DAY 1:
Join the direct overnight flight to Shanghai.
DAY 2:
Morning arrival in Shanghai where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for a one night stay. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. This afternoon we include a tour of the delightful Children’s Palace, where Chinese children come to cultivate their artistic talents in activities including music, singing, dancing and painting. We will also visit the Jade Buddha Temple, one of Shanghai’s most famous Buddhist temples and still inhabited by monks.
Tonight you can join our optional Shanghai Evening River Cruise. Enjoy Shanghai by night on this one hour sightseeing cruise along the Pudong River.
DAY 3:
This morning we include a visit to the Yu Yuan Garden, or ‘Garden of Contentment’. Dating back over 400 years, it is a wonderful example of a classical Chinese garden with pagodas, bridges, ponds and rockeries. There will also be a tour of the Bund, the famous tree-lined promenade along the Huangpu River where you can take advantage of the excellent shopping opportunities. After lunch in a local restaurant we will transfer to the airport for the flight to the picturesque city of Guilin, where on arrival you will be transferred to your hotel for a one night stay.
DAY 4:
Following breakfast we take a sightseeing cruise along the Li River to the scenic town of Yangshuo. This afternoon there is the opportunity to experience Chinese rural life on a visit to some of the traditional villages in Yangshuo. We then continue to our hotel in Yangshuo for a one night stay.
DAY 5:
After breakfast we drive to Guilin to visit Fubo Hill, a wonderfully scenic spot rising above the Li River. We also visit the Ancient South Gate on the bank of Banyan Lake – where you will find a 1,000 year-old Banyan tree – and the colourful Farmer’s Market. After lunch you will be transferred to the airport for the flight to Xi’an, where upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel for a two night stay.
DAY 6:
Today we will embark on a tour of the city of Xi’an to visit the Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi's life-size army of 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses. Some 2,000 years old, this accidental discovery is one of the world’s greatest archaeological finds. Our tour also takes in the Wild Goose Pagoda, built in the 6th century and standing seven storeys high, and the well-preserved ancient City Wall.
DAY 7:
Following breakfast we depart for the airport for the flight to Beijing and a three night stay. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant and this afternoon there will be a visit to the Temple of Heaven which dates back to the 15th century and is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design. You may also choose to join our optional excursion Peking by Rickshaw.
DAY 8:
Today we have included a full day tour to the Great Wall at Badaling. Take in its sheer size and dimensions as you stroll along this ‘wonder of the world’. Originally built nearly 2,000 years ago to keep out invaders from the north, it winds across deserts, mountains and plateaus for over 3,000 miles. There will also be a visit to the Ming Tombs, the burial place of thirteen emperors from the Ming Dynasty. These remarkable tombs are linked to each other by the Sacred Way, lined with huge stone statues of animals and warriors.
This evening you can join our optional excursion to the Peking Opera.
DAY 9:
An included full day tour today to some of Beijing’s most famous attractions; Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City. Covering 100 acres, Tiananmen Square is the world’s largest public square. Separated from Tiananmen Square by the Gate of Heavenly Peace is the Forbidden City, a vast complex of palaces and pavilions with over 8,000 rooms. We will also visit the Summer Palace, a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.
DAY 10:
This morning we will visit the Lama Temple, a magnificent complex housing one of the world’s largest wooden statues of Buddha. We then transfer to Beijing airport for the flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel, with the remainder of the afternoon at leisure before dinner in a local restaurant.
DAY 11:
Transfer to the airport for the return flight to the UK, arriving the same day.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION
We have reserved accommodation at top quality 4* hotels throughout your stay in China. All hotels offer rooms with private facilities, TV, air conditioning and many other amenities.
Nights 2 & 10: Holiday Inn Downtown, Shanghai
This city centre hotel offers three restaurants, two bars, cocktail lounge and fitness centre.
Night 3: Guilin Bravo Hotel, Guilin
The hotel offers two restaurants, bar, coffee shop and outdoor swimming pool.
Night 4: Paradesa Yangshuo Resort, Yangshuo
This resort hotel features an indoor swimming pool, lounge bar and restaurants.
Nights 5 & 6: Sheraton Hotel, Xi’an
This modern hotel features an indoor pool and pool bar, restaurants and fitness centre.
Nights 7-9: Capital Hotel, Beijing
Just a mile from Beijing’s main attractions, the hotel offers a choice of restaurants, coffee shop and indoor pool.
Your stay will be on a full board basis, with lunch and dinner generally being taken in a local Chinese restaurant. Breakfast is generally a European-style buffet breakfast served in the hotel.
Please note that hotels in China are subject to alteration. By the very nature of the Chinese systems of bureaucracy, this does happen from time to time. Alternative properties are always of the same standard as those advertised and any change of this nature is outside our control.
