Tour Details
  • Starts in: Beijing / Ends in: Shanghai
  • Departs: Any day of the year - excluding 01-07 May & 01-07 Oct
  • No local payment required
  • Breakfast:17, Lunch: 11, Dinner: 11
  • Hotel Rating: 3 - 4 star
  • Tour Guide: Yes (for scheduled sightseeing)
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Totally China - 18 days

Visiting the nation’s capital - Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin and Yangshuo, Hangzhou, Suzhou and cosmopolitan Shanghai. This cultural rollercoaster of a tour is filled with top UNESCO sites, spectacular scenery and unique experiences, guaranteed to captivate and enthrall.

Day 1: Beijing
Welcome to Beijing! Arrival transfer from the airport to our hotel. Overnight - Beijing
Day 2: The Forbidden City
Today, set out to sightsee the nation’s capital. Tiananmen Square is a square for the public and also home of the mausoleum of Chairman Mao Tse-tung, the Communist father of the Communist People’s Republic and the striking Monument to the People’s Heroes. Across the way is the Forbidden City. A vision in grandeur with it’s imperial yellow roofs and vermilion walls, the Forbidden City, once forbidden to all those except on imperial business until 1911, when the last emperor, Puyi, was turfed off his throne. The Forbidden City, was the seat of the great emperors and the innermost sanctum of the Beijing. Built between 1406 and 1420, it served as the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties. Enjoy a guided walk through the city’s many temples, grand halls and courtyards. This evening, enjoy a dinner at a city restaurant. Overnight - Beijing (B, D)
Totally China - 18 days Go Guide : :Check out the go guide for details of the tour, info on visas, climate, money, what to bring and more!
Fisherman on a boat at sunrise in Guilin with its karst limestone outcrops
Day 3: The Great Wall
Today, travel beyond Beijing to Badaling, where you can walk (almost climb on some sections) on the Great Wall. Following a ridge of barren hills through northern China, it stretches as far as the eye can see - at least 6,700 kms! Continuing on, a visit is made to the tombs of the Ming emperors, where some 13 emperors were interred. The tombs are approached via a sacred gateway and gate houses. Also visit a cloisonne workshop, where you’ll see firsthand the production of decorative items utilising the techniques of this practised and ancient craft. Overnight - Beijing (B, L)
Day 4: The Summer Palace
Beijing - Xi’an. Visit Silk Alley markets and the Summer Palace with its UNESCO-listed imperial gardens, located on Kunming Lake. Tonight catch an overnight sleeper train to Xi'an. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B)
A landscape of karst limestone outcrops, rising from flat rice paddy fields in Guilin
Day 5: Terracotta Warriors
Xi’an is perhaps most famous for the discovery of Emperor Qin’s Terracotta Warriors. Discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, the 2,200 year old Terracotta Warriors comprise more than 7,000 life-sized soldiers standing battle-ready in excavated pits under the cover of a modern protective hanger. No two faces are alike – each is said to be an individual portrait. Today, we visit the archaeological site of the Terracotta Warriors, Huanqing Hot Springs, a scenic spot in the shadow of Li Mountain and a workshop where crafts people make clay warrior replicas. Overnight - Xi'an (B, L, D)
The ancient Memorial Archway in Zhouzhuang in China
Day 6: Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Xi’an - Guilin. Today, we visit the city symbol, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, before enjoying a leisurely bike ride on Xi’an’s medieval City Wall, which dates from the Ming dynasty. We then visit the local Muslim Quarter and Great Mosque. Later, fly from Xi’an to Guilin. Overnight - Guilin (B, L, D)
Day 7: Guilin
Guilin - Yangshou - Guilin. Renown for it’s striking, if bizarre scenery, vast areas of karst limestone outcrops that rise up from flat rice paddy fields, Guilin is often the subject of Chinese painting. We undertake a relaxing cruise down the River Li to Yangshuo passing an endless procession of peaks and simple villages. The local fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish and local village boys paddle out to the river boats with all manner of souvenirs. We spend some time in charming Yangshuo, with its little shops and cafes. Back in Guilin, we visit the enormous Reed Flute Caves. Overnight - Guilin (B, L, D)
A Chinese lady farming a rice paddy field
Days 8 - 9: Hangzhou
Guilin - Hangzhou. Today, we fly from Guilin to scenic Hangzhou. Hangzhou is unusual for a Chinese city, in that it encompasses large tracts of greenery which might normally be classified as countryside. This is thanks to Xi Hu, the large lake that Hangzhou straddles. The lake is dotted with various islands and causeways, whilst the shoreline offers wonderful vistas of green trees, hills, flowers, pavillions, pagodas and boats. Zangzhou is also the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and an important centre for silk, tea and paper-making. On day 8 visit Six Harmonies Pagoda and Chinese Tea Museum. The following day explore the West Lake, Lingyin Temple and take a bicycle ride. Overnight - Hangzhou (B:2, L:2, D:2)
Day 10: Tunxi
Huangzhou - Tunxi. Sitting at the foot of Mt Huangshan, Tunxi is an ancient town that is set around the junction of two rivers in the southernmost area of Anhui Province. It’s famous ancient street is lined with many ancient, yet very well preserved buildings in the Ming and Qing style. Upon arriving in Tunxi, the remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight - Tunxi (B, L, D)
A cable car travelling to breathtaking Huangshan (aka Yellow Mountain) in the Tunxi Region
Days 11 - 12: Yellow Mountain
Visit Huangshan by cable car. Considered the most beautiful mountain in China, Yellow Mountain or Huangshan is one of a range of 72 peaks in the south of Anhui Province. Set amidst rural landscapes and with its slopes clad in pine, the ethereal scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. Some 9,000 steps have been carved into the mountain, for those that want to walk up the most stunning stairwell on earth, though our excursion does include a return cable-car journey to the scenic area, where you’ll stay for two nights in a hotel at the top. Overnight - Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) (B:2, L:2, D:2)
Days 13 - 14: Suzhou
Tunxi - Suzhou. Travel to ancient Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. One of China’s most charming cities, Suzhou’s fame rests on it’s waterways, and canals that are dotted with traditional bridges, houses and UNESCO-listed gardens. On day 14 a cruise on the Grand Canal exposes Suzhou’s beauty. Also visit a silk workshop and the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Overnight - Suzhou (B:2, L:2, D:2)
Boats on the waterways of Zhouzhuang, an ancient town near Shanghai
Days 15 - 16: Zhouzhuang
Suzhou - Zhouzhuang - Shanghai. En route to Shanghai stop off at lovely Zhouzhuang - an ancient town featuring traditional buildings, small bridges and tree-lined waterways astride the Jinghang Canal.

Perhaps China’s most modern city, Shanghai's amazing Pudong skyline is breathtaking. Upon arrival enjoy a tour of the Bund area and a cruise on the Huangpu River. On day 16 tour the Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, Old City area, Oriental Pearl TV tower and Shanghai Museum. Overnight - Shanghai (B:2)
Day 17: Shanghai
Today is free for you to explore the sights of Shanghai. Perhaps visit the Oriental Pearl TV tower, the Jade Buddha Temple, French Quarter or the Old City and have a drink at landmark Peace Hotel on Shanghai’s famous Bund, with its legendary jazz band which play nostalgic rhythms amidst 1930s Art Deco elegance. Overnight - Shanghai (B)
Day 18: Shanghai
Hotel check out and included onward departure transfer to the airport. (B)

Bolt-on Tang Dynasty!
Enjoy a colourful Tang Dynasty dinner and performance in Xi’an. Hosted on day 5 of your tour.

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