Highlights / General details Learn how to cook your favorite Chinese dishes in a traditional Chinese Cooking Class in Beijing. Your skilled chef will lead you through each step, and you’ll practice cooking two to three dishes of your own. You’ll then dine on the finished products and finish your day by visiting Beijing’s most famous pastry shop and the Hutong area. Inclusion Private car/coach for transfers service and sightseeing program as indicated in the itinerary; Meals as specified in the itinerary; Local English-speaking tour guide; Parking fee & toll fee wherever applicable. Exclusion Personal expenses such as drinks, optional activities, etc.; Gratuities to the tour guide and driver. Hours of operation Available: Daily, excluding Sunday; Pick up from your hotel around 8:30am-9:00am. Duration Approximately 9 hours. Location Your private English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel around 8:30am-9:00am. Exclusion Personal expenses such as drinks, optional activities, etc.; Gratuities to the tour guide and driver. Hours of operation Available: Daily, excluding Sunday; Pick up from your hotel around 8:30am-9:00am. Duration Approximately 9 hours. Location Your private English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel around 8:30am-9:00am. Itinerary After being picked up from your hotel around 8:30am-9:00am, you will visit a local Chinese market with your culinary guide. Experience the lively Chinese market atmosphere and watch native Chinese people bargain for groceries. Learn about and shop for the different ingredients used in Chinese cooking, including vegetables, meats, sauces and spices. Around 10:30am, arrive at the hutong to get started with your Cooking Lesson. Your local Chinese cooking guide will explain the different uses of light and dark soy sauces, white and dark vinegar, and cooking wine and shaoxin wine. Gain insight into distinguishing between different qualities of sauces and wines. Learn the proper technique of using a cleaver and stir-frying vegetables and meats in a wok. Your culinary expert will cook five classic Chinese dishes, and explain each step along the way. Then, you will cook two of the dishes yourself under the instruction of your Chinese chef. After you finish your cooking lesson, you’ll be rewarded with the scrumptious dishes you and your master chef have prepared. After lunch, your guide will transport you by a private car to the century-old Daoxiangcun Foodstuffs Store, Beijing’s most famous snack and cake shop, to continue your gastronomic adventure. During the Qing Dynasty, the store baked sweet snacks for the royal family and government officials. Now, the store is a favorite of locals. You will find hundreds of snacks and cakes, from green tea cakes to rose cakes. The beautifully baked sweets will delight your taste buds! You will continue to a visit to Hutong by rickshaw. Through the hutongs' teeming maze of alleys, you will see the old courtyard houses and learn about the daily life of ordinary Beijing citizens. Enjoy a tea ceremony in a traditional tea house and visit a local family. End the tour and transfer you to the hotel around 5:00pm. Policies This tour requires a minimum of 2 passengers per booking. Complete information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, will be included on your Confirmation Voucher. **All information requested must be supplied or booking is subject to automatic cancellation**