Overview:
If you are visiting China for the first time, you must get Beijing, Xian and Shanghai covered in your itinerary because they represent the past, today and future of China. While only cultural experience is not fun enough. You should not miss the magnificent landscape that you can only see in China. Guilin and Zhangjiajie are two of most outstanding places to enjoy the natural beauty of China.
Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Beijing
Beijing Airport Parking Lot
Upon your arrival in Beijing, your guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Relax in the hotel during the remainder of the day, or you can have a self-exploration with suggestions from your guide.
Attractions: Tian’anmen Square, Exterior of the National Centre, Forbidden City, Tea ceremony, Temple of Heaven
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Beijing
Today we start to explore this city treasure by a visit to Tian’anmen Square, the world’s largest city center square, the locality of numerous major political and historical events. It is the witness of Chinese development. You will also be able to have a photo stop at The National Centre for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the National Grand Theatre, and colloquially described as The Egg. Afterwards, a few walk to Forbidden City, the world’s existing largest and most complete ancient wooden structure buildings. You will explore the glorious palace halls and gardens for more than 2 hours in Forbidden City, learning the legendary story of the emperors and how the royal family lived there.
Lunch is served at a local Indian restaurant. Enjoy a tea ceremony in a tea house en route.In the afternoon, we will Temple of Heaven, the existing largest structure for sacrifice to heaven and a place where the emperors prayed for a year of abundance. In the visit of Temple of Heaven, you will be astonished by the exquisite ancient Chinese architectures.
Attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Niaochao National Stadium, Sacred Way
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Bejing
Mutianyu Great Wall
This morning you will be taken to Mutianyu Great Wall to experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. The round-trip cable car will be arranged. 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. Lunch is on your own and your guide will gladly assist.Continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of Ming Dynasty. The Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, who came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, also would return to Heaven through this road.
Niaochao National Stadium
Then drive by the Olympic National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest. You will see its unique appearance and take nice photos at a distance. Today’s last stop is a featured local market.
Attractions: Temple of Heaven, Hutongs
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an
After breakfast, drive to the imperial site of the Temple of Heaven. Originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests, it is now a bustling place where locals take part in traditional activities such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, and others.
Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the Beijing Hutongs – small alleys made by neighboring quadrangle dwellings. Shuttle among different Hutongs to get a feel of the old Beijing life style, visit various antique shops and small boutiques, and truly feel the historical changes of Beijing, also pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs.
Attractions:Terracotta Warriors, pottery workshop, North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an
Today we will drive to the highlights in Xi’an —the Terracotta Warriors. On the way to Terracotta Warriors, we will have a stop at a pottery workshop, where you will have chance to learn how to make a pottery figure as a gift made by yourself. We will have enough time to visit this world wonder — Terracotta Warriors, one of the world’s most important archaeological finds, with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation.
Afterwards, we drive to downtown and walk on the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda for a while. You will also have chance to watch the North plaza fountain show. Lunch will be arranged in a local Indian restaurant nearby.In the afternoon, we drive back to visit the Ancient City Wall, which represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls. You may choose to ride a bicycle(optional) on the wall to go around. (We will visit the Bell Tower instead of the city wall if the weather does not permit.)
The tour finishes by dropping-off at the hotel lobby. You could ask your local guide for some information about evening entertainment or night show, such as Tang Dynasty Show.
Attractions: Da Cien Temple, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Guilin
After breakfast, head to Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. The pagoda, rising to a height of 64.5 meters, was built by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve classic scriptures he bought back from India during the early Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang was the prototype character for Tang Seng in the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West. (Note: It costs an extra 30 RMB if you want to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda) After (or before) visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will be provided a free experience of trying on the Hanfu which is the solemn costume of the emperors and their families, the ministers and the noble in the ancient dynasties of China. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory!
Next is an educational visit to the Shaanxi History Museum where you can ramble in the modern exhibition halls to appreciate historic relics such as porcelains, paintings, and currencies dating from the Zhou to the Tang dynastic periods (1100BC to 907 AD). (Note: Shaanxi History Museum may be replaced with other activity or attraction because of crowding tourists during July ~ early September and China’s National Day during Oct.1-Oct.7. You may check details with your travel consultant.)
The rest of today is free for you until get escorted to catch flight to Guilin (about 2.5hrs). You will be welcomed by local tour guide at airport, then be escorted to your hotel in Guilin downtown. The rest of today is free for you to explore this beautiful city on your own.
Attractions: Li River, Yangsuo Town, West Street
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Guilin
As the declaration in Chinese textbook” Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven”, today you will explore this best landscape starting with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. Along the 84-kilometer cruise, dazzling scenery will overwhelm your eyes like a vast endless Chinese painting of winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views.
After about 4 hours’ cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check in your hotel. Take a short break, immerse yourself into the stunning countryside views and relaxed atmosphere and be enthralled by the patches of paddy fields nestling under green hills and near the mirror-like river, with farmers cultivating the soil with their water buffalos.
This evening is for you to walk leisurely on the ancient West Street to experience how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you get it here.
Attractions: Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Zhangjiajie
After breakfast, transfer back to Guilin in a comfortable vehicle (1.5~2hrs). Then make a visit to the symbol of Guilin landscape – Elephant Trunk Hill. A giant rock hill vividly shapes like an elephant which is drinking water. Besides, there are many historical sites here for you to explore, such as stone carving, Buddhist temple, relic exhibition, etc. Then, drive about 7 kilometers to next attraction – Reed Flute Cave, a majestic underground palace with sparkling different colors. The magical Mother Nature condenses millions years of natural efforts to form the incredible stalactite, stalagmite, stone shield and stone waterfall of different sizes and shapes.
Lastly, your tour guide will take you to airport to catch your flight to Zhangjiajie (about 1.5~2 hrs). You will be picked up by your tour guide at Zhangjiajie Airport and escorted to your hotel in downtown.
Attractions: Bailong Elevator, Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, Tianzi Mountain
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Zhangjiajie
On this day, after breakfast, visit Wulingyuan to get the most stunning highlights. First take a sightseeing bus to experience Bailong Elevator, the fastest elevator and also the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. Enjoy the 1.5 minutes to be shot from the valley bottom up to the pillar peak. And then, hike amongst the multiple erupting stone columns at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area and open the mysterious “Pandora World”. During the exciting hike, get a good preparation to have an enviable look at the South Sky Pillar of around 150 meters high, the authentic prototype inspiring the “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain”; enjoy the best scenery at Enchanting
Attractions: Tianmen Mountain
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Shanghai
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. On this day, you will make a great trip to Tianmen Mountain, another magnificent national forest park in Zhangjiajie City.
First transfer to take the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car and ascend from Zhangjiajie downtown up to the peak of Tianmen Mountain of over 1,400 meters above the sea. Travel by the about 7,455 meters long cableway that is so far the longest one among the whole world and have a shocking look at the wandering Avenue toward Heaven from the glass. Then, take the Forest Sightseeing Cable Car to visit Tianmen Temple originated from Tang Dynasty on the mountain peak, which is one of the only world 5 Buddhist temples preserving the Buddha body relics. Walk around the temple cluster to appreciate the featured Qing Dynasty styled Buddhist structure with verdant forest surrounding by.
And then, hold your breath to take two scary walks on the cliff path circling the mountain body. One is the 60-meters long and 1.6-meters wide Glass Skywalk with transparent glass material 1430 meters above the bottomless valley, which makes you feel walking in the air in sunny days and fairyland in misty and cloudy days, while another must be the 1600-meters long Ghost-Valley Plank Road hanging on the cliff. Just step on and test!
Attractions: Shanghai Museum (Shanghai Bowuguan), Yu Garden (Yuyuan), Shanghai World Financial Center, The Bund (Wai Tan), Nanjing Road
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Over night in Shanghai
You will take a full day of sightseeing to explore both the past and present of Shanghai. Your first stop is Shanghai Museum, one of the Best Four Museums in China. To help you learn about the history and facts about the relics in the museum easily, an Audio Explanation Device will be prepared for you. Then you will take an interesting visit to Yu Garden, a shining star among all the ancient Chinese gardens in Jiangnan. Adjacent to the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar where you can savor tasteful local snacks and explore elaborate traditional Chinese handicrafts and art works. Next, you will drive several kilometers to enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m) of “the Eye of Shanghai” Shanghai World Financial Center. You will then be transferred to another popular landmark of Shanghai, Nanjing Road, a shopping paradise as well as a great place to take a wonderful walk to experience the modern atmosphere of the City. Lastly, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods but now transformed into a feverish trading district. You will stroll along the Bund, seeing and feeling the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes!
Attractions: Jade Buddha Temple, Tianzifang
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Not Included
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, you’ll pay a wonderful visit to Jade Buddha Temple, the site of the largest Jade Buddha in the world and numerous religious artifacts, ancient statues and Buddhist scriptures. This peaceful kingdom of Buddhism hidden among modern blocks and dominating mansions is a great place for a nice break in this very busy city.
Next, you’ll be transferred to Tianzifang which is touristic arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated traditional residential area in the French Concession area of Shanghai. It is the typical tourist attraction to appreciate the preservation of local Shikumen architecture. In this place full of rich flavor of life, you can leisurely stroll along the clean old alleys to watch the daily life of local Shanghai people, savor a cup of drink at the open-air café, and find some interesting things in the novel shops to feel the international feature mixed with real Shanghai culture.
In the afternoon, your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to next destination or home.
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