Included: ​ ​

 

- Visit to Great Wall Mutianyu (Beijing)

- Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square guided tour (Beijing)

- Terracotta Warriors guided tour (Xi’an)

- Mogao Caves guided tour (Dunhuang)

- Crescent Lake and White Horse Pagoda (Dunhuang)

- Great Wall Jiayuguan (Jiayuguan)

- Da Fo Si Temple guided tour (Zhangye)

- Danxia Landforms – National Geological Park (Zhangye)

- Binglinsi Cave temple guided tour (Xiahe)

- Labrang monastery guided tour (Xiahe)

- Giant Panda Breeding Research Bade (Chengdu)

- Hangzhou guided city tour (Hangzhou)

- Chinese Acrobats show (Shanghai)

- 16 Breakfasts

- Local guides

- Chinese visa support documentation

 

Transportation: ​

 

​- 3 domestic flights (Xi’an-Dunhuang, Lanzhou-Chengdu, Chengdu-Hangzhou)

- Private buses

- 2nd Class soft sleeper train Beijing-Xi’an

- 2 bullet trains (Zhangye-Lanzhou, Hangzhou-Shanghai)

 

Accommodation (twin shared basis, single supplement is available): ​

 

​- 3*-4* Hotels throughout

- Overnight train Beijing-Xi'an (2nd class soft sleeper)

 

Trip is guided by an experienced English speaking Tour Leader. ​

 

 

ITINERARY

 

 

Day 1: 6th September. Beijing. Arrival day.

 

Travelers arrive to Beijing from all over the world. There are no activities planned on day 1. Explore the capital city of China if you arrived earlier. At 6 pm you will meet your Tour Leader  at the hotel lobby for the orientation group meeting.

 

Day 2: 7th September. Beijing

 

We will start our exploration of China with the visit to one of the sections of the Great Wall: Mutianyu. It is located about 2 hrs drive from Beijing. Spend the morning walking along the ancient walls of the biggest fortification structure in the world. Afternoon is free to explore Beijing. You can watch famous Beijing opera, stroll along the buzzing Wanfujing street, or visit Olympic sites.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 3: 8th September. Beijing - overnight train to Xi'an

 

Guided tour of Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City will open for you thousands of years of Chinese history. In the evening we will catch an overnight train to Xi’an. We take 2nd class soft sleeper train: each compartment has 4 beds and lockable doors. There is enough space for the luggage under the bottom banks. Carriages are serviced by train attendants, who help passengers in everything. Each carriage has two bathrooms.

 

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: overnight train

 

Day 4: 9th September. Xi'an

 

Train arrives to Xi’an early in the morning. You will be transferred to the hotel, where you have enough time for breakfast and showers. Today we  will see one of the most famous Chinese historical sites - Emperor Quinshihuang’s Mausoleum and his Army of Terracotta warriors. Discovered by local farmers in 1974 this 3rd century BC mausoleum contains thousands of unique sculptures of soldiers, horses and chariots.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 5: 10th September. Xi'an

 

Today is free to explore Xi’an - the starting city of the Silk Road routes. It is one of the four Great Ancient capitals of China and has a lot to offer. Ride bicycles on the ancient city walls, visit markets at the Muslim quarter, and try famous hotpot dishes in local restaurants.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 6: 11th September. Dunhuang

 

Morning flight will bring us to another famous Silk Road city – Dunhuang. It was founded in 111 BC at the crossroads of two trading routes. City’s name literally translates as “to flourish and prosper”, and in 13th century when Marco Polo travelled through China, Dunhuang was one of the biggest and busiest stops on the Silk Road. Spend the day exploring streets, local shops and markets.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 7: 12th September. Dunhuang

 

Follow the steps of Marco Polo and visit Mogao Caves and Crescent Lake. There are several Buddhist sites around Dunhuang, and Mogao caves are the most famous of all. Almost 500 caves above the Dahcuan river contain the largest and longest used (over 1,000 years) collection of Buddhist art in the world. After visiting caves you will continue to one of the ancient oases – The Crescent Lake.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 8: 13th September. Jiayuguan

 

Today we will travel to Jiayuguan. A big industrial center nowadays, in the past Jiayuguan was one of the last settlements where merchants could enjoy rest before entering steppes and deserts of the Northern Silk Road route. Hotels and inns were located around the last fort of the Great Wall. Spend the evening

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 9: 14th September. Zhangye

 

In the morning you will visit Jiayuguan Fort – one of the biggest and most intact parts of the Great Wall of China. Jiayuguan Fort marks the western end of the Great Wall.

 

Early in the afternoon we will leave Jiayuguan and continue our journey to Zhangye by a private bus. For a long time Zhangye was the last big Chinese city inside the territory protected by the Great Wall. It is located in the center of Hexi Corridor – a part of the Northern Silk road connecting China with Central Asia. Marco Polo spent a year in Zhangye and left detailed description of the city.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 10: 15th September. Zhangye

 

In the morning you will visit Da Fo Si – the Temple of Giant Buddha. It is the home of the largest reclining Buddha image in China. Afternoon will be spent at Danxia National Geological Park – one of the most beautiful natural landforms in China. Located on the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains the park is famous for its unusual colours of the rocks: bright red, yellow and brown.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 11: 16th September. Linxia

 

3 hours train ride on a bullet train will take us to the city of Lanzhou, and from there we will continue travelling by bus to Linxia (about 3 hours). For centuries LInxia was one of the main religious and cultural centers of Muslim community of China. Sometimes it is even called “the little Mecca of China”. The evening is free to explore mosques and mausoleums of the town, and to visit the famous Linxia market.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 12: 17th September. Xiahe

 

In the morning we will leave Linxia and travel to Xiahe by private bus. On the way we will make a stop at Binglinsi Buddhist grottos located in a canyon along the Yellow river. From Binglinsi we will continue to Xiahe – the home of Labrang monastery – one of the largest Tibetan monasteries outside of Tibet. Xiahe is divided into two parts - Chinese commercial part and Tibetan settlement – connected by the Labrang Monastery.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 13: 18th September. Chengdu

 

After visiting Labrang Monastery in the morning, we will return to Lanzhou to catch an afternoon flight to Chengdu.

 

Chengdu is the provincial capital of Sichuan province and the major city in Western China.  The city is the center of Panda breeding and research. It’s also famous for its traditional tea houses and spicy Sichuan food. There is a big Tibetan community in town, and if you feel adventurous – try a yak stew for dinner.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 14: 19th September. Chengdu

 

In the morning we will visit one of the main Sichuan attractions – Giant Panda Breeding Research base. The province is the home of 30% of the world’s Giant Panda population. The research base provides information about natural habitat, life cycle and eating habits of Giant Pandas, Red Pandas, Snow Leopards and Cloud Leopards. Over 120 giant and 76 red pandas live in the center.  

The afternoon is free to explore Chengdu.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 15: 20th September. Hangzhou

 

Early morning flight will take you to another town visited by Marco Polo - Hangzhou. Famous Venetian describes it as “…greater than any in the world”. And a hundred years later Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta said that Hangzhou was “the biggest city on the face of the Earth”. We will spend early afternoon exploring the West Lake – one of the major attractions of the town. Evening is free to enjoy shopping, more historical sites and excellent food.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 16: 21st September. Shanghai

 

Today we take another bullet train – from Hangzhou to Shanghai. The city has something to offer to everyone – tourists, businessmen, writers and artists. With the population over 24 million people Shanghai is the largest and most developed metropolis in Mainland China. Spend the day exploring the Bund, Old City with Yu Garden, wonder through small streets surrounding city markets or admire modern architecture of the Pearl tower. In the evening we have included Chinese Acrobats show – Shanghai’s one of the main attractions.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

Day 17: 22nd September. Shanghai. Departure day

 

Today is the last day of the trip. There are no activities planned, and you can depart Shanghai any time.

 

Meals: Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out "Essentials" tab for information about booking conditions, visas, safety, and other details.

Arrival and departure transfers, pre and post trip accommodation are available.

 

If you wish to book the trip and find out more about additional services, please, contact us directly.