Highlights of China

Overview

Day By Day Itinerary

Fly to Beijing

On arrival Beijing you will be welcomed and transferred to hotel Novotel Peace.

The tour starts at Tian’anmen Square with its plentitude of monuments testifying to the communist, Mao’s influence on China’s modern history. From there you will proceed to the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palaces with over 500 years of history. Visit the Forbidden City along the central axis from south to north for 2 hours. The visit to the Temple of Heaven will take about 1 hour. We will then drive to the Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden.

You will be driven to Mutianyu Great Wall. On the way to the less crowded Mutianyu Great Wall, you’ll have a chance to visit a jade carving factory, learn about the stone carving and do some shopping if you like. Mutianyu Great Wall is known for its beautiful surroundings – dense woods and rich pastures which change colours with the seasons of the year. Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huai Rou County, north-east of Beijing. This section of the Great Wall is about 75km from the center of Beijing.

[/row_box]

You will visit the largest Lama Temple of Beijing – Yonghe Temple, tour of the mysterious Tibet style Buddhist temple. Next is lunch with the locals in a typical Beijing resident’s house, before exploring the old Beijing lanes by rickshaw. This Hutong tour will last for approximately 2 hours and you will visit the typical Chinese quadrangles, many famous old buildings and the bell tower – a fantastic opportunity to explore the real life of ordinary people in Beijing. You also have the chance to enjoy the porcelain factory. Enjoy a tea ceremony at a typical China Tea House.

After breakfast take a fast train to Xian . On arrival Xian you will be welcomed and transferred to hotel Golden Flower hotel Xian by Shangri La

Full day tour of Xian .On this tour you will see the terracotta figures of warriors and horses that were buried underground for more than 2000 years. After noon visit to the Great wild goose Pagoda,Bell Tower . Then you will go to the Muslim Quarter, a location famous for its many and varied restaurants, each with its own speciality dishes. Here you will be sure to find something that will appeal to your taste buds from the many novel and captivating dishes on offer. Experiencing the Muslim

Morning transfer to Xian airport to board your flight to Chengdu .On arrival check in at hotel Dorsett Grand .Afternoon excursion will start from driving you to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Here we can spend some leisure time learning the habitant and evolution of this amazing creature. And tourists will get a chance to have some fun with these lovely giant pandas while they make some donation for the pandas and the base.

After early breakfast we travelling to the Grand Buddha of Leshan, After a 2.5 hour drive to Leshan from Chengdu you will take a boat ride (about 40 minutes) to see the Giant Buddha, which is the biggest in the world. The man-made Leshan Giant Buddha can be seen seated at the heart of the ‘Giant Sleeping Buddha’, which lies across Wuyou Mountain, Lingyun Mountain and Guicheng Mountain and is a marvelous natural spectacle.

After breakfast board the high speed train to Chong Qing . On arrival you will be transferred to downtown Chongqing. If time permits, you will take a brief city travel to the Panda House of Chongqing Zoo and the General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum. Then in the evening we board the victoria Cruise. As the cruise sets sail at 21:30 tonight, your fantastic Yangtze River journey begins.overnight on board – Yangtze River cruise

Morning shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda in Zhongxian;
Optional excursion to Fengdu Ghost City on Mingshan Hill.

Sail through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge
Shore excursion to Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream); Optional excursion to White Emperor City (River conditions permitting);
Sail through the Three Gorges Dam Ship Locks.

Morning excursion to the Three Gorges Dam Site;
Around 12:00, disembarks in Yichang. Then transfer to Yichang airport to board your flight to Shanghai .On arrival check in at hotel Grand central

Full day tour of Shanghai .The first stop on this tour is the Yu Yuan Garden, a classic creation of the Ming Dynasty, and Shanghai Old street, that originated in the Qing Dynasty.Drive along the former French Concession and transfer to visit Shanghai Arts and Crafts Store. Then visit the Jade Buddha Temple with its priceless jade statues from Burma. The last stop, Xin Tian Di, is a stylish nightlife district with many boutiques, pubs and restaurants.

Enjoy this full day sightseeing tour of Hangzhou, now the capital city of Zhejiang Province. The first stop is Lingyin Temple. As one of the best known Buddhist monasteries in China, it houses a statue of Skyamuni carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood. After that we will take a cruise on west lake, taking in the many sights along the way.Then we visit Liuhe Pagoda (Six Harmonies), a famous octagonal pagoda, built in 970.AD, which towers majestically on the Yuelun Mountain by the Qiantang River.

Fly to UK . Arrive home today

Group Departure Dates & Prices

Accommodation

Novotel Beijing Peace
Beijing

Golden Flower Hotel
Xi’an

Victoria Jenna
Yangtze
River Cruise

Grand Central Hotel
Shanghai