10-day Beijing Xian Guilin Shanghai China Essence Tour

Day 1Arrival in Beijing

Upon arrival in Beijing, our guide will meet you at the airport. A private transfer will take you to the hotel for short relax, and then take a leisure walk around the hotel nearby.

Day 2Beijing

Your today tour starts with a morning strolling across the world's grandest city central square, Tiananmen Square, witnessed many historical events and significant celebrations through over 500 years. Then you will enter from its south gate to the Forbidden City, the world's largest palace complex where the emperors and his family had once worked and lived.

Go on a visit to Beijing Hutongs - the old lanes and courtyard houses. Take a rickshaw or biking to explore Beijing's charming lanes. The visit to a local family, who've lived in the Hutongs for generations, offers a local perspective of history, and is a highlight of the Hutongs for most of tourists.

Option: Peking Opera for night show and Beijing Roast Duck for dinner.

Day 3Beijing

After breakfast, you will pay a morning visit to the world's greatest man-made projects, the Great Wall at Mutianyu section, set up as a military fortification more than 2,000 years ago. Then vist the Sacred Road of Ming Tombs and Dingling, an ancient emperor's mausoleum group of the Ming Dynasty with underground palace.

On the way back to Beijing downtown, you will have a stop for an outside look of two famous Olimpic site: Bird Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center).

Day 4Beijing/Xi'an

After breakfast you will pay a morning visit to Temple of Heaven, once a site where the emperors offered sacrifices to the heaven, it is even larger than the Forbidden City. Its main buildings progressing from south to north are the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.

After lunch you will be driven to train station for the bullet train to Xian (5 hours), another of China's ancient capitals. Upon arrival in Xian, your local guide will meet you and escort you to the hotel for rest.

Day 5Xi'an

After breakfast, you will be driven to today's tour highlight - Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the world's largest underground martial museum. The significant underground terracotta army in battle formation is actually the accessory pit beside the first emperor's mausoleum to guard his afterlife. Then visit a Ceramic Factory to witness how these statues can be made.

Then enjoy a walk or biking on the Ancient City Wall of Xi'an. Tang Dynasty Show for night leisure option.

Day 6Xi'an/Guilin

After breakfast, you will pay a morning visit to the Shaanxi History Museum to discover Xian's amazing history.

Then you will be transfered to airport for the flight to Guilin. Upon arrival in Guilin, our guide will meet you at airport and transfer you to the hotel. Then visit Reed Flute Cave and the symbol of Guilin city - Elephant Trunk Hill.

Day 7Guilin/Yangshuo

After breakfast at the hotel, our guide and driver will transfer you to the Zhujiang pier to board the ship for Li River cruise (4 hours) from Guilin to Yangshuo. It is one of the great waterways to admire the picturesque scenery along the river sides. Upon arrival at Yangshuo, you will have a stroll along the famous West Street. This is a vibrant place alive with cafes, pubs, restaurants and where many westerners gather.

Tips: Today we kindly suggest you have a larger breakfast at the hotel this morning as the lunch provided on the cruise is less than adequate. The cruise arrives at terminal Yangshuo at around 13:30 to 14:30 according to the different water flows. There are many cafes available in Yangshuo.

Optional activites for late afternoon:
1. Attend a Chinese cooking course in a cooking school
2. Learn Taichi for 1-2 hours.
3. Li River Beer Fish is recommended for dinner.
4. Night show options: Commorants Fishing or Impression Liu Sanjie

A cruise along the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo is an unforgettable experience for stunning scenery. In Yangshuao, there's something interesting such as lumbering water buffaloes pulling carts or cooling off in the river, fishermen gliding along on their narrow bamboo rafts, and if you're very lucky you might see one of the famous fishing cormorants.

Impressions of Liusanjie performance. The Performance, directed by Zhang Yimou, China's premiere movie director and director of the Beijing Olympics' Opening Ceremony, is made up of hundreds of people and is performed on the Li River with the mountains as the backdrop. It is an unforgettable experience.

Day 8Guilin/Shanghai

There are three options for morning enjoyment: Enjoy a countryside biking, a bamboo rafting on the Yulong River and a helicopter tour over Yangshuo.

In the late afternoon, you will be transfered back to airport for the flight to Shanghai. As you arrive in Shanghai, you local guide meet you and escort you to check in the hotel.

Day 9Shanghai

After breakfast, you will start a full day tour in Shanghai to visit the Shanghai Museum, Town God's Temple, Shikumen, Old Concession Area. Then you will have a bird view of Shanghai city on the top of Jinmao Tower and enjoy coastal sight at the Bund of Shanghai.

Acrobatic performance for night show option.

Day 10Shanghai Departure

Afer breakfast, you will take a morning relax until a transfer to at the Shanghai Pudong Airport for the flight to next destination.