If you have limited time in Beijing, skip the Ming tombs and visit the Eastern Qing tombs instead. It is about 2.5 hours drive from Beijing. Spend the whole day here and remember to bring packed food if you intend to spend the whole day. We wasted half a day at another attraction the karst caves. We arrived at the tombs at about 2pm on Sunday. A short bus ride took us to the museum where we were shown a documentary featuring the looting of Cixi's tomb. Then we were rushed through the exhibits of the museum by the in house guide before being shown the directions to explore the various tombs. Due to time constraint, we managed only to visit Cixi's & Qianlong's tombs. The carvings at the entrances of both tombs were magnificient. Buy your souvenirs from the stalls @ Qing tombs. These stalls are managed by the descendants of tomb keepers. Although the roads are paved and gardens leading to the tombs within the complex are well kept, the buildings are in dire need of restoration. The painted ceilings & pillars in most of the buildings are faded but the beautiful carvings and designs are still visible. The vibrant coloured ceiling of Ming buildings are not seen here. Instead it is faded gold and brown wood ceiling covered with grime and dirt of so many years of neglect.

These tombs are in Hebei, much further away as compared to the Ming Tombs, but if you rent a car for the day, you can spend your time here and at the amazing Huanghuasheng section of the Great Wall. If you are interested in spending quality time at the Spirit way, I recommend you rent a bike once you are inside the park. The buses make a very brief stop at the Spirit Way. This for me is a highlight of a lifetime of traveling. Statues not more polished or larger than ming tombs, but the desolate terrain makes the whole ensemble much more magnificent. You can visit several tombs, none of them going as deep as the Ming one, but still super beautiful. Do not miss the Empress Dowager Cixi tomb. Worthwhile to see the memories of the old dragon.