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Day 1 Beijing (D)
Arrive in Beijing, the capital and cultural center of China, where virtually every boulevard and building exudes an air of importance, Transfer on arrival to your plush hotel.
Day 2 Beijing (B L D)
Enjoy a full-day tour of the sights that make Beijing a spectacular destination: the sprawling Forbidden City, home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors and now a repository of precious art and antiques; the Temple of Heaven, famous for its elegance and symmetry; and the Summer Palace, an oasis of tea gardens, pavilions, painted corridors, and shimmering Kunming Lake with Empress Dowager's eccentric marble ship.
Day 3 Beijing (B L D)
One of the world's most awe-inspiring sights, the Great Wall snakes along nearly 4000 miles of impossibly steep hills and harsh, rugged plains. Today's excursion will give you ample time to explore it in leisure and marvel at the manpower that went into building the world's longest structure entirely by hand. Continue to the Ming Tombs, the graveyard of 13 emperors, before returning to Beijing for an imperial-style Peking Duck dinner.
Day 4 Beijing / Yichang (B L D)
This morning, after breakfast, fly to Yichang and board your Yangtze cruise ship. Settle into your stateroom and enjoy dinner on board. Your cruise starts in the evening.
Day 6 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
A thrilling day features a tour of the Three Gorges Dam site, now under construction; and passage through rushing Xiling Gorge and the Twelve Peaks of Wu Gorge, enshrouded in Chinese lore. Tonight the captain hosts a welcome dinner on board.
Day 7 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
Experience the lush unspoiled nature of the Daning River on today's excursion aboard small boats. Re-aboard ship and sail the most scenic of the great Three Gorges, Qutang.
Day 8 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
You will enjoy a land excursion today which includes a smaller cruise to the smaller Three Gorges. Pass through Qutang Gorge in the afternoon.
Day 9 Yangtze River Cruise (B L D)
Your final day of cruising is marked by pastoral scenes and a visit of the "Ghost City" of Fengdu.
Day 14 Chongqing / Xi'an (B L D)
Arrive in Chongqing this morning. City tour will be available upon your arrival. Wing on to Xi'an, a vital center of history, culture and archaeology. |
Day 11 Xi'an (B L D)
It is impossible to overstate Xi'an's importance in China's history. Here began the fabled Silk Road, here a string of dynasties made their capital, here a Neolithic culture built a village 6000 years ago, and here lies a highlight of your trip: the excavation site of 8000 terra cotta soldiers, buried around the tomb of Emperor Qin, builder of the Great Wall and other massive endeavors. Round out your tour with stops at the old City gate, Provincial Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day 12 Xi'an / Guilin (B L D)
Fly to the watercolor landscapes of Guilin and settle in at your plush hotel on the stunning Li River. This afternoon enjoy an orientation tour of the city, and a visit to Reed Flute Cave.
Day 13 Guilin (B L D)
Few could fail to be enraptured by the beauty of the Li River, with its delicate karsts formations, beautiful rural scenery, and lush green hillsides with bizarre rock formations and caves. Centuries of poets and artists have immortalized the very scenes you'll savor on a full-day air-conditioned cruise along this unique and tranquil waterway.
Day 14 Guilin / Hangzhou (B L D)
Continue your journey to Hangzhou. Marco Polo called it "paradise on earth" and you re sure to agree Hangzhou is one of China's most scenic towns, a silk and tea center, with sights found nowhere else in the country.
Day 15 Hangzhou (B L D)
Your visit today includes all the city highlights: the view from Six Harmonies Pagoda; the grandeur of the Temple of Spirit's retreat; and most of all, a cruise on West Lake in the heart of the city, dotted with palaces, reflecting pools, pagodas and gardens inspired by the highly-cultured Song Dynasty.
Day 16 Hangzhou / Suzhou (B L D)
Arrive in Suzhou for a special evening at the Garden of the Master of Nets. Walk the lantern-lit paths with surprises at every turns, accompanied by live classical music.
Day 17 Suzhou / Shanghai (B L D)
Packed with gardens, pagodas, temples, lively shops and street scenes, Suzhou is a pleasure to explore, as you'll do on this morning's tour. Step into small, harmonious gardens designed with rock, water, trees and showy vegetation, then shop for local artisans' prized silks at the Embroidery Institute. After your tour, transfer to Shanghai.
Day 18 Shanghai (B L D)
Your full-day tour presents Shanghai's eclectic nature, from the riverfront Bund where foreign traders left a legacy of European-style buildings, to the Yuyuan Gardens with its quintessential Chinese zigzag bridge, rockeries, and pavilions. Visit the Children's Palace where school kids study traditional arts, and the dazzling new Shanghai Museum where the development of the arts is traced back thousands of years. Complete the day at a thrilling show by the Shanghai Acrobats.
Day 19 Shanghai / Home
With new insights and found memories of China, you embark on your homebound journey aboard your select airline. |
