Discover 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. Overnight at The Peninsula Beijing.

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 The Peninsula Beijing 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 an overnight at The Peninsula Beijing.

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. Overnight at Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xian.

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, were 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. Return Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xian for overnight.

Day 6: Xian - Zhangjiajie
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 Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by your guide, then transferred to your hotel in Zhangjiajie city.

Day 7: Zhangjiajie
After breakfast, you will be met by your guide and driver and transferred to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. You will first take the cable car up to Huangshi Village to enjoy the stunning views of the wide forest park on its peaks. Walk to the top famous sights including Star Picking Stand and Five-Finger Peak. You will be taking a cable car back down. Later, change your angle to explore the famous Golden Whip Stream deep in the valley, which is one of the most beautiful places in the whole forest park area. After lunch, you will take a sightseeing bus to exit the park and be transferred to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon which takes about 40 minutes. You will have a chance to walk on the transparent Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge, which is the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge so far in the whole universe, with a total length of 430 meters / 1410 feet and with a height of 400 meters / 1310 feet above the deep valley. After this exciting walk, you will enjoy the Nuokeli Slideway to the bottom of the valley. In the afternoon you will be transferred to your hotel in Wulingyuan for leisure and overnight.

Day 8: Wulingyuan - Yuanjiajie Avatar Mountains - Tianzi Mountain
After breakfast, you will depart for a full day of fun activities! You will start your day with a sightseeing bus to experience Bailong Elevator, the fastest elevator and also the tallest outdoor elevator in the world. Enjoy the 1.5 minutes to be shot from the valley bottom up to the pillar peak. And then, hike amongst the multiple erupting stone columns at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. After lunch, take the sightseeing bus to visit Tianzi Mountain. Walk to He Long Park, which is one the of best viewing decks to admire the incredible and magnificent view of odd stone peaks standing one after another. In the evening take the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car down passing rocky hills outside your window, and take the sightseeing bus to exit Wulingyuan Park. In the evening transfer back to your hotel for leisure and overnight.

Day 9: Wulingyuan - Guilin
After breakfast, you will check out and take an intercity high-speed bullet train from Zhangjiajie to Changsha (about 2.5 hours). After arriving at Changsha Railway Station, your guide will transfer you to Changsha South Railway Station to catch your high-speed train to Guilin. After about 3.5 hours train ride, you will arrive at Guilin North Railway Station. Be picked up by your guide and be transferred to your hotel for check-in. The rest of today is free at leisure to explore this beautiful city on your own.

Day 10: Guilin - Li River Cruise - Yangshuo
After breakfast, you will depart for an exciting day out in some of China's most beautiful nature. Today you will start with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. During this cruise, dazzling scenery will overwhelm you like vast endless Chinese painting of a winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views. Lunch is served by the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine. After about 4 hours cruising down the Li River, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check-in to your hotel. After a short break, you will head out to explore the Yulong River. You can decide to go biking, hiking, sightseeing bus, bamboo rafting, or explore by scooter. In the evening you can go out for a walk on ancient West Street to witness how western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in a bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you get it here.

Day 11: Yangshuo - Guilin - Shanghai
After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Guilin which takes approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival in Guilin, you will visit Elephant Trunk Hill. A giant rock hill vividly shapes like an elephant that is drinking water. Afterward, you will drive to Reed Flute Cave, a majestic underground palace with sparkling different colors. In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by your guide, then transferred to your downtown hotel in Shanghai.

Day 12: 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 13: 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.