China Classic Tour - China Tours 2008

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Best of China 11 days & 10 nights Tour Code: COT-P110

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Accommodation

What is Included?

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Brief Itinerary

Meals

Special Notes

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Day-by-Day Itinerary

Transfer

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Accommodation

Jianguo Garden Hotel ★★★★

Beijing

As a four-star international hotel, Jianguo Garden Hotel finds its place along the bustling Chang'an Street of Central Beijing, near the well-known Shopping street of Wangfujing, and just a few minutes' drive to historical Tourist attractions as the Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, and with so many trade and commercial centers nearby.

Hotel Royal Garden ★★★★

Xian

Xi'an was called Chang'an in the Han Dynasty. The connotation of "Chang'an" is "a place of permanent peace ". Xi'an was the starting point of the world-famous Silk Road. It can be well likened to a history museum. Moving around this old city is like going through thousands of years back in time. Hotel Royal Garden is located at East Street of busy shopping centre and possess 429 guest rooms. 5km to railway station; 42km to airport.

Guilin Park Hotel ★★★★

Guilin

Guilin Park Hotel is a four-star international hotel. Conveniently situated between Lake Guihu and Mount Laoren in the city center, the hotel commands some of the most picturesque views in Guilin and contrasts finely with the famous Duxiu Peak, Diecai Hill and Fubo Hill. Lying on the slight mountain slope, surrounded by green trees and fresh flowers, the building combines modern arts with a rich national flavor.

New Century Hotel ★★★

Yangshuo

New Century Hotel in Yangshuo is just close to the West Street. You could walk to the West Street in 10 minutes and wander along this east-western style street. For entertainment, there are bars, coffee shops, gymnasiums, beauty salons and so on.

Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai(Plaza Wing) ★★★★

Shanghai

The Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai is strategically located with easy accessibility whether you are in Shanghai or visiting nearby cities. The Hotel is within walking distance of the Shanghai Railway Station and Underground Subway to reach your business and tourist destinations. From Pudong airport, the number 5 Shuttle Bus will easily assist you to arrive the hotel. The hotel has a total of 510 rooms including 41 suites, all comfortably furnished, and includes 20 floors located in the Great Wall Wing and 14 floors in the Plaza Wing. Its seven meeting rooms can welcome until 530 persons and its three restaurants offer Cantonese, Western and International specialties. The hotel also has two lobby bars and one new opened Sports Bar which provides a wide selection of beverages and snacks. Combining central location with high standard service and facilities, the Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai hotel makes a good choice for all its guests.

Meals

Most meals are included as specified in the itinerary. Meal codes are: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner. China Odyssey Tours can also be your culinary guide providing you the opportunity to savor tempting local food and world-famous dishes.

Breakfast - All the breakfasts are served in the hotels that you stay at, with both Chinese & Western foods, which will cater to your appetite well enough.

Lunch - Lunches are usually arranged at the Chinese restaurants near the scenic spots, with clean environment and healthy food. The tour guides will order the food according to your appetite. Most are Chinese dishes, and some are modified to fit westerners' taste. A complimentary glass of beer or soft drink is served with lunch.

Dinner - Same as lunch. If you are individual travelers and do not like Chinese food, China Odyssey Tours suggests dinner on your own and our local tour guide can recommend some good western restaurants.

Recommended Local Food in Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai

Beijing Huajia Yiyuan Restaurant: Huajia Yiyuan is one of Beijing's most famous restaurants. The restaurant, formerly a high ranking military official's residence, features a unique courtyard complex.

Located on Guijie (Ghost Street), Hujia Yiyuan, is worth walking to. Guijie is lit with Chinese lanterns, and hosts a multitude of restaurants that are open all night. You can recognize Hujia Yiyuan by its traditional gate. Come and enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere in the main courtyard while traditionally dressed musicians play Chinese music to accompany your meal. Listening to music, while sitting in historic surroundings makes this an elegant and romantic dining experience.

Huajia Yiyuan has two locations on Guijie (Ghost Street). It serves delicious Beijing and Sichuan cuisine in historic surroundings, and also has beautiful private rooms for more intimate meals. Popular favorites are spareribs, roasted buns and spicy crayfish. The western location features a lively tarp-topped dining room with nightly acrobatic performances.

Address 1: 235 Dongzhimennei Dajie, Dongcheng District
Address2: 5 Dongzhimennei Dajie, Dongcheng District
Addrss3: 3 Dangxiao Lu Jinganli

Beijing Houhai Bar Area: Famed for its local and expatriate nightlife, the Houhai (back sea) Bar Area is located around Lake Houhai along the Yangfang Hutong, which is located north-west of the Forbidden City. The bars and pubs here have been built in ancient temples, ceremonial arches, or courtyard dwellings. Most of them are concentrated around the Yinding (or Silver Coin) bridge and the narrow canal that connects Houhai Lake to Qianhai (before sea) Lake. In this area, you can take a rickshaw (Pedi cab)ride through the ancient Hutongs (Chinese lanes) that surround the Houhai Street to find your favorite bars or just to enjoy the night.

Houhai Bar Area is hopping at night with people singing, drinking, and chatting in the bars. Locals and visitors alike gather here to spend their leisure time, make friends, or to discover Beijing's bar culture and architecture. On the left bank of Lake Houhai, bars line the street decorated with lanterns and colorful outdoor seating. They make full advantage of the lake view. Visitors can sit beside the lake drinking coffee, tea, or beer while chatting, and enjoying a beautiful evening.

Xi'an Muslim Snack Street: Xi'an Muslim Snack Street is also called Muslim Street, but the locals call it Huimin Xiaochijie. It holds a fascinating lure for food buffs. It is located near the Drum Tower in Muslim Square. On either side of the 500-meter-long street, there are many restaurants and shops featuring unique snacks. Here you can enjoy authentic Muslim cuisines and learn the customs of the Hui (Chinese Muslim) people. Nearly, all of Shaanxi's most famous snacks can be found here, for example, Mutton Paomo, Kabobs, Roujiamo, oil tea, Qishan Noodles, chopped buckwheat noodles, Liangpi (cold noodles), fried persimmon paste, honey jelly cake, Hulutou (Crumbled Unleavened Bread Soaked in Broth), Guotie (pot-pie), and eight-treasure rose mirror cake. For gastronomists, this is snack heaven!

Xi'an Noodles, Mutton Paomo and Kabobs: Xian is home to noodles, on the streets and in the restaurants of this city you can enjoy the almost limitless variety of noodles. The favorites are Qishan noodles, Chopped buckwheat noodles, and Liangpi. These famous noodles should be on every visitor to Xian's must-do-list.

Mutton Paomo is local cuisine with a long history. This food consists of mutton soup and a piece of wheat flour flat bread. The soup is made from mutton, and many vegetables and spices. When eating this classic dish, a person breaks up the thin piece of unleaven bread into little pieces, and place it in a bowl. Then the soup is poured it, allowing the bread to soak up the delicious mutton soup. The two most popular restaurants to find this delicious dish, is Tongshenxiang Beef and Mutton Paomo Restaurant, and the Chunfasheng Paomo Restaurant.

Traveling in Xian, a visitor can taste many flavorful roasts such as the Brazilian kabobs, Japanese roasted meat, South Korea broiler, and Turkey fried meat. But we give the local Xian kabobs a plug because they are inexpensive and wonderful!

Shanghai Local Dishes: Shanghai local cuisine has evolved from traditional Shanghai home cooking. The ingredients and cooking methods are simple and economical, featuring stewing and braising cooking techniques. Shanghai local dishes often use sugar in their seasoning and are partial to sauce. Some popular favorites are: fried minced pork balls, chicken bone simmered in a brown sauce, spiced (five flavor) chicken leg, braised pork in Dongpo style, fried shrimps, sautéed alfalfa, braised bamboo shoots with oil, and boiled pork slices. If you would like to taste these tasty Shanghai local dishes, they can be found in many places such as: the Maylinge Restaurant, the Zun Pin Shao Cai Gong Fang Restaurant (near Jing An Temple), and the Paul Restaurant.

Shanghai Steamed Crab: Yangcheng is noted for having the 'king of the crabs'. The best time for eating Yangcheng Lake crabs is in autumn. At this time, crabs are at their best and are being shipped to restaurants all over Shanghai. Many famous crab dishes can be found in Shanghai such as: crab meat bean curd, lily fruit in crab fat, and rice cake in crab meat. These delicacies much loved by local and visiting diners. The original and most popular dish is the steamed crab (Dazaxie) which maintains the original flavor of the crab. It focuses on bringing out the natural crab flavor. The meat is tender, juicy and delicious. Be warned, once tasting this tasty dish, you might have trouble controlling yourself.

Yangshuo Beer Fish: Yangshuo Beer Fish is Yangshuo's most famous dish. It is made from fresh caught Li River carp. The fresh fish is fried in a wok along with beer, hot and green peppers, garlic, onions, celery, tomatoes, soy, and sugar. Visitors are amazed at how delicious the fish's skin is and how fresh and tender the meat is. Eating Yangshuo's beer fish will be an unforgettable culinary experience.

Yangshuo's famous West Street has many restaurants serving this delicious dish. The Tao's Authentic Beer Fish, and The Older Sister of Peng's Beer Fish come highly recommended.

Guilin Girdle Cooked Beef Steak: Girdle Cooked Beef Steak (Niupai ganguo) is one of Guilin's most well known local dishes. This kind of beef steak is cooked with different seasonings, such as chili, cassia bark, and fennel. It is similar to eating hot pot, except no broth is used in the wok. Diners can control the heat to cook the meat to their specifications. The griddle cooked beef steak tastes spicy, and its flavor is unique. It is very different from that of a Western steak. If desired, diners can add some beer to the wok to make the steak even tastier. After the steak is finished, vegetables, bean curd, pickled cabbage, noodles and a bowl of broth can be added to the wok and cooked in the steak's juices.
This delicious dish can be found at most hot pot restaurants in Guilin and Yangshuo.

Transfer

All coach, cruise ship, rail, excursion boats and flights as specified within the tour itinerary are included. We have received wide recognition for our transfer service. With China Odyssey Tours on-time transfer service, you will not feel lonely in this strange world. China Odyssey Tours works hard to live up to the slogan's promise "You are not alone in China".

1) Coach - At China Odyssey Tours, we use a modern fleet of clean and comfortable air-conditioned coaches with experienced drivers. Free from the hassles of traffic, roadmaps, and parking, you will be finally free of distractions and free enough to enjoy the travel while a professional driver handles the wheel.

Seating Capacity

Maximum	Comfortable
47 passengers	20-38 passengers
33 passengers	15-25 passengers
19 passengers	6-14 passengers
7 passengers	3-4 passengers
7 passengers	3-4 passengers
4 passengers	1-2 passengers

2) Flight - You can reserve your international flights according to your preferences. All the China domestic flights specified in the itinerary are arranged by us. Travel Consultants at China Odyssey Tours will arrange you the flights according to your schedule.

Airlines in China

There are quite a few airline companies in China, the ones we often use are: Air China (CA), China Eastern Airlines (MU), China Southern Airlines (CZ), Dragon air (KA), and Hainan Airlines (HU), who use the following airplanes: A300 / A310/ A319/ A320 /A321/ A340 & B737 / B747/ B757 /B767/ B777 / MD90/ MD82 /MD11 & BAE146, etc.

Airlines in China now sell e-tickets and all you need for check-in at the airport is to present your valid passport. When it is allowed, our local tour guide will go to the airline check-in counter and assist you until you get your boarding pass.

Luggage Regulations for domestic flights in China

For the check-in luggage, passengers holding an adult fare or half fare ticket are entitled to a free baggage allowance of 40kg (88 pounds) for first class, and 30kg (66pounds) for business class, while20kg (44 pounds) for economy class. No free baggage allowance is granted to infants. If your luggage is over the limitation, you will need to pay for the excess weight, and some of the airports in China are quite strict with this.

Tip for this: If you are traveling together in group more than 1 people, you can use your allowance together, for example, if you have 35kg, your friend have only 5kg, it will be fine as long as you two check in together. This method also applies to 3, 4, 5 or even more people within one group, as long as you are checking in at the same time over the airport counter.

For the carry-on luggage, total weight of carry-on baggage for each passenger may not exceed 5kg (11 pounds). First class passengers may carry up to 2 pieces. All other passengers may carry on only one piece. The size may not exceed 20x40x55cm. Carry- on baggage in excess of the limit is subject to an excess baggage fee and must be carried as checked baggage.

What's Included?

China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary
Accommodations---for 10 nights at three star, or higher, hotels as well as the cruise in comfortable twin-bedded rooms with a private bath, air-conditioning, television, telephone and minibar
On this incredible tour you will receive 20 meals--10 full breakfasts,9 lunches and 1 dinners (including Peking Duck Dinner)
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
1 gala evening events--Acrobatic Show
Government taxes and service charge except tips to tour escort and driver

Special Notes

China Odyssey Tours specializes in Foreign Individual Travel and all our tours operate based on small groups of 2-4 persons traveling together and are designed to enhance your China experience. We are trying our best to investigate and explore tour routes to suit both individuals and groups.
There are no fixed departure dates for all itineraries - you can start your trip whenever you want. All our tours operate all year round and are scheduled upon request.

If you are interested in this tour and would like to change the accommodations, meals and vehicles, just tell us and we can make adjustments according to what you want. Our online travel consultants help you make the most of your travel time and dollars!
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