- Discover the hidden halls in the Forbidden City.
- Explore the only section of the Great Wall that opens at night.
- Meet the Terracotta Army and make your own warrior figurine.
- Taste ethnic minority food at the Longji Terraced Rice Fields.
- See beautiful countryside on a Li River cruise.
- Listen to historical stories about the Bund in Shanghai
- Discover the mysterious Naxi culture in Lijiang.
Day 1: Beijing Arrival
Welcome to majestic Beijing. To ensure your arrival is stress-free, your private tour guide will meet you in the arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car. Your luggage and hotel check-in will be taken care of.
Hotel Options:
- Penta Hotel Beijing ****
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town *****
Day 2: The Temple of Heaven & the Forbidden City
08:30: Start your journey at the Temple of Heaven, a dignified complex of religious buildings, symbolizing the relationship between Earth and Heaven. See local people doing their morning exercise in unique ways.
12:00: Lunch is served in a popular local restaurant with authentic local food. Your guide will help you to order the dishes you like.
14:00: Walk through Tian'anmen Square to explore the mysterious Forbidden City, which has fewer visitors in the afternoon. As the largest imperial palace in the world, it has 980 buildings. While most tour groups only visit the six halls on the central axis, your private guide will take you to the hidden halls for a deeper understanding of the history and to dodge the crowds. You can ask your guide for more information about the palace's architecture, the fengshui design and anecdotes about the emperors.
17:00: Return to your hotel and have dinner at the restaurant.
Hotel Options:
- Penta Hotel Beijing ****
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town *****
Day 3: Day and Night Tour of the Great Wall
08:30: After breakfast, travel to the Simatai section of the Great Wall. Take the cable car up and walk down slowly around the lakeside to appreciate the view and then take the cable car back down.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant
14:00: Spend the afternoon wandering around the Gubei Water Town, which is at the foot of the Great Wall. You can also bathe in a hot spring.
When it gets dark, your guide will accompany you to take the cable car up to the Simatai section again to enjoy the stunning night views, a completely different experience from what you see during the day. It's the only section that's open and lit up at night.
19:00: Return to you hotel and have dinner at the restaurant.
Hotel Options:
- William Edgar Hotel *****
- Beijing Water Town Hot Spring Resort *****
Day 4: The Summer Palace & High-Speed Train to Xi’an
08:30: Enjoy breakfast and travel back to Beijing city to explore the Summer Palace, a royal masterpiece of Chinese landscaped gardens.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant.
14:00: After lunch, your guide will escort you to take the high-speed train to Xi'an.(4.5 to 5 hours).
19:00: Your Xi'an guide will be waiting for you and will transfer you to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Somerset Xindicheng Xi’an ****
- Wyndham Grand Xi'an South *****
Day 5: The Terracotta Warriors & Traditional Cave Dwelling
08:30: In the morning, uncover the mystery of the underground army that dates back thousands of years at the Terracotta Army Museum. Then discover a local craftsman's cave dwelling and learn how to make a mini terracotta warrior.
12:00: Lunch at local restaurant
14:00: After lunch, return to the city area and visit the ancient city wall that has been guarding the inner city for 600 years. Take a walk on the wall or rent a bik to get a good view of the city.
17:00: Return to you hotel and have dinner in the restaurant.
Hotel Options:
- Somerset Xindicheng Xi’an ****
- Wyndham Grand Xi'an South *****
Day 6: Xi’an City Highlights & Flight to Lijiang
08:30: Discover more of Xi'an and China's ancient history at Shaanxi History Museum and Big Wild Goose Pagoda, then head to the Muslim Quarter and wander through the alleys to taste local Muslim cuisine.
12:00: Have lunch at a local restaurant.
14:00: Transfer to the airport for your flight to Lijiang. Your private guide will greet you and escort you to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Ivy Garden Resort Hotel ****
- Intercontinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort *****
Day 7: Sightseeing in the Old Town of Lijiang
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lijiang Ancient Town has a history that dates back over 800 years. Besides its unique architecture and local ethnic culture, the town also is known for its unique complex of bridges and waterways. Walk along the winding cobbled paths where it is said that you won't get lost as long as you follow the water.
09:00: Learn about the Naxi people's skills in architecture and fine arts at Mufu Mansion, the “Forbidden City” of Lijiang. You can also climb up to Lion Hill to have a bird's eye view of the whole town.
11:00: Pay a visit to Black Dragon Pool Park, where the view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is one the most famous postcard-card perfect scenes in southwest China. Stay overnight in Lijiang Ancient Town.
12:00: Have lunch at a local restaurant.
14:00: Enjoy time by yourself in the ancient town.
Hotel Options:
- Ivy Garden Resort Hotel ****
- Intercontinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort *****
Day 8: Baisha Murals, Naxi Shaman’s Family Visit & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Tour
08:30: Find yourself in a real paradise far away from the hustle and bustle of cities, as you take a cable car up to the Spruce Meadow at over 3,000 meters high on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Naxi people’s holy mountain.
12:00: Enjoy lunch at a popular local restaurant in Baisha Village. You will have a chance to learn to make Naxi pancakes for your lunch.
Baisha Village is the original settlement and earliest political center of the Naxi people. Painted over 1,000 years ago, the murals in this village combine the cultures of the Han, Tibetan and Naxi people, displaying stories of Tibetan Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Have a relaxing walking in Baisha Village and learn about local life and culture.
14:00: Understand more about the mysterious Naxi culture by visiting a shaman's house in the village. Learn some Naxi language and enjoy a piece of old Naxi music. Understand more about the local people's passion for their culture and homeland.
17:00: After the tour, transfer back to Lijiang to stay in your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Ivy Garden Resort Hotel ****
- Intercontinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort *****
Day 8: Flight to Guilin
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel. Your private tour guide, car and driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the Lijiang airport for your departure flight. Your Guilin guide will collect you and escort you to your hotel.
Hotel Options:
- Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ****
- Shangri-La Hotel Guilin *****
Day 9: Longji Terraced Rice Fields & Ethnic Minority Culture
08:30: Wake up to the sound of the birds singing and begin your day by exploring the Longji Terraced Rice Fields. Built into the hillsides, these terraces are beautiful when the sun reflects on the water of the rice paddy fields and the fields glow when the harvest is ripe. The Zhuang minority have lived here for generations in wooden houses and the people eat their own unique food, such as bamboo rice and oil tea.
12:00: Have lunch at local restaurant.
14:00: Sit around a bonfire in a traditional kitchen making bamboo rice and tasting some oil tea with the host.
17:00: Transfer to your hotel and have dinner at the restaurant.
Hotel Options:
- Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ****
- Shangri-La Hotel Guilin *****
Day 10: Li River Cruise & Fan Painting
08:30: Start your Li River Cruise. A cruise along the Li River is an unforgettable experience. On your cruise, see spectacular limestone peaks, graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffalo cooling off in the river.
The four-and-a-half hour cruise combines the most essential section of the river with local life experiences and an authentic local lunch in a quiet resort hidden in a picturesque town. Get off the beaten path to walk along the cobblestones of the riverbank and see the surrounding mountains.
12:00: Have lunch on board.
14:00: After lunch, your driver will pick you up and drive you an ancient town, where you can learn from a local artist how to paint a traditional landscape on a paper fan.
17:00: Enjoy a quiet evening in a boutique hotel in the countryside.
Hotel Options:
- Yangshuo Mountain Retreat ****
- Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel *****
Day 11: Countryside Life & Flight to Shanghai
Experience the daily lifestyle of local farmers, who give you an experience of the real countryside of China.
08:30: In the morning, experience what it's like to be a local villager working with a water buffalo. Then take a ferry and a local farmer's taxi (a kind of motorbike with three wheels) to the local market.
12:00: Have lunch at local restaurant. After lunch, head to the airport for your flight to the modern city of Shanghai.
Hotel Options:
- Sunrise On The Bund ****
- Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai *****
Day 12: Shanghai Highlights & Bund Discovery
Travel back in time to the golden age of the Bund in the 1920s during an In-depth Bund Culture Discovery Tour.
08:30: Go into some of the old buildings in the city and learn about their history. See the room where Albert Einstein stayed.
12:00: Enjoy lunch and go to the top of Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, where you will not only enjoy a panoramic view of the cityi but also see the future of China.
14:00: Take a half-day customized “icing on the cake” tour of the city. After traveling in China for 10 days, you might want to do something different at the end of your tour. Do you want to have some relaxation time? Do you have any unfulfilled wishes for your trip? In the magic city of Shanghai, your private guide will make your wishes come true!
Whether you want to relax, experience fashion, appreciate art, explore folk customs or shop, you can experience everything from hainvg fun in fancy bar to exploring an art center, trying nail beauty to testing your popularity in the marriage market, or just buying some lovely gifts. Just tell us what you’re interested in. If you don’t know what you want, just let your guide make the arrangements and you won’t be disappointed.
17:00: Return to your hotel and have dinner in the restaurant.
Hotel Options:
- Sunrise On The Bund ****
- Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai *****
Day 13: Shanghai Departure
As your trip to China comes to end, your tour guide and driver will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Shanghai Pudong International Airport for your flight home.
