Eastern China Tour: UNESCO Gardens, Water Town & West Lake

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival in Shanghai

  On arrival in Shanghai, you will be greeted at the airport and escorted to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free to relax and recover from your journey. If you feel like some fresh air after checking in, a quiet stroll around the neighborhood is an easy way to settle into the local pace.

  • Shanghai

• Day 2: The Bund, Former French Concession & Shanghai Skyline

  The day opens along the Bund, Shanghai's most iconic waterfront promenade, lined with grand colonial-era buildings set against a striking modern skyline. From there, the pace slows down in the Former French Concession, with plane trees shade the streets. You may pause for coffee, and walk past Art Deco apartments and shuttered lane houses that hold a century of stories.

  A visit to Shanghai Museum East follows, where thousands of years of Chinese art and civilization displayed across contemporary galleries. The day ends at the Shanghai Tower, whose observation deck delivers sweeping views across the city and far into the horizon.

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  • Shanghai

• Day 3: Shanghai to Suzhou: Gardens & Old Town Life

  A short high-speed train journey brings you to Suzhou, known as the garden city of China. The first stop is the Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the four great classical gardens of China, celebrated for its sculpted rockeries, tranquil ponds, and graceful pavilions.

  Afterwards, a traditional rickshaw ride carries you through Suzhou's historic old quarters. Narrow lanes, ancient canals, and unhurried local life reveal a quieter side of the city. Continue to Pingjiang Road for a leisurely walk along its canal-side street, lined with traditional houses, teahouses, and small local shops.

  In the evening, step inside the Master of the Nets Garden, another UNESCO-listed classical garden, for a truly distinctive nighttime experience in one of Suzhou's most intimate and storied settings.

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  • Suzhou

• Day 4: Tongli Water Town & Onward to Hangzhou

  The day begins in Tongli Water Town, one of the best-preserved water towns in the Yangtze Delta. Stone bridges, winding canals, and Ming-dynasty houses set a rhythm that follows the water. A hand-paddled boat ride offers a peaceful way to take it all in, gliding quietly through the waterways as daily life unfolds along the banks.

  Later in the day, board a high-speed train to Hangzhou, the storied capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, celebrated for West Lake's legendary scenery and a tea and culinary culture that has defined the region for over a thousand years.

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  • Hangzhou

• Day 5: West Lake & Traditional Chinese Medicine Experience

  The day unfolds around West Lake. Causeways, willow-lined banks, and calm waters create the landscape that has inspired poets and painters for more than a thousand years.

  A visit to Liuhe Pagoda follows, a striking seven-story riverside pagoda overlooking the Qiantang River, with over 1,000 years of history dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty.

  At Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum, you can engage with one of China's oldest healing traditions, with interactive experiences including AI-assisted diagnosis and moxibustion therapy. The day rounds out at Hefang Street, a well-preserved historic street that keep old Hangzhou's commercial life alive.

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  • Hangzhou

• Day 6: Longjing Tea Experience & Afternoon at Leisure

  This morning, head into the hills to Meijiawu Tea Village, set among terraced plantations that produce Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, one of China's most prized varieties. You will have the opportunity to pick tea leaves, learn the craft of hand-roasting, and taste the finished cup in the landscape that has shaped this celebrated tea for centuries.

  Optional Activity: Grand Canal Museum Cluster
  Visit its rich context on the 1,800-year-old waterway that once served as the commercial lifeline of imperial China.

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  • Hangzhou

• Day 7: Departure from Hangzhou

  Once breakfast is finished, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward journey, taking with you the flavors, landscapes, and living history of eastern China.

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