13 Days Beijing Datong Pingyao Xian and Shanghai Tour Package

Hello, welcome to China! After touching down in Beijing, you will be picked up and transfer to your luxurious hotel. The rest of the day is for you to counteract jet lag or to get a glimpse of what Chinese capital is like on your own.

Recommended hotels:

• - Beijing luxury hotels: Four Seasons, Peninsula, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing or similar
  
• - Beijing boutique hotels: Double Happiness Beijing Courtyard Hotel or similar

• Hotels: Beijing Fairmont Hotel, Beijing Great Wall Hotel, Beijing Aman Summer Palace

Anman Summer Palace

Deluxe Room

Tiananmen Square is located at the heart of Beijing, and was an important witness of many historical events, including the founding of New China. Have an in-depth visit of Palace Museum, known as Forbidden City in ancient times. The lavishly adorned home of Ming and Qing emperors and their concubines is housing numerous Chinese cultural and artistic treasures.

Later climb up Jingshan Hill, which used to be a royal garden with a history of over 800 years and offers a panoramic view of Forbidden City.

Enjoy a rickshaw ride through hutongs to experience traditional Beijing culture. For in the know travelers, the maze of hutongs is where to explore the real Beijing. Each of the hutong alleys has its own legendary stories.

Beijing Roast Duck for dinner(optional).

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
• Hotels: Beijing Fairmont Hotel, Beijing Great Wall Hotel, Beijing Aman Summer Palace

Great Wall

Hutong Tour

Visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. An old Chinese saying goes that, “he who was never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” Today, thanks to the cableway, even a little kid can easily reach the top of the Great Wall. But it is hard to imagine that ancient Chinese people built it on the towering and steep mountains with only their hands. No wonder the Great Wall is one of the most outstanding ancient wonders on Earth.

Stop by Beijing Olympic Park and see the 2018 Olympic venues from the outside, such as Bird’s Nest and Water Cube.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner,
• Hotels: Beijing Fairmont Hotel, Beijing Great Wall Hotel

Summer Palace

Get to know the worship culture of ancient China at the Temple of Heaven. Here monarchs of Ming and Qing Dynasty used to worship heaven and the gods with sacrifices at regular intervals. Follow a master to practice Taiji moves and absorb power at this ancient shrine.

Visit Panjiayuan Antique weekend Market. There is chance that visitors can find precious from stacks of sealstone, ceramics, calligraphy and paintings, Buddhist bracelets, etc.

Then visit the riverside Summer Palace with boat cruise available. The nearest summer resort to Forbidden City, Summer Palace was constructed based on the West Lake in Hangzhou and absorbed the quintessence of Jiangnan gardens.

Watch an evening show of Kungfu or Peking Opera (optional).

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel

Datong

Today, you have to get up very early so as to catch up with the morning flight. With one hour air journey, arrive Datong.

Visit Yungang Grottoes, which is a masterpiece of Buddhist grotto art and one of the four great grottoes of ancient China. There are thousands of Buddha statues carved out of the mountain.

Then visit another ancient Buddhist shrine – the 11th Century Huayan Temple, named after the Avatamsaka Sutra. Inside its 30 or so halls and buildings, there are beautiful murals and Buddhist cultural relics. See the vivid Nine-Dragon Screen Wall dating to the 14th Century. As its name suggests nine dragons made of colored glaze are exquisitely carved on the wall.

Recommended hotels:

• - Datong luxury hotels: Yunzhong Courtyard or similar

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Howard Johnson Jindi Plaza Datong

Shadow Show

Shadow Show

Big Wild Pagoda

Check out from hotel and drive to visit the 5th Century Hanging Monastery. It is a very special temple that incorporates Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, the three religions of ancient China. A masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture, Hanging Monastery was built on the cliffside 60m above the ground.

Then visit the 11th Century Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, an all-timber pagoda as high as 67.31m, and known as one of the three great pagodas in the world.

Drive all the way to the Old Town of Pingyao.

Recommended hotels:

• - Pingyao luxury hotels: Jing's Residence or similar
• - Pingyao boutique hotels: YunJinCheng Hotel or similar

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Pingyao Hongshanyi Hotel

Li River

It took about 300 hundred years to build Wang’s Family Compound during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. It is now a significant museum of traditional Chinese architectures including 35 courtyards and 342 residential houses linked by alleyways.

Zhangbi Ancient Castle was designed and built based on ancient Chinese astrology and geomantic omen. The tiny castle also boasts underground tunnels, temples, and even military defense project.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Pingyao Hongshanyi Hotel

Yulong River Rafting

The cultural Pingyao Ancient Town has a history of nearly 3000 years. As the economic center during Qing Dynasty, it helps people to know the culture of Shanxi merchants. Ascend the Old City Wall of Pingyao to obtain a full picture of the town and walk Mingqing Street lined with ancient dwellings, shops, temples and local Gravenor’s offices, to glimpse ancient Chinese life. Step into the Rishengchang Draft Bank and learn ancient Chinese bank history.

Take bullet train from Pingyao to Xian.

Recommended hotels:

1. - Xian luxury hotels: Wyndham Grand Xian South, Gran Meliá Xian, Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel or similar
2. - Xian boutique hotels: Grand Mercure Xi'an on Renmin Square or similar

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian

Yangshuo Countryside Biking Tour

The Bund

Explore the biggest military museum of ancient China – the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum. It was constructed based on the three excavated pits of the Terracotta Army of ancient China’s first feudal emperor. Terracotta Army is regarded as one of the greatest discoveries in the history of archaeology in the twentieth century.

Thereafter marvel at Big Wild Goose Pagoda situated in the Da Cien Temple. Both the temple and the pagoda were built in Tang Dynasty and are two of the earliest heritages of ancient Chinese Buddhism.

Experience more of Tang Dynasty culture with a music & dance night show, after a dumpling banquet dinner (optional).

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian

Water Town

Ride a bike (optional) leisurely and freely on the Old City Wall of Xian, as long as 13.74km, to see the majestic ancient gates and towers that make a contrast against Xian’s modernization.

Later visit the Great Mosque of Xian. Muslim Hui people settled in Xian since Tang Dynasty and have been living harmoniously with local Han people. Together they built this grand beautiful mosque with both Chinese architectural style and Islamic architectural style. Get a chance to taste hundreds of street foods at the Muslim Quarter.

Fly to Shanghai, to explore China’s multi-culture center.

Recommended hotels:

• - Shanghai luxury hotels: Peace Hotel, Les Suites Orient Bund, Peninsula or similar
• - Shanghai boutique hotels: Hotel Indigo on the Bund, The Yangtze Boutique or similar

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund

Maglev Train from Longyang Road to PVG Airport

Maglev Internal

See traditional Shanghai style residential houses – the Shikumen dwellings hidden in the Nongtang alleyways. Experience the splendid ancient Chinese art at the Shanghai Museum, where there are over 120,000 valuable cultural relics are on display.

Later visit Ming Dynasty Yu Garden, one of the finest traditional Chinese gardens in South China. And explore the bustling food & snack center and the enticing old streets of Shanghai in Town God Temple

Walk the Bund with various styles of colonial architectures to glimpse into early 20th Century banks, hotels, compradors, before ascending Shanghai World Financial Center with a panorama of Shanghai skyline.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund

The Bund

Drive out of the bustling Shanghai and enjoy peaceful hours in Tongli Ancient Town built in Song Dynasty, to experience China’s water town culture. The 15 streams divide Tongli into seven islands, while 49 ancient arch bridges link the islands together. A boat trip will take you to sail through the bridges and discover the beautiful gardens, temples, former residences of celebrities in history.

Enjoy a wonderful acrobatic show in the evening (optional).

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Hotel Indigo Shanghai on The Bund

Tongli Water Town

Relax at hotel, until your guide and driver escort you to the airport. It is the end of the 13 days China tour itinerary.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Shanghai