Today your international flight will touch down in Beijing. Our professional local guide will meet you at the airport after you reclaim your luggage and clear Customs. Our driver will transfer you to check in at the hotel. Afterwards, you will have free time for the rest of the day.
 
Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing - the former Sheraton

Before your escorted tour starts, a brief introductory talk will be delivered by our tour guide at the hotel lobby. You will also meet the other members of your group at that time. The trip will begin with a visit to Tiananmen Square. Early in the morning and again at sunset, people can watch the majestic national flag raising and lowering ceremonies. Afterwards, you will walk for a few minutes to the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the most complete palace museum, as well as the largest ancient culture and art museum, containing a great collection of valuable historical items in China. During the visit, our guide will relate notable stories about the Chinese emperors who resided in the palace. 

To avoid the cheap tourist restaurants that many tours use, we specially arrange for you an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a famous and elegant restaurant, where you will be served with signature Chinese food including tasty Peking Roast Duck. 

The afternoon visit will take you to the Temple of Heaven. Four times larger than the Forbidden City in area, the Temple of Heaven has always been a sacred imperial temple for the emperors to make sacrifices to the God of Heaven and pray for a good harvest year. Its outdoor park area is a gathering place for local people to do some recreational activities, such as dancing, singing and drawing. Not far away from the site of the Temple of Heaven is the Red Theater, where you will enjoy the grand visual feast of a splendid Chinese Kung Fu Show. 

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

Today we come to the highlight of your trip, the Mutianyu Great Wall. Mutianyu is one of the most popular sections of China's Great Wall. No traveler can help feeling the excitement of witnessing this world wonder. Due to the many steps and slopes on the Great Wall, please wear suitable walking shoes. To better enjoy the trip, we specially arrange the round way cable car taking you to the best part of the wall. At this time, you may think of drinking a glass of red wine to celebrate the memorable moment. Please rest assured; you will have no regrets. We would like to arrange a toast with red wine for our valued guests on the amazing Great Wall. 

The restaurants nearby the sites are of low quality, which absolutely are not up to our standard. Therefore, we do not arrange for lunch today. It may be best that you have a big breakfast and bring along some snacks for lunch. 

Afterwards, we will drive you back to downtown Beijing and then visit a local market before heading back to your hotel. 

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast this morning, you will check out of the hotel. Our guide will first take you to visit the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. It is mainly composed of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. Three quarters of the garden is water area. Focusing on the essence of garden art, the 728 meters Long Corridor with its delicate artistic drawings and designs is the most well-known part of the palace. The next stop is the Olympic National Stadium (Bird's Nest), which served as the main stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. You will have a chance to take photos of the outside of this splendid building.

An a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be served at a decent local restaurant. You can order your favorite Chinese dishes and enjoy a leisurely meal. 

The afternoon tour takes you to the traditional Hutongs, where the narrow alleys, old-style courtyards, street peddlers and amiable local people will surely leave you with unique impressions of old Beijing. In addition, trying your hand at Chinese paper cutting will be an added experience to your Hutong visit. Then you will be transferred to the airport to take a flight to Xi'an. Our local guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area of the airport in Xi'an, and get you checked in at your hotel.

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel

There will be a long-awaited trip to the Terracotta Army this morning. Thousands of life-size pottery soldiers were made to guard the tomb of the first Emperor of Qin after his death. Don't be surprised if you can't find two soldiers that look alike as they were made exactly identical with the real royal army 2,200 years ago.

To avoid the mass-produced food at the cheap tourist restaurants near the warrior site, we will offer you a home cooked a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) at a family home. You can take this opportunity to meet with locals and get to know their way of life by chatting with the host. If you are interested, the host can also teach you how to cook Chinese food with the assistance of the tour guide. 

After lunch, you will visit the Xi'an Museum and then the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, which was a famous ancient stupa built about 1,300 years ago. With its beautiful shape, it is regarded as an example of the exquisite Buddhist architectural heritage of the Tang Dynasty. This evening, the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show will impress you while enjoying their famous Dumpling Dinner.

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch, Dumpling dinner

Since the theater is usually not open in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec, we will not arrange the show and dumpling dinner for tours starting during the periods. Clients will enjoy free time to relax in the evening.

After breakfast, take a leisurely walk in the City Wall Park accompanied by our guide and see how the locals go about their daily life. Moreover, a Taichi class will be arranged for you to learn and practice in the park. This interesting Chinese Kung Fu is good for your health. Next, you will visit the City Wall. Built about 600 years ago, the City Wall is the most well-preserved ancient fortification in China. Travelers can ride a bicycle or an electric car on the top of the wall, but you need to pay the rental fee on spot. It should be a fascinating experience. 

Around noon, we will serve you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) at a popular local restaurant with tasty food. Please take your time to enjoy it. 

In the afternoon, you will board a flight to Shanghai. Transfer from the airport to the hotel will be arranged. You will have a three-night stay at your hotel in Shanghai.

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Accommodation: Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel

This morning, our first stop will be the famous Shanghai Museum, a large museum of ancient Chinese art built in 1952. Among its huge collections, the displays of bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, ceramic objects of different historical periods and ancient paintings and calligraphy, grace the museum with their incalculable value. The next stop is Yu Garden, a classical Chinese garden built in 1559. Surrounding the garden is a bustling bazaar where you can find various storefronts selling different kinds of local snacks and souvenirs. Walking along the old street, you will find many red lanterns are hung on the trees, shops and buildings, especially in some festival periods. That's because in Chinese culture, the red lantern is the symbol of booming life and prosperous business. 

To taste the good Shanghai cuisine, we have arranged an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) for you at a famous local restaurant. 

In the afternoon, our guide will escort you on a walking tour in the Former French Concession and then move on to the Bund area, where you will take a one-hour cruise tour on the Huangpu River. You will have some free time to stroll along the Bund. The most attractive site in the Bund area is a group of western-style buildings from the colonial period, that feature Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classical and Renaissance architecture. 

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

In the morning, you will be driven to Suzhou about 1.5 hours away. We'll start our Suzhou exploration with a visit to the Humble Administrator's Garden, which is the most famous and largest classical landscape garden in Suzhou. Then you will take a tricycle to travel around Suzhou old town. Lunch will be served at a nice local restaurant.

The afternoon visit in Suzhou is the Tongli Water Town, where you can appreciate the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties and immerse yourself in this peaceful environment by strolling around the old water town. Seeing charming bridges, relaxing in a canal boat, learning about the local history, these are really wonderful breaks from the bustle of Shanghai city. Finally your amazing journey comes to an end when the guide transfers you back to Shanghai and say goodbye to you at the hotel lobby.

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After having breakfast, please check out of the hotel before 12:00pm and find your own way to the airport. We suggest you book a taxi at the hotel in advance. It takes around one and a half hours to drive to Pudong airport. The ride to Hongqiao airport takes about an hour. We wish you a happy and smooth trip back home.

Meals included: Western buffet breakfast