The Very Best Of China

Explore China

We run these trips on a regular basis.
Dates for 2010 depart on
April 4th
April 12th
May 6th
June 6th
September 20th
October 20th


Day1.
Arrive in Beijing
Transfer from airport to Hotel for 4 nights accommodation with
buffet breakfast.
Late afternoon excursion to Hutong for rickshaw ride, free time, included dinner.
Day2.
Summer Palace with boat ride and free time.
Lunch.
Temple of Heaven.
Day3.
The Ming tombs.
The Friendship Store with lunch.
The Great Wall.
Day4.
Tiananmen Square.
Lunch.
Forbidden City.
Peking Duck dinner.
Day5.
Transfer to Beijing Airport.
Beijing to Xian flight (1.40hrs approx.)
Transfer from Xian Airport for City Walls.
Transfer to Tianyu Gloria Plaza Hotel (Or similar standard) for 2 nights accommodation with
buffet breakfast.
Tang Dynasty show with dumpling banquet.
Day6.
The Terracotta Warriors.
Lunch at the Terracotta Warrior museum.
Warriors Factory visit.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day7.
Transfer toXian Airport.
Xian to Shanghai flight (2hrs approx.)
Transfer from Shanghai Airport to Hotel Shanghai for 5 nights accommodation with buffet
breakfast.
Day8.
Morning excursion to water village –Boat ride
Lunch in water village
Afternoon Shanghai sightseeing –The Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Garden & the Bund.
Day9.
City Tours
Day10.
Free Day
Day11.
Free Day
Day12.
Departure transfer to Beijing

Return to UK

The Very Best Of China

- Virgin Flights from UK to Hong Kong & Shanghai back to London Heathrow
- All domestic flights within China
- All UK & Chinese airport taxes & charges
- All Chinese airport/hotel transfers
- All Coach tours & excursions as per itinerary
- Services of local guides in each city
- 3 nights at the Prudential Hotel, HK
- 2 nights at the Hotel Universal, Guillin
- 2 nights at the Tangcheng Hotel, Xi’an
- 3 nights at the Jiangxi Grand Hotel, Beijing
- 2 nights at the Ramada Shanghai Hongkou
- 11 breakfasts, 9 lunches & 9 dinners
- All city taxes & baggage handling charges

DAY 1 -
Overnight Virgin Atlantic Flight departs London Heathrow to Hong Kong

DAY 2 -
Afternoon arrival in Hong Kong where you will be met by our local representative and transferred to the excellent
4 star Prudential Hotel in the heart of Hong Kong on Nathan Road. The remainder of the evening at leisure.

DAY 3 -
Breakfast followed by a guided orientation tour of Hong Kong. You'll start your tour with a ride up Victoria Peak for panoramic views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the surrounding islands. You'll pass picturesque Repulse Bay on the way to your next destination, the famous fishing village of Aberdeen. Here you'll see Hong Kong's junk-dwelling community still very much a part of Hong Kong life. You'll have the opportunity to board a sampan, for a close-up view of waterborne life (extra cost). Next you'll visit the famous Stanley Market, where you can pick up bargains at just a fraction of the price in town. Your tour of Hong Kong Island concludes with a short visit to a prestigious jewellery factory, where craftsmen fashion meticulous works of art from gold and gems.

DAY 4 -
The day at Leisure in Hong Kong or
join our optional day excursion to Lantau Island & Po Lin Monastery - This day trip begins with a trip on an express ferry across Hong Kong's harbor to Lantau Island. You'll then board a coach to beautiful Cheung Sha Beach, Hong Kong's longest beach. Next it's on to the unique Tai O fishing village, where the local fishermen's homes are built on stilts. Then our coach will take you up the winding mountain road to Ngong Ping Plateau, where the Giant Buddha sits 111 feet (34 meters) high over the Po Lin Monastery. You'll enjoy a traditional Buddhist vegetarian meal at the monastery, and your tour concludes with a cable-car ride down the mountain, a 25-minute journey offering breathtaking panoramic views of the South China Sea, and the awe-inspiring Giant Buddha statue. From Tung Chung Village return to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island by coach.

DAY 5 -
The day at leisure in Hong Kong followed by a late afternoon transfer to Hong Kong airport for an evening flight to Guilin. On arrival you'll be met by our local representative and transferred to the Universal Hotel set alongside the Li River followed by dinner at the hotel.

DAY 6 -
After breakfast you'll enjoy a day trip from Guilin along the impressionable Li River, twisting and turning through lush Chinese landscape that will have you 'snap happy' with the camera for the majority of the tour, during which you'll be cruising upriver in cushioned comfort. Bring lots of film because this cruise along the Li River is a photographer's dream, and you'll want to capture the dramatic landscapes that Chinese artists have been painting for centuries. Lunch will be served onboard, with local favorites and fresh catches from the Li River. Your destination is the village of Yangshuo, where you'll disembark and stroll amid the colorful, bustling marketplace of local street vendors. Then it's a bus trip back to Guilin to see the farms and countryside away from the river and a stop for shopping enroute.

DAY 7 -
Breakfast followed by a morning flight from Guilin to Xi'an. Again on arrival you'll b met by our local representative and transferred into Xi'an where you'll enjoy a guided city tour and lunch. Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and was the fabled starting point for the famous Silk Road. It served as the provincial capital for 13 dynasties, spanning a period of 1,100 years. Xi'an is unlike any major city in China, with an intact city wall dating back some 600 years, quaint local customs and a long history, even by Chinese standards. After the tour you'll be taken to your hotel, the Xi'an Tangcheng Hotel with dinner at the hotel.

DAY 8 -
Breakfast followed by an unforgettable tour to see the world-famous Terracotta Warrior Army and Horses, one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. This tour provides an opportunity to explore the site where 7,000 of these life sized figures were constructed to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb as well as take to the Banpo site, a typical Neolithic matriarchal community and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is estimated that there are over 7,000 life-size terracotta figures and horses buried here. The museum complex, which you will visit on this tour, features extensive exhibits, artifacts and a movie of the rich history of the site, plus breathtaking examples of the countless treasures unearthed here. After lunch, you'll visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a symbol of the city. We transfer back to the hotel late afternoon followed by dinner at the hotel.

DAY 9 -
Breakfast followed by transfer and mornng flight from Xi'an to Beijing, here you'll be met by our local representative for the transfer into Beijing, where after a delicious lunch, it's on to the Temple of Heaven, China's largest temple and altar complex, this extraordinary example of religious architecture dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Then in the afternoon you'll be transferred to the 4 star Jiangxi Grand Hotel with dinner included.

DAY 10 -
Departing after breakfast, you'll see all the classic Beijing sights on a full-day sightseeing tour covering Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Your full-day tour starts at Tiananmen Square to explore China's more recent history, influenced by Chairman Mao and the rise of communism. From there it's on to the Forbidden City, built by Emperor Yong Le during the Ming Dynasty, and the seat of power for centuries. It has seen countless battles and reconstruction, and the architecture seen today dates from the 1700s. The Forbidden City is also known as the Imperial Palace Museum, with the history of every dynasty represented in four palatial halls. Return to the hotel is late afternoon with dinner included.

DAY 11 -
Breakfast followed by day excursion to see two of China's most popular attractions, the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs. You'll visit the Badaling section of the Great Wall, one of the best preserved sections of this colossal structure, and explore the Chang Ling Tomb, the largest of the excavated Ming emperor burial sites. First stop on the tour is the Great Wall of China, the greatest symbol of ancient Chinese engineering and one of the world's most famous structures. Here at the Badaling section of the Great Wall you will have the opportunity to climb either the north or south face of the wall. From Badaling it's on to the sacred Ming Tombs, burial grounds to 13 of the 16 Ming emperors. You'll explore the largest of the excavated burial sites, the Chang Ling Tomb, which is divided into three separate, impressive courtyards. Lunch is included in your day tour to the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs, along with a visit to the Beijing 2008 Olympics sites before returning to the hotel late afternoon with dinner included.

DAY 12 -
Breakfast followed by transfers and a morning light from Beijing to Shanghai. On arrival you'll; be met by our local representative and taken on an afternoon tour of Shanghai including lunch and a visit to the TV tower for a bird's eye view of the city. We then make the short journey to the Hotel, the Ramada Shanghai Hongkou where dinner is included.

DAY 13 -
Departing the hotel after breakfast today you'll see all the main sites of Shanghai, know as 'Paris of the Orient'. Your fully guided coach tour includes lunch as well as entry into the Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai Museum, Bund and Bund History Museum, Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Old Street, Fresh Water Pearl Gallery, a silk factory and Xin Tian Di, Shanghai's entertainment district. Your tour begins with Jade Buddha Temple. Built during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1875-1909), it contains a priceless collection of jade statues from Burma. The temple is constructed in the magnificent architectural style of the Song Dynasty. After lunch, visit the enchanting Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Old Street. The garden includes many halls, springs and other buildings of interest continuing on to the Bund on Shanghai's waterfront, Shanghai's most famous landmark and a symbol of old and new Shanghai. We return to the hotel late afternoon for an early dinner before an evening trip to see Shanghai's famous 'Acrobats Show'.

DAY 14 -
Breakfast followed by transfers and a morning Virgin Atlantic flight back to UK, arriving at London Heathrow in the evening.

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Explore China

The Very Best Of China