Xi’an — Ancient City Wall

Chengdu — Giant Pandas

Shanghai — The Bund

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15 Days Grand China Discovery

15 Days Grand China Discovery

Duration: 15 Days / 14 Nights

Fifteen days and seven cities — the most complete first journey through China. Begin with four days in Beijing for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Travel by high-speed train to Xi’an for the Terracotta Warriors, then on to Chengdu for the giant pandas and to the riverside mountain city of Chongqing. Fly to Shanghai for the Bund, Yu Garden and the water town of Zhujiajiao, before ending among the lakes and classical gardens of Hangzhou and Suzhou.

Tour Highlights

  • Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and a hutong rickshaw ride in Beijing
  • The Great Wall at Mutianyu with cable car, plus the Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace
  • The Terracotta Warriors and the ancient City Wall of Xi’an
  • Giant pandas in Chengdu and the lights of Hongya Cave in Chongqing
  • Shanghai’s Bund, Yu Garden and the water town of Zhujiajiao
  • West Lake and Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, classical gardens and Tiger Hill in Suzhou

Destinations:

Beijing Xi’an Chengdu Chongqing Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou

Itinerary
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Welcome to China. On arrival at Beijing Capital or Beijing Daxing International Airport, meet your driver and transfer by private vehicle to your hotel. Check-in and spend the rest of the day at leisure to rest and adjust to the time difference. Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin at Tiananmen Square, the vast public square at the heart of Beijing, then walk through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City — the Palace Museum — home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for almost five centuries and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon, take a rickshaw ride through the old hutong lanes around Nanluoguxiang for a glimpse of traditional courtyard life in old Beijing. The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, so the order of the Beijing days may be adjusted. Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive north of the city to Mutianyu, one of the most scenic and best-restored sections of the Great Wall, set among forested hills. Ride the cable car up and back, and walk along the ramparts between the watchtowers. On the way back, stop at the Olympic Park for photographs of the Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube from outside. Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing emperors came to pray for good harvests, and see its triple-roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. In the afternoon, continue to the Summer Palace, China’s largest imperial garden, with Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill and the painted Long Corridor. Overnight in Beijing.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the railway station for the high-speed train to Xi’an, the ancient capital at the eastern end of the Silk Road. On arrival, meet your guide and drive to the Terracotta Army Museum to see the thousands of life-size clay warriors buried to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Xi’an.

Breakfast at the hotel. Walk along the Xi’an City Wall, one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in China — cycling on top of the wall is a popular option. Visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built in the Tang dynasty to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the monk Xuanzang, and end the day in the lively Muslim Quarter with its market lanes and street food. Overnight in Xi’an.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the high-speed train to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. On arrival, meet your guide and visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to see giant pandas — and the smaller red pandas — in their bamboo-filled enclosures. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Chengdu.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Jinsha Site Museum, built over the remains of the ancient Shu kingdom that flourished here some 3,000 years ago. In the afternoon, stroll through Kuanzhai Alley — the Wide and Narrow Alleys — with their restored Qing dynasty courtyard houses and teahouses, and Jinli Ancient Street, at its most atmospheric in the evening. Overnight in Chengdu.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the high-speed train to Chongqing, a mountain city built where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze. In the afternoon, visit Ciqikou, an old Ming and Qing era town on the banks of the Jialing River, and in the evening see Hongya Cave, the cliffside stilt-house complex that lights up spectacularly after dark. Overnight in Chongqing.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your domestic flight from Chongqing to Shanghai. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the evening, walk with your guide along the Bund, the riverside promenade lined with colonial-era buildings facing the Pudong skyline, and along Nanjing Road, one of China’s best-known shopping streets. Overnight in Shanghai.

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin at Yu Garden, a classical Ming dynasty garden of rockeries, ponds and pavilions, beside the old City God Temple bazaar. Cross the river to Lujiazui in Pudong to see the Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower from outside, then end the day in Tianzifang, a maze of art studios, cafés and boutiques set in traditional shikumen lane houses. Overnight in Shanghai.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive west of Shanghai to Zhujiajiao, an old water town of canals, stone bridges and Ming and Qing era houses. Take a boat ride along the canals and wander the narrow lanes before returning to Shanghai. Overnight in Shanghai.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the high-speed train to Hangzhou (about 1 hour). In the afternoon, visit West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for centuries by Chinese poets and painters, and Lingyin Temple, one of China’s most important Buddhist temples, with hundreds of rock carvings on the cliffs of Feilai Feng. Overnight in Hangzhou.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the high-speed train to Suzhou. Visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the largest of Suzhou’s classical gardens and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Tiger Hill, crowned by a thousand-year-old leaning brick pagoda. Overnight in Suzhou.

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out and take the high-speed train back to Shanghai, then private transfer to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao Airport for your flight home. End of our services.
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Inclusions

  • Accommodation as per programme
  • Daily breakfast at the hotel
  • Airport and railway station transfers as per programme
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle on all touring days
  • High-speed train and domestic flight tickets as per programme
  • Licensed English-speaking guide on all guided tours
  • All entrance fees and activities as mentioned in the itinerary, including the Mutianyu Great Wall cable car
  • All applicable local taxes

Exclusions

  • International airfare
  • China visa fees
  • Lunch and dinner unless specified
  • Optional activities and excursions on free days
  • Personal expenses — laundry, tips, telephone, minibar
  • Travel insurance
  • Tipping for guide and driver
  • Single room supplement
  • Anything not mentioned in Inclusions

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