14 Days Beijing-Xian-Lhasa-Chongqing-Yangtze River Cruise-Yichang-Shanghai Small Group Tour

During this 14 Days Beijing–Xian–Lhasa–Chongqing-Yangtze River Cruise-Yichang–Shanghai Small Group Tour, we will explore 6 different cities in China and have a 3 night cruise trip on the Yangtze River. During the tour, we are going to experience different traditional Chinese cultures and history in the Beijing and Xian, visit the most beautiful and impressive building in Lhasa, enjoy the beautiful landscapes on Yangtze River, and explore one of the busiest cities in the world, Shanghai.

Highlight

• Exciting hiking tour on Badaling Great Wall
• Visit the biggest public square in the world
• Enjoy Chinese Kung Fu Show
• Experience the ancient royal’s life
• Enjoy authentic Chinese foods
• Explore local culture and life
• View terracotta Army and other historical relic
• Taste Dumpling Banquet, and watch famous Tang Show
• Small Wild Goose Pagoda explore the classic Buddhist artifacts
• Explore the unique architectural style of the Tibetan palaces
• Enjoy the beautiful night views of the Shanghai from the cruise ship
• Visit the most beautiful and impressive building in Lhasa, the Potala Palace

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival Beijing
• Day 2: Beijing City Tour
• Day 3: Beijing City Tour
• Day 4: Beijing – Xian
• Day 5: Xian City Tour
• Day 6: Xian – Lhasa
• Day 7: Lhasa City Tour
• Day 8: Lhasa City Tour
• Day 9: Lhasa – Chongqing
• Day 10: Shibaozhai
• Day 11: Badong – Xiling Gorge
• Day 12: Yichang – Shanghai
• Day 13: Shanghai City Tour
• Day 14: Departure Shanghai

Full Itinerary

Day 1 Beijing City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing (5 Star)
Meals:

Welcome to Beijing. Arrival in Beijing, your tour guide will wait you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel in Beijing. Then you can either explore the city by yourself or take a rest in the hotel.

Day 2 Beijing City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities: Tiananmen Square; Forbidden City; Temple of Heaven; Kung Fu Show;
Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing (5 Star)
Meals: Lunch

After breakfast, we will first visit Tiananmen Square (40 minutes sightseeing), which is the biggest public square in the world that can hold more than million people.

Then We will cross over the Golden River Bridge to visit the Forbidden City (2 hours sightseeing) and experience the ancient royal’s life here.

Exit Forbidden City, and move on to Jingshan Park (40minutes sightseeing) to have a bird’s view of the entire Forbidden City. Jingshan Park is filled with community activities during sundays, such as tai chi, square dance, and other traditional activities.

Lunch at a nice Cantonese restaurant (la carte lunch).

After lunch, we will visit the Temple of Heaven (2 hours sightseeing), which was the spot where the Emperor pray for a good harvest. Three blue-tiled cone-shaped roofs of it, already become a worldwide symbol of Beijing.

Tonight we will appreciate a Kung Fu Show at Red Theatre, that tells a story about Chin Yu entering the monastery and making his way through life to finally becoming the Abbott.

We will transfer back to hotel after the show.

Day 3 Beijing City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities: Badaling Great Wall; Ming Tombs; Jade factory; Olympic Park;
Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing (5 Star)
Meals:

08:30am, you will meet your guide in the lobby.

Transfer to Badaling Great Wall (80km, 1.5hrs driving). Badaling Great Wall, one of the most gorgeous and magnificent part of the Great Wall in Beijing. The hiking on the Great Wall takes 1-2 hours. Cable car or slide is optional.

We don’t arrange lunch for today, so please prepare some snakes and have a big breakfast. We will continue to visit a Jade factory after a break.

Later, we will transfer to the Sacred Way, the first attraction of Ming Tombs. And then go to Changling, one of the 13 Ming Tombs, which is the Mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Di, the third Emperor of Ming Dynasty. It is the largest, original and the best preserved among the 13 Ming Tombs.

After all, we will return to downtown Beijing and drop at the Olympic Park to take some picture from outside of the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. The bird nest stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and it’s the stadium for football competitions. Water Cube, or the Beijing National Aquatics Center, it’s the main stadium for all indoor aquatics competitions in the 2008 Olympics.

Back to hotel around 7:00 PM.

Day 4 Beijing – Xian:

Sightseeing and Activities: Summer Palace; Hutongs;
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel (5 Star)
Meals: Lunch

After breakfast, we will visit Summer Palace (2 hours sightseeing), originally a royal garden and a temporary dwelling palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty. And experience old Beijing cultures in different Hutongs.

Lunch at Sichuan restaurant (la carte lunch).

After lunch, you will head to the airport and fly to Xian. The local guide in there will wait you at the airport, and transfer you to the hotel.

Day 5 Xian City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum; Terracotta factory; Shaanxi Historical Museum; Small Wild Goose Pagoda;Dumpling Banquet; Tang Show;
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel (5 Star)
Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Today, we will start from the World’s Eighth Wonder, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and a Terracotta factory.

Lunch at a local family, we will try some homemade a la carte lunch.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda —As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.

For the dinner, we will taste the local Dumpling Banquet, and enjoy the famous Tang Show. (Note: The show and Banquet will be closed in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. So the prices of it won’t include in our tour during the periods.)

Back to the hotel.

Day 7 Lhasa:

Sightseeing and Activities: Norbulingka Park
Accommodation: Xinding Hotel (4 Star)
Meals: Lunch

In the morning, we will first visit the Norbulingka Park, which is also known as the ‘Summer Palace’ in Lhasa. We will explore the unique architectural style of the Tibetan palaces in the park.

Then we will visit the Sera Monastery, we will be immersed in the colorful fresco painted in the halls and the different form of the relics relates with buddhism.

After this, we will visit a local family to find out more about the local lifestyle.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Day 8 Lhasa City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Xinding Hotel (4 Star)
Meals: Lunch

Today, we are going to visit the Potala Palace, which is the landmark of Lhasa. It is the most beautiful and impressive building that combines the styles of Tibetan Buddhist temple and palace.

Lunch at local restaurant around.

After lunch, we will get a deep insight of the Buddhist culture. First we will proceed to the Jokhang Temple, which is a great place for people to get to know about Buddhist culture. Then we will continue to visit Gyangjian

Tangka Art Store. And explore the surroundings of Barkhor Street, the symbol of the City.

At the end of today, we will take a visit to the nearby Nunnery, and get to know more about Buddhist nuns.

Day 9 Lhasa – Chongqing:

Sightseeing and Activities: Tibet Museum;
Accommodation: President No. 8 with balcony (5 Star)
Meals: Lunch

In the morning, we will explore Tibet Museum, which is the first modern museum in the city with the exhibition shows the history, culture and civilization of Tibet.

After lunch, your guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Chongqing, and the local guide there will transfer you to board the President Series cruise ship (Stay on it for 3-night）.

You can take a rest on the cruise, and wait for it to set sail. (No meals will be included for today)

Day 12 Yichang – Shanghai:

Sightseeing and Activities: Three Gorges Dam site;
Accommodation: Hotel Equatorial Shanghai (4 Star)
Meals: Lunch

Today our cruise trip will finish. We will pack the luggage and ready for check out from the ship. After this, we will get to visit the Three Gorges Dam site. We will check out after we finish, and the cruise company will drive you to Yichang City.

The local guide will wait you on board and take you to have lunch. Then transfer you to airport for the flight to Shanghai, the guide in Shanghai will wait you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.

Day 13 Shanghai City Tour:

Sightseeing and Activities: Shanghai Museum; Yuyuan Garden; Bund; Huang Pu River;
Accommodation: Hotel Equatorial Shanghai (4 Star)
Meals: Lunch

After breakfast, we will first visit the Shanghai Museum, the selection of over 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times. Then we will head to Yuyuan Garden, which is a famous traditional Chinese gardens in Shanghai.

Lunch at a nice local restaurant (a la carte lunch).

After lunch, we will visit the Bund, which is one of the waterfront landmark and symbols of Shanghai. And we will have a cruise trip on the Huang Pu River (1 hour), and enjoy the beautiful lake views of the Shanghai from the cruise ship.

Back to your hotel.

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Accommodations: hotels based on twin occupancy as specified(Except day tours);
• Sharing English-speaking tour guide;
• Sharing vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
• Service charge & government taxes;
• Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
• Domestic train tickets of soft sleeper.

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Chinese visa fees;
• Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
• Single room supplement;
• Tips to guides and drivers;
• Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
• Personal travel accident insurance;
• All optional programs.

Note:

The quotation is different for China Public Holidays. For instance, Chinese Spring Festival,Tomb-sweeping Festival, Labor Day, Dragon-boat Festival, Mid-autumn Festival, China National Day, etc.