Explore Hidden Charms

Our guide will meet you outside of the Arrival Hall in Beijing Airport and transfer you to the hotel to check in. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the city at leisure. Taking photos to record various landscapes and people's lifestyles during your visit makes a memorable trip of a lifetime.

This morning, you will start this 21 days China tour with a visit to the Tiananmen Square, the world's largest urban city square. Then walk through the Golden Water Bridge to enter the nearby Forbidden City, the best-preserved and largest imperial architecture complex in the world.

To avoid having lunch at the tourist eateries, we will offer you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a good local restaurant, where you can taste authentic Chinese food, including the famous Peking duck.

In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Heaven, one of the most delicate and majestic royal sites where the emperors prayed to the Heaven for a bountiful year. To experience old Beijing history and culture, a visit to Hutongs is essential, where you will take a special rickshaw tour to travel through the traditional Hutong residence heritage.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

After having breakfast at the hotel, you will take an excursion to the Great Wall, an ancient military defensive project which meanders over a vast portion of the country. The section you will visit today is the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is one of the best-preserved and most developed among the existing Great Wall sections. You will use a cable car up and down the mountain, or a chairlift up and a toboggan down. Lunch is by your own arrangement, and your guide will offer recommendations.

On the way back, we will pass by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium). Our driver will make a stop for you to view this magnificent edifice at close quarters. Then, proceed to explore a featured local market.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, you will first visit an imperial garden, the Summer Palace. As a royal garden, the Summer Palace has absorbed some best parts of the traditional architecture and presented various gardening styles.

Around noon, an a la carte lunch, valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price, will be served to you at a reputable local restaurant. The afternoon excursion will take you to the Lama Temple, which is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing. There you will see the exquisite Buddhist statues and many devotees burning incense and praying for being blessed. Afterwards, you will take the flight to Zhangjiajie, where our local guide and driver will greet you at the airport and transfer you to check into the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today we will spend the whole day exploring the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. First, we will take the Bailong Elevator to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area in which the most-known attraction is the Hallelujah Mountain, also called Southern Sky Column - one of the shooting locations in the movie Avatar. Then we will take an electric car to the Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve to admire the peak clusters in different postures. Afterwards, we will head to the Golden Whip Stream. It flows through the Golden Whip Rock, hence the name. The last site you will visit today is the Ten-mile Gallery, where you will experience a small train ride while enjoying the stunning sceneries around.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, start your adventure with a visit to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. It is an exciting moment to challenge the world's highest and longest Glass Bridge. The whole bridge is covered by transparent glasses with the length of 430 meters (1,411 feet) and the height of 300 meters (984 feet). Try and challenge yourself to pass cross the bridge. Later, a pleasant boat trip on the Baofeng Lake is arranged for you to appreciate the splendid scenery and relax.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you may choose to relax at your hotel or follow our guide to explore the Xibu Street, a popular pedestrian street among the locals. Then we will continue our visit to the Tianmen Mountain. Taking the world's longest cableway to the top of the mountain will be a unique experience of your Zhangjiajie tour. If you are fond of adventure, then try the hanging Glass Skywalk built against the steep cliffs, an experience you won't want to miss. Afterwards, take the flight to Xi'an, the next destination of your China itinerary 3 weeks. Upon your arrival, our guide and driver in Xi'an will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

You will explore the Terracotta Army Museum today. In the museum, you will see the life-size terracotta warriors and horses arranged in a big, orderly arrayed combat formation, as if ready to set out anytime.

The afternoon excursion will take you to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Shaanxi History Museum. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a brick pagoda in the shape of a square pyramid, built for preserving the Buddhism scriptures brought from India. Shaanxi History Museum is a comprehensive museum exhibiting almost all aspects of human life from primitive ages to the year of 1840.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, you will visit the Xi'an City Wall to get a full view of the inner city. Cycling on the wall for one or a half circle would be a memorable experience for most visitors. Our guide will help you with the bike rental if you are interested. Then, pay a visit to a local Chinese family and enjoy a home-cooked a la carte lunch to taste authentic family meals.

In the afternoon, your visit continues to the Great Mosque, one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in China. It surrounding Muslim Bazaar will also attract you with a wide choice of wonderful things. After your exploration at the bazaar, we will see you off to board the high-speed train to Chengdu. In around 4 hours, our local guide and driver will pick you up on time and transfer you to the hotel. In addition to the pandas, Chengdu is also famous for its delicious Sichuan cuisine. If you are fond of hot and spicy taste, this will be a good opportunity to satisfy your appetite.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch

After the hotel breakfast, you will enjoy a comfortable private car ride to Leshan and appreciate the Leshan Giant Buddha, the biggest Buddha carving in the world. There we will arrange a boat trip for you to have a full view of the Buddha. Besides, you can also climb up to the mountain, get close to the Buddha and view this huge statue from different angles. Afterwards, you will be driven back to the hotel in Chengdu.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Today your sightseeing visit will start from the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, where you can appreciate the lovely giant pandas in real life. Only around 1,500 pandas survive in the world now and most of them live in the mountains of Sichuan. After that, you will have a stroll on the Broad and Narrow Alleys of Chengdu, a place to experience local folk customs. There you will find many teahouses, restaurants and elegant shops. You might come across the local people playing Mahjong, a very traditional Chinese game.

The Last stop will be the Jinsha Site Museum, where you can appreciate abundant exquisite artifacts and have an insight into the ecological environment, life style and the sacrifice rite of Jinsha. Now the museum is not only the landmark reflecting the profound historical culture of the city, but also an important center showing the Shu culture dated from more than 3000 years ago. Then our guide will escort you to the airport for your onward flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, our local guide and driver in Guilin will meet you and transfer you to check in at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

After breakfast, we will leave for Longsheng for an excursion to the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces. Looking from the viewing platforms, you will see the rice terraces are distributed orderly over the mountains, layer by layer, like ribbons falling from the sky. If you come here during the mid-May to early June, you will have an opportunity to see the rice fields filled with water, a splendid view. We will leave you enough time to marvel at the spectacular scene of the terraces. Then, pay a visit to the village of Zhuang minority to get a sense of the Chinese ethnic people's life. After that, we will drive you back to the hotel in Guilin.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Enduring memories will be created today as you cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. During the cruise, you can appreciate the magnificent hills mirrored in the aquamarine water, buffaloes grazing along the banks and local peasants rowing a small boat or fishing raft along the river. You will also enjoy the real scenery that is on the back of RMB 20.

After the cruise arrives in Yangshuo at around 14:00, you will take a leisurely stroll along the famous West Street. Then a trip to the countryside will be arranged for you to enjoy the natural and rural beauty. You will also visit a local villager's home to experience the farmers' lifestyle in this small town. The Li River and the karst mountains combine to form a picturesque landscape that adorns the area and boosts the local economy. You will stay for two nights in Yangshuo.

Tip: As the cruise company offers box lunch on the ship. It may fail to meet with your approval. TravelChinaGuide is aware of the shortcomings and suggests you prepare for the cruise with a generous breakfast at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

There is no scheduled activity today and you will have free time to tour around Yangshuo. Yangshuo is well-known for its idyllic rural landscapes and cycling is the most popular way to get around among travelers. You can rent a bike to cycle towards the Moon Hill for a great view, and visit the Big Banyan Tree, drift along the Yulong River on a bamboo raft. In the evening, you may enjoy a natural landscape performance - "Impression of Sanjie Liu", which is a folktale of Sanjie Liu performed on the Li River and directed by Zhang Yimou.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning is still free on your own leisure. You can further explore this beautiful town or just sit in a sidewalk café to relax. Our guide will pick you up at the appointed time and transfer you to Guilin airport for an afternoon flight to Hangzhou. When you arrive in Hangzhou, our local guide and driver will welcome you at the airport and escort you to check in at the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

The first stop of your 21 days China tour in Hangzhou is the Meijiawu Tea Village, where you can try your hand at picking up tea leaves, see the manufacturing process and sip authentic Longjing Tea. Next, we will proceed to visit the Lingyin Temple (Temple of Soul's Retreat). Concealed among peaks and forests, the 1,700-year old temple is one of the top ten Zen Buddhist temples. As the landmark of Hangzhou, the West Lake is renowned for its beautiful landscape and historical sites. In the afternoon, you will enjoy the picturesque scenery of the lake on a sightseeing boat, listening to the stories and legends about the lake from the guide. After the boat trip, you will go to visit the attractions near the lake, including the Red Carp Pond and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Today your private 3-week tour itinerary extends to Suzhou by a high speed train. In around 1.5 hours, our Suzhou guide and driver will meet you at the railway station and take you to the hotel. Following is a visit to the Tiger Hill, where a number of historical sites are located, among which the Tiger Hill Pagoda is the landmark of Suzhou city. Then, visit two most famous classical gardens in Suzhou, the Garden of the Master of the Nets and the Humble Administrator's Garden. The design of the Humble Administrator's Garden is very delicate. It is said to be "one step, one scene", and everywhere reflects the charm of the town in the south of the Yangtze River.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After the hotel breakfast, we will take a comfortable car ride to visit Zhouzhuang, which truly merits its name as a water town in embrace of the rivers. The local residences, unique traditions and people's lifestyle are all well preserved in the township, hence comes the reputation of the 'Number One Water Town in China'. In the town, you will visit the Shen House, which was the private property of the descendant of Shen Wansan, once the number one south region millionaire 600 years ago. Then we will drive you to Shanghai and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Your 21 days China tour in Shanghai starts with a visit to Shanghai Museum, which boasts numerous ancient artworks. Next destination is the classical Yu Garden specializing in delicate design, quiet atmosphere and elegant scenery. At noon, you will enjoy a palatable a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a popular local restaurant.

After lunch, we will transfer you to the Bund area to take a one-hour cruise on the mother river of the city, Huangpu River. Along this river, the best part of the city's landscape has gathered and you will see a typical urban city view during the cruise. You will have some free time to explore the Bund area and take memorable photos. There more than 20 buildings of different eras, countries and styles stand. Finally, we will go to visit an old cultural zone - Tianzifang.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today is free for you to explore this modern city in depth. As one of the most popular travel destinations, Shanghai still has more to offer. You can ascend the Oriental Pearl Tower, a cultural landmark, to know about the Shanghai's vicissitude and get a bird's eye view of the city on the glass sightseeing floor; do some shopping at the bustling Nanjing Road or admire the precious cultural relics at the Jade Buddha Temple. If travelling with kids, you can go to Shanghai Disneyland Park for a happy time.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Your 3 weeks China tour ends today. Our guide and driver will take you to the airport and see you off there. If you prefer to experience the maglev train ride heading for Shanghai Pudong airport, we can update the arrangement for you upon your request. We wish you a pleasant journey home and thank you for choosing us.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast