18 Days of China Historical Tour with Yangtze Cruise(Down stream) Discovery

Destinations: Beijing, Xi'an, Chongqing, Three Gorges, Wuhan, Shanghai, Guilin, Guangzhou, Hong Kong

Tour Type: This is an Independent Private China Package which includes personal Guide & Driver + Private car / van + domestic flights & hotels + entrance fees & meals for your own party of 1, 2 or more people that you know. You are also welcome to join our Organized Group Tours & City Package Tours.

Itinerary:
Day 1 ( )
Arrival / Beijing
Transfer via: International flight- On your own arrangement
Arrive at Beijing. Be met & transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 2 (B, L, )
Beijing
Full day trip to the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. Enjoy the Peking Opera Show in the evening.
- The Tian'anmen Square: The largest city square in the world.
- The Forbidden City: The largest imperial palace in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.
- The Temple of Heaven: The place where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation.

Day 3 (B, L, D )
Beijing
Full day trip to the Great Wall,Ming Tomb and Sacred road. Enjoy a famous Peking Duck Banquet for dinner.
- The Great Wall: One of the seven wonders in the world and the symbol of China.
- The Ding Tomb: The only underground tomb of the thirteen tombs of the emperors in the Ming Dynasty.
- The Sacred Road: The way guarded on both sides with stone statues by which the ancient emperors went to hold a memorial ceremony for the ancestors.

Day 4 (B, L, )
Beijing
Visit the Hutongs by rickshaw and Xiushui Street.
- Hutongs: The old narrow paths where common people lived. All the Hutongs crisscross with each other, dotted with the Kindergarten, the BellTower, the DrumTower, the Tea House,the lake, House of Gong Infant and local people's houses among them.
- Xiushui Street: A market near the embassy area where you can find a number of duplicates of clothing in traditional Chinese style such as clothes, caps, gloves. Enjoy bargains with sellers and pleasant surprise of finding a real treasure if you are lucky enough.

Day 5 (B, L, )
beijing/ Xi'an
Transfer via: AM flight
Take morning flight to Xi'an
Flight to Xi'an, ancient capital for 11 centuries,and the ancient gateway to the Silk Road full of Chinese legendary. In the afternoon, you are arranged to visit the ProvincialMuseum and the City Wall. In the evening, go to visit the Tang Dynasty Show.

Day 6 (B, L, )
Xi'an
Xi'an's rich history comes alive on a visit to the greatest archaeological finding of the century: the army of terra cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb. Other monuments on your tour include Banpo Neolithic Village Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and BellTower.

Day 12 (B, L, )
Shanghai
Tour to the Bund, Nanjing Road, JadeBuddhaTemple, Yu Garden & Yu Market.
-The Bund: the former foreign settlement, ranged along with imposing buildings of the colonial period.
-Nanjing Road: the busiest shopping street in Shanghai.
-JadeBuddhaTemple: It is one of the main tourist highlights in Shanghai and it's also one of the most active temples in China. If you're lucky, you can watch the monks serving a ceremony in a side room.
-YuGarden: It is characteristic of the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty and it used to be a private garden with 400 years' history. In front of the garden, there is a market called Yu Market.

Day 13 (B, L, )
Shanghai
Tour to ShanghaiMuseum, Children's Palace & Oriental Pearl TV Tower.
-ShanghaiMuseum: The biggest museum in China, with a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics. The museum is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings, and calligraphy.
-Oriental Pearl TV Tower: Standing by the HuangpuRiver with 468 meters high, Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the highest TV Tower in Asia.
-Shanghai Children's Palace: The Shanghai Children's Palace provides after school education for gifted children. Children participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities such as music, dance, art, model making, science, technology and computer science. The palace hosts many art performances and science and technology contests which attracts thousands of youngsters.

Day 14(B, L, )
Shanghai / Guilin
Transfer via: AM flight
Take AM flight to Guilin. Upon Arriving at Guilin, be met & transferred to your hotel with private vehicle & tour guide. Then have private city tours to the ReedFluteCave & the Elephant Trunk Hill.
-Elephant Trunk Hill: Located at the conjunction of the Li River & the Peach Blossom River, the whole hill looks very much like a giant elephant with a long trunk, it is the symbol of Guilin city.
-ReedFluteCave: Known as "the Palace of Natural Arts" where you can see beautiful stalactites & stalagmites,learn how they are formed.

Day 15 (B, L, )
Guilin
Full day Li River Cruise to Yangshuo with lunch aboard and return to Guilin late in the afternoon.
-Li River Cruise: Depart from your hotel in the morning. Be transferred to the Zhujiang Pier(about 1 hour drive)for a 4.5 hours wonderful cruise.You will enjoy the picturesque mountains, peaceful green fields ,farms and villages with water buffalos,cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. Disembark at the one-thousand-year-old town Yangshuo in the afternoon. Have a short exploration to the old town before to be transferred back to Guilin city.

Day 16 (B, L, )
Guilin / guangzhou/Hong Kong
Transfer via: AM flight (guilin/Guangzhou)
PM train (guangzhou/Hong Kong)
Be transferred for Guilin airport for the flight to Guangzhou.Be met & transferred to take a half day trip to Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Zhenghai Tower, Chen Family Temple. Then take afternoon train to Hong Kong. Enjoy free time at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 17 (B, )
Hong Kong
HONG KONG ISLAND HALF DAY TOUR to Victoria Peak, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay. Enjoy your free time at leisure for the rest time of the day.
-VictoriaPeak: The Peak is Hong kong's number one tourist destination. It features the city's of oldest mode transport, the 112-year old Peak Tram and Hong Kong's most unusual building and icon, The Peak Tower. It combine shopping, restaurants, and entertainment.
-Aberdeen: AberdeenHarbor is home of hundreds of people living on fishing junks. Take sampan ride to get a close-up look at this unusual way of life.
-RepulseBay:Primarily an exclusive residential area, RepulseBay has a relaxed, resort-like atmosphere. The wide beach is popular with residents and great for sandy strolls. It features statues of Kwun Yum and Tin Hau, both protectors of fishermen.

Day 18 (B, )
Hong Kong / Departure
Transfer via: International flight- On your own arrangement
Be picked up to the air port for the flight to your next destination
Service Ends.

Price Details for this tour (per person in US$): currency converter

Service includes:
A. Entrance fees/B. Meals as listed in the itinerary, B=breakfast; L=lunch; D=Dinner. C. Personal Guide & Driver + Private car / van for Private Transfers & sightseeing. E. Hotels (twin share bases) as listed in the itinerary. F.Yangtze River Cruise and land excursions. G. Domestic flights or trains as listed in the itinerary.H. Airport Taxes: US$6 for domestic, US$11 for International. I. Service Charge & Government Taxes.J. Luggage Transfers between airports and hotels.

Service excludes:
A. Entry or Exit China International Airfare or train tickets.B. Visa Fees. C. Excess Baggage Charges.D. City Construction Fee: US$0.40 per person per night in Beijing; no charge in the other cities.E. Personal Expenses.F. Meals: Any meals which are not specified with "B", "L", or "D".G. Single Room Supplement.H. Gratuities, Tips to guides or drivers

Note:
1. Prices are valid until March, 2006, but may vary according to your travel time and tour availability (e.g.: Chinese holiday periods: April 30th - May 7th, Sep 30th to Oct 7th, and Chinese New Year period which usually falls in January. In 2005 Chinese New Year will be from 2nd February to 14th February).
2. The package can be arranged without hotel reservations. If you make your own hotel booking, please uncheck the “Including the Hotels” item on the Reservation Form. The travel agent will then quote you price without hotels.

Custom Tailoring:
Design your own tour with our help to meet your unique interests, You don't have to compromise, do exactly what you want to do! Let us assist you to tailor-make your own China Experience. Tell us what you need now!

Featured Hotels for this tour:

Notes: 1. Isabella Series refer to Isabella No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6 or No. 7.
2. President Series refer to President No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 or No. 8.The specific ship depends on the specific date you take your trip.