Our clients at the Victoria Peak Photo by our client Mr. Bruce Malkin

Day 01Arrival in Hong Kong

Upon arrival, please take a taxi or the airport shuttle bus to the hotel we have booked for you by yourself. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.

Tips: In Hong Kong, both the currencies of Hong Kong dollars and Chinese Yuan are accepted in the large stores, shopping malls, big restaurants and hotels. It is also very handy to exchange any currency in either local banks or your hotel. No handling charge is needed. Most of the Hong Kong people can speak English and the English signposts are easily found everywhere. That's no problem for you to travel around Hong Kong freely on your own.

Day 02Hong Kong

The hotel accommodation with breakfast is arranged today. You are suggested to have a half-day Hong Kong Island Tour. Ride the peak tram to the mid-level of Central District, then to the Victoria Peak. Visit the Repulse Bay, Aberdeen and Stanley Market on your own.(B)

Tips: Hong Kong is not big but full of international metropolis flavors. It's often described as a Shoppers' Paradise or the Culinary Capital of Asia. Really, it deserves the title. Shopping in Hong Kong is a great pleasure. You can enjoy duty-free purchase of the world-famous brands. Convenient urban transportation makes shopping a breeze. Meanwhile, lots of restaurants can be found at the shopping malls. Various delicacies from different countries are mouthwatering. After shopping and dining, you may go to a bar, KTV, cinema or coffee house for relaxation. What a happy day!

Yangshuo rural scenery

Day 03Hong Kong - Guilin

The morning is free. The e-ticket information on Hong Kong to Guilin will be provided to you in advance. According to the flight schedule, please take the flight to Guilin by yourself. Our guide will greet you outside the baggage claim area at Guilin airport and drive you to your hotel.(B)

Day 04Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin

Enduring memories are created today as you cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. Upon arrival in Yangshuo, a short bicycle trip to the countryside will then be arranged. You will visit a local villager's home to experience the farmer's lifestyle there. Alternatively, you can take our electric car instead of bicycles if you are not very skillful. Transfer back to Guilin.(B+L)

Tips: Lunch will be provided on the cruise today and since it may not meet your expectations, TCG suggests that you have a larger breakfast at the hotel.
 
Li River - During the first part of Li River cruise, visitors can appreciate many touristy attractions: such as the Elephant-Trunk Hill, Rooster Fighting Hill, Forest of Odd Shaped Peaks, Pagoda Hill, Longmen Village, Daxu Ancient Town, Millstone Hill and Ox Gorge. Grotesque peaks stand on the bank of the river and rows of cottages mix with the rice pad, which is a miniature of the tranquil Guilin landscape. Immersed in such a serene environment, visitors will feel relaxed and forget the trivialities of daily lives.

Rural scenery in Yangshuo

Day 05Guilin - Xian

Visit the Reed Flute Cave, the Seven Star Park and the Elephant Trunk Hill. Take a flight to Xian and transfer to the hotel. (B+L, D is included for luxury series)

Differences
Luxury Series: we have arranged a buffet dinner for you at your hotel this evening.
Standard Series: we would like to leave this dinner on your own. You may have dinner at your hotel by yourself or ask for your guide's suggestion.
 
Descriptions:
Reed Flute Cave - It's quite interesting to visit the Reed Flute Cave, Lu Di Yan in Chinese. The cave is pouch-shaped with an entrance and an exit, which stand very close to each other. After entering the cave, you will take a U-shaped route to see different attractions.

Seven-Star Park - Coming to the Li River, you should go to visit the Seven-Star Park. Otherwise, it would be a great regret. The park is just located on the east bank of the Li River. It possesses the most concentrated sceneries of Guilin. The picturesque landscape makes people astonished.

Elephant Trunk Hill - Situated at the southeast of Guilin city and on the western bank of Li River, the Elephant Trunk Hill is thought to be the landmark of Guilin landscape, and the symbol of the city. Originally named “Li Hill” or “Yi Hill”, the hill got the present name for resembling an elephant sucking water with its long trunk. With an elevation of 200 meters (656 feet), the hill is 55 meters (180 feet) high above water, and has a long history of 3. 6 hundred million years.

Day 06Xian

Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Afterwards, a drive back to downtown for a superb lunch at a well-known Cantonese cuisine restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the City Wall. This evening you will be entertained by the marvelous Tang Dynasty Show.(B+L+D)

Differences
Luxury Series: you will have a Tang Dynasty Dinner and Show at Tang Dynasty Palace (Add: No.75, Chang'an Road, Xian).
Standard Series: you will enjoy Dumpling Banquet and Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show at Shaanxi Opera Theatre (Add: No. 165, Wenyi Road, Xian).

Descriptions:
Terracotta Warriors Museum - The Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses are a must when visiting Xian. Of the three pits, the Pit 3 is a commanding center for the military groups in the other two pits. In this pit, there have been unearthed one chariot, four horse figures and 68 terracotta warriors. It was exciting to find many kinds of bronze weapons and bronze, gold and stone decorations in the pit. Also, the ancient weapons used in actual fighting such as the crossbows, bronze spears, bronze swords and arrowheads will certainly broaden visitors' horizon.
 
Xian City Wall - The City Wall of Xian is definitely the pride of Shaanxi. Old and firm circumvallation complemented by forest zone around the wall, moat and the ring road consist of a special and unique park. It is just like a shining necklace, decorating the ancient capital city of thirteen dynasties fairly pretty.

Our clients on the City Wall of Xian

Day 07Xian - Shanghai

Visit the Great Mosque and a local family. After enjoying an a la carte lunch at a local restaurant, take a flight to Shanghai and transfer to the hotel.(B+L)

Tips: After visiting the Great Mosque, you should not miss the Muslim Street (Hui Min Jie) nearby. It is the gathering place of famous local food flavors and it is always bustling with local people and visitors from widely varied places. You can also find lines of stalls and shops along the street selling various ornaments, art and crafts and little antiques. The silk clothes, especially the silk cheong-sams (chi-pao) are very popular among foreign visitors. Pay attention to the article quality and do remember to bargain for a right price.

Descriptions:
Shanghai City - Shanghai has a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons. Winter in Shanghai is cold and damp; summer is hot and humid; spring is pleasantly warm; autumn is sunny and cool. The best seasons to visit Shanghai are in April and May when flowers blossom vigorously and the weather is pleasant.

Our clients enjoying their a la carte meals

Day 08Shanghai

Visit the Shanghai Museum and the Yuyuan Garden. Then for the afternoon activities, please see the following different arrangements for the luxury and standard series. Tonight a memorable a la carte dinner is served at Central Hotel, whose restaurant Wang Bao He has a history of around 260 years and is the best place to dine on Shanghai Cuisine. The dinner will be followed by the Portman Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre.(B+L+D)

Differences
Luxury Series: after lunch we will transfer you to the Bund area, where you will take a cruise tour on the Huangpu River. The cruise will start at 14:00, reach the Wusongkou pier and then get back to the Bund at 17:00. That leaves you some free time to explore the Bund area on your own.
Standard Series: you will be taken to visit the Bund along the Huangpu River and the famous Nanjing Road, and then a local family visit is scheduled. 
 
Descriptions:
Shanghai Museum - As a distinguished museum of Chinese art, Shanghai Museum is also one of the four famous museums in China, holding rich and high-quality collection of ancient precious works of art. It consists of eleven galleries with various contents and three exhibition halls, which is the home to about 120,000 pieces of historical relics.
 
Yuyuan Garden - Yuyuan Garden is a nicely laid-out, small-size garden of the Ming Dynasty. With its beautiful and gentle scenery, it attracts many domestic and overseas visitors every year. The ancient buildings in the garden are charmingly shy, under the shade of green trees in deep elegant seclusion.
 
Huangpu River - Huangpu River is the mother river of Shanghai. As the symbol and a microcosm of the city, it has witnessed the glory, humiliation, despair and prosperity of Shanghai. The highlights of city sights gather on both side of the river. The river measures 71 miles long, 437 yards wide and 39 feet deep on average. It discharges itself into the Yangtze in the northeastern Shanghai, becoming the last branch of Yangtze River. With the steady current, wide channel, and flat river bottom, it is a fine natural harbor, playing an important role for foreign exchange and trade.

Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

Day 09Shanghai - Beijing

Take a flight to Beijing and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Summer Palace. (B+L)

Tips: After such a long journey and days of scheduled visits, you may like to do some exercise for relaxation. An in-door swimming pool is available at your hotel. If you like, you can have a relaxing swim there tonight. Also you may go to the fitness centre for a stimulating workout. A little of the right amount of physical exercise does greatly encourage a sound sleep which in turn will ensure you a more enjoyable trip. 
  
Descriptions: Summer Palace - also called Yi He Garden, means pleasing and peace in Chinese. Mainly composed of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, it is the largest and best preserved imperial garden in China. It is a monument to classical Chinese architecture in terms of both garden design and construction. As its name implies, it was used as a summer resort for emperors or empresses. It is not far from the downtown area but was an escape from the bustling and perturbing Forbidden City, thus was favored by the imperial rulers.

Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Day 10Beijing

Visit the Badaling Great Wall. Have a pleasant lunch of Sichuan cuisine at a popular local restaurant. Visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb in the afternoon. On the way back to downtown, drive by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). You will see its appearance at a distance. (B+L, D is included for luxury series)

Differences
Luxury Series: we will arrange an a la carte dinner at a famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant in the Wangfujing area.
Standard Series: we will leave dinner to you to have on your own. Your local guide will have some suggestions.
  
Descriptions:
China Great Wall - The Great Wall, the landmark construction of China, was listed in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Since its open to the public, it has attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. Maybe you have heard of the famous Chinese saying - 'He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man'. From this, you can know the importance of the Great Wall to Chinese people. Now, cheer up! Come with us to explore the dragon-like Great Wall and discover the soul of China!

Day 11Beijing

Visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. A Beijing Duck Dinner will be served at a famous restaurant followed by a lively Peking Opera performance at the Liyuan Theatre.(B+L+D)

Descriptions: 
Forbidden City - In the Forbidden City, you can see on both sides of the palace gate stand big jars. Please guess why they were laid there. Yes, you're right. They are used to reserve water. In ancient times, there are no advanced extinguishers. Totally depending on human power, the fire could be controlled. In history, this city suffered from fire for about 100 times. Countless treasures were once destroyed in the fire. So, big water jars were put by the side of the palace gate. It was not the best way, but it was very practical at that time.
 
Temple of Heaven - Tian Tan in Chinese, was historically considered a sacred park, even larger than the Forbidden City in measured area. It was built in the Ming dynasty by the imperial household for worshipping the gods in heaven. With its quiet and spacious environment, nowadays it has become a gatheing place for more and more retired local people to enjoy and entertain themselves in. You can see them playing chess, teasing their pet birds, singing, dancing. Feel free to join them.

Day 12Departure from Beijing

From the hotel you will be taken to the airport so that you can board the flight back home loaded with pleasant memories.(B)