| 15 Days Classic China Tour w/ Shaoxing (Tour code: CH1504) | |
| Themes:History, culture, nature | |
| Destinations: Beijing - Shaanxi Xi'an - Guangxi Guilin - Yangshuo - Zhejiang Shaoxing - Wuzhen - Shanghai | |
| please contact us for group price |  |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | We arrive in Beijing and after having cleared customs we dive straight into the Beijing sights at the Summer Palace experience this former summer residence of the court. In here we also walk along the famous Long Corridor and take a short boat ride on Kunming Lake, before we drive to our hotel to check in and rest. |
| Attractions | Summer Palace |
| Meals | Lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 3* hotel |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | In the morning we head north into the mountains where the Great Wall of China at the Mutianyu Section awaits. As we ride the cable car up the wall reveals itself on the nearby hilltops. We spend a few hours seeing this extraordinary construction before we visit a cloisonné factory to learn about this special product, and then continue to the Changling Ming Tomb and the Sprit Way. Back in downtown Beijing we enjoy a special dinner of Peking Duck. |
| Attractions | Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, Changling Ming Tomb, Spirit Way, Peking Duck |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 3* hotel |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | In the morning we visit the Temple of Heaven and see both the temple itself and also the surrounding park where thousands of people come to work out in the morning. Later we visit a silk shop, before strolling across Tian’anmen Square, right in the middle of the city, to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was finished in 1420 when Emperor Yongle moved the court from Nanjing to Beijing, and was the home of the rulers for almost 500 years. In the evening we go to the beautiful Huguang Guild Hall to see the world-famous Peking Opera. |
| Attractions | Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Peking Opera |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 3* hotel |
| Destination | Beijing - night train |
| Activities | We have free time until we check-out at noon, and after lunch we spend the afternoon going to one of the markets selling souvenirs and clothes, before continuing to Houhai Scenic Area to see the Hutongs and the beautiful lake. The hutongs are Beijings classic old alleys. Most of the capital used to look like this back in the day, and it is still possible to experience how life is led in here, far away from the Beijing that lies outside the gray walls. In the evening we go to the train station to catch our soft sleeper train to Xi’an. |
| Attractions | Market, Houhai Hutong Scenic Area |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | Night train, soft sleeper berths |
| Destination | Xi'an |
| Activities | We arrive in Xi’an in the morning and go to our hotel for breakfast. Since it is too early to check in we begin our tour of Xi'an right away at the impressive Shaanxi History Museum, where many of the most important artefacts unearthed near historic Xi'an is found. Later we visit a jade shop, and then continue to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, and in the afternoon enter the Muslim Quarter where we see a shadow puppet performance before enhoying a hot pot dinner. |
| Attractions | Shaanxi History Museum, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Muslim Quarter, shadow puppet performance |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Xi'an |
| Activities | Today we begin our day tour at the City Wall, an impressive structure from the Ming Dynasty, and then leave town to go first to a terracotta store to see the production of replica terracottas before we arrive at the Terracotta Army, a truly magnificent collection of more than 7000 lifesized clay figures built by order of Emperor Qin more than 2000 years ago. In the evening we enjoy another special dinner, a dumpling banquet dinner. |
| Attractions | City Wall, Terracotta Army, dumpling banquet dinner |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Xi'an - Ping'an |
| Activities | We take a morning flight to Guilin, from where we drive to the mountain village of Ping'an, home to the stunning Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. From the parking lot below we walk for about 30 minutes to reach the village, and after check in at our comfortable mountain hotel we walk up to the 'Seven Star, Half Moon' scenic spot. From here it is possible to hike farther if you wish. We spend the evening relaxing in this tranquil village. |
| Attractions | Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | Non-graded Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Ping'an - Yangshuo |
| Activities | After a quiet morning in the village we walk down the mountain and drive to Yangshuo, on the way stopping to visit a pearl shop. The drive will take us out of the mountains and down into the low-lying areas around Guilin. Slowly the famous limestone hills start to pop up here and there, before the entire scenery shifts near our destination, Yangshuo, by the beautiful Li River. We check in at our hotel and rest. |
| Attractions | Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces, Guangxi's stunning scenery |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Yangshuo |
| Activities | We drive to nearby Xingping Village where we take a walk on charming Old Street, and then take a bamboo raft cruise on the Li River to Yucun village (2-3 hours). Our bamboo rafts will take us through some of the best parts of the famous Li River scenery. After lunch in Xingping we head back to Yangshuo and the rest of the day is free to explore on your own. |
| Attractions | Xingping Village, Li River Bamboo Raft Mini-cruise, Yucun Village |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Yangshuo - Shaoxing |
| Activities | It is time to leave Guangxi Province and travel east. Our goal today is Shaoxing, a little-visited but very charming city with a well-preserved old quarter where our hotel is. First we drive Guilin Airport to fly to Hangzhou, from where we drive to Shaoxing, check-in at our very nice hotel and rest, before we visit beautiful Shen Garden at night. |
| Attractions | Shen Garden |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 5* Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Shaoxing |
| Activities | After breakfast we walk the short distance to Lu Xun's former home. Lu Xun was one of the most influential Chinese writers of the early 20th century. Later we drive to the tranquil and very charming Bazi Bridge area to take a stroll by the canals, before we take a half-hour fishing boat canal tour in the special Wupeng boats. We finish off the day by visiting one of the city's many canal gates, made to protect the city against rising waters. |
| Attractions | Lu Xun's former home, Bazi Bridge area, Wupeng Boat Canal Tour, City Gate |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 5* Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Shaoxing - Hangzhou |
| Activities | We leave Shaoxing and head for famous Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo in his journals. Here we take a short cruise on the central West Lake, renowned all over China for its beauty. Later we visit the large and very old Lingyin Temple, before we visit a tea plantation to taste China's famous green tea. Longjing Town, just outside Hangzhou, is famous for producing Longjing Tea, generally considered to be the best of China's many types of green tea. In the afternoon we check in at our hotel and rest. |
| Attractions | West Lake, Lingyin Temple, tea plantation |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Hangzhou - Shanghai |
| Activities | We set out and drive to Shanghai, one of the largest cities in the world. First we visit the City Planning Museum to get an idea of the size of the city, before we continue to the Jinmao Tower's observation deck on the 88th floor to see the incredible view. Later we check in, and in the evening we enjoy the Shanghai Acrobat Show. |
| Attractions | City Planning Museum, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai Acrobat Show |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 3* hotel |
| Destination | Shanghai |
| Activities | Today we see Shanghai by foot. We walk the short distance to The Bund, by many seen as the symbol of Shanghai, before we continue through Chinatown's small alleys to Yuyuan Garden, a great example of Chinese garden art. The afternoon is free to rest or pack, before we meet up again for our farewell dinner. |
| Attractions | The Bund, Chinatown, Yuyuan Garden |
| Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
| Accommodation | 3* hotel |
| Destination | Shanghai - home |
| Activities | Our tour of China is coming to an end, and unfortunately it is time to say farewell and return home. The morning is free until departure for the airport, and after going through the airport formalities we start our journey home. |
| Attractions | None |
| Meals | Breakfast |
| Accommodation | Not incl. |
| Price information | |
Please contact us for group price.
Luxury upgrade: partially available
Luxury Upgrade Policy: A luxury upgrade option is available with many of our tours. In accordance with our quality benchmark, upgrade options are divided into four categories: 1. Available - upgrade possible at all destinations in tour itinerary. 2. Partially available - upgrade not possible at one or more destnations in tour itinerary. 3. Not recommended - available or partially available, but not recommended (see Hotel Policy). 4. Not available - luxury upgrades are not possible on many of our trademark specialty tours to remote or developing regions. These tours are deeply genuine and authentic.
Keeping our guests' comfort in mind, we prefer to stay in a 2* or 3* hotel in or close to the attraction, rather than a 4* or 5* hotel much further away. Genuine China Tours' all-encompassing hotel policy is that we will never pick a hotel only because of its price. All our partner hotels must live up to a strict quality test that includes: 1. Geographical location - the location of our chosen hotel is of great importantce, both in large cities, where traffic congestion can play a vital role in the handling of the tour, and also on tours to remote villages, where the right choice of village or hotel can mean a world of difference to the tour. 2. Quality of hotel - including room size and cleanliness, quality of breakfast, ease of getting in/out and more. 3. Local environment - local environment should include local sights (when possible), be in the vicinity of local markets/night markets (if any) and have access to shops and convenience stores (if any). 4. Design and layout of hotel - we prefer hotels with history and atmosphere, especially if these have relevance with the sight(s) at the destination. 5. Value for money - any hotel must pass requirements 1-3 and 5. If a hotel passes all five requirements it becomes a Priority Hotel. |
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| Price including |
International tour leader for duration of the tour Local English-speaking guides at all destinations Domestic flights as in itinerary Train travel as in itinerary All ground transportation in bus All entrances, cruises and shows as listed in itinerary Tips for guides and drivers Travel agency responsibility insurance All government taxes |
| Price not including |
Flights to/from China Personal expenses Anything not listed in itinerary |
| Important tour information |
Detailed tour information will be sent upon request. Please note that the more information you can give us about the group(s) you plan, the more accurate can we make the quotation and detailed tour information. We offer a wide range of services at all prices, but all of them bear our quality touch. Please get in touch with one of our expert tour designers with any questions you have - We know. We've been. |
| Genuine China Tours is an officially registered travel agency operating under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Guests are required to follow rules and regulations set forth by existing laws of the country, including behavior respectful of local customs and manners. Tour designs and quotations may not be used in connection with other travel agencies. Genuine China Tours cannot be held responsible for any inconvenience caused by weather, traffic, government policies or other situations outside GCTs control. |