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 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 Heaven, focus 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 400 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 / Xi'an (B L D)
Wing on to Xi'an, a vital center of history, culture and archeology. |
Day 5 Xi'an (B L D)
It is impossible to overstate Ian'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 6 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 7 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 save on a full-day air-conditioned cruise along this unique and tranquil waterway.
Day 8 Guilin (B)
With new insights and found memories of China, you embark on your homebound journey abroad your select airline. |
