Itinerary
- Day 1
Beijing
You'll arrive in Beijing and head to your hotel to settle in. The rest of the day is yours to recover from the flight and adjust to the time difference. It's a good opportunity to rest up before your sightseeing begins.
- Start point
- Beijing Capital Int'l Airport 北京首都国际机场 (PEK), Airport Expressway 机场高, Beijing, 100621, China (Beijing Capital Int'l Airport , 00:00 - 23:55)
- Day 2
Beijing
Your guide meets you at the hotel to kick off the day at Temple of Heaven, where you'll see where emperors once came to pray for good harvests. After that, you're hopping into a rickshaw to wind through the old hutong neighborhoods, including a stop at a local family's home to get a real sense of how people live here. By midday you'll grab lunch at a neighborhood restaurant with dishes you can choose from the menu. Then it's off to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, which is basically a massive complex of ancient wooden buildings that'll take your breath away with its scale and history. You'll head back to your hotel as evening comes around.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte Chinese lunch at a local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit Temple of Heaven
- Hutong rickshaw tour with local family visit
- Visit Tian'anmen Square
- Visit Forbidden City
Landmarks Temple of Heaven Tian'anmen Square Forbidden City 
- Day 3
Beijing
Head out to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall with a round-trip cable car included, so you won't have to hike the entire way up. On your way back, you'll stop for photos at the Bird Nest and Water Cube, the Olympic venues from 2008.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch at restaurant at the foot of Mutianyu)
Included Activities
- Visit Mutianyu Great Wall
- Round-trip cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
- Photo stop at Bird Nest and Water Cube
Landmarks Mutianyu Great Wall Bird Nest Water Cube - Day 4
Beijing to Xi'an
Spend the morning at the Summer Palace, China's largest and best-preserved imperial garden. There's an optional boating trip on the lake if you want to get out on the water. In the afternoon, you'll travel to Xi'an by high-speed train, arriving by evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch on the way to railway station)
Included Activities
- Visit Summer Palace
Optional Activities
- Boating trip on lake at Summer Palace
Landmarks Summer Palace 
- Day 5
Xi'an
A morning pickup gets you to Xi'an City Wall, where you can bike along the ramparts if you're interested or just walk around and take in the views. Before heading to the Terracotta Warriors site, you'll stop at a pottery workshop to try your hand at crafting a small terracotta warrior and check out the traditional cave dwellings. After grabbing lunch at a local restaurant, you'll spend the afternoon walking through the Terracotta Warriors archaeological site, seeing the thousands of clay soldiers and learning about the history. Later, head over to Bell Tower Square for a walk around the area before your hotel pickup.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch at local restaurant nearby Terracotta Warriors)
Included Activities
- Visit Xi'an City Wall
- Stop at pottery workshop to learn how to make a miniature terracotta warrior
- Explore traditional cave dwelling housing style in north China
- Visit Terracotta Warriors archaeological site
- Walk around Bell Tower Square
Optional Activities
- Bicycle ride on Xi'an City Wall
Landmarks Xi'an City Wall Terracotta Warriors Bell Tower Square - Day 6
Xi'an to Lhasa
Take a morning flight to Lhasa, Tibet, arriving around noon. You'll transfer to your hotel and spend the rest of the day resting and letting your body adjust to the high altitude. Take it easy and stay hydrated.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast)
- Day 7
Lhasa
You'll visit Drepung Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in the area, then check out the Tibet Museum to learn about Tibetan customs and history. In the afternoon, head to Norbulingka, which served as the summer retreat for the Dalai Lama.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast)
Included Activities
- Visit Drepung Monastery
- Visit Tibet Museum
- Visit Norbulingka
Landmarks Drepung Monastery Tibet Museum Norbulingka - Day 8
Lhasa
Explore Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama, where you'll see gilded burial stupas and the meditation cave. Walk the pilgrimage route around the palace. Later in the afternoon, visit Jokhang Monastery, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, and stroll through the old alleys of Barkor Kora.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast)
Included Activities
- Visit Potala Palace
- Walk pilgrimage route around Potala Palace
- Visit Jokhang Monastery
- Stroll Barkor Kora old alleys
Landmarks Potala Palace Jokhang Monastery Barkor Kora - Day 9
Lhasa to Chongqing
Fly to Chongqing in the morning and visit the Three Gorges Museum and Hongya Cave along the Yangtze River. Check into the Victoria cruise ship in the evening. The boat departs at 9:00 PM, so you'll have time to get settled before heading out.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch)
Included Activities
- Visit Three Gorges Museum
- Visit Hongya Cave
- Check-in at Victoria cruise
Optional Activities
- Chongqing Hot Pot dinner
Landmarks Three Gorges Museum Hongya Cave Yangtze River 
- Day 10
Yangtze River Cruise
Your first full day on the Yangtze involves early morning Tai Chi followed by a buffet breakfast. You'll take a shore excursion to Fengdu Shuangguishan National Park in the morning, have lunch on board, and attend the Captain's reception with dinner. Optional evening activities include visiting Fengdu Ghost City or watching the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Show.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Buffet breakfast on board), Lunch (Buffet lunch on board), Dinner (Buffet dinner with Captain's Welcome Reception)
Included Activities
- Early bird coffee and tea on board
- Tai Chi practice on board
- Buffet breakfast on board
- Shore excursion to Fengdu Shuangguishan National Park
- Buffet lunch on board
- Captain's Welcome Reception
- Buffet dinner on board
Optional Activities
- Shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City (extra cost)
- FengYan SanGuo "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" Show (extra cost)
Landmarks Fengdu Shuangguishan National Park - Day 11
Yangtze River Cruise
Another day cruising through the dramatic gorges with early Tai Chi and breakfast. There's an optional shore excursion to White Emperor City available. Later you'll sail through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge, then take a shore excursion to either Goddess Stream or Shennong Stream. The evening features the Captain's farewell banquet and a crew cabaret performance.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Buffet breakfast), Lunch (Buffet lunch), Dinner (Captain's Farewell Banquet - set-menu table dinner)
Included Activities
- Early bird coffee and tea on upper deck
- Tai Chi practice at upper deck
- Buffet breakfast
- Sailing through Qutang Gorge
- Scenic cruising through Wu Gorge
- Buffet lunch
- Shore excursion to Goddess Stream or Shennong Stream
- Captain's Farewell Banquet
- Crew cabaret
Optional Activities
- Optional shore excursion to White Emperor City (RMB295 per person)
Landmarks Qutang Gorge Wu Gorge Goddess Stream Shennong Stream White Emperor City 
- Day 12
Three Gorges Dam to Shanghai
Visit the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, which takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to tour. After that, you'll disembark from the cruise and travel to Shanghai by high-speed train in the afternoon, arriving by evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch at local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit Three Gorges Dam
Landmarks Three Gorges Dam 
- Day 13
Shanghai
Explore Shanghai's Shikumen Nong Tang alleys to see how locals live and check out the unique architecture. Visit Yuyuan Garden, a classic Chinese garden downtown, along with Yuyuan Bazaar. At the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, you'll visit the Shanghai City History Museum and take an elevator up to the second sphere for a bird's-eye view of the city. Then you'll drive through the Lujiazui finance zone and visit the Bund.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast), Lunch (A la carte lunch at local restaurant)
Included Activities
- Walk Shikumen Nong Tang alleys
- Visit Yuyuan Garden
- Explore Yuyuan Bazaar
- Visit Shanghai City History Museum
- Elevator visit to 2nd ball of Oriental Pearl TV Tower
- Drive through Lujiazui
- Visit the Bund
Landmarks Shikumen Yuyuan Garden Yuyuan Bazaar Oriental Pearl TV Tower The Bund - Day 14
Shanghai
You'll get a hotel transfer to the airport for your international flight home, wrapping up your China tour.
- End point
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport, 6000 Yingbin Ave 迎宾大道6000号, Shanghai, 201207, China (Shanghai Pudong International Airport, 00:00 - 23:55)
- Meals
- Breakfast (Hotel Breakfast)
