Classic China with Yangtze Cruise

Welcome you to join in this small group tour for a deep exploration of China. After you land at the airport in Beijing, our experienced guide will pick you up outside Customs, and then the driver will take you to the hotel we have arranged for you. You can either have a good rest in the hotel, or tour around the city a bit on your own for the remainder of the day.  
 
Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

This morning, our guide will meet you and all traveling companions punctually at the hotel, delivering a 30-minute pre-trip orientation. After the briefing, we shall take the comfortable and clean coach heading for the well-known Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Located in the center of Beijing, Tiananmen is distinguished as the biggest city square in the world with the famous Monument to the People's Heroes standing solemnly in its center. The Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, is the best preserved and the largest old wooden architecture in the world, housing a large number of precious cultural relics. 

Then, we will arrange you an a la carte welcome lunch at a wonderful restaurant to taste the authentic Chinese food, including the famous Beijing Roast Duck. The lunch is valued at CNY150.00 per person and is included in our price.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Yonghe Temple, the Qing imperial lamasery that is still functioning for visitors to burn free incense to pray for luck, and then our guide will take you to the Temple of Heaven. It was a place for emperors to pray for God's kindness in ancient times and includes two altars called Circular Mound and Prayer for Good Harvests respectively. Tonight, you will be treated in a prestigious opera venue to appreciating Peking Opera, After appreciating Peking Opera, we will drive you back to hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

After a big breakfast at the hotel, our guide will take you to visit the famous Mutianyu Great Wall, which will be a highlight of your small group tour. We will take a round-trip cable car to the top of the Great Wall. We will provide red wine for a group-toast. You can enjoy great views of the scenery from the top of the Wall while you are toasting. Today's lunch is on your own and our guide will give you some advice on restaurants.

After you finish the Great Wall visit, we will drive you back to the downtown area. Then we will make a short photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium to appreciate the Bird's Nest building.

After lunch, your guide will take you to explore some Hutongs by a rickshaw. You will see the oldest gray brick courtyard residence and capture the lifestyles of local families.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, you are going to watch adorable pandas at one of their homes on earth – Panda Hall of Beijing Zoo. We are leaving this morning, when giant pandas are most active during the day. Then, our guide will accompany you to visit the Summer Palace, an imperial garden used as the political and diplomatic center in the Qing Dynasty. It has witnessed many important historical events. Then we will make a short photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium to appreciate the Bird's Nest building.

At noon, you will enjoy an a la carte lunch at a fancy restaurant with delicious food and great atmosphere (valued at CNY 150 and included in the tour price).

After lunch, we will escort you to the airport to catch the flight to Xi'an. Your Xi'an guide will meet you at the Arrival Hall of the airport, and take you to the hotel for check-in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an

Your Xi'an tour will start with a visit to the Terracotta Army. You will notice that each terracotta figure has a distinct and different appearance with diverse gestures. Apart from these warriors, you will see the pottery horses, chariots, and other accoutrements. Our guide will introduce you to the history behind this amazing world wonder. By taking this tour, you will have a special opportunity to visit the home of Mr. Yang Zhifa, the first discoverer of this world’s wonder. Spend a few minutes talking with him or his families about this great discovery.

The rest of your afternoon will be spent touring the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda – the most famous pagoda in Xi’an that witnessed the unprecedented cultural diversity of Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). Tonight, you will enjoy a splendid Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show along with a dumpling dinner.

After breakfast, our guide will take you to the City Wall Park, where you can observe local life and practice Tai Chi with the master. Then visit Xi'an City Wall, the most complete ancient city wall in China. You can have a panoramic view of the city by walking or riding a bike on the wall. The fee for renting the bike is not included in our price.

We'll serve an a la carte lunch at a well-known restaurant for you this noon. Again, tour price has covered the cost of CNY120/ person for this meal.

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to the Shaanxi History Museum, a comprehensive history museum holding various relics and artifacts. You will learn about Shaanxi's history, culture and ancient civilization in this museum. Afterwards, we will proceed to the Great Mosque decorated with carved beams and painted pillars in Islamic style. This mosque is located in the Muslim Quarter. When you finish visiting the mosque, the rest of the day will be free for you to stroll around the quarter. Muslim Street is a popular food street with a distinct Muslim culture. Both locals and travelers like to come here to try a variety of food and experience the prosperous scenes, especially in the evening. You may want to consider having your dinner here.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

After breakfast, we will escort you to the airport to fly to Guilin. Upon arrival, our Guilin guide will accompany you to the hotel for check in. After a short break, we will visit the Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill. Regarded as the "Natural Palace of Art", the Reed Flute Cave is full of stalactites in different sizes and shapes, such as flowers, forest, waterfall, mountains, etc.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Sheraton Guilin Hotel

This morning, you will take the wonderful Li River cruise tour from Guilin to Yangshuo. This will be an unforgettable experience on your Guilin trip. You can enjoy the beautiful rolling mountains and rivers along the cruise.

After around 4.5 hours' sailing, we will disembark at Yangshuo and walk through the well-known West Street. Then we will drive along the surrounding country roads of Yangshuo where you can enjoy the amazing rural scenery. En route, we will stop to visit a local villager's home. After that, we will transfer you back to Guilin.

Tips: The cruise company offers box lunches on the ship, however, it may fail to meet with your approval. We are aware of the shortcomings and suggest you prepare for the cruise with a generous breakfast at the hotel or bring along a good snack.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

This morning we will take you to the railway station to catch a high speed train to Chongqing. The train trip takes about 5 hours. In Chongqing, you can visit Jiefangbei CBD and Ci Qi Kou Ancient Town. Then our guide will take you to check into the luxurious President Cruise Ship for a three-night stay. When the cruise departs from Chongqing at about 22:00, your relaxing Yangtze River cruise begins.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast and dinner
Cruises: Century Oasis

Today will be a relaxing day for you. After breakfast, the cruise guide will provide an orientation. Then you can choose to rest on the deck or participate in some activities. An onshore excursion to Shuangguishan National Forest Park will be arranged in the afternoon. After the excursion, you will board the ship and will have time to prepare for the Captain's Welcome Party to be held in the evening. If you are good at singing, dancing or have any other talents, you are warmly welcome to join in the show for fun.

Meals: Full board served in buffet style

Today the Yangtze River Cruise Ship will enter the Qutang Gorge, the first of the Three Gorges, which is the shortest but the grandest one. Later, we will pass through the Wu Gorge with its famous lofty and misty peaks on both sides. It is the largest and the longest gorge along the way. This gorge is full of craggy grotesque rocks, and the entire pass looks like a winding natural gallery. Afterwards, you will disembark at Badong for an excursion to the Shennong Stream, which originates from the south slope of Shennongjia. You will take a pea boat ride drifting along the crystal stream to have a close look at mossy rocks, verdant plants, plank roads, ancient hanging coffins and precious animals. Moreover, you will hear the unique songs of the local Tujia people which will leave a deep impression on you.

After, you return to the ship, you will continue the cruise to the west section of Xiling Gorge, which is famous for torrential water.

Meals: Full board served in buffet style

After breakfast, please pack your luggage and check out of the cruise ship. The cruise company will arrange an excursion to visit the Three Gorges Dam, which is the largest water power project in the world. Then they will drive you to the Three Gorges Tourist Center in Yichang city. Our local guide in Yichang will meet you there and accompany you to the railway station to catch the high speed train to Shanghai, the last destination of your tour. The train trip takes around 7.5 hours, so it is a good idea to prepare some cookies, fruits, books or a movie device in advance, in order to spend a leisurely time on the train. There is hot water available on the train if you want to bring instant noodles, tea or coffee.

Upon your arrival, our guide will pick you up at the train station of Shanghai and transfer you to a comfortable hotel for a good rest.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World

Today your Shanghai tour will begin with a visit to the Shanghai Museum, which houses many bronze potteries, calligraphies, paintings, Buddha statues and some artifacts of the minority nations. After that, we'll proceed to Yu Garden, one of the famous classic gardens in Shanghai. You can appreciate the exquisite ancient garden design. Surrounding the garden is a lively bazaar, where you may wish to spend some leisure time to explore. Yuyuan Old Street is home to more than 30 unique shops full of Chinese ethnic items, covering four major sections: household articles, crafts, festive articles and traditional commodities.

An a la carte farewell lunch will be held at a popular local restaurant (a cost of CNY120/person has been included in our price).

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to visit the Former French Concession to escape from the bustling city for a while. Then we head to the famous Bund, where you can wander around to enjoy the diverse western style architecture. This is also one of the best sites to appreciate various skyscrapers in the city. After a one-hour cruise tour along the Huangpu River, our guide and driver will escort you back to the hotel and say goodbye at the lobby.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte farewell lunch

Your small group tour in China ends today. After packing and checking out from the hotel, you will need to travel to the airport for your onward flight by yourself. Due to different flight schedules, the cost of hotel-airport transfer service is not included in the tour price. You can take a taxi at the cost of around CNY200 per cab to the Pudong International Airport (PVG) or around CNY100 to the Hongqiao Airport (SHA). Alternatively, you might want to experience the maglev train from Longyang Road Station if your flight leaves from Pudong airport. Please take it easy, we are ready to provide the information you need. Have a nice journey home!

Meal: Western buffet breakfast