17 Days China Tour of Shanghai Hangzhou Guilin Xian Lhasa Chongqing Yangtze River Cruise Beijing

Detailed Itinerary

• Day 1. Entry Shanghai.  
• 
  Arrive at Shanghai airport or train station.
  Be picked by private vehicle and English-speaking tour guide from Beijingservice.com and transferred to hotel for check in.
  Remainder of the day is at leisure.
•   , ,
• Day 2. Shanghai: Yu Garden, Nanjing Road, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, The Bund, Huangpu River Cruise.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 08:30am.
  Start your Shanghai trip with Yu Garden. This well-restored Suzhou-style garden is one of the best gardens in southern China. It perfectly combines pavilions, halls, bridges, towers, ponds and rockeries.
  Take a stroll on Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is the most prosperous shopping street in Shanghai and one of the top ten pedestrian streets in China.
• After lunch, proceed to Oriental Pearl TV Tower. This 468-meter-high tower is the most recognizable landmark of Shanghai. It has four major sightseeing observatories at different heights.
  Wander on The Bund. The Bund is a famous waterfront along the Huangpu River. It is famed as "Exhibition of International Buildings" because of 52 various buildings in different architectural styles, such as Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque and the Renaissance.
  Take a cruise on Huangpu River, which is a good way to discover the old and new Shanghai.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 3. Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple, West Lake, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum.    
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 08:30am and drive to Hangzhou.
  Visit Lingyin Temple, one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. It has a history of about 1700 years. The temple contains an important collection of Buddhist literature together with many other treasures.
  Then proceed to West Lake. West Lake is one of the most beautiful scenic sites in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will take a cruise on the lake to enjoy the water view, historical sites and learn about the legends.
• Go on to Six Harmonies Pagoda. It is the landmark for navigation of Qiantang River. This octagonal pagoda is one of the masterpieces of ancient Chinese pagoda architecture.
  Then head to Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum to learn about Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine.
  Transfer you back to the hotel in Shanghai after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch, , ,
• Day 4. Take flight to Guilin.  Reach Guilin and hotel check-in.  
• 
  Pick you up from hotel and transfer to airport. Take flight to Guilin.
  
  
• Local guide will meet you at the airport in Guilin and escort you to check in the hotel.
•   Breakfast, , , ,
• Day 5. Li River Cruise to Yangshuo.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel in the morning and transfer you to Zhujiang Port.
  Take a Li River Cruise to Yangshuo escorted by your guide. The section from Guilin to Yangshuo is the essence of the Li River scenery. It is reputed as the "Hundred-mile Gallery". The cruise will last about 4.5 hours. Lunch is on onboard.
• Disembark at Yangshuo in the afternoon. Take a short exploration in this ancient town. Walk on the famous West Street and feel the relaxed atmosphere.
  Then transfer you back to the hotel in Guilin with private car.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 6. Reed Flute Cave, Seven Star Park, flight to Xian.  Reach Xian and and hotel check-in.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 08:30am.
  Drive to visit Reed Flute Cave. Known as "the Palace of Natural Arts", Reed Flute Cave is a spectacular world of various stalactites and stone pillars formed from 180 million years ago.
  Walk in the Seven Star Park, the biggest comprehensive park in Guilin. The park is the epitome of the essence of Guilin's landscape.
• Then transfer to airport. Take flight to Xian.
  
  Local guide will meet you at airport in Xian and escort you to check in the hotel.
•   Breakfast, Lunch, , ,
• Day 7. Xian: Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Ancient City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty Show.  
• 
  Drive about 1 hour to visit Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Be honored as the Eighth Wonder in the World, Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a part of the Mausoleum of the Emperor Qin Shihuang(259-210BC). Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses and chariots are arranged in battle formations.
• After lunch, proceed to Ancient City Wall, one of the most important landmarks of Xian. It was built over 600 years ago as an important military defensive system to fortify the city.
  Move on to Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally built in 652 of Tang Dynasty, the pagoda is functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang.
• Have delicious Dumplings for dinner. With different tastes, appearances and cooking techniques, dumpling dinner become an unmissable authentic dainty for travelers to Xian.
  Enjoy Tang Dynasty Show after dinner. Tang Dynasty Show presents the essence of music and dance art of the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the show.
•   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day 8. Take flight to Lhasa.  Arrive in Lhasa, Nietang Buddha.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel in the morning.
  Drive you to airport for the flight to Lhasa.
  
  
• Your local guide will meet you at airport in Lhasa.
  Visit Nietang Buddha on the way to your hotel. Named after Mt. Nietang, Nietang Buddha is the biggest stone statue engraved on a cliff in Tibet.
  Check in the hotel in Lhasa.
•   Breakfast, , , ,
• Day 9. Lhasa: Potala Palace, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka Park.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 09:00am.
  Start your trip with Potala Palace. Originally built in the seventh century, Potala Palace is the highest ancient palace in the world. It is famous for its grand architecture, delicate artworks as well as the strong religious atmosphere.
  Continue to Sera Monastery. As one of the three largest monasteries in Lhasa, Sera Monastery enjoys good reputation among visitor by its buildings of Tibetan style, Buddhist culture, and Buddhist Scriptures debating.
• Visit Norbulingka Park in the afternoon. Built in 1751 during the reign of the seventh Dalai Lama, Norbulingka Park was served as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama. It has 374 rooms of different sizes.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 10. Lhasa: Drepung Monastery, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 09:00am.
  Drive to Drepung Monastery. The monastery was established in 1416 and is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism. It mainly consists of Ganden Potrang, Cogen Hall, Kamcuns as well as 4 Zhacangs.
• Proceed to Jokhang Temple. With a history of more than 1300 years, Jokhang Monastery holds a high status in Tibetan Buddhism. It is the ultimate pilgrimage destination of Tibetan Buddhists.
  Take a stroll on Barkhor Street Bazaar. Tibetan culture, economy, religion and arts assemble here.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 11. Take flight to Chongqing.  Arrive in Chongqing, Chongqing Zoo(Panda House). Board the cruise ship.  
• 
  Pick you up from hotel and transfer to airport. Take flight to Chongqing.
  
  
• Local guide will meet you at airport in Chongqing and escort you to Chongqing Zoo. You may take a closer look of lovely pandas in the Panda House. Chongqing Zoo is the home to over 230 species of animals.
  Transfer you to cruise port and board the ship.
•   Breakfast, , Lunch, ,
• Day 12. Yangtze River Cruise Ship.  
• 
  
• In the afternoon, go ashore to visit Fengdu Ghost City, where the Chinese believe the soul of the dead goes.
• In the evening, you will be the guests at the captain's cocktail party.
•   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day 13. Yangtze River Cruise Ship.  
• 
  Cruise through the famous Three Gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Enjoy the lofty peaks and historical sites.
  Take an excursion to Shennong Stream, another tributary of the Yangtze River. You may find the plank roads and ancient hanging coffins.
•   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day 14. Yangtze River Cruise Ship, flight to Beijing.  Reach Beijing and hotel check-in.  
• 
  Disembark at Maoping Port in the morning and take shore excursion to Three Gorges Dam. Admire this world's largest hydroelectric dam.
  You local guide will meet you at the tourist center in Yichang and escort you to airport. Take flight to Beijing.
  
  
• Local guide will pick you up from airport in Beijing and escort you to check in the hotel.
•   Breakfast, , , ,
• Day 15. Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 08:30am.
  Take a stroll on the largest downtown square in the world, Tiananmen Square. The square has witnessed the founding of the new China.
  Then enter Forbidden City. This world's largest palace complex was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties(1368-1911).
• After lunch, Visit Summer Palace. Combining lakes, gardens and ancient structures, Summer Palace is the best-preserved and largest royal garden existing in China.
  Continue to Temple of Heaven, the largest sacrificial building complex in the world. The temple was the place where emperors came to perform worship to the God of Heaven and pray for good harvests.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 16. Beijing: Ming Tombs, Badaling Great Wall.  
• 
  Your guide will pick you up from hotel at 08:30am.
  Visit Ming Tombs in the morning. With a history of over 600 years, Ming Tombs is the final resting place of 13 emperors of Ming Dynasty(1368-1644).
  Discover the largest and the first built tomb, Changling. It is the tomb of the third Ming Emperor Zhu Di and his wife.
• Head to the famous Badaling Great Wall in the afternoon. Badaling is the best preserved and most popular section of the Great Wall of China. It is close Beijing city and featured with magnificent architectures and breathtaking nature scenery.
  Transfer you back to the hotel after the tour.
•   Breakfast, Lunch,
• Day 17. Departure.  
• 
  Pick you up from hotel and transfer to airport for departure.
•   Breakfast, ,