Day 1 Shanghai (D)
Arrive in Shanghai, the largest and most cosmopolitan city, as modern as any in the world. You are greeted on arrival and escorted to your world-class hotel in a prime setting near many popular shops and restaurants.
Day 2 Shanghai (B L D)
You will sightsee from the riverfront Bund where foreign traders left a legacy of European-style buildings, to the Yuyuan Gardens with its quintessential Chinese zigzag bridge, rookeries, 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 3 Shanghai / Wuxi(B L D)
Embark on a coach to Wuxi, a large city of Jiangsu Province, as well as "hometown of fish and rice" by the the lake of Tai. Your sightseeing includes a boat ride on the lake.
Day 4 Wuxi / Suzhou (B L D)
Embark on a Grand Canal cruise*, still a vibrant trade route after 1300 years of use. Arrive in Suzhou for a special evening at the Garden of the Master of Nets. Walk the lantern-lit paths with surprises at every turn, accompanied by live classical music.
Day 5 Suzhou / Guilin (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 ship for local artisans' prized silks at the Embroidery Institute. After your tour, transfer to Shanghai and fly to 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 6 Guilin(B L D)
Few could fail to be enraptured by the beauty of the Li River, with its delicate karst 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 7 Guilin /Xi'an (B L D)
Fly to Xi'an, a vital center of history, culture and archaeology.
Day 8 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 9 Xi'an / Beijing (B L D)
Transfer to the airport to catch the flight to Beijing.
Day 10 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 Min and Ding 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 11 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 Min Tombs, the graveyard of 13 emperors, before returning to Beijing for an imperial-style Peking Duck dinner.
Day 12 Beijing (B)
With new insights and found memories of China, you embark on your homebound journey aboard your select airline.
*Canal cruise is only available for 10 and up participants of each departure. |
