China Golden Triangle Tour

Welcome to Beijing, the first destination of your 9 days China tour. Our guide will meet you or your family outside Customs of Beijing Airport after your check-out procedures are fully completed. You will then be transferred to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to rest or explore.

This morning, your 9 days guided tours of China starts from the world's largest Tiananmen Square, which is a site where many major historical and celebratory events took place. Walk through the square to the Golden Water Bridge, you will enter the best-preserved imperial palace complex, Forbidden City. Once the palace of twenty-four emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties, it not only exhibits the incomparable architecture arts and precious cultural relics, but also shows how the ancient emperors administered the country and lived their lives 600 years ago. 

It is our routine to arrange quality food whenever we arrange a meal for our guests. Today you will be served an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) of authentic Chinese dishes at a noted local restaurant, not a tourist-oriented eatery. In this trip, you will taste different flavors of Chinese food in different cities, just like a food tour. 

In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Heaven, which is the largest ancient imperial worship architecture complex in the world. After that, take a rickshaw ride through the Hutong alleys to experience the old residential quarters of Beijing and people's life there.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

After a good night's sleep, we hope you are as fresh as a Daisy. Have a hearty breakfast at the hotel and then you will head to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. During the 1.5 hours' drive, you can enjoy the views of the city and suburbs while listening to the guide's explanations on Chinese history and culture, or any topic you are interested in. Now we reach the Great Wall. As one of the greatest wonders of mankind, the majestic Great Wall is always a must for those visitors to Beijing. Mutianyu is one of the most famous and developed existing sections. A round-trip cable car is included to save your energy for later Great Wall hiking. You will have around 2 hours or more to appreciate the amazing views.

Today's lunch is on your own arrangement. Our guide will offer you some suggestions.

On the way back to downtown Beijing, we will drive by the Bird's Nest (the Olympic National Stadium), which is the major venue of the 2008 Olympic Games. Afterwards, we will set aside some time for you to relax at a local market before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Explore the Summer Palace and the Yonghe Temple in the morning. The Summer Palace, built 260 years ago, is an imperial garden with natural scenery of mountains and lakes, as well as a temporary dwelling palace for the imperial family. The Yonghe Temple, also named Lama Temple, is the largest existing Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Beijing. Once the palace of Emperor Yongzheng and the birthplace of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, it has the style of the royal monasteries. And now it attracts tourists from all over the world with its profound Tibetan Buddhism culture.

Then fly to the famous ancient city - Xi'an and be transferred to the well-selected hotel by our Xi'an guide and driver.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

The highlight of today's Beijing Xi'an Shanghai itinerary is the 'Eighth Wonder' of the world, the Terracotta Army Museum, which is a huge underground military museum constructed as an accessory pit of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum. In the museum, you will not only appreciate the amazing warrior figures, but also enjoy the display of Chinese ancient weapons, which exemplify the wisdom of the laboring people over 2,200 years ago. Lunch is on your side. You may get recommendation on the proper restaurants nearby from the guide. 

In the afternoon, have a leisure walk at the Jianfu Temple where the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is located inside. With delicate appearance, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is reputed to be the exquisite artistic heritage of Buddhist architecture in the Tang Dynasty. Then continue to visit the Great Mosque, a place where the local Muslims attend worship ceremony. You may have a glimpse of Muslims' life here. The surrounding Muslim Street is also a great place to savor for local food. You will have some free time to explore on your own.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Health has received increasing attention in China and more and more people will go to the park to do exercises and many different kinds of activities. In the morning today, we will head to the City Wall Park, where you could take a stroll and join in the locals to do some morning exercises. Here, we have specially arranged a Tai Chi lesson for you. Tai Chi is a popular exercise in China, which is considered a sport that integrates edifying one's temperament and building one's body. With every movement and every breath, you will understand the charm of Tai Chi. Then we will ascend to the City Wall, which was originally built as military defensive systems in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and now a must-see tourist attraction for all travelers coming to Xi'an. Standing on it, you may overlook the view of this ancient city. If you are interested, you can also visit the wall by cycling or sightseeing car at your own expense. Your guide will make proper arrangements according to your preference.

After that, you will have a local family visit and enjoy an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) to taste authentic home cooked dishes. If you are interested in cooking, you can choose your favorite dishes in the menu of our Chinese food cooking class and the host will teach you step by step how to cook this dish. This is totally for free and you do not need to pay any fee for this.

Then you will take a flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, our local guide and driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Have a good rest tonight.

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

In the morning, you will visit Shanghai Museum first. Then, proceed to the Yu Garden, which is a famous classic garden of the south region. The beautiful scenery and quiet atmosphere here make it a peaceful place in the bustling city.

Around noon, you will have an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a fancy and famous local restaurant, which offers authentic Shanghai and Cantonese cuisines.

In the afternoon, we will transfer you to the Bund area for a one-hour cruise on the Huangpu River. Standing on the boat, you will see many western-style buildings from Shanghai's colonial days in Puxi area. While on Pudong side, rows of skyscrapers will come into view. The utterly different buildings are the best records of the development of the city. You will explore the Bund area and then visit Tianzifang cultural and art zone before returning to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today, accompanied by our guide and driver, you will have a one day excursion to Suzhou to appreciate the charms of private gardens and ancient water towns in the southeast region of China. Drive for around 2 hours you will arrive at the Humble Administrator's Garden, one of the four great gardens in China. It is so ingeniously designed that every step you move, you will see a different view. If observed carefully, you will find that the porches in the garden, the stone walls with hollow patterns, the pavilions, and the carved flowers in the windows are all different. What is more surprising is that these seemingly dead things actually correspond to the surrounding view of flowers and trees.

Then, after a brief stop at the nearby Suzhou Museum, we drive about one hour to Tongli, one of the most prestigious water towns in the southern region of China. Relatively speaking, Tongli still retains the simplicity of the ancient town. And it is the only ancient water town with a world cultural heritage - Tuisi garden, which makes it a very unique place to visit. When you finish the tour here, we will transfer you back to the hotel in Shanghai.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Your private 9 days China tour package ends today. Our guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and escort you to the airport for your homeward flight. We wish you a pleasant journey home.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast