This comprehensive tour of China’s splendours is ideal for the discerning traveller who wants to see China’s wonders both historical and natural. You will visit Beijing and Xian and see the wonders of imperial China at its earliest in the form of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, and at its end in 1911 – the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. You will visit and experience Huanglong, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu and cruise the famous Three Gorges absorbing its landscape and vegetation and visiting China’s unique Panda Bears. Then jolting you into the future, your tour leads you to Shanghai, arguably one of the most vital cities in the world renown for its pulsating energy and economic force. This tour will leave you spellbound.
You transfer to your hotel.
After breakfast you will visit Tiananmen Square, look across the vast space to the Great Hall of the People and stand before the massive Tiananmen (Heavenly Peace) Gate bearing a huge portrait of Mao Zedong where he proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on 1 October 1949. Lying behind is the Forbidden City, as the former imperial palace is called, where the magnificent marble courtyards, huge halls, gilded temples and ornate pavilions, the residence of the emperors and their families, are now open to your wonderment. After lunch there will be a rickshaw tour of Beijing’s old Hutong district, a fascinating maze of narrow alleys, old houses and hidden courtyards dating from Yuan Dynasty times (14th century), where people who live and work here welcome you into their homes. (B/L)
You will be taken north today to pace the ramparts of China’s famed 
Great Wall, originally constructed over 2000 years ago to keep northern invaders at bay.
On the way back to your hotel, you will make a stop at the National Olympic Stadium. This evening a traditional Peking Duck dinner completes a very special day. (B/L/D)
Today you will visit the Summer Palace, the famed pleasure garden of the Qing Emperors. Beautiful ornamental plantings, languid willows and painted pavilions surround a scenic lake, across which are enchanting views to the pagoda-capped Jade Spring Hill and the mountains beyond. Finally you will visit the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors, for the good of the empire, carried out the most important sacrifices and ceremonies of the year. Set in a huge park planted with conifers, the beautiful blue tiled buildings here represent the epitome of Ming architecture. (B/L)
You transfer to the airport for your flight to Xian. Over 1,000 years ago, Xian was the capital city of the Tang Dynasty and the largest then most cosmopolitan city in the world. This afternoon you walk along the top of the Xian City Wall which encircles the inner city. This evening you will enjoy the lavish spectacle of the Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show. (B/L/D)
Today you will visit the remarkable archaeological site where the Terracotta Warriors who guarded the tomb of China’s great unifier and first emperor, Qinshihuang who died in 210 BC, were discovered. View the army of some 6000 life-size terracotta warriors and their horses made and buried, lined up facing east in battle array. (B/L)
You fly to Jiuzhaigou via Chengdu. On arrival in Jiuzhaigou, you will travel to Huanglong, a famous World Heritage site. Huanglong has very special scenery, rich natural beauty, and primeval forests. It is called "A Fairyland on Earth". (B/L/D)
You spend the day sightseeing in Jiuzhaigou, one of China’s most scenic reserves. Jiuzhaigou covers 240 sq miles (620 sq km) of mountain valleys dotted with Tibetan villages. Beneath the snow-capped mountains, the valley floors are dotted with almost 100 extraordinarily blue lakes. Broad waterfalls, heavily encrusted with lime deposits, connect many of the lakes. (B/L)
You fly to Chengdu and the rest of the day is at your leisure. (B/L)
Today you will experience one of the most unique and special moments on this trip – a visit to see the giant pandas. Sichuan Province is home to China’s most celebrated animal. Later you travel to Leshan, 167km south-west of Chengdu, to view the Giant Buddha statue which is carved unto a cliff on the bank of the River Min. Carved between 713 to 803 AD to subdue flooding, it is 71m tall. (B/L)
Today you will be transferred to the station for your fast train to Chongqing. On arrival you enjoy an orientation tour of this enormous modern city of 30 million on the banks of the Yangtze River. Later you will be transferred to your luxurious Yangtze River cruise ship. (B/L/D)
cruise the famous Yangtze River in a superbly appointed cruise ship as it winds its way through the spectacular scenery of the Three Gorges. For many people, a cruise along this famous river is a lifelong dream. At 6300km, the Yangtze is the third longest river in the world, made famous today by its spectacular Three Gorges and the controversial Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges stretch for 193km, along which are many historic sites such as Baidi City, cliff inscriptions, suspended coffins of the Ba Tribe, tombs of the Han Dynasty (prior to 220 AD) and battlefields of the Three Kingdoms period. Where the river widens, terraced fields spread out up mountain slopes, interspersed with orange orchards and tea gardens. The mist-shrouded landscape of the Yangtze Gorges is as lovely as a traditional Chinese painting. Along the way you stop and visit interesting places. (All meals on board)
You disembark at Yichang and transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. (B/L)
Dominating the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai is the amazing pulsating commercial heart of China. Walk along the famous Bund past the facades of the colonial buildings lining the Huangpu River and look across to the fantastic skyscrapers of the Pudong district on the opposite side. After lunch you will visit the beautifully maintained Yu Garden, an outstanding example of a classical garden dating from the 16th century, now surrounded by a bustling market area. Later you will ascend the Shanghai World Financial Centre Observatory Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings, for an astonishing view over the whole city. This evening you will be entertained by one of Shanghai’s famous acrobatic troupes. (B/L)
Today is at your leisure. (B)
You transfer to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
| Daily Departure | **** | ***** | ||
| Twin Share | Single Supplement | Twin Share | Single Supplement | |
| Apr, Nov 12 | $5160 | $1330 | $5885 | $2010 |
| May, Sep-Oct 12 | $5655 | $1720 | $6505 | $2515 |
| Jun-Aug 12 | $5160 | $1330 | $5885 | $2010 |
| Dec 12, Jan-Feb 13 | $4730 | $1015 | $5420 | $1670 |
The prices of above tour are based on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.
For more details on what is included in this tour please click here