Day 1 – Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Beijing Airport and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Meals: No meals provided.

Day 2 – Beijing

Attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, Peking Roast Duck Dinner

Today you will have the opportunity to climb the ancient steps at Mutianyu Great Wall which is one of the best preserved sections of the wall and less crowded than Badaling. If you wish you can avoid the steep climb by riding a cable car up. On the way back to Beijing you will visit the Ming Tombs and the magnificent Lingsi Palace. You will also stop by the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube Cube for an outside view of the unique constructions built for the 2008 Olympic Games.

For dinner, you will have a chance to taste the famous Peking Roast Duck.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel, Dinner- Peking Roast Duck

Day 3 – Beijing

Attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutongs, Temple of Heaven, Beijing Opera

After breakfast, you will start today’s tour with a visit to Tiananmen Square, which is the largest city-central square in the world. To the north is the magnificent Tiananmen Gate with its five openings. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the passage in the middle leading to the Forbidden City was reserved for the emperor himself.  Now you can walk through it to explore the largest and best-preserved imperial palace in China.

Later you will explore the Beijing Hutongs by rickshaw. These are the narrow back alleyways where you can get a glimpse of how Beijing used to be and learn more about the life and culture of ordinary Beijing people. In the afternoon you will visit the Temple of Heaven where the Emperors once worshiped heaven and prayed for good harvests.

In the evening we offer you the opportunity to enjoy some Peking Opera featuring exquisite costumes and the skilled use of body language.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 4 – Beijing to Xi’an

Attractions: Summer Palace

In the morning you will visit the Summer Palace to view the royal gardens and the famous Long Corridor. After lunch you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Xi’an. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel

Day 5 – Xi’an

Attractions: City Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter, Dumpling Banquet

Our Xi’an tour begins with a visit to the City Wall which was initially built as a military defense system over 600 years ago. From the wall you can appreciate magnificent ancient constructions and admire the surrounding urban landscape.

Next you will head for Xi’an’s most famous attraction, the Terracotta Warriors. Discovered accidentally in 1974, this incredible army of over 7000 soldiers, archers, horses and chariots in full battle array has guarded Emperor Qin’s tomb since 210BC. Prepare to be impressed.

Afterwards you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was built in the 7th century to house the Buddhist materials that Xuanzang brought back from his epic journey to India. The pagoda is one of the most distinctive and outstanding landmarks of Xi’an.

Then you will visit the Great Mosque and round off your trip by exploring the adjacent Muslim Quarter with its myriad of interesting handicraft and snack shops. Be ready to bargain!

This evening you will feast on a traditional Dumpling Banquet, a specialty of the region, afterwards enjoying a performance of music and dance from the Tang Dynasty.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel, Dinner – Dumpling Banquet

Day 6 – Xi’an to Guilin

Attractions: Shaanxi History Museum

Spend the morning at the Shaanxi History Museum. As part of the Silk Road route Xi’an has a well documented history and here you can admire the enormous collection of historic and cultural relics.

In the afternoon you will fly to Guilin and be transferred to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast in your hotel

Day 7 – Guilin to Yangshuo

Attractions: Li River Cruise, Yangshuo West Street, Impressions of Liu Sanjie Show

In the morning you will be driven to the pier to board the boat for your cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. This will be one of the highlights of your China experience as you glide through the karst limestone landscape. You will enjoy lunch on board. Spend the afternoon bargaining for souvenirs in West Street or just relaxing at one of the many cafes. In the evening be amazed by the Impressions of Liu Sanjie sound and light show.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel, Lunch on board the boat

Day 8 – Yangshuo to Chongqing

Attractions: Yangtze River Cruise

You will be taken directly to Guilin Airport to fly to Chongqing from where you will start your Yangtze River cruise. The Yangtze is one of the world’s great rivers, it winds its way for 6,300 kilometres across China to empty into the East China Sea near Shanghai.

Meals: Breakfast in your hotel

Day 9 – Yangtze River Cruise

Attractions: Yangtze River, Fengdu, Mount Mishan

Today you will stop at Fengdu and take a chairlift up to Mount Mishan. Here is the Temple of the Emperor of Hell with its wild demon images.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board.

Day 10 – Yangtze River Cruise

Attractions: Yangtze River, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Xiling Gorge, Shennong Stream

Rise early to view the magnificent river scenery as you cruise through three gorges – Qutang, Wu and Xiling. Between The Wu and Xiling Gorges you will take an excursion in a smaller boat up Shennong Stream for three or four hours. Enjoy the picturesque scenery while listening to the local boatmen singing folk songs. During the night the boat will pass through the locks at the Three Gorges Dam.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board.

Day 11 – Yichang to Shanghai

Attractions: Three Gorges Dam, Yichang

Today you will take a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest irrigation project. After lunch disembark in Yichang and transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch on board.

Day 12 – Shanghai

Attractions: Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Gardens, Dim-sum Banquet, Shanghai World Financial Centre, The Bund, Evening Cruise

Today will be a busy day as you tour the highlights of Shanghai beginning at the Jade Buddha Temple and the exquisite classic Yuyuan Gardens. Enjoy a dim-sum banquet for lunch before ascending the new Shanghai World Financial Centre for a bird’s eye view of the city. Stroll along the Bund past the colonial buildings before finishing the day with a cruise on the Huangpu River to view Shanghai by night.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel, Lunch – Dim-sum Banquet

Day 13 – Depart Shanghai

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to your next destination.

Meals: Breakfast at your hotel