Cultural Heritages Exploration

Your guide and driver will pick you up at the airport after you retrieve your luggage and clear Customs. They will then escort you to check in at the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to recover from jet leg and prepare for your Beijing Datong Pingyao Xi'an tour package.

This morning, your 11 days Beijing Datong Pingyao Xi'an tour will start from the Tiananmen Square, where many major historical and celebratory events took place. Walking through the square, we will enter the most intact imperial palace complex, the Forbidden City. Passing through the imperial doorways, you can appreciate the magnificent ancient buildings, and also feast your eyes on many precious cultural relics. Later, we will serve an a la carte lunch for you to taste authentic Chinese food. Your guide will help you order the dishes you like.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Temple of Heaven, which is the place where Chinese ancient emperors held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. Afterwards, we will have a Hutong rickshaw tour from the Drum Tower, and along Yinding Bridge, Yandaixie Street, Bar Street to reach the old Hutongs. You will also have a chance to visit a local family living there. Finally, we will drive you back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

There are energy-consuming activities involved today, so we suggest you have a big breakfast at the hotel and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. After breakfast, we will head to the amazing Mutianyu Great Wall. As one of the most popular sections of the Great Wall, Mutianyu is less crowded, yet well-known for its magnificent scenery and unique structures. We include a round-trip cable car for you. If you want to experience a toboggan down the wall, it can be arranged. Today's lunch is on your own. Your guide will offer you good recommendations.

After the Great Wall excursion, we will drive back to downtown and make a short stop at the Bird's Nest so you may take some pictures of this splendid building. Finally, we visit a featured local market where you can pick souvenirs for your friends or family.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Our first visit this morning is to the Summer Palace, a well-preserved imperial garden, featuring Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Afterwards, we will see you off at Beijing North Railway Station for a 2-hour high speed train to Datong. Upon your arrival, your local guide and driver in Datong will meet you at the station and transfer you to the hotel for check-in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, we will set out for the Hanging Monastery, which is regarded as an architectural wonder. Conforming to a unique mechanical theory, this architecture resembles a grand relief inlaid on the steep cliff. It attracts famous construction experts from countries including the UK, Germany and Italy to study it. Then, we will go to visit the Yungang Grottoes, a treasure house of the Buddhist arts. There are many solemn Buddha statues made during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 - 534), which show a superb sculptural artistry. Later, we will head for the Nine-Dragon Screen, a giant screen built over 600 years ago. Nine dragons are evenly distributed on the walls, vivid and life-like.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your guide will send you to take the first class high speed train to Taiyuan, a journey lasting about 2 hours. Upon your arrival, your guide in Taiyuan will pick you up and accompany you to visit the Jinci Temple, featuring a combination of historical cultural relics and beautiful landscapes.

Later, a private drive will take you to Pingyao. En route, you will visit the Qiao Family Compound, a traditional Qing Dynasty merchant dwelling with Chinese classical architectural designs and exquisite decorations. Check in at the hotel upon arrival at Pingyao.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today we visit the ancient city of Pingyao, including its main street Ancient Ming-Qing Street, Rishengchang Former Bank and the ancient Security Guard Company in Pingyao. By visiting these spots, you can learn about the former prosperity of the city and the history of Jin merchants. The busiest streets are the South Street and the East Street. There are a variety of distinctive shops on both sides of the street, all with different styles.

In the afternoon, you will take a 3-hour high speed train to Xi'an. Your guide and driver in Xi'an will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

The highlight of today's itinerary is the Terracotta Army Museum, the 'Eighth Wonder' of the world. In the museum, you will see the many life-sized terracotta warriors and horses as well as the chariots and weapons that have been unearthed. They all demonstrate the sovereign power and incomparable wealth of the emperor Qinshihuang 2,200 years ago.

Then we will drive back to the downtown area to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi History Museum. The night activities in Xi'an are rich and colorful. To spend a memorable evening, you can go to the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to see the amazing musical fountain, or take a stroll around the Datang Culture and Art Leisure Area to appreciate light shows and the beautiful night scene.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, we go to the City Wall Park. Here you can see how the local people spend their mornings. Many take morning exercise here, such as jogging, Tai Chi, table tennis, dancing and sword practicing. Next, your guide will escort you to ascend the well-preserved City Wall. Once as a huge and precisely designed military defense system, it is now a famous attraction site. You can take a leisurely walk to overlook the city or cycle around on the wall as you enjoy a free and happy time. An electric cart is also available and can be paid for on the spot.

After the City Wall tour, we will pay a visit to a local Chinese family and enjoy an a la carte home cooked lunch. The hostess is a good cook, and you can learn to cook Chinese food with her.

Then you will be transferred to the airport for a flight to Shanghai. Your local tour guide and driver in Shanghai will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel.

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

Today we will first visit the Shanghai Museum which specializes in ancient Chinese art. It has a collection of 120,000 precious cultural relics, among which bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy and paintings are featured. After that, we will head for the Yu Garden, one of the most representatives of the classic gardens in the southern China's style. When we leave the garden, we will come to the nearby Yuyuan Bazaar, where there are many distinctive stores selling local products, snacks, souvenirs, antiques and so on. Around noon, we will arrange an a la carte lunch for you to taste some traditional Chinese dishes.

Later, your guide will escort you to the Bund area for a one-hour cruise tour on the Huangpu River. You will see many modern buildings including the Oriental Pearl Tower on one side and western style architecture on the other side. Free time will be left for you to explore the Bund area. Finally, we pay a visit to the Tianzifang Cultural and Art Street before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

This Beijing Datong Pingyao Xi'an tour itinerary is coming to an end today. Your guide and driver will take you to the airport and help you board your homebound flight. We hope you have a nice journey home!

There are also many other places worth exploring in and around Shanghai such as the Disneyland, the water towns, the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. If you have more time, you may stay longer for a further exploration. Please contact us any time should you need extension tours.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast