Golden Triangle & Yangtze

Welcome to Beijing today! Our guide will greet you warmly outside Customs of the airport after you retrieve your luggage and clear Customs, and then transfer you to the hotel in a comfortable and air-conditioned vehicle. The remaining time of the day is free for your individual activities.

Our guide will be happy to give suggestions on good restaurants nearby and places to explore in the evening. If you have questions such as money issues, transportations, safety concerns or anything you want to know, just ask the expert guide who is ready to provide all information you need.

As our guide picks you up in the hotel lobby, your 12 days guided tour of China starts. In the morning, after a leisurely stroll on the world's largest city square, the Tiananmen Square, you will visit the famous Forbidden City, namely the Palace Museum, where you will be fascinated by the gorgeous imperial architecture and cultural relics of more than 600 years ago.

To ensure that you can taste authentic and diversified Chinese food, we will serve you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a famous local restaurant, quite a different experience than having lunch at the cheap tourist eateries as most agencies are doing now.

In the afternoon, continue your private tour to the Temple of Heaven, the altar where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped the God of Heaven for good harvests. Then you will have a Hutong tour to experience the original Beijing culture by taking a special rickshaw ride through the traditional alleyways and to know about old local customs. It's also a good idea to try local snacks in Hutongs.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today you will visit one of the greatest world heritage sites - the Mutianyu Great Wall. As one of the best-preserved sections of the China Great Wall, Mutianyu gained its fame for its solidity and strategic importance. When walking on the Great Wall, you will be impressed by the winding but majestic views. A round-way cable car has been included, or you can take a chairlift up and a toboggan down instead. Today's lunch on your own. It is very convenient to have a simple meal at the foot of the mountain and our guide is glad to offer suggestions.

On the way back to downtown Beijing, you will see the full view of the Bird's Nest (the Olympic National Stadium), which was the major venue for the 2008 Olympic Games. Today's visit will be concluded after you spend some free time at a featured local market.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, we visit the Summer Palace first. In this 800-year-old but well-preserved imperial garden, you will be fascinated by the examples of the ancient art, graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. Next, we will head to visit the Yonghe Temple, also known as the Lama Temple. It is the most revered Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. Lunch is by your own arrangement on the advice of the tour guide.

In the afternoon, we will drive you to the airport for your onward flight to Xi'an. Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the reserved hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In the morning, you will explore the World's Eighth Wonder, the Terracotta Army Museum. You will be deeply impressed when you find out that all the figures and horses have distinct facial expressions and positions. Lunch is on your own and our guide will gladly assist. 

After that, we will drive you back to downtown Xi'an. You will visit the Provincial History Museum, which offers you an overview of the thousands of years of Chinese history and the splendid ancient cultures. Next, you will continue to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, which is a famous well-preserved Buddhist pagoda of the Tang Dynasty. The extant pagoda has thirteen stories and it still keeps the primitive features. After that, we drive you back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

On your last day in Xi'an, we will visit the City Wall area. First, we come to the City Wall Park, where many locals are doing morning exercises like sword dancing, practising Tai Chi, playing musical instruments, and playing table tennis. Then we ascend the well-preserved ancient City Wall. You can either walk or rent a bicycle to ride around on the wall, discovering the history of this ancient capital of 13 dynasties from every brick and tile. Next, you will continue to visit the Great Mosque, which perfectly compromises the merits of Chinese and Islamic cultures and is said to be the only Islamic mosque in Chinese style in the world. Take a stroll on the lively Muslim street to savor for some local snacks before we will drive you to the airport to take a flight to Chongqing.

Upon your arrival, our local guide will meet you with a comfortable transfer service. Visit the Ciqikou Village, where many of the houses date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. As dinner is not provided on the cruise ship today, we recommend you try the local food for dinner before we transfer you to board the cruise ship. When the ship departs from Chongqing at about 21:30, your relaxing Yangtze River cruise tour begins.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

During the Yangtze River Cruise tour, you will be provided with a detailed daily schedule every day, so you know when to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, and what are the activities and arrangements each day. The river guide will give you a brief introduction of the cruise and explain the schedule for you. Should you have any questions, you may feel free to ask the river guide or the reception.

Today you will disembark and visit the Ghost City of Fengdu. It is believed that every soul is judged in the Ghost City after death, you can learn a lot about the culture of ghost in China here. For travelers who take President Cruises, you will visit the Shuangguishan National Forest Park instead, which is a great place to enjoy a leisurely walk and melt into nature.

In addition to the scheduled onshore excursions, you are free to enjoy yourself on the cruise ship, relax completely on the sundeck or join various cultural programs onboard.

This evening, the Captain's Welcome Party will be held, and it will be a great fun for guests to join in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The highlight part of your cruise tour is coming today. You will appreciate the unique scenery of the Three Gorges. After admiring the majestic Qutang Gorge and the Wu Gorge this morning, you will disembark and take an interesting adventure by motorized ferry along Shennong Stream or Shennv Stream. Sitting on the ferry, you will travel along the zigzagging watercourses and enjoy the grotesque rocks and picturesque scenery along the banks, accompanied by the folk songs from the trackers. It will last about 3 to 4 hours. Then the ship sails into the Xiling Gorge, which is the longest gorge among the three and renowned for the numerous shoals, swift currents and grotesque peaks.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your amazing Yangtze cruise journey will end with a visit to the Three Gorges Dam, which is the major construction of the Three Gorges Project, the world largest irrigation project. Before disembarking, you should pack your luggage and check out from the ship. After the visit, the cruise company will transfer you to the Three Gorges Tourist Center in Yichang city, where our local guide will meet you and take you to the Yichang East Railway Station to catch a 7.5-hour high speed train to Shanghai. Upon your arrival, our guide and driver in Shanghai will greet you at the train station and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Your private Shanghai trip starts from the Shanghai Museum, which houses large collections of historical items. Then you will visit one of the most famous gardens in the southern part of the country, the Yu Garden, which is well known for delicate architecture, exquisite layout and beautiful landscapes.

After that you will enjoy an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) of authentic Shanghai and Cantonese cuisines at a fancy and famous local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will take a one-hour cruise on the Huangpu River. The huge mansions on the east bank of the river and the old western buildings on the west bank will show you the history and the modernness of the city simultaneously. Afterwards, you will visit the Tianzifang Art Street.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today you will take a day trip to Suzhou from Shanghai. Driving for about 2 hours we will reach our first stop, the Humble Administrator's Garden, also one of the four most famous gardens in China. Different from the Summer Palace in Beijing which is a royal garden, this one is a private mansion built by Wang Xianchen, the censor of the Ming Dynasty. With the central pond as the focus, this garden is really a masterpiece and you will be attracted by its wonderful construction of pavilions, towers, chambers and terraces. Its neighbor is the Suzhou Museum, a treasure house which also deserves your exploration.

Next we will drive one hour to the Tongli Water Town, an over-1000-year-old ancient town with many folk houses and buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties. One of the great characteristics of this ancient town is that there are many bridges and lots of water. Fifteen rivers have divided the town into seven islets, and nearly fifty looks of bridges have perfectly connected the separated town. After the visit, we will drive you back to your hotel in Shanghai.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today you will prepare for your homebound flight. Our guide and driver will meet you in the hotel at the appointed time and see you off at the airport. If you wish to extend your 12 days China tour package, please contact your travel consultants to further discuss. We wish you a pleasant journey home!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast