Luxury Tour of Beijing - Xi'an - Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin - Shanghai

12th Days China Delights

Tour Type: Private Tour, any part of the itinerary can be customized.
Guide & Driver: English-speaking guide, experienced driver with an air-conditioned vehicle.
Accommodation: 5-star Luxury Hotels and Super Deluxe Hotels for
your choice.
Meals: 11 American breakfasts, 6 lunches, 1 dinner.


Highlights:
Must-see sights in China - the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors.
Cruise on the meandering Li River & admire the essence of Guilin landscape.
Experience the Bund, classical garden, modern and old in contrast in Shanghai.
Tang Dynasty Show, Impression Sanjie Liu & ERA Acrobatic Show.
Price: USD 3561

Day 1

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Beijing

Welcome to Beijing! Our local professional guide and driver will meet you at the airport after you retrieve your luggage and clear Customs, and then transfer you to check into the hotel in downtown area. After a short break, you will take a rickshaw tour of the historic Hutong area to admire the Drum and Bell Towers and traditional courtyards.

For dinner toight, we would like to recommend the Buffalo Stone, one of the biggest bars in the famous Houhai area. This restaurant is full of exquisite decorations and furniture in Southeast Asian style. The meal cost here is around CNY200 per person at your own expense. Please take a taxi back to the hotel after enjoying the dinner.

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town

Day 2

Beijing

Your private China tour will start today from the grand Tiananmen Square. After photo-taking, you will be accompanied to the splendid Forbidden City to admire the luxurious imperial palaces during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911). You will also visit the Treasure Gallery and the Hall of Clocks to appreciate rare objects as well as the elaborate clocks of the royal family.

Lunch will be served at the famous Fangshan Restaurant located at the Beihai Park. "Fangshan" means the food is cooked according to the imperial kitchen recipes. This restaurant is 80 years old and popular for its 'imperial food' features.

In the afternoon, we will proceed to the Temple of Heaven. Our guide will accompany you as you linger around the temple and introduce the ancient sacrificial ritual to you.

Meals: American breakfast, Imperial lunch

Day 3

Beijing

An exciting day awaits you! After breakfast, we will drive about 1.5 hours to the Mutianyu Great Wall. There are cable cars running at the scenic spot. Climbing up this section of the Great Wall is time-consuming and exhausting, so we've reserved the round-way cable car for you. You will make the most of your time to appreciate the majestic scenery. Lunch is by your own arrangement. You may consider to pack away some fast food at the foot of the mountain and have a speical picnic lunch on the wall.

Aftewards, we will drive back downtown. En route you will get the chance to see the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) and the Water Cube (the National Aquatic Center), and take amazing photos of these unique constructions.

For dinner tonight, we would like recommend the Beijing Roast Duck. A visit to Beijing without the crispy, tender and tasty Peking Duck would be a great pity. Among the multifarious restaurants serving Peking Duck, the most famous one is the time-honored Qianmen Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. You are advised to order according to your own preference and pay on the spot. You can order a duck plus the pancakes and side dishes, and also duck soup and some light vegetable dishes if you are interested. Usually it costs around CNY200 to CNY300 per person. Please take a taxi back to your hotel in the end.

Meals: American breakfast

Day 4

Beijing to Xi'an by Flight

After breakfast, you will visit the Summer Palace, which is bestowed with brilliant constructions and picturesque natural landscapes. You will put yourself in the midst of the joyful scenery with a traditional boat trip on the Kunming Lake. Then a visit to the Yonghe Lama Temple, the largest and best preserved lamasery in China is followed.

For lunch today, the Bai Family Mansion is recommended. This restaurant is in a gorgeous courtyard and the waiters wear traditional Qing Dynasty dresses. The specialties here are imperial snacks, Kungpao shrimp, Deep-Fried Four Treasures and Chicken. The Chinese music and occasional "face-change" performances are also highlights here. It costs about CNY500 per person, which will be paid by you on the spot.

In the afternoon, you will take a flight to Xian. Our local guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: American breakfast
Accommodation: Wyndham Grand Xian South



Accommodation: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian

Day 5

Xi'an

The Terracotta Army Museum is considered the symbol of Xian by most visitors. After breakfast, our guide will escort you directly to this grand museum, which contains a wonderful and multifaceted military troop from the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC), including over 8,000 pottery soldiers, 400 horses, 100 chariots and numerous weapons. You might be surprised to find that the life-sized terracotta warriors are pretty tall, proving the height of soldiers in that age. Interestingly, the laws in Qin Dynasty delineated that people could get married when a man was 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and a girl reached 1.4 m (4.6 ft), regardless of age. The heights were the standards for being adults at that times, and people should be ready for marriage after their puberty rites. With the guide, you may find more interesting stories about the terracotta army and powerful Qin Dynasty.

On the way back downtown, we will stop by the Huaqing Aegean International Hot Sprig Resort to have an a la carte lunch. The afternoon tour will include the Ancient City Wall and the prosperous Muslim Quarter. You can have a cycling trip on the City Wall or tour around by sightseeing car.

You will experience the marvelous Tang Dynasty Dinner Show tonight, which will take you back to that dreamy and prosperous period over 1,100 years ago. You will be served with delicate imperial food of the Tang in the meantime. Our guide will escort you back to your hotel after the show.

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch, Tang Dynasty dinner show

Day 6

Xi'an to Guilin by Air

Today's sightseeing trip will start from the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, which boasts over 370,000 historical relics from stone tools of remote times to artifacts before 1840. Next we will head for the Small Wild Goose Pagoda to feel the Buddhist culture and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere.

For lunch today, we would like to arrange in the Yuezhenxuan Restaurant which specializes in Cantonese cuisine. The popular snacks here are the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings and the Steamed Creamy Custard Bun.

Afterwards, you will be escorted to the airport for your onward flight to Guilin. Our local guide and driver will pick you up and escort you to the hotel.

Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch


Accommodation:Shangri-La Hotel



Accommodation: Shangri-La Hotel

Day 11

Shanghai

Today, we will arrange for you a whole day's trip to the Nanxun Water Town by a comfortable car ride. Upon arrival, you will stroll around this well-preserved old town with the guide's company. In the old days, Nanxun was a town mainly for wealthy merchants, so it is rich in manors that were elaborately designed and constructed; some were even influenced by western architectural styles with stained glass, fireplace, Roman columns, European fountain and many other features. After the visit, we will return to Shanghai.

Our guide will take you back to the hotel or bring you to a restaurant for dinner at your own expense. Today we would like to recommend the South Beauty (Qiaojiangnan 881) that specializes in Sichuan cuisine. This branch at Yan'an Road is considered to be the best one of the chain, with an elegant garden, peaceful ambiance and efficient service. Generally it costs around CNY200-300 per person for a dinner. After the dinner, please take a taxi back to the hotel.

Meals: American breakfast

Day 12

Departure

Today your private China tour will draw to an end. A comfortable hotel-airport transfer is arranged according to your flight schedule, and our guide will help you board your homebound flight. We wish you a happy journey home!

Meals: American breakfast