / ~$207 |
| Accommodation (6 nights) | ¥2,400 / ~$330 |
| Food (7 days) | ¥1,050 / ~$145 |
| Attractions | ¥500 / ~$69 |
| Total | ¥5,450 / ~$751 |
Packing for the Grasslands
- Warm layers (grassland nights are cold even in summer)
- Sunscreen and hat (no shade on the steppe)
- Motion sickness medication (winding roads to Chengde)
- Comfortable shoes for walking on uneven ground
- Camera with wide-angle lens (the landscapes demand it)
📅 Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing — Arrival & Forbidden City
Theme: The imperial capital
Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City
Start at the largest public square in the world, then walk through to the Forbidden City. 9,999 rooms, 24 emperors, 500 years of Chinese imperial history.
- 📍 4 Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District
- 🚇 Metro Line 1, Tiananmen East Station
- ⏰ 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (closed Mondays)
- ¥60 / ~$8.30 (peak season)
- ⚠️ Book online 7 days in advance — daily visitor cap is strict
My advice: Enter from the south, walk the central axis to the north, then double back to the side palaces. Don’t try to see everything — pick the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Imperial Garden, and the Clock Gallery.
Jingshan Park
Climb to the top for the best panoramic view of the Forbidden City’s golden rooftops. Sunset from here is unforgettable.
- 💰 ¥2 / ~$0.30
Wangfujing Street
Evening stroll down Beijing’s most famous shopping street. Touristy but fun.
🛏️ Stay near: Dongcheng District
Day 2: Beijing — Great Wall & Hutongs
Theme: The Wall, then the real Beijing
Mutianyu Great Wall
Skip Badaling — Mutianyu is just as spectacular, less packed, and has a cable car + toboggan ride down. The toboggan on the Great Wall is as awesome as it sounds.
Take the bus from Dongzhimen (1.5 hours) or book a private car (¥200–300 / ~$28–42).
- 📍 Mutianyu Village, Huairou District
- ⏰ 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- ¥40 / ~$5.50 + cable car ¥120 / ~$17 round trip
- 🕐 3–4 hours hiking
Hike from Tower 14 to Tower 20 for the quieter stretch. Bring water — there’s nothing on the wall.
Nanluoguxiang Hutong
Back in the city, wander through this 800-year-old alleyway. Duck into the side alleys for old men playing chess, laundry hanging between buildings, cats everywhere.
- 💰 Free
Peking Duck Dinner
Da Dong (大董) — crispy skin, juicy meat, paper-thin pancakes. ¥150–200 / ~$21–28.
Day 3: Beijing → Chengde — Imperial Retreat
Theme: From capital to summer palace
Morning: Temple of Heaven
Wake early. The park is where locals do tai chi, play erhu, and sing opera at 6 AM. Beijing at its most authentic.
- ⏰ 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- ¥15 / ~$2 (park), ¥34 / ~$4.70 (Hall of Prayer)
Afternoon: Train to Chengde
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Route | Beijing → Chengde |
| Duration | ~1.5 hours (high-speed rail) |
| Price | ¥90 / ~$12 |
| Frequency | Multiple daily |
Chengde Overview
Chengde was the Qing Dynasty’s summer retreat — emperors escaped Beijing’s heat here from May to September. The city is surrounded by mountains and has a mix of Manchu, Mongolian, and Han cultural influences.
Chengde Mountain Resort (避暑山庄)
A UNESCO World Heritage Site — the largest imperial garden in the world (5.6 km², bigger than the Forbidden City and Summer Palace combined). Built by Emperor Kangxi in 1703, it includes lakes, palaces, grasslands, and forests.
- 📍 Chengde City, Hebei Province
- ⏰ 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM
- ¥130 / ~$18 (peak season)
- 🕐 3–4 hours
The resort is divided into three zones: lakes, plains, and mountains. Don’t try to see everything — the lakeside area (with the Moon-Viewing Pavilion) and the grassland area (where emperors held horse races) are the highlights.
🛏️ Stay near: Mountain Resort area — walkable to main attractions
Day 4: Chengde — Temples of Every Faith
Theme: Religious harmony through architecture
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (普陀宗乘之庙)
Called “the Little Potala Palace” — a Tibetan Buddhist temple built in 1767 to look like the Potala Palace in Lhasa. The red and white buildings climbing the hillside are spectacular. The fact that a Qing emperor built a Tibetan temple in northern China speaks volumes about cultural exchange along the trade routes.
- 📍 2km north of the Mountain Resort
- ⏰ 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- ¥80 / ~$11
Xumifushou Temple (须弥福寿之庙)
Another Tibetan Buddhist temple, built to welcome the 6th Panchen Lama from Tibet. The architecture blends Tibetan, Han, and Manchu styles. Less crowded than Putuo Zongcheng, with equally impressive buildings.
- ¥80 / ~$11
Chengde Old Town
Walk through the old streets. Chengde has a different vibe from Beijing — smaller, quieter, more multi-ethnic. Try Manchu-style imperial cuisine (满族宫廷菜) at a local restaurant — it’s heavier and more rustic than Beijing cuisine.
Evening: Chengde Night Market
Small but lively. Try Manchu-style meat pie (满族肉饼) and roasted lamb (烤全羊) — Inner Mongolian influence.
🛏️ Stay same location
Day 5: Chengde → Inner Mongolia — The Steppe
Theme: From temple country to grassland
Morning: Travel to Inner Mongolia
Option 1: Train to Hohhot
- Duration: ~6 hours
- Price: ¥300–400 / ~$41–55
- Scenic route through mountains into grassland
Option 2: Drive to Xilinhot or Ulan Butong
- Duration: 5–6 hours from Chengde
- More flexible, access to better grasslands
- Can hire a car with driver (¥800–1200 / ~$110–165)
I recommend driving if your group is 3+ people — the scenery along the way is part of the experience.
Arrival in the Grasslands
Nothing prepares you for the first time you see the Inner Mongolian grassland. It stretches to every horizon — green, undulating, empty. The sky is enormous. The silence is deafening. This is what “steppe” means.
Accommodation: Stay in a yurt camp (蒙古包) — traditional felt tents used by nomadic herders for thousands of years. Most camps have modern amenities (beds, electricity, private bathrooms) while maintaining the yurt exterior.
🛏️ Stay in: Yurt camp near Xilinhot or Ulan Butong grassland
Day 6: Inner Mongolia — Horse Riding & Nomadic Life
Theme: Live like a nomad for a day
Horse Riding on the Steppe
Inner Mongolia is horse country. The Mongols were the greatest horsemen in history — Genghis Khan’s empire stretched from Korea to Hungary on horseback. Today, you can ride across the same grasslands.
Most yurt camps offer horse riding packages (¥200–500 / ~$28–69 for 1–3 hours). The experience of riding across open grassland with no fences, no roads, no buildings — just you, the horse, and the horizon — is unforgettable.
Beginners welcome. Most horses are gentle and guides accompany you.
Nomadic Family Visit
Some tours include a visit to a herding family. You’ll drink yak butter tea, eat dairy products (airag/fermented mare’s milk, dried curds), and hear stories about the nomadic way of life. It’s a window into a culture that’s been largely unchanged for centuries.
- 📍 Various grassland areas near Xilinhot/Ulan Butong
- 💰 ¥100–200 / ~$14–28 for guided visit
Grassland Sunset
Stay for sunset. The sky turns pink, orange, purple. The grassland glows. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a herd of horses silhouetted against the sunset. This is the image of Inner Mongolia that will stay with you forever.
Evening: Mongolian BBQ & Music
Dinner at the yurt camp: whole roasted lamb (烤全羊), boiled mutton (手把肉), dairy products (奶制品), and airag (马奶酒, fermented mare’s milk — slightly alcoholic, slightly sour, surprisingly good). Traditional Mongolian music and throat singing if you’re at a cultural camp.
Day 7: Inner Mongolia → Beijing — Last Morning & Departure
Theme: One more sunrise, then home
Grassland Sunrise
Wake early and walk out onto the steppe. The sunrise over the grassland — the sky turning from deep purple to gold, mist rising from the ground, horses grazing in the distance — is one of the most peaceful experiences in China.
Genghis Khan Mausoleum (成吉思汗陵)
If your route takes you past Ordos, visit the mausoleum of Genghis Khan. It’s not his actual burial site (that’s a closely guarded secret), but it’s the most important Genghis Khan memorial in Inner Mongolia. The museum tells the story of the Mongol Empire.
- 📍 Ordos City, Inner Mongolia
- ⏰ 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- ¥80 / ~$11
Return to Beijing
- Train from Hohhot: ~6 hours to Beijing (¥300–400 / ~$41–55)
- Fly from Hohhot: 1.5 hours to Beijing (¥500–1000 / ~$69–138)
- Drive from Xilinhot: 6–7 hours to Beijing
Final Beijing Night
Back in the city, celebrate with one last Peking duck dinner at Quanjude (全聚德). Toast to a week that took you from imperial palaces to the edge of the Mongol Empire.
🍜 Food Recommendations
| City | Dish | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Peking Duck | ¥150–200 / ~$21–28 | Da Dong, Quanjude |
| Beijing | Jianbing (crepe) | ¥8–12 / ~$1–2 | Street vendors |
| Chengde | Manchu Meat Pie | ¥20–30 / ~$3–4 | Old town restaurants |
| Chengde | Imperial Cuisine | ¥80–120 / ~$11–17 | Resort area restaurants |
| Inner Mongolia | Whole Roasted Lamb | ¥300–500 / ~$41–69 | Yurt camps |
| Inner Mongolia | Boiled Mutton (手把肉) | ¥80–120 / ~$11–17 | Yurt camps |
| Inner Mongolia | Airag (fermented mare’s milk) | ¥10–20 / ~$1.40–3 | Nomadic families |
💡 Practical Tips
- Book Forbidden City early — Daily cap means tickets sell out. Book exactly 7 days ahead at www.dpm.org.cn.
- Chengde is underrated — Fewer tourists than Beijing, easier to navigate, equally impressive architecture. Take your time.
- Grassland weather — Even in July, temperatures drop to 10°C at night. Bring a fleece and warm pants.
- Horse riding safety — Wear long pants and closed shoes. Follow the guide’s instructions. Horses are generally calm but can be startled.
- Cash for grassland — Remote areas may not have mobile signal. Carry ¥500+ cash.
- Yurt camps book up — Peak season (July–August) yurt camps fill quickly. Book at least 2 weeks in advance.
- Allergies — Grassland has lots of pollen in summer. Bring antihistamines if needed.
- Mongolian hospitality — If invited into a yurt, accept the offered tea/food. It’s considered rude to refuse. The host will keep refilling your cup — when you’ve had enough, hold the cup with both hands and say “bayarlaa” (thank you in Mongolian).