16 Days Best China Historical & Culture Tour
Tour Overview
During this 12 days China tour, we will visit the cultural cities of Beijing, Datong, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Xian. On the way, we will also appreciate the beauty of...
Code of Tour: CDT0000001105
Length of Travel: 16 Day
Destinations of Tour: Beijing-Datong-Wutaishan-Zhengzhou-Luoyang-Xian-Shanghai
Departure City: Beijing
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour: Private
Features of Tour: Culture History
During this 16 days China tour, we will visit the cultural cities of Beijing, Datong, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Xian. On the way, we will also appreciate the beauty of Wutai Mountain, one of the four top Buddhist mountains in China. At the end, we can experience the old and modern culture of Shanghai.
Highlights:
- Experience the old and modern culture of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.
- Marveled at the Hanging Temple, Nine-Dragon Screen and Yungang Gottoes in Datong.
- Explore the beauty of Wutai Mountain, one of the four top Buddhist mountains in China.
- Appreciate the authentic Shaolin Kung Fu and explore Central Plain culture in Luoyang and Zhengzhou.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Beijing Arrival
- Day 2: Beijing
- Day 3: Beijing
- Day 4: Beijing – Datong
- Day 5: Datong
- Day 6: Datong – Wutai Mountain
- Day 7: Wutai Mountain
- Day 8: Wutai Mountain – Zhengzhou
- Day 9: Zhengzhou
- Day 10: Zhengzhou – Luoyang
- Day 11: Luoyang – Xian
- Day 12: Xian
- Day 13: Xian – Shanghai
- Day 14: Shanghai
- Day 15: Shanghai
- Day 16: Shanghai Departure
Google Map
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing Arrival
Sightseeing and Activities: Arrive in Beijing
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: none
Upon arrival, met by tour guide and transferred to your hotel for a rest. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this city.
Day 2 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Our Beijing tour will start with Temple of Heaven – the royal altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Then move on to the center of the city – Tiananmen Square. Go north through the square and you will reach the Forbidden City. As the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden structure in the world, it has more than 8,000 pavilions and thousands of historic treasures.
Day 3 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Get up early to visit Badaling Great Wall. Great Wall is one of the greatest architecture projects in human history. Then visit Ming Tomb(Changling), where the 3rd emperor of Ming Dynasty Zhu Di and his queen were buried.
Day 4 Beijing – Datong
Sightseeing and Activities: Hutong, local family visit
Accommodation: Datong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today we will continue the Beijing tour to Beijing hutong alleys, a living museum of Beijing history showing the traditional lifestyle of Beijing people. Then have a local family visit and explore how the Beijing people live.
After that, escorted to the railway station to take the train to Datong. A local tour guide will pick you up at train station and transfer to your hotel.
Day 5 Datong
Sightseeing and Activities: Huayan Temple, Nine-Dragon Screen, Yungang Caves
Accommodation: Datong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, head to visit Huayan Temple, the largest and most perfectly preserved temple of the Liao and Jin dynasties in China.
Then move on to visit Nine-Dragon Screen and Yungang Caves. Nine Dragon Wall is the oldest and largest glazed-tile Nine Dragon wall still extant in China. And Yungang Grottoes are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China.
Day 6 Datong – Wutai Mountain
Sightseeing and Activities: Hanging Temple, Wooden Pagoda
Accommodation: Wutai Mountain
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, head to visit Hanging Temple. Built more than 1,500 years ago, this temple is notable for its location on a sheer precipice and the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Then continue driving to visit Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian County, which is the only present large wooden pagoda in China and also the tallest among ancient wooden buildings of the world.
Then we will arrive at Wutai Mountain and check in hotel.
Day 7 Wutai Mountain
Sightseeing and Activities: Wutai Mountain
Accommodation: Wutai Mountain
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today is a full day to explore Wutai Mountain. As one of the four top Buddhist mountains, the Wutai Mountain is a combination of natural scenery, historic relics, ancient architecture, Buddhist culture, folk customs and a summer resort.
Day 8 Wutai Mountain – Zhengzhou
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: overnight train
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Explore Wutai Mountain at leisure until being transferred to Taiyuan railway station for the overnight train(19:42- next 06:16) to Zhengzhou.
Day 9 Zhengzhou
Sightseeing and Activities: Yellow River Scenery Area, the Relics of Shang Dynasty
Accommodation: Zhengzhou
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After airport-hotel pickup, a bit of rest for freshing up. Then we will head to Yellow River Scenic Area, 20 kilometers away the northwest of Zhengzhou City. It is a section of hills along the Yellow River covered with bushes, trees and a large paved plaza.
After that, move on to visit the Relics of Shang Dynasty, which is most famous for the mysterious pictographs and colorful bronzes.
Day 10 Zhengzhou – Luoyang
Sightseeing and Activities: Shaolin Temple, Pagoda Forest
Accommodation: Luoyang
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, drive to Dengfeng and visit Shaolin Temple, which is reputed as the Head Temple of all Zen Buddhist temples in China with a history of more than 1500 years. And in the year of 2010, it was listed as the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
Then move on to Pagoda Forest to see hundreds of stone pagodas and graveyard for the monks through the ages.
After that, drive to Luoyang.
Day 11 Luoyang – Xian
Sightseeing and Activities: Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, head to visit the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site – Longmen Grottoes. Located on both sides of the Yi River to the south of the ancient capital of Luoyang, it comprises more than 2,300 caves and niches carved into the steep limestone cliffs over 1km long stretch.
After that, move on to visit White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China and renowned as the cradle of Chinese Buddhism. It was established in 68 AD under the patronage of Emperor Ming in the capital Luoyang of Eastern Han dynasty.
In the late afternoon, take the high speed train to Xi’an. A local tour guide will pick you up at train station and transfer to your hotel.
Day 12 Xian
Sightseeing and Activities: Ancient City Wall, Bell Tower, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, take a stroll along the Ancient City Wall, where we can ride a bicycle on. Then move on to the Bell Tower. Bell Tower of Xi’an is a symbol of the Xi’an city and one of the grandest of its kind in China which was built during the early Ming Dynasty.
The last stop is Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China.
Day 13 Xian – Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Terra-cotta Warriors, Huaqing Hot Springs
Accommodation: overnight train
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today visit the world famous Terracotta Warriors. The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
In the afternoon, continue the tour to Huaqing Hot Springs, where we can see the delightful gardens of Nine-Dragon Pool, the Lotus Flower Pool and the Frost Drifting Hall with Tang style.
In the evening, take the overnight train to Shanghai. A local tour guide will pick you up at train station and transfer to your hotel.
Day 14 Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Nanjing Road, the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
The first stop of our Shanghai tour is Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing Road is China’s premier shopping street with the length of 5.5km. The bund is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai.
Then move on to Yuyuan Garden. Yu Yuan Garden(or Yun Garden) is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai.
The last stop is the Jade Buddha Temple, which is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple built in 1928.
Day 15 Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, we will head to visit Shanghai Museum first, the selection of over 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times.
Then continue the tour to the Oriental Pearl Tower. The ultra-modern Oriental Pearl TV Tower combines ancient concepts with 21st Century technology, where you can get a bird-eye-view of whole Shanghai city.
Day 16 Shanghai Departure
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast
Explore this city at leisure until being transferred to the airport for your next destination. Service ends.
Recommended Hotels and Price List
| Destinations | Luxury Hotel | Comfortable Hotel | Economy Hotel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Jin Nian Hotel | Sunworld Hotel | |
| Datong | |||
| Wutai Mountain | |||
| Zhengzhou | |||
| Luoyang | |||
| Xi’an | Grand Park Hotel | Bell Tower Hotel | Feilu Business Hotel |
| Shanghai | Howard Johnson Caida Plaza | Golden River View Hotel | Charms Hotel |
| Group Size | Tour Prices | ||
| 2 Travelers | |||
| 3-5 Travelers | |||
| 6-9 Travelers | |||
| Above 10 | |||
| Single Supplement | |||
| Remark |
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| Earlier Booking, Bigger Savings 10% off – book 60 days before, 5% off – book 30 days before |
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Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide;
- Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Domestic train tickets.
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.
