Nanjing Road, Shanghai

Day 01Arrival in Shanghai

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Shanghai Airport and transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.

Descriptions: 
Shanghai - Shanghai, the busiest transport hub in eastern China, has a comprehensive transportation network that integrates land, sea and air travel. The developed transportation network offers great convenience for regional and international travel. Over 300 airlines serve the city, directly linking it with more than 20 countries and regions.

Day 02Shanghai

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 enjoy 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 get back to the Bund at 17:00. Then you will have some free time to explore the Bund area on your own.
Standard Series: you will be taken to visit the famous Bund area along the Huangpu River and then a family visit is scheduled. 
 
Descriptions: 
Shanghai Museum - As one of the most renowned museums in China, Shanghai Museum is equipped with advanced safety measures and electronic interpreters of different languages. Visitors can choose explanation of every single exhibit. Relative knowledge and images are introduced by video in the exhibition hall. The museum is not only an open venue to display its rich collection, but also a vital organization for the research and appraisal of cultural relics.

Scenery of Mt. Huangshan

Day 03Shanghai - Huangshan

No scheduled tour plans this morning, so you can tour around the city at your leisure. In the evening fly to Huangshan and transfer to the hotel in the city area. (B)

Tips: The flight between Shanghai and Huangshan is usually scheduled to take off in the late evening, so you are advised to prepare for that and make full use of your free day in Shanghai. You may like to spend it exploring more of this modern city. The newly completed Xin Tian Di (New World area), where the buildings are perfectly combined in both classical and western styles, is our first recommendation. The pubs and cafes there are very popular with local residents as well as foreign travelers. You can find a nice restaurant there and enjoy your lunch. After that you may like to walk a few minutes to the nearby Huaihai Road, where there are many big shopping malls. Your guide may also give you some guidance regarding your requirements, such as what the taxi fee is and a good restaurant recommendation. Most young people in Shanghai can speak English, so basic communication will be no problem.

Day 04Huangshan

Transfer to the foot of Huangshan Mountain. As you begin the cable car ride up the mountain, you will find yourself among magnificent scenery. Enjoy the view of the Beginning-to-Believe Peak, the Peach Blossom Valley, the Lion Peak, the Flying-over Rock and the Bright Summit. Stay at a hotel on the mountain.(B+L)

Tips: Before you climb Huangshan Mountain, we suggest that you leave your heavy luggage at the reception of your hotel in Huangshan city. You can prepare a backpack with necessary items to take with you on the mountain. Even if you take the cable car (no matter which one you take, as there are three different cable cars running on different routes), after you get to the terminal of the cable car you still have to walk a long distance on a winding path and stairs to the hotel. All the hotels on the mountain are concentrated in one area, which is some distance from the cable car. Taking all your luggage onto the mountain will cause great trouble for you. In addition, you should not take photos of the bearers on the mountain unless you pay them and get their permission.

Tunxi Old Street, Huangshan

Day 05Huangshan - Suzhou

In the morning, continue the sightseeing tour to the Cloud-dispelling Pavilion and the Xihai Grand Canyon. After lunch, take the cable car again to arrive at the foot of the mountain and transfer back to Huangshan city. Visit the Tunxi Old Street. Take an overnight soft sleeper train to Suzhou. 
(B+L+D)

Tips: Seeing the sunrise on the summit of Huangshan Mountain should be breathtaking and enjoyable. As a matter of fact, not everyone is lucky enough to see the sunrise there, because more than half of the year is rainy on Huangshan Mountain. Hence, we strongly advise you to check the weather forecast and other information, such as the possibility of a visible sunrise and the time of the sunrise. You can do this at your hotel the previous day. In the closet of your hotel room you will find two down coats, placed there by the hotel because you will find it quite cold on the mountain in the evening and the early morning if you go outside.

Day 06Suzhou

Arrive in Suzhou in the morning and the guide will meet you at the railway station. The breakfast will be on your side. Visit the Tiger Hill, the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets.(L)

Descriptions: 
Master of Nets Garden - The Garden of the Master of the Nets is the finest of middle and small-sized classical gardens in southern China. The garden is divided into three parts: the east part, which is the housing area, the middle part, which is the scenic area and the west park, which is called the Garden in Garden.
  
Humble Administrator's Garden - The Humble Administrator's Garden is the largest among all the Chinese classical gardens in Suzhou, and this lush and distinctive garden is generally considered as the finest one in South China. With well spaced buildings, garden and water views, it possesses simple, extensive and natural appearances of the Ming style. The garden has passed through a succession of owner in the past almost five hundred years, and became a key cultural relic under national protection.

Zhouzhuang Water Town

Day 07Suzhou - Zhouzhuang - Suzhou

Drive to Zhouzhuang, the number one Water Town in China. Visit the Hall of Shen's residence, a Qing style complex. Transfer back to Suzhou.(B+L)

Tips: It is about one hour's drive from Suzhou to Zhouzhuang, where you can appreciate the typical atmosphere of a water town. Many artists and art students often come here to paint from real life. Although the town has become more and more commercial, the unique features of the layout of the town, the traditional architecture and its local customs still draw people's attention. It is best to visit on weekdays, as it is always flooded with tourists on weekends and holidays.

Day 08Suzhou - Hangzhou

The morning is free and lunch is on your own arrangement. Take an afternoon soft seat train to Hangzhou and transfer to the hotel.(B)

Tips: If you would like to see more in Suzhou than the gardens in the itinerary, we suggest that you visit the Lingering Garden this morning by yourself. Together with the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort in Chengde, it makes up the Four Famous Gardens in China. The Lingering Garden, which is about 23,300 square meters, is a large classical private garden and represents the construction style of the Qing Dynasty. It is famous for its exquisite style of architecture.

Six Harmony Pagoda, Hangzhou

Day 09Hangzhou - Beijing

Visit the Six Harmonies Pagoda, the Lingyin Temple (Temple of Inspired Seclusion) and the West Lake. Take an afternoon flight to Beijing and transfer to the hotel. (B+L)

Tips: Hangzhou has been nicknamed "the Silk Capital". The silk there has a history of more than one thousand years. Early in the Tang Dynasty the quality of silk in Hangzhou was already very high. At present there are more than 200 kinds of silk produced in Hangzhou and 2000 patterns. The novel designs, clear layers of flowers and lifelike characters make its silk products sell to more than 100 countries and other areas. It is the best gift for you to take to your family and friends from Hangzhou. For buying the silk, the Silk City in the city center is a good place, since there are thousands of shops which sell all kinds of silk souvenirs.
  
Descriptions: 
Six Harmonies Pagoda - The Six Harmonies Pagoda has 9 stories. The light is installed atop the pagoda to lead directions for ships passing through at night. The extant brick pagoda was rebuilt in 1156, because the original was ruined by the war. The reconstruction took 10 years. There are about 200 brick sculptures on the dado. The engravings include vivid pomegranate, lotus, flying phoenix, peacock, parrot, jumpy lion, kylin etc. It is not only a place to appreciate the majesty of the pagoda but to enjoy the breathtaking outlook of Qiantang River.

Great Wall, Beijing

Day 10Beijing

Visit the Badaling Great Wall. To avoid having lunch at shopping site restaurants, you will be driven to have Sichuan food at a local popular 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 arrange an a la carte dinner at a famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant in the Wangfujing area.
Standard Series: We leave you to the dinner on your own. You may ask for some suggestions from your local guide.
 
Descriptions: 
Great Wall - The Chinese name of Great Wall is Chang Cheng. 'Chang' means long and 'Cheng' means fortress. Do you know how long the Wall is? It is said that the whole length of the Great Wall built by all the ancient Chinese dynasties is approximately 100,000 li (50,000 kilometers), much longer than the existing 6,300 kilometers. Marvel at the true length? Don't worry! The Badaling section we arrange for you is not too long and wonderful for sightseeing; however, you'd better make sure that your body is well prepared for a short hiking.

Day 11Beijing

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

Description: 
Forbidden City -  also called Gu Gong in Chinese, means old imperial palace. Now we call it the Palace Museum, as it is the largest and best preserved imperial palace in the world and it is the best example for researching Chinese history. Together with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in Britain, the White House in the United States of America and the Kremlin in Russia, it is one of the Five Greatest Palaces in the world, and the Forbidden City plays the leading role.

Local people and their life

Day 12Departure from Beijing

Visit the Summer Palace if time permits.Then you will be taken to the airport so that you can board the flight back home loaded with pleasant memories.(B)

Descriptions:
Summer Palace - Would you like to know about the life of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)? Have you ever been to the places where Chinese emperor killed their time? Do you want to know what their entertainment activities? The Summer Palace in Beijing will answer all your questions above. For example, you are suggested to visit the Garden of Virtue and Harmony (Deheyuan) which was built in honor of the Empress Dowager Cixi's sixtieth birthday. It was specially constructed for Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi watching the Peking opera.