Day 01Arrival in Beijing

Our guide will pick you up outside the customs at Beijing Capital Airport and then transfer you to downtown Beijing for the hotel registration. The remaining time of the day is free for you.

Meals: No meals

Tiananmen Square, Beijing Photo by our clients Jim & Carolyne Blair with their feedback

Day 02Beijing

You will come to the city center to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City this morning. As the largest city square in the world, Tiananmen Square is surrounded by many magnificent and important constructions. To the north, you could find the splendid Forbidden City, the palaces of which were built layer upon layer. Besides these top royal buildings in classical Chinese architectural style, there are also many priceless historical collections exhibited in this largest imperial palace complex. Then to avoid the mass-produced food at the cheap tourist eateries arranged by most agencies, we will serve you an a la carte lunch at a very nice restaurant, where you will taste the authentic Chinese food. This afternoon will be spent touring around the Temple of Heaven. Because ancient Chinese believed that the heaven was round and the earth square, this imperial temple was constructed with a semicircular northern end and a rectangular southern end, representing the connection of heaven and earth. To round off the day tour, we will arrange an exciting Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theater. Please enjoy and relax yourself.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Great Wall of China Photo by our client Ms. Amelia Jordan Atkin with her feedback

Day 03Beijing

The car will drive you to Badaling Great Wall in one hour this morning. Constructed 600 years ago, Badaling is the best-preserved and firstly opened section of China Great Wall. You could challenge the steep wall lying on the up-and-down mountains on foot, or by taking a cable car (cable car fare is not included). Around noon, to avoid having lunch at shopping site restaurants, you will be driven to have Sichuan cuisine at a popular local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will get back to downtown Beijing and visit the Summer Palace, the existing largest royal park. Different from the solemn Forbidden City, the park inclines to be more enjoyable by focusing on charming and peculiar natural scenery. While driving back to the hotel, you will see the two outstanding buildings of Beijing Olympic Games, the Bird's Nest (National Stadium) and the Water Cube (National Aquatics Centre).

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Day 04Beijing - Lhasa

A morning flight will take you from Beijing to Lhasa, where the altitude is 3,650 meters above sea level. Our guide will be expecting you outside the baggage claim area of Lhasa Airport and then transfer you to the well-located hotel. After the hotel registration, it is suggested that you have a rest at the hotel to acclimatize yourself to the high altitude. Neither of bath and vigorous activities is suggested upon arrival on the first day.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Tibetans singing and dancing

Day 05Lhasa

Today's first stop is Tibet Museum, where a large number of cultural relics show the glorious history and unique culture of Tibet. After that, you will pay a visit to the Carpet Factory to learn about the world-famous Tibetan carpet. You can see the experienced weavers using the old-style vertical looms weaving carpets. All these elegant and colorful carpets are hand-made, different in size, style and pattern. After having lunch, continue to the Sera Monastery. As one of the three largest monasteries of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China, the Sera Monastery houses many precious Buddhist statues, sutras, murals as well as gold and silver wares. Today's last stop is the Norbulingka Park which was the summer resort for the Dalai Lamas. Now it has become a complex park with ancient buildings, gardens and natural landscape.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Our clients in front of Potala Palace, Lhasa Photo by our clients Pedro and Hana with their feedback

Day 06Lhasa

It will be a memorable tour to the magnificent Potala Palace in the morning. Initially built in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, it is a cluster of palaces built in castle style. After the reconstruction in the 17th century, the Potala Palace has become the residence of Dalai Lamas and the political and religious center of Tibet. After enjoy a delicious lunch, proceed to the Jokhang Temple. With a history of over 1,350 years, the temple houses many valuable historical items, reflecting the history and culture of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the good relationship between Han and Tibetan people since the Tang Dynasty. From the temple, you could walk to the bustling Barkhor Street which is congested with unique stores selling local featured handicrafts. The tour will end after visiting the Tibetan Traditional Medicine Hospital. As the biggest Tibetan traditional hospital, it is the center for treatment, training, research and production of Tibetan medicines. You can also learn the development of Tibetan Medicine here.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Our clients learning how to make dumplings in Xian family visit

Day 07Lhasa - Xian

After breakfast, your guide will transfer you to the railway station for the soft sleeper train to Xian. The train journey will take you about 33 hours and there is only a limited choice of food on the train, so we kindly suggest you prepare some fast food and snacks in advance for your lunch and dinner. Riding the railway at the highest elevation in the world should bring much excitement and wonder to your trip. This is truely worth all the effort to take the China train tour.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Day 08Xian

The whole train journey from Lhasa to Xian will pass by Nakchu, Golmud, Xining and Lanzhou. It will arrive at your final destination Xian in the evening. Our local guide will meet you at the railway station and transfer you to the hotel. Hope you will have a good rest tonight.

Meals: No meals

Our clients enjoying their a la carte meals

Day 09Xian

Your Xian tour starts from the well-known Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which is regarded as the world's eighth wonder. The lifelike warriors and horses are orderly arranged in battle formations, revealing the mighty forces of the Qin Dynasty about 2,200 years ago. Around noon, you will enjoy an a la carte lunch at the best local restaurant rather than having the mass-produced food at the tourist eateries near the site. In the afternoon, the trip will be extended to the Buddhist Big Wild Goose Pagoda. For dinner tonight, our luxury series clients will have the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show at the Tang Dynasty Palace (Addr: No.75 Chang'an Road, Xian), while our standard series clients will enjoy the local specialty Dumpling Dinner and the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show at Shaanxi Opera Theatre (Addr: No. 165, Wenyi Road, Xian).

Meals for Luxury series: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch, Tang Dynasty dinner show
              Standard series: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch, Dumpling dinner

Xian City Wall

Day 10Departure from Xian

The ancient Xian City was surrounded by a square City Wall and the moat 600 years ago. You will climb up the wall to have a leisurely stroll this morning. Different from the steep Great Wall, the City Wall is flat enough on the top. Later, pay a visit to a local family to know about the local people's life and a la carte lunch will be arranged in the home of the family that you visit, to taste the authentic home cooked Chinese dishes. Our specially arranged Chinese food cooking class in the family visit welcomes you to participate. Afterwards, continue your tour to the Great Mosque. Then your guide will transfer you to the airport and help you board the flight. As also, you are welcome to look over our City Package to plan a subsequent China visit.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch

Accommodation

Grade	Luxury	Standard
Beijing	Crowne Plaza	Holiday Inn Central Plaza the best Holiday Inn Hotel in Beijing
Lhasa	Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa	Gang-gyan Lhasa Hotel
Xian	Sheraton Xian Hotel	Grand New World Hotel

• ◆ 2012 Price
• ◆ 2011 Price

Based on per person and in U.S. dollars, valid from Mar. 1st, 2012 to Feb. 28th, 2013

Grade	Luxury				Standard
	High season (Mar 1st-Nov 30th)		Shoulder season (Dec 1st-Feb 28th)		High season (Mar 1st-Nov 30th)		Shoulder season (Dec 1st-Feb 28th)
	Double	Single	Double	Single	Double	Single	Double	Single
2-5 persons	$2279	$2909	$2069	$2479	$1959	$2289	$1879	$2139
6-9 persons	$1999	$2619	$1789	$2199	$1669	$1999	$1599	$1859
10 & above	$1829	$2399	$1589	$1929	$1519	$1819	$1439	$1649

Note: This tour does not apply to our Early Bird Promotion.

Based on per person and in U.S. dollars, valid from Mar. 1st, 2011 to Feb. 29th, 2012

Grade	Luxury				Standard
	High season (Mar 1st-Nov 30th)		Shoulder season (Dec 1st-Feb 29th)		High season (Mar 1st-Nov 30th)		Shoulder season (Dec 1st-Feb 29th)
	Double	Single	Double	Single	Double	Single	Double	Single
2-5 persons	$2189	$2759	$1989	$2389	$1879	$2179	$1789	$1999
6-9 persons	$1919	$2489	$1719	$2119	$1609	$1909	$1509	$1729
10 & above	$1749	$2269	$1519	$1819	$1469	$1729	$1349	$1519

Note: This tour does not apply to our Early Bird Promotion.

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For our quotation inclusions & exclusions, booking and cancellation terms, please read Terms and Conditions.