China Vacation from Beijing

Itinerary

• Day 1: Beijing, Arrival

  When your flight lands in Beijing, the capital of China, your local guide will greet you and escort you to the hotel for check-in. Spend the rest of the day taking a short exploration on your own.

  • Beijing

• Day 2: Beijing, Forbidden City

  In the morning, start your today's tour from Tiananmen Square, and then marvel at the traditional Chinese palatial architecture in the Forbidden City. After that, stop for lunch and then pay a visit to a pearl store.

  Finally, a leisure walking tour in the hutongs will bring you to the daily life of old Beijingers. Before returning to the hotel, enjoy painting facial make-up of Peking Opera on a paper mask.

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  • Beijing

• Day 3: Beijing, Temple of Heaven & Great Wall

  Head southeast for a tour of the Temple of Heaven. It is a good place where you will see an imperial complex of religious buildings as well as the locals doing morning exercise.

  After a 1.5-hour drive, you will reach the magnificent Great Wall (Mutianyu section, including round-trip cable car). This fortification snakes into the distance with lush forest on both sides.

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  • Beijing

• Day 4: High-Speed Train to Jinan, City Highlights

  Head to the railway station for your high-speed train to Jinan City (about 2 hours). Upon your arrival, you will be met and escorted to your hotel. After checking into the hotel, you could have relaxing sightseeing through the city with Daming Lake, Furong Street and Baotu Spring.

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  • Jinan

• Day 5: Drive to Tai'an, Mt. Tai

  As a mountain of great historical and cultural significance, Mount Tai has been the most important place of worship for at least 3,000 years in Chinese history. Today, you will drive about 1.5 hours from Jinan to Tai'an City for a tour of Dai Temple and this holy mountain with Puzhao Temple and Bixia Temple. You can take a cable car up to the top of the mountain for a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

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  • Tai'an

• Day 6: Drive to Qufu and Return, Confucius' Hometown

  After breakfast, you will drive about 1.5 hours to Qufu City, which is the birthplace of Confucius. In Qufu, you will visit the Kong Family Mansion, which was the residence of the direct descendants of Confucius; the Temple of Confucius, a place used to worship Confucius; and the Cemetery of Confucius, where Confucius himself and many of his disciples and descendants were buried after death. After the tour, drive back to Tai'an.

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  • Tai'an

• Day 7: High-Speed Train to Xi'an, Calligraphy Class

  In the early morning, get to the railway station for high-speed train to Xi'an (about 5 hours). Upon arrival, your local guide will welcome you and escort you to the hotel. After checking into the hotel, visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and take a calligraphy class there.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 8: Xi'an, Terracotta Warriors & City Wall

  The Terracotta Warriors is an attraction that must see in Xi'an. These life-sized warriors have different uniforms, hairstyles and faces. After that, go back to the city for a tour of the Ancient City Wall.

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  • Xi'an

• Day 9: Xi'an, Family Visit & Muslim Street, Fly to Guilin

  Visiting a local family is the best way to experience the authentic local life. Following the host, do some homely dishes such as dumplings, and noodles. You will also have a chance to buy some materials at a bustling market and enter the local Mahjong House to see the amusement in their leisure time.

  Continue to the Muslim Street, which is an intersecting street that is full of Muslim cultural atmosphere. Enjoy the shadow puppet show at Gao's Courtyard before flying to Guilin. Upon arrival, be met and escorted to your hotel.

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  • Guilin

• Day 10: Guilin, Li River Cruise

  After breakfast, you will be driven to the pier (40 to 50 minutes) to embark on a leisurely Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. As the boast sails downstream, enjoy the spectacular karst landscapes and immerse yourself in the picturesque pastoral views along the river.

  After the cruise, transfer to your hotel in Yangshuo. Check in and take a break at the hotel. Later, continue on to a leisurely countryside tour either by bike or car at your pleasure.

  Optional: If you'd like more activities tonight, we'd heartily recommend an open-air show of Impression Sanjie Liu.

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  • Yangshuo

• Day 11: Guilin, Reed Flute Cave, Fly to Shanghai

  Today, your guide will drive you back to Guilin for a city tour, including the Elephant Trunk Hill, South China Sea Pearl Museum and the Reed Flute Cave. As a natural limestone cave decorating with multicolored lighting, the Reed Flute Cave is known as "the Palace of Natural Arts". After the tour, go to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival, be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 12: Shanghai, City Highlights

  After breakfast, spend about 1 hour walking along the off-the-beaten Shanghai Urban Area to feel the unique charm of this prosperous city. Later, enter the attractive Yu Garden to experience a sense of peace and harmony. Continue your tour to the Yuyuan Market and then stop at the Jiangnan Silk Workshop.

  Ascend to the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, from where you will get the skyline of Shanghai. The last stop today is the Bund, which shows you buildings of various architectural styles.

  Optional: In the evening, we highly recommend you to see the famous acrobatic show, which will provide you with a visual feast.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 13: Shanghai, Departure

  Free time for you to prepare to back home. When you are ready, the guide and driver will escort you to the airport for your flight departing from Shanghai.

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