Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive in Beijing, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)
Detailed Itinerary: Beijing is a city of amazing contrasts - an ancient capital with some incredible historical sites and a bustling modern metropolis which successfully host the 2008 Olympics. Upon your arrival in Beijing, our guide will meet you and transfer you to your Hotel. The guide will give you some tips on local restaurants that we recommend and shopping in streets nearby. The rest of the day is free to rest to recover from jetlag or to explore by yourself.

Day 2

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: The Tian'anmen Square, Hutong Tours in Rickshaw, Treasure Houses, Hall of Clocks and Watches, The Forbidden City
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast we will visit the Tian'anmen Square, the symbol of Beijing and ranked No. 1 of the 16 scenic highlights in Beijing. Walk through - it's much bigger than you think - to check out the many points of interest. After a real local lunch, you will be able to experience the ancient emperor's daily life at the Forbidden City from where the Emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties governed for over 500 years. It is the essence and a "must see" in Beijing. And Hall of Clocks and Watches set in the Forbidden City will show us the clock history of the past 200 years. Treasure Houses will show us all kinds of treasure which owned by Qing dynasty royalty. It's worthy of visiting. Today there is the opportunity to take a rickshaw ride to the Hutong where we visit a local flea market which is an excellent example of typical architecture of this area. You may find some interesting things and learn how to bargain. You will also visit with a local family and talk to the family members to gain a true understanding of life in this region and to have an experience of this unique form of community.

Day 3

Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: Great Wall at Mutianyu, Mutianyu Cable Car(round trip), Temple of Heaven
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner at Roasted Duck at Hepingmen
Detailed Itinerary: Be Chinese for the morning as we join with the thousand of local people as they practice Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven before breakfast. Join in or just watch, it's your decision. Lunch is at local restaurant near the center of city. After that we will visit the Great Wall - Mutianyu Section which has some unique characteristics over other sections. It is surrounded by wonderful landscape and has a rarely seen structure formed by three connected watch towers and the cable car provides a safe comfortable assent and decent. Dinner is at Quanjude, which is renowned for Beijing roasted duck.

Day 4

Place & Transport: Beijing to Xian, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xian), Summer Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Today we will visit the Summer Palace, which is equally famous as the Forbidden City. It is the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China. Much-loved summer retreat of the Imperial families, the lovely landscaped gardens, halls, pavilions and corridors are set around the lake and rivers in natural harmony. You can expect to spend 2-3 hours here, including a 10 minute boat ride. On concluding your visit to the Summer Palace our guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Xi'an.

Day 5

Place & Transport: Xian
Today's Activities: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Great Mosque
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: After breakfast in the hotel, you will set off for the incredible 2000 year-old Terra cotta warriors. The Warriors are part of the underground tomb of the Emperor Qin. Well over 7000 figures in full battle array are formed for battle in several large pits. Many of the figures - soldiers, archers, horses and chariots have been restored. The repairs and excavations continue at the site where you can see both repaired and broken warriors in a truly impressive display. If you are interested, we can drop in to the factory where you will be introduced to the whole process of making the duplicates of the Warriors and Horses. In the afternoon, we visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda where widely renowned Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his collection of classic Buddhist artifacts brought from India. It is the landmark of the ancient capital city - Xi'an. Later, we will drive to the Xi'an Great Mosque. In the heart of Xian's Muslim quarter, close to the city centre, this is one of the largest Islamic mosques in China. Remarkable for the combination of Chinese architecture with Islamic practice, the courtyards align from east to west facing Mecca. The pavilions, halls and gateways are wonderfully decorated, and this is an active place of worship for the Hui descendants of Silk Road traders and travelers.

Day 6

Place & Transport: Xian to Shanghai, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Xian), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai), Shaanxi Historical Museum, City Wall, Forest of Stone Steles Museum
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: Spend the morning at one of the best museums in China, the Shaanxi Historical Museum. Among the 400,000 items on display are treasures from many Dynasties including magnificent bronzes and porcelain, many of which have never been on permanent display before. After a simple lunch at a local restaurant, we will drive to the City Wall The walls, ramparts, gates and watchtowers form one of the oldest and most complete city defences still around. Built in the 13th century on the foundations of the original Tang Forbidden City surrounding the city centre you can walk, rent a bike or take an electric cart around the full 14km circuit, with great views of the city on either side. Later, we will drive to the Xi'an Stele Forest Museum which has 900 years of history and holds a large collection of the earliest stone steles from different periods from the Han to the Qing Dynasty. After that, you'll fly to Shanghai.

Day 7

Place & Transport: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, The Shanghai World Financial Center, The Bund
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: We start the day by visiting Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall which is much more interesting and impressive that its sounds. It tells the story of growth of the metropolis, explains her foundation, development and future in 2-3hours. Then we head to the The Shanghai World Financial Center, which is a supertall skyscraper under construction in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which will consist of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. On September 14, 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492.3 meters (1,615.2 ft) and became the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building (including unfinished ones), after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101. In the afternoon, we take a relaxing walk to the lovely old Yuyuan Garden, the most famous garden in Shanghai which is decorated by beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes, bridges and rock formations. It is also a shopper's paradise with many small shops, often housed in authentic historic structures, carrying everything from furniture to porcelain. After that, we will go directly to the Bund - the old colonial sector, which is home to a myriad of European-styled buildings that face the Huangpu River. It is a must-see when visiting Shanghai. Architectural styles include gothic, baroque, Romanesque, and renaissance.

Day 8

Place & Transport: Depart Shanghai, Flight not included
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast
Detailed Itinerary: Your time is your own, until you are ready to be transferred to the airport for your departure.


Note: If you choose to stay on in Shanghai for a few extra days, or arrive a few days early in Beijing, please let us know, and we'd be happy to extend your hotel bookings, or arrange additional tours for you.