Home > China Tours > China Classic Tour with Giant Panda (Route A)
Tour Code: COT-B-014-D
Start in: Beijing
End in: Beijing
Special Experience: Great Wall at Mutianyu section, Dumpling feast and Tang Dynasty show in Xian, spicy Chuan food in Chengdu, Li River cruise in Guilin, Acrobatic show in Shanghai
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13 nights & 14 days
China Classic Tour with Giant Panda (Route A)

          

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

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.

- 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.

Day 3     Beijing

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

Today's full-day excursion will take you to the majestic Great Wall(Mutianyu section. Enjoy a famous Peking Duck Banquet for dinner.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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,Ancient City Walls ,Bell Tower
Special Dinner: Dumpling Dinner
Gala Event: Tang Dynasty Show

Today, you will first visit the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors and Horses. After lunch, visit the Ancient City Walls and the Bell Tower. Complete the day with a savory dumpling dinner and the Tang Dynasty show both at Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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.

- Dumpling Dinner: Dumpling or Jiaozi in Chinese is a traditional and popular food in China, especially in the north. At the dinner, nearly 20 varieties of dumplings that are steamed and stuffed with different delicious fillings such as vegetables, meats and seafood are served. These dumplings are not only tasty, but also characteristic with their colors and fragrance, style and culture meanings. All these make the dinner so unique that you should not miss it when traveling in Xi'an.

- Tang Dynasty Show: the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was one of the most glorious dynasties in China's history, and Xi'an was the capital during the Tang Dynasty and called as Chang'an. Tang Dynasty Show is a performance of Chang'an music and dances in Tang Dynasty style laid out according to various historical records and ancient arts and relics discovered in Xi'an. During the show, the musicians present the music with the Tang-Dynasty-style musical instruments and the dancers dance by wearing a Tang-Dynasty-style robe with long white silk sleeves, and you will certainly enjoy this national art that reflects the glory and richness of the Tang Dynasty era.

Day 6     Xian / Chengdu

Accommodations: Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum,Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Special Dinner: Chuan Food

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

After breakfast, you will have a city tour to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda before your onward flight to the next destination--Chengdu. Upon arrival at Chengdu, you will be met and transferred to the hotel for a rest before a delicious dinner of Sichuan food at a local restaurant.

- 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.

- 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.

- Chuan Food: Sichuan Cuisine, known more commonly in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Prepared with a wide variety of ingredients and characterized by its spicy and pungent flavors, Sichuan cuisine emphasizes the use of chili and peppercorn. It can be said that one who doesn't experience Sichuan food has never reached China. Savor the flavor of Sichuan, and it is becoming hotter and hotter!

Day 7     Chengdu

Accommodations: Yinhe Dynasty Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Giant Panda Breeding Research Base,Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage,Wenshu Temple,Tea houses

Today you will have a visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base first, then Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage and Wenshu Temple where you can spend some time sitting in its tea house to enjoy a cup of tea and absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu.

- Giant Panda Breeding Research Base: 18km from the city center, housing 12 pandas in natural environments: it is the best place to see Chengdu's most famous residents and you can get to know more about this precious species in the museum there.

- Du Fu's Thatched Roof Cottage: located on the side of the Flower Washing Brook in the western suburbs of Chengdu. It is the former residence of the celebrated Tang dynasty poet, Du Fu (712-770AD) who was born in Henan province. At the age of 20 he left his home to travel within China. He used to be an official for 10 years in Chang'an (present Xian), the capital of the Tang dynasty, and was captured by rebels after an uprising. He then fled to Chengdu where he built this humble cottage and stayed for about four years.

- Wenshu Temple: Chengdu's oldest and largest Buddhist temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty. However, it is now a Qing Dynasty construction with exquisite relief carvings decorating many of the buildings. You can absorb the very atmosphere of Chengdu here: the temple is full of local worshippers burning incense on certain days; the tea house at the back of the complex is a great place to relax yourself and do some people watching, while the streets outside are filled with blind fortune-tellers, hawkers selling joss sticks, paper money and statues, and so on.

- Tea houses: Chengdu is one of the few remaining cities in China with a really authentic tea house (Chadian) culture. Thousands of teahouses dotted about Chengdu are hugely popular with locals, especially the elderly. Teahouses throughout the city are still important locations for social gatherings. Its distinct and unique atmosphere will let you get a good feel for Chengdu.

Day 8     Chengdu / Guilin

Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to Guilin. Upon your in Guilin, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Day 9     Guilin / Yangshuo / Guilin

Accommodations: Guilin Park Hotel
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Li River Cruise,West Street(Yangshuo)

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).

- 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.

Day 10     Guilin / Shanghai

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

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

Today's excursion will bring you to the Elephant Trunk Hill, the Fubo Hill and the Reed Flute Cave before your transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon your arrival at Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

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

- 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 11     Shanghai

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B,L
Sightseeing: Shanghai Museum,The Bund ,Nanjing Road,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 Portman Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre tonight.

- 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.

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

- 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 12     Shanghai

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Shanghai -Downtown
Meals: B

Free day in Shanghai. You could explore this cosmopolitan city by yourself. Do some shopping if you feel like.

Day 13     Shanghai / Beijing

Accommodations: Jianguo Garden Hotel
Meals: B

Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your next destination--Beijing. Our guide will pick you up at the airport when you arrive in Beijing.

Day 14     Beijing / Exit

Meals: B

Transfer via: International Flight on your own arrangement

Our guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to your sweet home.

Included Features
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary .
Accommodations---for 13 nights at four star, or higher, hotels as well as the cruise in comfortable twin-bedded rooms with private bath, air-conditioning, television, telephone and minibar.
On this incredible tour you will receive 26 meals--13 full breakfasts,9 lunches and 4 dinners (including Peking Duck Dinner,Dumpling Dinner,Chuan Food)
Round-trip transfers---between airports, hotels and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned motor coaches with experienced drivers
Services of local English-speaking guides in each city
2 gala evening events--Tang Dynasty Show in Xian,Acrobatic Show in Shanghai
China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty insurance
Government taxes and service charge except tips to tour escort and driver
Recently my friend and I took a cruise on the yangzte river. I was very pleased with Leo Huang's service. He responded promptly to all my emails and I did send a lot! He was very courteous and patient, taking time to answer all of my questions and sending extra information. We do not speak Chinese so he sent us notes to give to people so they could understand what we want.

- Jeanette Schinker,Canada

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