This 14 days tour highlights Yangtze River Cruise sailing through the grand Three Gorges. It also covers  China`s most visited cities including modern Shanghai, picturesque Guilin, ancient Xi’an and imperial Beijing. Besides, the heavenly Suzhou and its fantastic gardens will not fail to impress you.

Yangtze River Cruise

Tour Code: CCT42
Destinations: Shanghai, Suzhou, Yangtze River Cruise, Guilin, Xian, Beijing
Departure: Daily
Duration: 14 days
Language: English
Please send us an email to inquire.

Details (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)

Day 01 Shanghai Arrival
Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be met by our guide and transferred to your hotel. In the evening, you’ll take a cruise on Huangpu River to see the Bund with lights on. The Bund is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years.

Day 02 Shanghai B.L.D
After breakfast you tour today will start from visiting Yuyuan Garden in the center of Shanghai’s Old City. It is the only surviving garden built in the Ming Dynasty.  Close to the gardens is Shanghai’s bazaar, a crowded and traditional Chinese style section of the old city. You’ll have some free time in the market to experience Shanghai’s old age. Not far from the bazaar is the the waterfront Bund, along the bund you will see European architectures left from colonial period. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit the Jade Buddha Temple, which was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. And then spend some time in Shanghai Museum. After dinner, you will enjoy a stunning Acrobatic Show.

Day 03 Shanghai – Suzhou B.L.D
After breakfast, you’ll take fast train to the picturesque city of Suzhou. Suzhou is described by many as ‘Heaven on Earth’. Visitors often marvel at the picturesque scenery throughout the city – a blend of rivers, bridges, houses, and gardens. You’ll firstly visit the Garden of Humble Administrator, which is the largest garden of its kind. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit a silk factory where you can see a display of the life-cycle of the silk worm and demonstrations of how the silk is harvested from the cocoons and eventually woven into fabric. And then take a short cruise on the Grand Canal to watch the busy traffic of barges and junks passing under the half-moon bridges that dates from the Ming Dynasty. After dinner, you will enjoy the Night Garden Show at Garden of Master of Nets.

Day 04 Suzhou-Shanghai-Yichang- board cruise ship B.D
After breakfast you will be transferred to Shanghai airport for flight to Yichang. Yichang was a small forgotten town on the Yangtze River, till it was hurled into the modern age by the building of the Yangtze River Dam. After dinner in Yichang, proceed to the pier to board your Yangtze Cruise ship, home for your next 4 day’s journey. Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world. The upstream cruise is a relaxing trip and a great opportunity to enjoy the fantastic scenery on the river.

Day 05 Yangtze River Cruise B.L.D
Today, the ship will pass through the east part of Xiling Gorge of the Yangtze and arrive at Yangjiawan Pier. Shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam Project. Afterwards, the ship will pass through the Three Gorges Dam 5 stage ship locks.

Day 06 Yangtze River Cruise B.L.D
Sail through Wu Gorge, known for its magnificent scenery of lush green mountains. Enter the Qutang Gorge-the shortest and narrowest gorge of the Three Gorges. Today’s shore excursion is the Daning River Small Gorges or Shennong Stream.

Day 07 Yangtze River Cruise B.L.D
Shore excursion to Fengdu or Shibaozhai, a combination of walking and climbing (This is subject to changes according to water level)

Day 08 Disembarkation at Chongqing and fly to Guilin B.D
Arrive at Chongqing in the morning. You will be met & transferred to airport for flight to Guilin – famous for the green mountains, crystal clear waters, unique caves and beautiful cliffs around it. This afternoon, you’ll visit Reed Flute Cave, a natural cave carved out of the karst limestone mountains over millions of years. And then take a visit to Elephant Trunk Hill. It is the symbol of Guilin and you can find its image on travel brochures and books.

Day 09 Guilin-Xi’an B.L
After breakfast, we will drive about 32km to the pier to catch a downstream cruise on Li River Cruise. Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is an unforgettable experience. Between spectacular limestone peaks you’ll see graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffaloes pulling carts or cooling off in the river. You may see fishermen gliding along on their narrow bamboo rafts and fishing cormorants. Disembark at Yangshuo, a small town surrounded with wonderful nature. The relaxing pace of life here, friendly people, good food, scenic beauty, rice fields and clear streams, country roads for cycling, all make it the paradise for those who wish to get a rest from the harsher aspects of life in the big cities. This evening, you’ll take flight to Xi’an, the great ancient capital and the eastern end of the Silk Road. The Tang Dynasty Emperors, who ruled from 618-906, made this city a center for artists, architects, poets and priest from all over Asia. You are transferred to hotel upon arrival.

Day 10 Xi’an B.L
After breakfast we firstly drive about 30km  to visit the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, where there is a ceramic army of as many as 8,000 life-sized, intricately carved statues modeled after Emperor Qin’s army. After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Dacien Temple built in 652 AD. It was built to house and protect Buddhist scriptures collected by Chinese monk, Xuan Zang, who spent an epic 17 years traveling to India and back for their collection and an equal mount of time doing translating them. His journey has been immortalized in the novel Journey to the West, one of China’s most important literary works.

Day 11 Xi’an-Beijing B.L
Today you’ll visit to Shannxi History Museum,  The museum houses the best cultural heritage of Shaanxi Province ranging from 115,000 year old prehistoric artifacts to items from the Opium Wars of the 1840’s. Coming out of the museum, you’ll have a pause to the Xian Ancient City Wall. Built in Ming Dynasty, the 14km long wall is the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. You’ll also have some time to visit a jade factory. This evening transfer to airport for flight to Beijing – the capital of China. Upon arrival, you’ll be met & transferred to your hotel to check-in.

Day 12  Beijing B.L.D
This morning, you will visit the Tian’anmen Square, an extensive open area in central Beijing, the world’s largest public square. Adjacent to the Forbidden City, it has long been the site of festivals, rallies, and demonstrations. You then start to walk north for a few hundreds of meters thorough two grand gates, you will find the Forbidden City in front of you; the imperial complex is  home to 24 emperors for over 500 years in the Ming and Qing dynasties. After lunch, head to northwest suburb to visit Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. The traditional architecture in the park include pavilions, terraces, temples, pagodas, waterside gazebos, covered corridors, stone bridges and the famous marble boat. For dinner, you will taste the delicious Beijing Roast Duck.

Day 13  Beijing B.L
After breakfast you will first have a sightseeing at the Temple of Heaven built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty for sacrifices to Heaven. You may see local people (most of them are middle-aged or older people) doing various kinds of light physical activity you can imagine, like singing, dancing, playing instruments, playing chess, practicing kung fu, tai chi. Then drive north to the Great Wall -the landmark of China. The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest from Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks, and packed-earth. The Great Wall It is over 6,000 kilometers long. You will have a relaxing evening to pack or prepared for the departure.

Day 14  Depart Beijing B
You’ll be free until your transfer to airport for homebound flight. End of your unforgettable China trip.

Service included
A. Hotels (twin share basis)  with daily breakfast
B. Flight or train tickets mentioned in the itinerary.
C. Private sightseeing tours including entrance fees
D. Private transfers to/from airport
E. Full board on cruise ship with all excursions
F. Meals & shows as indicated in the itinerary
G. English speaking local guide services

Service excluded
A. International airfare or train tickets.
B. Tips to guides and drivers.

Reservation:
Tel: +86 178 1320 5162
E-mail: service@intochinatravel.com
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