DAY 1 Fly to Beijing
DAY 2 Beijing/Tianjin (D)
Arrive in Beijing. Your local guide will greet you at the airport before your transfer to Tianjin.
DAY 3 Tianjin/Beijing (B, L, D)
After breakfast, visit the Wudadao District, Jiefangbei Garden and the Ancient Culture Street for various folk crafts and delicious local snacks. Afterwards, visit Haihe Culture Square. Like a beautiful painting, Haihe River makes the city as charming as it appears in your imagination. Afterwards, transfer back Beijing to watch the Peking Opera.
DAY 4 Beijing (B, L, D)
In the morning, marvel at Tiananmen Square and neighboring halls and monuments. Walk through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the magnificent Forbidden City. Afterwards, tour Beijing’s traditional courtyard neighborhoods by pedal-powered cab. You will have the opportunity to visit with a local resident before the martial arts show at Red Theater.
DAY 5 Beijing (B, L, SD)
Travel northwest to visit China’s most famous attraction – the Great Wall. You’ll also visit a Jade Carving Museum before a trip to the former Imperial Summer Palace (including a boat ride on Kunming Lake). Stroll through the “Long Corridor” before heading to dinner at Quanjude Beijing Duck Restaurant.
DAY 6 Beijing/Xian (B, L, D)
Fly to Xian and visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda Park. It mainly consists of the Xian Museum, the ancient Jianfu Temple, and the famous Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Afterwards, visit the Ancient City Wall before the Tang Dynasty dinner show.
DAY 7 Xian/Chengdu (B, L, SD)
After breakfast, visit the Terracotta Warriors Museum, a huge underground military museum constructed as an accessory pit of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. After lunch, you’ll fly to Chengdu, where your local guide and driver will deliver you for a welcome Sichuan hot pot dinner.
DAY 8 Chengdu/Lhasa (B, D)
Today’s excursion will begin at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. You’ll spend a leisurely morning learning about the habitat and evolution of these amazing creatures before your flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival, your guide will escort you to your hotel for rest and acclimation.
DAY 9 Lhasa (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you’ll visit Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery in Tibet. After lunch in the city, you’ll visit Sera Monastery and Norbulinka, a summer palace of the Daila Lama.
DAY 10 Lhasa (B, L, SD)
After breakfast, you’ll visit Potala Palace, built by the 33rd Tibetan king Songtsangamgpo in the 7th century. After lunch, you’ll visit Jokhang Temple, where you can see many Tibetan pilgrims have worship, and explore Bakhor Street, a traditional Tibetan market. End the night with dinner at Tibet Cray Yak restaurant, including a Tibetan cultural opera show.
DAY 11 Lhasa/Chongqing (B, L, SD)
This morning, fly to Chongqing. After lunch, you’ll visit the Stilwell Museum and Chongqing Zoo. Finally, you’ll visit Ciqikou Old Town, dating back to the late Ming Dynasty. After dinner, your guide will escort you aboard the Yangtze River Cruise.
DAY 12 Cruise on Yangtze (B, L, D)
Take a shore excursion to Shibaozhai, with its impressive wooden pagoda, appropriately named “The Pearl of the Yangtze”. Depending on river condition, an alternate excursion may be substituted to Fendu.
DAY 13 Cruise on Yangtze (B, L, D)
Today, you will sail through Wu and Qutang Gorges, known for their quiet beauty and dramatic landscape. Afterwards, enjoy a shore excursion to Shennong Stream by small boat.
DAY 14 Yichang/Shanghai (B, L)
Today, you’ll stop at Sandouping Dock for a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. Later, you will sail through the ship locks and Xiling Gorge before landing at Yichang. From there, you’ll fly to Shanghai.
DAY 15 Shanghai (B, L, D)
This morning, you’ll walk along the Bund, take a short tour of a silk spinning factory, and visit Shanghai Bazaar and Yu Yuan Garden. After a dum sum lunch, you’ll visit Shanghai Museum and Xintiandi before enjoying a buffet dinner at the Oriental TV Tower, followed by a relaxing cruise on Huangpu River.
DAY 16 Shanghai (B)
Enjoy a full day of independent exploration in Shanghai.
DAY 17 Fly Home (B)
After breakfast, you will be escorted to the airport for your flight home.
B=Breakfast
L=Lunch
D=Dinner
SD=Special Dinner
