Essential China tour

12 days - A fantastic tour to visit both the historical and modern face of China, also including a visit to the fascinating Giant Panda Reserve...

• Beijing: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Sq, Temple of Heaven (3 nights)
• Xian: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower (3 nights)
• Chengdu: Giant Panda Reserve, Leshan Giant Buddha (2 nights)
• Shanghai: Jade Garden, the Bund, Nanjing Road (2 nights)

View details below...

Panda Natural Reserve

Tian-an-men Square

Forbidden City

Terra-cotta Warriors

Bell Tower Xian

Shanghai

Day 1
Depart from Heathrow or your preferred airport for a scheduled flight to Beijing. Meals on board.

Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you are greeted at the airport by our English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel by private transport. The rest of the day is at your leisure to recover from jetlegs and get ready for the adventure to come! (China is 8 hours ahead of UK)

Day 3 Beijing
A full day city tour to soak up the atmosphere of Beijing. This includes visiting historical sites such as Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Then we will go to watch an entertaining acrobat show. (includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Our welcome dinner in the evening provides an opportunity to sample special Chinese cuisine combined with live music, singing and dancing entertainment.

Day 4 Beijing
The highlights of today's tour include a visit to the Great Wall, the only man-made wonder on earth visible from the moon. We travel to the Ming Tombs and walk on the Sacred Way to see the resting place of thirteen Chinese Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Enjoy the famous Peking Roasted Duck dinner upon your return. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

We will visit Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, which was originally constructed in the 5th century and is regarded as the most strategic section of the Wall. The section is quieter and less commercial than some other areas and it provides the opportunity to visit the Sacred Way, another highlight of the Great Wall heritage.

Day 5 Beijing to Xian
Today, our tours includes a visit to the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), which dates back to the 12th century when the Jin ruler built his Gold Mountain Travelling Palace. We walk along the Long Corridor beside Kunming Lake and take a detour to the Garden of Harmony before taking the ferry next to the Marble Boat. In the next part of our tour we take a fascinating Rickshaw ride and visit an old residential area and see how local people live. Our guide will then escort you to Houhai, a popular relaxing and eating out place for both Western and Chinese tourists. For travelers who would like to experience shopping in China, we can take you to the popular shopping street - Xiushui Silk Market. In the evening, we take a flight to Xian, the former capital of China and starting point of the ancient Silk Road. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 6 Xian
As the ancient capital of China for many dynasties, Xian has a lot historical sites to offer. We will take a city tour which includes visiting Xian's well preserved Ancient City Walls, built in the early Ming Dynasty (about 600 years ago) and the Bell Tower where you can overlook the entire city. Our tour guide will also escort you to Fanggu Street in the city centre, where the shops have all been reconstructed to resemble ancient times of China. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 7 Xian
Today, the highlights include Terra-cotta Warriors. You will visit the luxury underground palace of Emperor Qinshihuang, The Archaeological Museum of 6,000 life-size Terracotta Warriors and their horses. The warriors were the after life protectors the first emperor who united China (221BC-206BC). Following this we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built as a Buddhist Monastery during the Tang Dynasty. In the evening we attend a re-enactment of the royal arts performance of a 7th century Tang Dynasty Show, with a special Dinner of dumplings included. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8 Xian to Chengdu
Flight to Chengdu, you are transferred to Leshan mountain to visit the Giant Buddha Statue, Lingyun Temple, Haishi Cave. Transferred back to Chengdu. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Chengdu
After breakfast we will visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. It is the best place to see Chengdu's most famous residents. The evening meal is served with traditional delicious Sichuan dishes. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 10 Chengdu to Shanghai
We take a flight to Shanghai. Today our visit includes Yu Garden, famous for its rock gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds. Sightseeing on the famous promenade along the Huangpu River, the Bund, Nanjing Road. Then we will go to Xin Tian DI (Heaven on Earth), a conservation area of traditional low-rise homes, formerly the French quarter. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 11 Shanghai
We leave today free for you to explore the cosmopolitan city. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 12 Shanghai to UK
Our Guide will meet you at the hotel and see you off at the airport. For travellers who booked Hong Kong extension, we leave Mainland China today. (Includes: Breakfast)

Hong Kong extension (£360 per person)

Day 10 Shanghai to Hong Kong
You are transferred to airport for flight to Hong Kong. Upon arrival, transfer to moderate deluxe or deluxe hotel. The rest of day is free at leisure. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 11 Hong Kong
Half day morning tour to the Victoria Peak, Stanley Market, Aberdeen Fishing Village. Rest of the day is free. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 12 Hong Kong
You are transferred to airport for flight home. (Includes: Breakfast)

OR, for the same price, you may choose the option of 3 nights/4 days in Hong Kong incl a flight to Hong Kong. (flight & accommodation only)

Group Departure Dates & Price 2007 (£)

*Above dates for 2007 are pending. If you have a preferred travel dates, contact us and we will try to set the departure dates according to yours!

We also arrange private tour or tailor made departure according to this itinerary, please contact us to discuss your requirement.

Price Includes (The prices shown above are 'per person')

• All flights including airport tax. We can also arrange your local airport departure from £50. Please enquire at the time of your booking.
• All airport/hotel transfers.
• Sightseeing tours (including entrance fee) by professional English-speaking tour guide.
• Selections of deluxe hotel accommodation (4 and 5 star) in well furnished rooms with private facilities.
• Meals as specified in the itinerary.

Price Does Not Include

• Visa fee (please go to Our Visa Service for details).
• Travel Insurance.

Flights As agent of many airline consolidators, we can obtain flights in various class, with reputable airlines such as BA, Air China, Virgin, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair etc. Depends on the availability we will choose airline for you and will try to arrange direct flight when possible. We can also provide land-only tours if you prefer to organise your own flights and save airmiles.

Your Accommodation for this tour Carefully selected good 4 star hotels among the same standard.

Your Meals We include all breakfast (mixture of western & Chinese) at hotel, most Chinese lunches and dinners on tour, each with wide variety of tasty dishes. All meals included in the itinerary are pre-booked. We think it is part of the experience of trying out a few meals by yourself while you in China. Therefore the hotels we select provide good choices of cuisine with English menu, alternatively, plenty restaurants are available in the main sightseeing area in Chinese cities. A good meal (dinner) in restaurant should cost about £5 per person.

Other fact of our tour arrangement Our itineraries are regularly checked and updated to provide ideal and latest sightseeing spots for our travellers, and we organise our own special activities to try to introduce the real China to you, and connect closer to the local people.

Due to the enormous scale of China, our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace to provide you with the opportunity to enjoy touring the country, with a combination of escorted sightseeing, and some free time.

Guaranteed departure from 2 people. Small group travel with like minded people and flexibility on tour. Normal group size 16 people. Suitable for all age travellers.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of flights and cruises sailing schedules available, although occasionally the sequence in which cities are visited, duration of time spent and upstream/downstream cruise route can change due to local conditions which are out of our control. The above itinerary highlights the main attractions that are to be visited each day. Further places of interest may be visited during your stay, which will provide unique ethnic and cultural handcraft shopping opportunities. We reserve the right to change, amend or alter the itinerary, although we will act in your best interests to handle any amendments. Please refer to the booking form for detailed terms & conditions.