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totally china - 18 days
 Tour Information
Starts in: Beijing
Ends in: Beijing
Prices from: USD $3749
Local Payment Required: No
Breakfast: Daily, Lunch: 11, Dinner: 11
Hotel rating: 3 - 4 
Guide: Yes (during included sightseeing)
Days 1: Beijing Start any day
Beijing - Good Morning Beijing! Arrival transfer from the airport to our hotel. Overnight - Beijing.
Day 2: Forbidden city
Beijing - breakfast. Today we set out to sightsee the nation’s capital. Beijing is also China’s political, economic and cultural big boy. It’s been around since the year dot. Established in 1045 BC, for 800 years alone it served as the capital of several powerful dynasties. 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. We’ll have a stroll on the square, which attracts many pleasure seekers taking photos. Accross 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. Beijing was always a walled city but the Forbidden City, seat of the great emperors, was the innermost sanctum of the city. 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. Dinner and overnight - Beijing.
Day 3: The Great Wall
Today, travel beyond Beijing to Badaling, where you can walk (and almost climb on some sections) on the Great Wall. No matter how many pictures you’ve seen, the Great Wall of China is grand. Following a ridge of barren hills through northern China, it stretches as far as the eye can see - at least 6,700 kms. Continuing, 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. Lunch and overnight - Beijing
Day 4: Summer Palace
Beijing - Xi’an - breakfast - Visit Silk Alley markets and the Summer Palace with its UNESCO-listed imperial gardens, located on Kunming Lake. Overnight train to Xi’an.
Day 5: Xi’an / Terracotta Warriors
Xi’an - breakfast. 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. Lunch, dinner and overnight – Xi’an
Day 6: Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Xi’an - Shanghai - breakfast. 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. Lunch, dinner and overnight - Guilin.
Day 7: Guilin
Guilin - Yangshou - Guilin - breakfast. 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. Lunch, Dinner and overnight - Guilin.
Days 8 & 9: Hangzhou
Guilin - Hangzhou - breakfast. 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. We visit Six Harmonies Pagoda and Chinese Tea Museum. On day 9 we explore the West Lake, Lingyin Temple and take a bicycle ride. Lunch, dinner and overnight (2) - Hangzhou.
Day 10: Tunxi
Huangzhou - Tunxi - breakfast. 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. Lunch, dinner and overnight Tunxi.
Days 11 & 12: Huangshan
Tunxi region for Huangshan and region - breakfast. 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. Lunch, dinner and overnight (2) - Huangshan.
Days 13 & 14: Suzhou
Tunxi - Suzhou - breakfast. Day 13 Continue to ancient Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Day 14 - 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. A cruise on the Grand Canal exposes Suzhou’s beauty. Also visit a silk workshop and the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Lunch, dinner and overnight (2) - Suzhou.
Days 15 & 16: Zhouzhuang
Suzhou - Zhouzhuang - Shanghai - breakfast. Enroute to Shanghai we stop off at lovely Zhouzhuang - an ancient town featuring traditional buildings, small bridges and tree-lined waterways astride the Jinghang Canal. Focus your eyes on spectacular Shanghai. Perhaps China’s most modern city, its amazing Pudong skyline is breathtaking. Enjoy a tour of the Bund area and a cruise on the Huangpu River. On day 16 we tour the Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, Old City area, Oriental Pearl TV tower and Shanghai Museum. Overnight (2) - Shanghai.
Days 17: Shanghai
Shanghai - breakfast. Today is free for you to explore. Perhaps visit the Oriental Pearl TV tower, the Jade Buddha Temple, French Quarter or the Old City. Later this evening we board the overnight sleeper train bound for Beijing. Overnight - sleeper train.
Day 18: Beijing
Arrive Beijing and included onward departure transfer to the airport. | |
