14-Day Small-Group China Tour: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangtze Cruise, Shanghai

Day 1: Pick up from Beijing Airport

1. Beijing
   30m
   Your professional local guide will meet you at Beijing Airport after reclaiming your luggage and clearing customs. Your driver will take you in a comfortable vehicle to the hotel and help you with the check-in procedure. The rest of the day is free for you.

Day 2: Tiananmen, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven

1. Tiananmen Square
   30m
   This morning, your tour guide will pick up you at the hotel and take you to visit Tiananmen Square. You will see what the biggest urban city square in the world looks like.
2. The Palace Museum
   3h · Admission ticket included
   From the Tiananmen Square, you will enter the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City to explore its fascinating halls and pavilions. Here, you will not only learn how the emperor handled political affairs and lived their lives, but appreciate numerous ancient art treasures. Then enjoy your lunch at a good local restaurant.
3. Temple of Heaven
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   In the afternoon, you will see the Temple of Heaven, with its unique architecture, where the emperors worshipped the heavens in hopes of good harvests.
4. Red Theater Acrobatic Show Official
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Tonight, we will arrange for you to enjoy the wonderful acrobatic show in the Red Theater. We specially serve you a welcome a la carte dinner (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in tour price) at a popular restaurant, where you can have a taste of the most famous Peking Roast Duck and other authentic typical dishes.

Day 3: China Great Wall Tour

1. Mutianyu Great Wall
   2h · Admission ticket included
   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. To celebrate and commemorate this moment, we specially provide red wine for a group-toasting on the Great Wall.
   
   After enjoying a buffet lunch, we will return downtown.
2. Bird's Nest National Stadium
   Pass by
   In the afternoon, on the way back you will have a photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.
3. Hutong Tour
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Afterwards, you will take a rickshaw tour to explore the original Hutong alleys and have a chance to visit a local family.

Day 4: Summer Palace, Beijing to Xi'an by High-speed Train

1. Summer Palace
   3h · Admission ticket included
   In the morning, you will visit the Summer Palace - the largest existing imperial garden with a graceful landscape and magnificent constructions.
2. Xi'an
   2h
   After a local flavor lunch, you will take a high-speed train to Xi'an, where your local guide will pick you up at the railway station and transfer you to the hotel.

Day 5: Terracotta Army, Ancient Pagoda & Tang Dynasty Dancing Show

1. The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses
   3h · Admission ticket included
   The visit to the Terracotta Army will begin your day's journey. In the museum, there are three excavated pits displaying amazing warrior figures and Chinese ancient weapons. Afterwards, take a family visit to the home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army. And then make a mini clay warrior by yourself with the help of a local artisan. We will serve your lunch today at a good local restaurant nearby.
2. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, you will the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) to store the Buddhist scriptures brought from ancient India.
3. Tang Dynasty Show
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   A splendid evening is in store when you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show while partaking in the famous Dumpling Dinner.

Day 6: Xi'an City Tour

1. Xi'an City Wall
   3h · Admission ticket included
   The day begins with a leisure visit to the City Wall Park, where you can observe the day-to-day life of the locals. You may also practice Tai Chi with the master. Tai Chi, a soft form of Chinese martial arts, is considered the quintessential Chinese culture.
   
   After that, you will pay a visit to the City Wall. It is the most complete existing urban fortification in China. Cycling on the ancient wall is an exciting experience that many people like to try (bike rental fee is not included).
2. Xi'an Mosque
   30m · Admission ticket included
   The Great Mosque in Xi'an is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China.
3. Muslim Quarter
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Then you will have a special lunch at the lively Muslim Quarter and try some local food.
4. Shaanxi History Museum
   2h
   Afterwards, visit Shaanxi History Museum, known as the pearl of Xi'an and the treasury of China for storing and exhibiting historical relics unearthed from this land, where the capital of thirteen ancient dynasties of China is located. If the Shaanxi History Museum is not available, alternatively, the famous Forest of Stone Steles Museum will be arranged instead.

Day 7: Xi'an - Guilin by Plane

1. Guilin
   2h
   This morning, you will take a flight to Guilin and your local guide will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel for check in.
2. Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan)
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   Your Guilin sightseeing starts with the famous Reed Flute Cave, which is a 240 meter karst cave that has various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites.
3. Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbishan)
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Then you will head to the Elephant Trunk Hill. The shape of the hill is just like a giant elephant boozing water from the river with its long trunk, hence got the name. After that, you will be transfered back to the hotel.

Day 8: Li River Cruise

1. 4h · Admission ticket included
   Take a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Li River is the essence of landscape in this area, especially the section from Guilin to Yangshuo, which is reputed as 'A Hundred Miles Gallery'. The cruise ship will arrive at Yangshuo in about 4.5 hours.
2. West Street
   2h · Admission ticket included
   After docking at Yangshuo, you will walk through the well-known West Street. Then you will enjoy the amazing rural scenery as we drive along the surrounding country roads of Yangshuo. En route, you will be invited to visit a villager's home. After that, transfer you back to Guilin.

Day 9: Guilin - Chongqing by a bullet train

1. Chongqing
   6h
   Take a high-speed train for around 5 hours to Chongqing in the morning. Upon arrival, you will be met and escorted to board the Century Oasis cruise ship for a three-night stay. After some rest in your private cabin, you will have an exclusive exquisite buffet dinner and be welcomed by a wine party hosted by the Captain. The ship is set to sail at 22:00.

Day 10: Yangtze River Cruise

1. Fengdu Ghost City
   2h · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast, disembark for an excursion to the Fengdu Ghost City, a palace complex where you get to see what the underworld in Chinese folklores looks like.
   
   Afternoon is free time for you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Yangtze River on deck. Attend some cultural programs onboard if you like.

Day 11: Yangtze River Cruise

1. Shennv Stream
   3h · Admission ticket included
   The most essential part of your Yangtze River cruise tour comes today as the ship sails through the Three Gorges: Qutang, Wu and Xiling gorges. Experience an exciting onshore excursion to Shennv Stream.

Day 12: Yichang - Shanghai by a bullet train

1. Three Gorges Dam Project
   3h · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast, you will disembark for an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. Before that, you should pack your luggage and complete check-out procedures.
2. Yichang
   1h
   After finishing the excursion, the cruise ship company will drive you to the Three Gorges Tourist Center in Yichang city. Your local guide will meet you there and then see you off at Yichang East Railway Station for a bullet train to Shanghai. On the way to the station, your guide will take you to KFC or McDonald's to buy some take-away food for lunch as we have no time to sit in the restaurant to enjoy the dishes. Also, we will prepare for you some fruits and drinks.
3. Shanghai
   30m
   Upon your arrival, your guide in Shanghai will greet you and transfer you to your hotel.

Day 13: Shanghai City Trip

1. Shanghai Museum (Shanghai Bowuguan)
   2h · Admission ticket included
   This morning, you will visit one of the four largest museums in China, Shanghai Museum, which specializes in exhibiting art works from ancient times.
2. Yu Garden
   2h · Admission ticket included
   After that, explore Yu Garden and its nearby traditional bazaar. The symbol of the Garden is the Nine Zigzag Bridge built of granite and grass-white jade and the quaint, elegant mid-lake pavilion.
3. Huangpu River
   1h · Admission ticket included
   And then go to the thriving Bund area. Take a one-hour cruise along the Hungpu River - the mother river of Shanghai. As the symbol and a microcosm of the city, the river has witnessed the glory, humiliation, despair and prosperity of Shanghai. Upon returning to the hotel our guide will see you into the lobby to say bon voyage.

Day 14: Leave Shanghai by yourself

1. Shanghai
   1h
   After breakfast at the hotel, please find your own way to the airport for your homeward flight. Due to different flight schedules, the hotel-airport transfer service is not included. However, we would be happy to assist you if needed.

Pickup details

Your guide will pick up you at the Beijing airport.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• NO shopping detours, no factory stores, no tea ceremony, no shopping site restaurant. Avoid wasting time at any shopping motive stop.
• Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
• A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
• Xi'an Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show is available from Apr to Nov.
• A munimun of 2 people per booking is required
• Group size: About 18 pax.