 |
China Classic Highlight Tour 12 Days |
 |
Visit: Shanghai - Suzhou - Hangzhou - Beijing - Xian - Guilin
Tour Code: GTCHN12 |
|
| Detailed Itinerary |
|
Day
01 |
USA - Shanghai, China |
| Depart from one of the West Coast gateway cities where your tour representative will help you board the flight to Shanghai. |
|
|
| Day 02 |
Shanghai - Suzhou
|
| Arrive in Shanghai, the largest metropolis of China with a population of 16 million. The tour guide will meet you at Shanghai International Airport, and then transfer you to Suzhou. Stay in Suzhou. |
|
Hotel: Suzhou Renjia Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 03 |
Suzhou - Hangzhou
(B,L,D) |
| Your first stop is Panmen Scenic Area. Dating back to the Spring & Autumn Period (722-481BC), Panmen is Suzhou's highest stone arch bridge spanning the Grand Canal, another wonder of ancient China. Then make a visit to the elegant Garden of Master Net. Built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), it exemplifies the Chinese garden-designing principle of "catching a world of beauty in a highly limited place." Part of this garden is now reproduced in the New York Metropolitan Museum. The next stop is a time-honored silk-weaving factory, where the reeling process for unwinding silk filaments from cocoons might mystify you. Continue your bus tour to Hangzhou. You will visit the centuries-old Lingyin (Soul's Retreat) Temple, which houses an 82-feet Buddha carved from camphor wood. |
|
Hotel: Grand Metropark Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 04 |
Hangzhou - Beijing
(B,L,D) |
| Hangzhou is praised along with Suzhou as an "earthly paradise". The day's activities feature a boat trip on the beautiful West Lake with a stop at a typical teahouse - Hangzhou is known for its green tea. Return to Shanghai for the evening flight to Beijing. |
|
Hotel: Kunlun Hotel/Tianlun Dynasty Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 05 |
Beijing
(B,L,D) |
| Beijing served as the capital for 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from heaven. Begin your city tour with a visit to the Summer Palace, whose construction was completed in 1750 as a royal recreational resort. Among its famous features are the nearly half-a-mile-long covered corridor with its painted ceiling gallery, the Marble Boat, and several magnificently painted pavilions and pagodas. The next stop is the Palace Museum, more commonly known as the Forbidden City. It used to be open only to the emperor's family. This complex, the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, all with golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars, and vermilion walls. See the high-walled "Inner City" with its government buildings. Sightseeing continues at the Temple of Heaven where the Ming and Qing emperors conducted the annual
ceremony to pray to the heaven for a good harvest. This evening you will enjoy a special imperial cuisine served at Fangshan Restaurant. |
|
Hotel: Kunlun Hotel/Tianlun Dynasty Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 06 |
Beijing
(B,L,D) |
| Here is your chance to climb the Great Wall of China! This wonder of the world, built more than 2,000 years ago. Then visit the Ming Tombs, the burial place of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Yearlong excavations have uncovered many rare treasures such as gold crowns and silk robes. Tonight's special dinner gives you a real taste of Peking Duck. After dinner, you will enjoy an acrobatic performance. |
|
Hotel: Kunlun Hotel/Tianlun Dynasty Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 07 |
Beijing - Xian
(B,L,D) |
| In the morning, take a stroll around Tian'an Men Square (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), the largest square in the world and also known for many historical and contemporary events in China. Then fly to Xian. Visit the Wild Goose Pagoda and the Ancient City Walls. In the evening, you will see a wonderful stage show of the Tang Dynasty. |
|
Hotel: Shangri-la Hotel/Sheraton Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 08 |
Xian
(B,L,D) |
| Xian was the capital of China for 73 emperors in 11 dynasties extending over 1,100 years. Following a visit to the Qing Tomb Park, you will visit another wonder of the ancient China¡Vthe Terra Cotta Warriors. Concealed under earth, the thousands of life-size clay warriors, horses and chariots, were part of the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang, the first emperor of China who initiated the Great Wall. They were accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1974 while he was digging a well. You might chance upon some archaeologists still working on site to uncover the rest of the vast tomb complex. For dinner, feast on numerous varieties of dumplings. |
|
Hotel: Shangri-la Hotel/Sheraton Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 09 |
Xian - Guilin
(B,L,D) |
| Take a morning flight to Guilin, a southwest city famous for its fabulous natural scenery. The Reed Flute Cave features fantastic natural stalactite and stalagmite formations which are now artfully illuminated by multicolored lights. Another magnificent view is Elephant Trunk Hill which stands along Li River. This evening you will watch an ethnic song and dance performance. |
|
Hotel: Royal Garden Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 10 |
Guilin - Shanghai
(B,L,D) |
| Cruising down the Li River, you will be fascinated by a living gallery. Cormorant fishing on the Li River, limestone spires rising out of the flat ground in the distance, with some peaks rounds and others sharply pointed, with often perpendicular cliffs and trees sprouting from the cracks to bend skyward - definitely a surreal landscape you never see anywhere else in the world. Disembark at Yangshuo to experience a colorful local market. Return to Guilin. Then Fly to Shanghai Enjoy your night in Shanghai. |
|
Hotel: Jinjiang Tower/Central Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 11 |
Shanghai
(B,L,D) |
| Shanghai, once a tranquil but busy fishing village, and long known as a paradise for adventures in the years before 1949, is now the largest commercial and financial center of China. Sightseeing includes the Old Town, a finely designed maze of elegant pavilions and ponds in the old part of this city. Then stroll along the Bund, China's most famous waterfront stretching about one mile along the Huangpu River. Then ascend the Tower of the East Pearl (Asia's highest) in the newly developed Pudong District. Stay overnight in Shanghai. |
|
Hotel: Jinjiang Tower/Central Hotel or similar |
|
| Day 12 |
Shanghai - USA
(B,L) |
| You will visit Shanghai Museum, one of the best museums in China. It's time to pack the mementos and memories. Take the Maglev, a fast speed train to the airport and fly homeward or wing on to your next destination. |
 |
|
|
|
