19 Days Southern China food discoveries: Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Huangshan-Guilin-Guangzhou-Hong Kong

When your flight lands, your tour guide will be waiting for you at the airport arrival hall with a warm smile. You will be transferred to your hotel by a private van and driver.

Meals: No meal, advice freely available

• Hotels: The Peninsula Shanghai, Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel, Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai, Central Hotel Shanghai

Shanghai

Start your Shanghai exploration to a classic Jiangnan private garden, Yuyuan Garden. With an area of about 20,000 square meters, it holds many unique pavilions, stones, windows and corridors. Close by is the City God Temple, where people offer sacrifices to the city god. City god is usually the heroes who protect the city. In this area, you could also find many local snacks or specialties like Nanxiang Steam Buns.

Stroll at the gorgeous tree-lined avenues at French Concession. Spend some leisure time and feel the charm at Xintiandi.

The Bund is one of the most recognizable symbols in Shanghai, which is a living museum of various architectures.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Xiangyefu Teahouse Restaurant with a la carte menu

Feature Dinner Option: Nan Xiang Mantou Dian, Green Wave Gallery, Lost Heaven-Yunnan Restaurant Bund Branch

Optional evening activity: Era Time or Shangcheng Acrobatic Show

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

City God Temple

Despite its popularity and fame, Tongli Water Town still retains its tranquility and tradition. Roam along the canals and narrow alleys; you could appreciate the well-preserved houses, pavilions, temples, and a few gardens. The Biscuit in a sold shape is quite tasty and unmissable. If you are tired, take a boat cruise in the canal. After the tour, drive to Suzhou.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: W Suzhou, Crowne Plaza Suzhou, Suzhou Marriott Hotel, Garden Hotel Suzhou

Tongli Water Town

Admire the artificial mountains, man-made lakes, pavilions and corridors in the Lingering Garden. Panmen Gate has a lower water entrance and an upper land entrance. Panmen Gate itself, the Wumen Bridge, and the Rui Guang Pagoda make up the Panmen Scenic Area Park. Experience a different way of touring by taking a rickshaw around Suzhou to gain a comprehensive view of Suzhou city.

End the tour by a leisure walk in Pingjiang Road where you could see many local stores selling snacks, souvenirs and crafts. Do not miss the local specialties there.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Lingering Garden

After breakfast, the guide and driver will take you to the train station in Suzhou for the train to Hangzhou. You will be met at the exit of the train station by the Hangzhou guide with a warm smile. Then you will go directly for sightseeing. The first stop is the most famous sight in Hangzhou, West Lake. A leisure big boat cruise is arranged for you to watch the lake from different angle. Have a treasure hunting tour and Buddhist literature exploration in Lingyin Temple. Adjoining to it, it is the Peak Flown From Afar, a place full of Buddhist mood and that clam down your mood.

Get to know the old story and folk culture of Hangzhou by visiting this hustling but interesting Hefang Street. Do not miss the long-survived stores and remember to taste local snacks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch in the local restaurant with a la carte menu

Optional evening activity: Enduring Memories of Hangzhou

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hangzhou, Xinqiao Hotel, Zhongwei Sunny Hotel

Lingyin Temple

With exhibition area, experience area and operation area, you will be able to gain a better understanding of Hangzhou cuisine by visiting Chinese Hangzhou Cuisine Museum. After that, you will have a hands-on lesson with the start of visiting the local market and buy some ingredients.

Next, you will pay a visit to a tea plantation and pick some tea leaves for the cooking lesson. The teacher will teach you to cook 2 to 3 dishes with Longjing shrimp included. Enjoy your work as your lunch.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Hangzhou Cuisine Museum

After a sound sleep, pack your luggage and be ready to leave Hangzhou. Take the bullet train to Huangshan, a place famous for mountains and heritage villages. Be greeted by the Huangshan guide with your name sign at the exit and transferred to the city area for sightseeing. Start your Huangshan tour at Chinese Hui Cuisine Museum. Before tasting the Hui cuisine, have a brief knowledge of it.

After that, go to Tunxi Ancient Street and start your food tour. There are lots of local specialties like smelly mandarin fish, hairy tofu and Huangshan baked wheat cake. Learn to create your own bamboo carving with the chisels in your hands. Bring home your art piece as a souvenir of this cultural experience.

Instead of spending overnight in the city area, you will be transferred to Xidi Heritage Village. A leisure walk or a bike riding is quite enjoyable here.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Pig's Heaven Inn, Pig's Heaven Inn Bishan, 1004 China Hotel

Bamboo carving experience

Owing to the numerous ancestral halls in the village, Nanping Village is also known as “The Museum of Ancient Ancestral Hall in China”. Take a leisure stroll in the village to see the amazing Hui style architectures.

Knock a local’s door and visit their garden to pick up some vegetables. Today, you will learn to cook some Chinese dishes in the local family with the help of the host.

After lunch, you will take a bamboo handcraft lesson with the teacher’s guidance, like making a bamboo ring or a bamboo bird. Than you will be transferred to Huangshan Scenic Area. Cable car is arranged.

Note: Check the weather forecast and set your alarm clock in advance if you wish to see the amazing sunrise on the mountain top.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Xihai Hotel, Huangshan Shilin Hotel

Nanping Village

Get up earlier and meet the first sunlight of the day. Come back to the hotel for breakfast. After that, start your exploration on the mountain from the West Grand Canyon. Each step brings different scenery.

Take the cable car down and drive directly to the airport in Huangshan. Head to a small but beautiful city, Guilin by flight.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Guilin Shangri La Hotel, Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel Guilin, Aroma Tea House

West Sea Grand Canyon

Today, start the tour with the visit of the highest hill within Guilin city area, the Folded Brocaded Hill. It is also the best place for the bird-view of the Guilin city and the Li River. Come down from the hill to Reed Flute Cave, which is a very impressive cave in Guilin and was visited by many national leaders from both home and abroad. Therefore, it has another name, National Guest Cave.

Go visit Guilin Rice Noodles Cultural Center for a culinary exploration tour. There are varieties of local specialties, like rice noodles, oil tea and glutinous rice dumplings and so on.

Continue your exploration of Guilin city to Daxu Ancient Town after finishing the lunch. This ancient fishing town is still of primitive simplicity. Stroll on the narrow paths, you will find that many residents still live here with a very simple life.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Guilin Rice Noodles Cultural Center

Feature Dinner option: Xiaonan Guo, Gold Dragon Village Restaurant, Yilu Restaurant, The Taste-Made Restaurant

Optional evening activity: Night cruise in Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Area

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Folded Brocade Hill

2 hours’ drive away from Guilin, Longsheng is a county hosting both natural beauty and culture. With several minority villages and large rice terrace, it is suitable for travelling all year round, especially in autumn and early spring. During the spring, you will see water glittering in the sun while during the winter, the rice is ripe and you can see lays of golden yellow.

Visit a local family, go with the host to pick some wild vegetables, learn to make bamboo rice and oil tea with the guidance of the host. The Chinese rice wine made by the host is also unmissable. Lunch will be arranged here for you to try the home cooked food.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Longsheng Rice Terrace

Guilin scenery is like a vivid scrolling picture. A Li River cruise is able to give you a feel of walking in the picture. The big boat cruise takes about 4 hours from Guilin to Yangshuo. The 4-star boat is not as crowded as the 3-star one. After disembark and a while of walk, you will arrive at the famous West Street. 

It is the oldest and most bustling street in Yangshuo with many bars, restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops. Chinese characters are quite complicated. Learn to write some simple characters with the brush under the teacher’s instruction. 

Meals: Breakfast, Buffet Lunch on the Li River cruise boat

Optional evening activity: Impression Show of Sanjie Liu

Note: Please be on time as the cruise company will not change the departure time for anyone

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: Yangshuo Banyan Tree Hotel, Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

Li River

There are many outdoor activities in Yangshuo, bamboo rafting, rock climbing, biking, kayaking and hiking etc. Today, you will experience the biking tour around the countryside to feel the local lifestyle and the beautiful natural scenery. Along the way, you will explore an ancient Jiuxian Village along the upper section of Yulong River, where you could see lots of well-preserved ancient architectures and have a close view of the local village life.

For lunch, you will taste some local specialties including beer fish. After that, have a relaxing and peaceful bamboo rafting tour in Yulong River.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Bamboo Rafting

Grasp this rare opportunity to enjoy the last free morning in Yangshuo to thoroughly savor the beauty of this small city. A train travel is arranged for you from Yangshuo to Guangzhou.

• Meals: Breakfast,
• Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, The Westin Pazhou, Guangdong Victory Hotel

Yulong River

After a sound sleep, be ready to explore China from Guangzhou. First, you will visit Chen Ancestral Shrine. The shrine is especially renowned for its beautiful craftsmanship. Historical figures, legends, and scenes are represented in many art forms, including wood carving, brick carving, pottery carving, brass and cast iron. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is built in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of Chinese democratic revolution. By visiting it, you will get to know more about this great leader.

Have a morning tea around the lunch time in a local restaurant, where you can try the local dim sum, soup, tea as well as other local specialties. With great varieties of products, like meat, eggs and vegetables, seafood, Chinese herbal medicines, dried fruits, flowers, birds and fishes, Qingping Market is a good place to feel the warm local life and experience the civilized ancient trading ways.

As the hinterland of the time-honored Xiguan City, Litchi Bay was erected to be a summer resort for royal families, government officials and wealthy merchants in the early 206 AD (Han Dynasty). Shamian Island may be the most European-style place in China with many ancient buildings in European style.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Chen Ancestral Shrine

You will be picked up from your Guangzhou hotel for this day trip to Kaiping. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive to Kaiping. During the day, you will visit Kaiping Garden, Military Watchtower in Zili Village and Majianglong Village in Kaiping. Lunch is included. You will be transferred back to your Guangzhou hotel after the tour.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,

Li Garden

After a sound sleep, pack your luggage and leave for Hong Kong, the last stop of your China tour.

Eat in a Michelin restaurant for lunch and put a perfect end to your culinary journey. After lunch, you will take a half day tour.

Go atop to the Victoria Peak by peak tram to get a panorama of this metropolis. Next you will head to the famous fishing village of Aberdeen, where the British first entered Hong Kong. A sampan ride is arranged for you there to have a closer view of the life on the water.

Set your feet on the soft sand on Repulse Bay and feel the breeze. How cozy it is. If you are not interested in this, the local Stanley Market is a good substitute. It is a combination of sunny beaches, unique architectures, shopping and dining.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
• Hotels: The Peninsula Hong Kong, Harbour Grand Kowloon, Metropark Hotel Kowloon

Aberdeen

Feel free to do what you want to do as you will enjoy a full free day on your own.

• Meals: Breakfast,

Hong Kong

Finish your tour here in Hong Kong. The guide and driver will take care of you till the check-in gate at the airport. See you next time in China.

• Meals: Breakfast,

Hong Kong