Classic China

Day 1: Arrival in Beijing
Ni Hao! welcome to Beijing, the iconic city and capital of China! You will be met by our local tour guide at the arrival hall of Beijing Airport and transferred to your downtown hotel by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of the day is spent at leisure. If you want to explore nearby areas, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your guide.

Day 2: Beijing
After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel for a full day exploring Beijing. You will start to explore the historical face of Beijing with a brief visit to Tiananmen Square which is now the largest city plaza in the world. Stepping into Tiananmen, you will see one of the world’s 5 most important palaces – Forbidden City, a huge palace complex of more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties used to live in. After lunch, you will drive about 40 minutes to the outskirts of Beijing to visit the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges, and corridors. In the evening transfer back to your hotel for overnight.

Day 3: Beijing
Today you will get to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Great Wall!
After breakfast, you will depart to Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. It will more than live up to all of your expectations! You’ll take a cable car to ascend the Great Wall, then hike the most beautiful and interesting part of Mutianyu. It's a wonderful experience to climb up its rising towers to enjoy scenic views and take brag-worthy photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. After the exciting time, descend Mutianyu Great Wall by cable car or you can hike down which takes approximately 40 mins. After lunch, you will continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Take a walk through the largest archway in China and Great Palace Gate and you’ll see the magnificent stone guard of 12 sets of mythical animals and 12 officials. Then drive back to Beijing city for overnight at your hotel.

Day 4: Beijing - Xian
After breakfast, drive to the imperial site of the Temple of Heaven. Originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests, it is now a bustling place where locals take part in traditional activities such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, and others. After your visit to the Temple of Heaven, you will get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the Beijing Hutongs - small alleys made by neighboring quadrangle dwellings. Shuttle among different Hutongs to get a feel of the old Beijing lifestyle, visit various antique shops and small boutiques, and truly feel the historical changes of Beijing, also pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs. After lunch, you will be transferred to Beijing West Railway Station for a high-speed train trip to Xian (about 5 hours). You will be picked up by your guide at Xian North Railway Station and transferred to your hotel in Xian. The rest of the day is on your own to explore this ancient capital of China.

Day 5: Xian
After breakfast, you will set off to discover the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife. Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses, and chariots, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until uncovered by a local farmer in 1974. After lunch, return back to Xian and take a wonderful stroll on the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Enjoy panoramic views of modern Xian while you leisurely examine this well-maintained city wall. This visit is followed by a relaxing wander around the bustling and lively Muslim Quarter, a place where you can try different local snacks.

Day 6: Xian - Shanghai
After breakfast, you will head to the Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. It's possible to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, at an extra cost. You will also have an opportunity to try on the Hanfu which is the formal costume of the emperors and their families. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory! Next is a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum where you can ramble in the modern exhibition halls to appreciate historic relics such as porcelains, paintings, and currencies dating from the Zhou to the Tang dynastic periods (1100BC to 907 AD). The rest of the afternoon is free until you get transferred to catch your flight to Shanghai, the most flourishing metropolis in China. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by your guide, then transferred to your downtown hotel in Shanghai.

Day 7: Shanghai
After breakfast, you will spend a full day of sightseeing to explore both the past and present of Shanghai. Your first stop is Shanghai Museum, this modern museum, has collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. To help you learn about the history and facts about the relics in the museum easily, an audio explanation device will be ready for you. 
Afterward, you will visit Yu Garden and Yuyuan Bazaar where you can try tasteful local snacks and explore traditional Chinese handicrafts and artworks. After this delicious stop, you will head to “the Eye of Shanghai” Shanghai World Financial Center, where you will enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m). After this visit, you will head to Nanjing Road, a shopping paradise as well as a great place to take a wonderful walk to experience the modern atmosphere of the city. In the evening, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods but now transformed into a feverish trading district. You will stroll along the Bund, seeing and feeling the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes! 

Day 8: Shanghai
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel for some more exploring before heading to the airport. First, you’ll pay a visit to Jade Buddha Temple, the site of the largest Jade Buddha in the world, and numerous religious artifacts, ancient statues, and Buddhist scriptures. If time allows, you’ll be transferred to Tianzifang where you can stroll along the clean and old alleys to watch the daily life of local Shanghai people while enjoying a cup of tea at the open-air café and find some interesting things in the novel shops to feel the international feature mixed with real Shanghai culture. In the afternoon, your guide will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.