This tour commences in the great metropolis Shanghai, China’s dynamic economic powerhouse which projects centre stage the burgeoning productive capacity of the nation as it races into the future. You then visit the beautiful sleeping ancient water town Tongli on your way to Suzhou and Hangzhou, two cities renown for their gardens and beautiful scenery. In Guilin, Lijiang and Chengdu, you will marvel at the countryside and landscape; flora and fauna; architectural wonders; way of life of the minority peoples; and interesting Buddhist sites. Xian and Beijing introduce you to the splendour of the country is historical sites and its archaeological treasures – the great record of imperial China from the period of the first emperor 2200 years ago to the last emperor in 1911. This tour introduces you to the astonishing variety of sights on offer in China.
You transfer to your hotel.
Dominating the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai is the amazing pulsating commercial heart of China. You will walk along the famous Bund past the facades of the colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River and look across to the soaring TV tower and fantastic skyscrapers of the Pudong district on the opposite side. Following this you will visit the beautifully maintained Yu Garden, an outstanding example of a classical garden dating from the 16th century. Later you will take a cruise across the Huangpu River to ascend the Shanghai World Financial Centre Observatory, one of the world’s tallest buildings, for an astonishing view over the whole city. Tonight you will be entertained by an acrobatic show. (B/L/D)
Today you will travel by car to Suzhou and en route visit Tongli, one of the many ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River Delta, which are famous for their rivers, ancient bridges and traditional house complexes. You check in at your hotel in Suzhou. (B/L/D)
Suzhou is home to China’s most famous gardens. You will visit the Master of the Nets Garden where the main garden space is a lake surrounded by rockwork, halls, covered walkways and pavilions—one of the most charming and tranquil garden scenes in China. In the afternoon you will join a Canal Cruise to enjoy the bustling and unique canal scenery.
Later you will visit another popular garden, the Humble Administrators Garden. This large garden was originally built in the early 16th century. (B/L)
This morning you travel to Hangzhou by the latest bullet train. This afternoon you will visit the Lingyin Temple, one of the most famous Chan (Zen) temples in China. The temple, was founded in 327 AD beside a mountain believed to have arrived miraculously by air from India. Then you will take a cruise on the incomparable West Lake, for centuries one of China’s best known scenic attractions. Later you will ascend Leifeng Pagoda to enjoy a panoramic view of the West Lake. (B/L)
You fly to Guilin, renowned for its fantastic landscape of limestone peaks, and visit the magnificent Reed Flute Cave. This is Guilin’s largest and most impressive cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. You will also take a chairlift to the peak of Yaoshan and enjoy a spectacular view of the city’s limestone hills and peaks. (B/L/D)
This morning you embark upon an enchanting cruise down the Li River to the picturesque river town of Yangshuo. The cruise provides a unique opportunity to view the array of extraordinary peaks which rise side by side along the banks. Here you will also see picturesque villages, chestnut orchards, bamboo plantations and fishermen using cormorants. Your return to Guilin is by road. (B/L)
You transfer to the airport for your flight to Lijiang via Kunming, an 800-year-old city lying at 2400m at the foot of the imposing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. (B/L)
Today you drive north along the eastern flank of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Later you will visit the Black Dragon Pool Park with its interesting plants, architectural features and stunning mountain back drop, and go on to tour around the small town of Baisha, 8km north of Lijiang. You will also visit Yuhu Village to see examples of authentic ethnic cultures. (B)
Day at your leisure. (B)
You fly to Chengdu via Kunming and tonight enjoy a colourful Sichuan Opera. (B/L/D)
Today you travel to view the Giant Buddha statue, which is carved into a cliff on the bank of the Min River at Leshan, 167km south-west of Chengdu. Carved between 713 and 803 AD in the hope its presence would help subdue flooding, the famed statue is 71m tall. (B/L)
This morning you will visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in the northern suburbs of Chengdu. A visit to this institution provides an opportunity to see a large number of the endangered giant pandas, both adults and cubs. You fly to Xian this afternoon and tonight enjoy the lavish spectacle of the Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show. (B/L/D)
After breakfast there is a walk along the massive Xian City Wall, which encircles the old central part of the city and one of the best preserved in China. Next you will travel to the renowned archaeological site of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, buried over 2200 years ago to guard the tomb of China’s great unifier and the first emperor Qinshihuang who died in 210 BC. (B/L)
Transfer to the hotel You fly to Beijing. One of the world’s great cities, Beijing has a history dating back some 3000 years. Your orientation tour will be a stroll in Tiananmen Square where you will look across this vast space to the Great Hall of the People. Then walk through to the Forbidden City, as the former imperial palace is called, where the magnificent marble courtyards, huge halls, gilded temples and ornate pavilions, the residence of the emperors and their families, are now open to your wonderment. (B/L)
Today you will pace the ramparts of China’s famed Great Wall, originally built over 2000 years ago to keep northern invaders at bay. Following this you will visit the beautiful blue tiled Temple of Heaven, where the emperors for the good of the empire, carried out the most important sacrifices and ceremonies of the year. Set in a huge park planted with conifers, the beautiful blue tiled buildings here represent the epitome of Ming architecture. A Peking Duck dinner completes this special day. (B/L/D)
Today, your visit the Summer Palace, the famed pleasure gardens of the Qing emperors. Beautiful ornamental plantings, languid willows and painted pavilions surround a scenic lake, across which are enchanting views to the pagoda-capped Jade Spring Hill and the mountains beyond. In the afternoon there will be a rickshaw tour of Beijing’s old Hutong District, dating from Yuan Dynasty times (14th century), a fascinating maze of narrow alleys and hidden courtyards. (B/L)
Day at your leisure (B)
You transfer to the airport for your onward flight home. (B)
| Daily Departure | **** | ***** | ||
| Twin Share | Single Supplement | Twin Share | Single Supplement | |
| Apr, Nov 11 | $5215 | $1035 | $6130 | $1885 |
| May, Sep-Oct 11 | $5395 | $1146 | $6475 | $2150 |
| Jun-Aug 11 | $5215 | $1035 | $6130 | $1885 |
| Dec 11, Jan-Feb 12 | $5005 | $895 | $5865 | $1690 |
The prices of above tour are based on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.
For more details on what is included in this tour please click here