Home > China Tours > China Impression Tour with a Break in Suzhou
Tour Code: COT-BXGSS-1
Start in: Beijing
End in: Shanghai
Special Experience: Peking Opera and Peking Duck Banquet in Beijing, Li River cruise in Guilin, Acrobatic Show in Shanghai
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10 nights & 11 days
China Impression Tour with a Break in Suzhou

          

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1     Arrive Beijing

Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel

Transfer via: International Flight on your own arrangement

Upon your arrival at Beijing airport, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

Day 2     Beijing

Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Tiananmen Square,Forbidden City,Summer Palace
Gala Event: Peking Opera Show

Today you will first visit the historic Tiananmen Square, and then the magnificent Forbidden City. In the afternoon, you will marvel at the exquisite Summer Palace. Enjoy the Peking Opera Show in the evening.

- Tiananmen Square: the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, where the national flag is raised exactly at sunrise everyday.

- Forbidden City: located in the center of Beijing, used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years, it is the grandest integral palace complex still remaining in China.

- Summer Palace : Located on the northwestern outskirts of the city, it was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. With its perfect layout, magnificent buildings and enchanting landscape, it is the most splendid classical garden in China.

- Peking Opera Show: a kind of singing drama which is an ingenious and colorful combination of elements from many sources: traditional music, poetry, singing, recitation, dancing, acrobatics, and martial arts.

Day 3     Beijing

Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Sacred Road,Ding Tomb,Great Wall
Special Dinner: Peking Duck Dinner

Today's full-day excursion will take you to the majestic Great Wall, Ming Tomb and Sacred road. Enjoy a famous Peking Duck Banquet for dinner.

- Sacred Road: the path lined with stone statues of animals, mystical beasts and officials who are supposed to serve the emperor in his afterlife, through which the sitting emperors would go to perform memorial rituals for the ancestors once a year.

- Ding Tomb: the burial site of the emperor Wanli, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620, it is the only underground tomb of the thirteen Imperial Ming tombs ever excavated.

- Great Wall: the most famous symbol of China and one of the world's most remarkable architectural wonders, it was built over 2,000 years ago and stretches about 6,700km.

- Peking Duck Dinner: Peking Roast Duck is regarded as one of the most delicious dishes throughout the world. A Peking Duck Dinner is usually a fixed item on any Beijing tour itinerary. At time-honored restaurants such as Quan Ju De, you can savor the mouth-watering traditional Beijing specialty, and at the same time the chefs will show you how they cuts the meat into exactly 108 slices from one duck, each having a piece of skin.

Day 4     Beijing / Xian

Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Temple of Heaven

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

After breakfast, you will visit Beijing's splendid Temple of Heaven. And then take the afternoon flight to Xian. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

- Temple of Heaven: the place which was visited yearly by the emperors who performed intricate rituals to insure a good harvest for the whole nation at ancient times.

Day 5     Xian

Accommodations: Hotel Royal Garden
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Terracotta Warriors and Horses,Big Wild Goose Pagoda,Bell Tower

Today, you will enjoy a full-day excursion to the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors and Horses. After lunch, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and then the Bell Tower.

- Terracotta Warriors and Horses: discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, this is one of the most significant archeological finds of the 20th century. These 6,000 life-size painted Terracotta Warriors and Horses --individually sculpted from real-life models and arranged in battle formation have been protecting the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history--Emperor QinShihuang for 2,200 years ago.

- Big Wild Goose Pagoda: regarded by many as a symbol of the city Xian, the pagoda was built in 652 A.D. in the Tang Dynasty to house the sutras brought back from India by the famous monk Xuan-zang.

- Bell Tower: standing in the center of the city and built in 1582, the Bell Tower is a three-story wooden structure with traditional Chinese architectural features. It is so called because an iron bell is hung in the tower to give the correct time.

Day 6     Xian / Guilin

Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum,Ancient City Walls

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

After breakfast, you will have a city tour to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum and the Ancient City Walls before your onward flight to the next destination--Guilin. Upon your arrival at Guilin, the most scenic city in China, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

- Shaanxi Provincial Museum: opened in 1991, the largest comprehensive museum in the province. The museum exhibits over 3,000 historical relics which is just a fraction of their collection. Most of the exhibited items are rare treasures, showing you the splendid Chinese culture.

- Ancient City Walls : built during the 14th century on Tang dynasty foundations and they date from the Ming dynasty. The walls are the largest and best-preserved ancient fortress in the world. There is a gate in each of the four sides, and the gate towers built over each gate look lofty and magnificent and form a tight defence engineering system.

Day 7     Guilin

Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: L,D
Sightseeing: Li River Cruise,West Street(Yangshuo),Elephant Trunk Hill

After breakfast, drive to Zhujiang Pier (about 40-minute drive) to start the boat cruise along the tranquil Li River, the highlight of your sightseeing tour in Guilin, until you get to Yangshuo County. At Yangshuo, after roaming through the West Street, drive back to Guilin (1.5-hour drive) and pay a visit to the Elephant Trunk Hill.

- Li River Cruise: Along the river, you will be inspired by the breathtaking views of peaks and pinnacles, crystal-clear water and reflections in the water together with the serene pastoral views of rice paddies and water buffaloes.You will certainly feel like you are walking into a traditional Chinese painting by cruising on this wonderful river.

- West Street(Yangshuo): a busy and exotic slate street in Yangshuo County, about 2km long crammed with shops, pubs, cafes and hotels, where you can relax yourself and do some souvenir shopping.

- Elephant Trunk Hill : the symbol of Guilin, which resembles a giant elephant drinking water from the Li River.

Day 8     Guilin / Shanghai

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Fubo Hill,Reed Flute Cave

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

Have a half-day city tour of the Fubo Hill and the Reed Flute Cave. After lunch, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon your arrival at Shanghai, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

- Fubo Hill: where you can see lots of Buddha statues left about 1000 years ago in the Returned Pearl Cave and have a birds' eye view of the whole city after climbing up to the very top.

- Reed Flute Cave: 5 kilometers away from the city center, famed as "A Natural Palace of Art", in which you can see lots of stalactites & stalagmites illuminated by the lights of different colors. You will also learn how they were formed.

Day 9     Shanghai

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Nanjing Road,Shanghai Museum,The Bund ,Yu Garden,Yuyuan Market
Gala Event: Acrobatic Show

Today, your full-day excursion of incredible Shanghai will include: Shanghai Museum, the Bund and the Nanjing Road, Yu Garden and Yuyuan Market. Enjoy a wonderful Acrobatic Show tonight.

- Nanjing Road: known as "China's No.1 Shopping Street" with a huge selection of merchandise on sale.

- Shanghai Museum: often ranked as China's best museum, it is the biggest museum in China with a fine collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts.

- The Bund : where the great trading houses and banks had their headquarters in the 1920s and the 1930s. The Bund is about about a mile long, it is the city's fulcrum.

- Yu Garden: located in the Old Town of Shanghai and laid out in 1559 AD by a powerful Ming official, Yu Garden recreates a beautiful landscape of pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees and precious flowers.

- Yuyuan Market: outside the Yu Garden, a bustling market with different snacks and trinkets.

- Acrobatic Show: Chinese Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts with its history tracing back to Neolithic times, during its development in the history, it has been absorbing plentiful merits from the opera, dance and Chinese Kungfu, and formed its own artistic features. In Portman Acrobatic Show, in a very typical Shanghainese setting and atmosphere, you will enjoy many breathtaking and stunning programs such as Calvaria Skills, Silk Suspending, Hoop Diving and so on performed by very skillful performers, you will truly have an unforgettable experience of your life.

Day 10     Shanghai / Suzhou / Shanghai

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Humble Administrator's Garden,Lingering Garden,Tiger Hill Park,The No.1 Silk Factory

One full-day tour to Suzhou (drive 100km away from Shanghai), which has been known as the Venice of the East. After your arrival,be met by your local guide, your tour in Suzhou includes: the classical Humble Administrator's Garden and the attractive Lingering Garden, the ancient Tiger Hill Park and the No.1 Silk Factory. Back to Shanghai after the tour in Suzhou.

- Humble Administrator's Garden: covers 10 acres and is the largest garden in Suzhou. It was built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty and is divided into the eastern, middle and western parts. All of this centers upon the broad expanse of a lake to form the poetic and picturesque garden landscapes and waterscapes with exquisite buildings and luxuriant vegetation.

- Lingering Garden: is one of the four most famous gardens in China and was constructed in 1593 during the Ming Dynasty. It is famous for its artistic way of dealing with the spaces between various kinds of architectural forms and garden courts.

- Tiger Hill Park: a symbol of the city, with a history of over 2,500 years, the Tiger Hill has had the reputation of being the No.1 sight of Suzhou, with a Song-dynasty leaning pagoda on top which was built in brick to imitate wood architecture.

- The No.1 Silk Factory: Suzhou is famous for its silk production. In the factory you can learn more about silk production and detailed steps of the silk making process, and you will have an opportunity to purchase some of the incredibly delicate works as well.

Day 11     Shanghai / Final departure

Meals: B

Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight back to your sweet home.

Included Features
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary
Accommodations for 10 nights, including 10 nights at four star or higher hotels
23 meals, including 9 full breakfasts, 9 lunches and 5 dinners (including Peking Duck Dinner)
2 gala evening events--Peking Opera Show in Beijing,Acrobatic Show in Shanghai
Round-trip transfers---between airports, hotels and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned motor coaches with experienced drivers
A local English-speaking guide in each city
Entrance fees to scenic spots listed in the itinerary
Luggage transfers between airports and hotels
China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty insurance

Government taxes and service charges except tips for tour guides and drivers

We both found the Reed Flute Cave stunningly fascinating, made even so more so by the fact that we were along as the last ones to go through. We were very glad we went with the Longsheng rice paddies option even though it was the wrong time of the year. It was still beautiful with the Dragon's Backbone clearly visible-it was one of our favorite places. The Li River boat cruise was very enjoyable too.

- Adele and Giles Harding,South Africa

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