BEST OF CHINA

Full Itinerary

Our group at the Forbidden City, Beijing Photo by our clients Claire and Shep Goldblum with their feedbackDay 01

Day 0

The prelude of your exciting China tour starts when you meet our professional local guide at Beijing Airport after reclaiming your luggage and clearing the customs. The guide will accompany you in a comfortable vehicle to the hotel and help you with the check-in procedure. The rest of the day is left for you to have a good rest or to become familiar with our capital city by yourself.

Meals: No meals
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Central Plaza Hotel
 - the best Holiday Inn Hotel in Beijing

Day 02Beijing

Today your tour officially starts. First you will meet your group members at the hotel lobby and have a short meeting with the guide. Then head to the first stop today, the impressiveTian'anmen Square, which is the biggest urban city square in the world. Nowadays, many constructions of great historical importance have been built on and around it. From there you will enter the "Imperial Palace" known as the Forbidden City to explore its many fascinating halls and pavilions. Here, you will not only get to know how the emperor handled political affairs and lived their lives, but also appreciate numerous ancient art treasures of China. At noon, an a la carte lunch will be served to you at a superb local restaurant, where the authentic Chinese food could be found and tasted. In the afternoon, you will go to the Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors worshipped the heaven for good harvests. As the dwelling of the God of Heaven, it covers an area even larger than the dwelling of the emperor, Forbidden City. To round off a memorable start to your tour, we will arrange a lively and dramatic Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theater.

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Central Plaza Hotel 

A granny with her grandson after shopping in the market

Day 03Beijing

This morning you will be taken to Badaling where you will experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. Standing on the wall and looking at it stretching up and down into boundless distance is an exciting experience and will leave you a life-long memory. To celebrate and commemorate this moment, we specially provide red wine for a group-toasting on the Great Wall. Rather than having lunch at shopping site restaurants arranged by most agencies, we have arranged for a special meal to be served at a popular local Sichuan restaurant. Later the journey will take you to the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb in the peaceful shadow of Longevity Mountain. The Sacred Way is a road in the front of the body part of the imperial necropolises, which means the road leading to the heaven. Among all the existing Sacred Ways, the one of the Ming Tomb is the best preserved and complete. Although it has a history of more than 600 years, the Ming Tomb has been perfectly preserved. The encircled mountains, meandering river and grand mausoleum architecture have formed a majestic and large-scaled mausoleum group of integrate structure. To conclude the full day tour you will have a glance at the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) en route to downtown.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Central Plaza Hotel 

Day 04Beijing - Xian

Your first stop today is the Summer Palace - the existing largest imperial garden in China with graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The site is divided into three areas: the area for political activities centering about Hall of Benevolence and Longevity; the residential area of royal family whose main architecture are Hall of Jade Ripples and Hall of Joyful Longevity; the sightseeing area mainly consisting of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Then, have a Hutong tourto experience the original Beijing culture by taking a special rickshaw riding through the various Hutongs and to know about Old Beijing's manners and customs. We will serve you an a la carte lunch at a fancy restaurant with delicious food and great atmosphere. After that, you will take an afternoon flight to Xian. Our local guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Xian airport and transfer you to the downtown area to check in at the hotel for a two-night stay.

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Grand New World Hotel 

Terracotta army, Xian

Day 05Xian

The visit to the majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum will start your day's tour. In the museum, there are altogether three excavated pits exhibiting amazing warrior figures and Chinese ancient weapons. No wonder a great site to learn about Chinese ancient military affairs. At noon, a special homely cooked a la carte lunch will be served to you at a local people's home. It is a good chance for you to experience close contact with the local people and will be one of the most memorable parts of your tour. In the afternoon, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient City Wall. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built under the emperor's conduct to collect scriptures, Buddha statues and Buddhist relics taken from India about 1,300 years ago. Different from those typical Islamic buildings, the following City Wall is the existing most complete urban fortification in China. Cycling on the ancient wall is a special experience that many people like to try (bike rental fee is not included). A splendid evening is in store when you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show while partaking of the famous Dumpling Dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch, Dumpling Dinner
Accommodation: Grand New World Hotel 

Tips: Since the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show will be closed in Jan, Feb and Dec, we do not calculate the price of the show and dumpling dinner for tours starting during this period. Clients will enjoy a free night by themselves.

Day 06Xian - Shanghai

After breakfast, you will be scheduled to visit the Great Mosque which was constructed in Chinese ancient architectural style hidden in verdant trees. Have some free time there to shop for souvenirs or antiques in the bazaar near the Mosque. Enjoying an a la carte lunch at a famous local restaurant and then you will depart for Shanghai. The flight arrives in Shanghai and our guide will pick you up at the airport with transferring you to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Howard Johnson Business Club Hotel 

Our group at Shanghai Bund Photo by our client Ms. Chris Taylor with her feedback

Day 07Shanghai

A day tour will show you the quintessence of Shanghai. This morning, you will visit one of the four largest museums in China, Shanghai Museum, which specializes in exhibiting art works from ancient time. Built in Chinese ancient idea of 'the earth was square and the heaven was round', the museum has a distinctive appearance and looks like a bronze ware at a distance. After that, exploreYuyuan Garden, a famous classical garden in south China. The symbol of Yuyuan Garden is the Nine Zigzag Bridge built of granite and grass-white jade and the quaint, elegant mid-lake pavilion. Then a farewell a la carte lunch will be served to you at a decent local restaurant which specializes in light Shanghai cuisine. In the afternoon, wander in the famous Bund area and Nanjing Road, and then visit an old cultural street in Shanghai. Upon returning to the hotel, our tour guide will see you into the lobby to say bon voyage.

Meals: Breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Howard Johnson Business Club Hotel 

Day 08Departure from Shanghai

After breakfast at the hotel, you will travel to the airport for your homeward flight. We suggest you reserve a taxi at the hotel reception beforehand to avoid having to wait for a taxi outside. The trip to Pudong Airport (PVG) will take about one and a half hours and costs between CNY150 to CNY200. Ensure you have at least 50 minutes' drive time if your flight leaves from Hongqiao Airport (SHA). The cost for the taxi there is about CNY50.00. Please check carefully from which airport your flight will depart. Alternatively, should you wish to stay on rather than return home right away, we would suggest you choose our City Package as an extension to your China adventure!
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