|
Day 1 Beijing (D)
Arrive in Beijing, the capital and cultural center of China, where virtually every boulevard and building exudes an air of importance, Transfer on arrival to your plush hotel.
Day 2 Beijing (B L D)
Enjoy a full-day tour of the sights that make Beijing a spectacular destination: the sprawling Forbidden City, home to 24 Min and Qing emperors and now a repository of precious art and antiques; the Temple of Heaven, famous for its elegance and symmetry; and the Summer Palace, an oasis of tea gardens, pavilions, painted corridors, and shimmering Kunming Lake with Empress Dowager's eccentric marble ship. Lunch with a view at the lofty revolving restaurant.
Day 3 Beijing (B L D)
One of the world's most awe-inspiring sights, the Great Wall snakes along nearly 4000 miles of impossibly steep hills and harsh, rugged plains. Today's excursion will give you ample time to explore it in leisure and marvel at the manpower that went into building the world's longest structure entirely by hand. Continue to the Min Tombs, the graveyard of 13 emperors, before returning to Beijing for an imperial-style Peking Duck dinner.
Day 4 Beijing / Xi'an (B L D)
Wing on to Xi'an, a vital center of history, culture and archaeology.
Day 5 Xi'an (B L D)
It is impossible to overstate Xi'an's importance in China's history. Here began the fabled Silk Road, here a string of dynasties made their capital, here a Neolithic culture built a village 6000 years ago, and here lies a highlight of your trip: the excavation site of 8000 terra cotta soldiers, buried around the tomb of Emperor Qin, builder of the Great Wall and other massive endeavors. Round out your tour with stops at the old City gate, Provincial Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day 6 Xi'an / Lanzhou (B L D)
Wing on westbound to Lanzhou, the center city of China in geography. Stay overnight in the city outskirts of the Gobi Desert.
Day 7 Lanzhou / Dunhuang (B L D)
Today, you will first time board on the Chinese rail for Liuyuan, a big town in the Desert, from here, you will continue your journey to Dunhuang, where, you will enjoy seeing the most renowned historical and religious sites -- Mogao Grottos. |
Day 8 Dunhuang / Turpan (B L D)
Return to Liuyuan by coach and continue your overnight train ride westbound to Turpan. Visit the legendary site of Flaming Hills, the Grapes Yards, the ancient but magnificent irrigation system of Kare Well.
Day 9 Turpan / Urumqi (B L D)
Coach ride to Urumqi, the capital city of Xingjiang Autonomous Region. City tour will bring you view the Chinese Mausoleum metro with its distinctive folk characteristic living styles.
Day 10 Urumqi / Karshgar (B L D)
Fly to Karshgar (also called Kashi in Chinese), the largest Chinese city to Afghanistan. At your guide's accompany, stroll in the Bazaar. At this time, you will find yourself at the thrill in bargaining with the strollers selling the handicrafts with distinctive folk designs.
Day 11 Karshgar (B L D)
Tour the Mosque, Xiangfei's Tomb. In your leisure time, probably you would like to try the "local taxi", a kind of carts pulled by donkeys.
Day 12 Karshgar / Urumqi (B L D)
Return to Urumqi by flight. Sightsee the Tianshan Mountain with a short cruise on the Tianchi (Lake of Heaven).
Day 13 Urumqi / Shanghai (B L D)
Fly to Shanghai, the largest and most cosmopolitan city, as modern as any in the world. You are greeted on arrival and escorted to your world-class hotel in a prime setting near many popular shops and restaurants.
Day 14 Shanghai (B L D)
Your full-day tour presents Shanghai's eclectic nature, from the riverfront Bund where foreign traders left a legacy of European-style buildings, to the Yuyuan Gardens with its quintessential Chinese zigzag bridge, rockeries, and pavilions. Visit the Children's Palace where school kids study traditional arts, and the dazzling new Shanghai Museum where the development of the arts is traced back thousands of years. Complete the day at a thrilling show by the Shanghai Acrobats.
Day 15 Shanghai (B)
With new insights and found memories of China, you embark on your homebound journey aboard your select airline. |
