Jan
min : -9°C
max : 2°C
We Love —
- Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime tour across China, with a cruise down the Yangtze River included!
- Stay in a variety of 4* and 5* hotels as you explore Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an!
- Our members have the opportunity to add a 4-night extension to their trip, where they will visit Guilin, Yangshuo and Hong Kong!
Customer reviews —
8.4/10
24 reviews
Your Destination —
Home to the Great Wall, the Yellow Mountains, and the Forbidden City, China boasts some of the most iconic landmarks in the world. On this unforgettable tour, you will experience gorges, temples, forward-thinking cities, and remote villages.
Our Offer —
11-night Authentic China Tour and Cruise on the Yangtze River
OR
15-night Authentic China Tour, Cruise on the Yangtze River and Extension to Guilin, Yangshuo and Hong Kong
Your Itinerary In Brief —
Day 1: Arrival - Beijing
Day 2: Beijing
Day 3: Beijing
Day 4: Beijing - Xi'an (via night train)
Day 5: Xi'an
Day 6: Xi'an - Chengdu
Day 7: Chengdu - Chongqing
Day 8: Cruise
Day 9: Cruise
Day 10: Yichang - Shanghai
Day 11: Shanghai
Day 12: Shanghai - Departure
Optional 4-Night Extension:
Day 12: Shanghai - Guilin
Day 13: Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin
Day 14: Guilin - Guangzhou - Hong Kong
Day 15: Hong Kong
Day 16: Hong Kong - Departure
Your Itinerary —
Upon arriving in Beijing, you will be transferred by your driver from the airport to your hotel. Check-in at your hotel and the rest of the day and meals will be at your own leisure. Overnight in Beijing.
Day 2: Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included. Sunday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Meet with your guide in the lobby of your hotel around 08:30 am. Then, transfer to the Temple of Heaven, enjoy a Tai Chi initiation with the local people and then Diabolo with the locals in the temple park.
The Temple of Heaven is one of the most visited monuments in Beijing. This magnificent building, with its triple blue glazed tile roof, is the symbol of the relationship between the world of humans and that of the divine. In addition to the Hall of Prayers for the Abundant Harvests, visit the Altar of Circular Tertre and the Echo Wall. In the temple's park, the locals enjoy leisurely activities (songs, dances, chess, calligraphy on earth, etc) every day. Do not miss the corner of love, where elderly parents teach their single children how to find love. Then, visit Tiananmen Square, and the Forbidden City, a perfect example of the architectural classicism of the Ming Dynasty. Climb the Coal Hill to enjoy a view of the royal palace, before having dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Beijing.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Then, head out on an excursion to the Great Wall Mutianyu in the morning! Located 80km north of the city, this is the less visited section of The Great Wall of China. Ascent and descent on foot (possibility to take the cable car, to pay on the spot). On the Great Wall, you will each be given a kite, allowing you to have an unforgettable experience on this site. Lunch will be served on site. Visit a cloisonné workshop where you will learn about this ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects and how to make this special Chinese craft. Head back to town and look at the Olympic sites: the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Then enjoy dinner at your own leisure. Overnight in Beijing.
Day 4: Beijing - Xi'an (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included + Night Train. Tuesday)
Enjoy a morning walk (by bike cyclocross) in the Hutong area around Lake Houhai. Visit a resident to learn more about the architecture and history of Hutong. Visit the Prince Gong Residence located in the centre of the old town in the Houhai district. The residence is one of the largest private properties in Beijing, well worth a detour to visit its garden, its galleries and its finely carved doors.
You will then continue your visit to the Hutong Nanluoguxiang, a model of the mix of modernisation (chic and appointed stores) and old age (houses in Hutong). In this Hutong, you will taste the Xiaochi of Beijing for lunch (a snack: stuffed fried roll, fermented soy milk, a traditional dessert, etc ... your guide will give you a budget, and you will choose what you want to eat). In the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace, and the Royal Palace from the Qing Dynasty. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant. In the evening transfer to the train station for a night train to Xi'an (soft berth, 1st class). Overnight on board the train.
After arriving early in Xi'an, transfer to your hotel where you can enjoy breakfast. Walk in the Muslim quarter, and visit the Great Mosque, whose architecture is in Chinese style, in a beautiful square courtyard. Sample a local speciality for lunch - Roujiamo, Xi'an kebab and Xi'an noodles.
You will then be transferred to the Great Terracotta Excavation, composed of 6,000 horsemen and infantrymen. In the 3 pits of the site, you can admire thousands of life-size statues, which seem fixed in time and which guard the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The exhibition halls also offer visitors a beautiful collection of precious objects including a remarkable bronze wagon. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
Return to Xi'an City and visit a jade workshop. Find an array of fantastic restaurants nearby your hotel located in the centre of the city. This evening you can opt to add a visit to The Tang Song and Dance Show. Overnight in Xi'an.
Day 6: Xi'an - Chengdu (Breakfast and Lunch included. Thursday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Visit a local market, where you can experience the daily life of local people, who buy vegetables, meats, fish, fruits, spices, and even clothes in the market! Then you will visit a Catholic church, built in 1716 during the Qing Dynasty, it is the largest church in the province. Experience making traditional dumplings with a local chef (duration about 2 hours), before enjoying them in a lunch banquet.
Continue on to the small pagoda of the Wild Goose where you can engage in a Chinese calligraphy course. In the afternoon, take the fast train to Chengdu. Upon arrival, be welcomed by your guide and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy dinner at your leisure. Overnight in Chengdu.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, before visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where you can meet one of China's most famous animals. Breakfast will be served in a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, transfer to the train station and take the high-speed train (about 2h) to Chongqing. On arrival, you will be transferred to the port, where you will board your cruise ship (you can go out for dinner after installation on the ship). An evening information meeting will be held on board. The boat will leave Chongqing in the night. Overnight on board President 8, 5*.
Day 8: Cruise (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included. Saturday)
After breakfast on board, opt to visit the "Ghost City" of Fengdu (290RMB payable at the boat reception), where you will discover the temples located on the Mingshan Mountain. You can then enjoy the rural landscapes of southern China. A buffet lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, visit the Shibaozhai Temple, before returning on board. In the evening, enjoy the captain's welcome dinner, followed by a show presented by the crew. A buffet dinner will be served on board. Overnight on board.
After breakfast, opt to visit the city of the "White Emperor" (290RMB payable at the boat reception), where you will learn the history of the Three Kingdoms period of China. Around noon, you will pass through the first of 3 Qutang Gorges by boat. This visit will be followed by the discovery of the mythical Wu Gorge, known for its mountains and green hills. After a buffet lunch on board, you will make land again for a trip on the banks of the Shennong River, in a small wooden boat. This small tributary of Yang Tse is the main route for farmers living in the area. In the afternoon, return to the boat which will later pass through the 3rd and last of the gorges, Xiling. Enjoy a dinner buffet. Overnight on board.
Day 10: Yichang - Shanghai (Breakfast and Lunch included. Monday)
Disembark your cruise after breakfast and visit the imposing Three Gorges hydraulic dam, the largest in the world. Depart by train to Shanghai, before enjoying lunch in a restaurant in Yichang. Dinner will not be included but is to be taken on board (we suggest purchasing this meal before boarding). Upon arrival in Shanghai in the evening, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in Shanghai.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Visit the Mandarin Yu Garden, the treasure of artistic refinement, followed by a walk to the old town. Lunch will be served during your visit followed by a visit to a silk workshop. In the afternoon, you will have an immersive visit to The Bund, a waterfront area in central Shanghai facing the Huangpu River and the skyscrapers of the Pudong district - the futuristic Shanghai.
Shanghai is a patchwork of atmospheres and neighbourhoods very different from each other. You will start your walk by visiting the Astor Hotel, the first hotel in Shanghai, where the first electric light was lit in China. This classic hotel is an example of the original architecture in Shanghai. After crossing the garden bridge, you will find the Old British Consulate, the first building on The Bund in the 19th century! Then, visit the Fairmont Peace Hotel, an Art Deco masterpiece, - once the most luxurious hotel in the Far East, where a gallery will show you about its prosperous early 20th century!
Continue your tour of The Bund at the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, referred to as "the finest building east of Suez". It deserves a visit for its superb mosaic ceiling, adorned with 12 zodiac signs and 8 banking centres of the world. Discover the old French concession, with the streets lined with trees and elegant houses of the first decades of the 20th century. Dinner will be served at your hotel. Overnight in Shanghai.
Day 12: Shanghai - Departure (Breakfast Included. Wednesday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Take some free time to explore dependant on your flight schedule then be ready for your transfer to the airport for your return flight.
4-Night Optional Extension —
This offer comes with the opportunity to add an additional 4-night extension to Guilin, Yangshuo and Hong Kong. Upon choosing this extension, guests will follow the below itinerary.
Enjoy your breakfast before being transferred to the airport and enjoy a morning flight to Guilin. On arrival, be welcomed by your guide before you check-in at your hotel. Lunch will be served in a tea kitchen, with a tasting of osmanthus wine (a local speciality). In the afternoon, visit the Elephant Trunk Hill - an amazing spot to admire the beauty of the entire city of Guilin. Enjoy dinner at leisure. Overnight in Guilin.
Day 13: Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin (Breakfast and Lunch included. Thursday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Take a morning transfer to the pier for a cruise on the Li River (4h) through the towering peaks and rice paddies, soaking up landscapes of the rural life of South China. Lunch will be served on board the boat (simple menu) before you arrive in Yangshuo in the early afternoon. Enjoy a walk in the streets of this small peaceful village. Return to Guilin for the night where you'll enjoy a dinner at leisure. Overnight in Guilin.
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to the station and take a high-speed train to Guangzhou (3h). On arrival, you will take the next train to Hong Kong (50mn) - the ticket from Guangzhou to Hong Kong will be given to you in Guilin. In Hong Kong, transfer to your hotel and enjoy some free time exploring the city. Overnight in Hong Kong.
Day 15: Hong Kong (Breakfast included. Saturday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, followed by a free day of exploration in Hong Kong. Overnight in Hong Kong.
Day 16: Hong Kong - Departure (Breakfast included. Sunday)
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before you are transferred to the airport.
Sleeps up to
2 Adults
Your Tour Hotels —
President 8, 5* Cruise
President 8, 5* commenced her maiden voyage along the Yangtze River in 2013. At 146.8 metres in length and 20.2 metres in width, it is one of the largest cruise ships on the Yangtze River. Complete with a well-equipped lounge, comfortable deluxe cabins with balconies, international buffets and dining, a pub and bar, and 24-hour room service, this cruise is sure to provide an environment where every guest will enjoy their Yangtze River journey.
Your Cabin
Sleeps up to
2 Adults
4*/5* Hotels
Beijing: Deluxe Room at the Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel or similar
Xi'an: Standard Room at the Grand Dynasty Culture Hotel 4* or similar
Chengdu: Standard Room at the Xinliang Hotel 4* or similar
Shanghai: Standard Room at the Sunrise on the Bund 5* or similar
Optional Extension:
Guilin: Double Room at the Bravo Hotel 4* or similar
Hong Kong: Double Room at the Hotel Penta Kowloon 4* or similar
Your Optional Excursions —
The Tang Song and Dance (Day 5)
Your Journey —
Flights: You may choose from Economy, Premium or Business class flights on sectors that they operate, at the next stage of the booking process.
The flights included are with either a scheduled or no-frills airline and are subject to live availability and prices can change. You can choose your preferred departure times during the booking process. Please select your flight options carefully as departure and arrival airports may differ.
When choosing Offer 1, you will fly into Beijing and out of Shanghai.
When choosing Offer 2, you will fly into Beijing and out of Hong Kong.
Transfers: Shared transfers are included throughout this offer.
