China Tour from Houston

On the first day of your China tour from Houston, please pack your luggage and catch your flight on your own. As there is no direct flight between Houston and Beijing, you are suggested to plan your flight itinerary based on the latest flight schedule.

Upon arrival in Beijing, meet your local guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is left for you to settle down or explore the neighborhoods on your own.

Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

Let’s kick off your tour with visits to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the former being the world’s largest city square and the latter the living quarters of Ming and Qing (1368 - 1911) Chinese Emperors. While at the Forbidden City, follow your guide to explore as many as you can of over seventy palaces and lots of ancient art treasures. You are going to step on floors paved by invaluable bricks, called “golden bricks”, for the metallic sound when you knock on it, and perhaps for the painstaking efforts entailed: the making of them would involve over 20 steps and take one and half a year to finish! Besides, you will be treated to an exclusive tour to the Treasure Gallery.

Around noon, an a la carte lunch will be arranged at a fancy restaurant to taste authentic Chinese food and the famous Peking Roast Duck.

Enjoy an afternoon at Yonghe Temple and Temple of Heaven. This evening, indulge in a Peking Opera Show at Liyuan Theatre. We will be there some half an hour earlier to see the actors dress themselves and put on stage makeup.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

After breakfast, go for a morning excursion to Mutianyu Great Wall, part of the Great Wall of China, with walls, beacon towers, and primitive nature making up a sublime landscape like no other. A round-trip ride on cable car up and down the wall is included. We will also celebrate your standing on the Wall with a wine toast. The Wall which the world is talking about and we will set out feet on usually refers to the part added during the Ming dynasty. Of course you won’t hike to its end in half a day, but, just so you know, the east end of the Wall is some 360 kilometers away, sticking out to the sea and intriguingly named Laolongtou or Old Dragon’s Head.

As restaurants nearby are of low quality, you are advised to have a hearty breakfast and bring some fast food for lunch.

Get back to downtown Beijing afterwards. You will pass the Olympic Bird's Nest and see its award-winning structure design up close. Dive into Beijing’s Hutong area next: enjoy a ride on rickshaw through hutongs - historical alleys packed with traditional courtyard houses on either side - and then drop by one of those houses to interact with locals. Later, drive back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

End your last day in Beijing with visits to Panda House in Beijing Zoo and Summer Palace. The Palace will tell you what a Chinese imperial garden is and surprise you with features borrowed from classical gardens of southern China.

Afterwards, you will be transferred to board a flight to Xi'an. On landing, head with your local guide to the hotel for check-in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an

Spend this morning examining the Terracotta Army, commissioned by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 – 210 BC) 2,200 years ago to protect his mausoleum and serve his afterlife. What has struck the world will also strike you: you will find over a thousand life-size clay warriors, plus horses, bronze chariots, and some 40,000 pieces of weapons - objects discovered from a single burial pit! It’s estimated there are thousands more yet to be unearthed from the pit. They were arranged so to form a rectangular battle formation, with eastern three columns of soldiers facing east as the vanguard.

Not far from the exit of the museum sits the house of a farmer known as the first person that discovered the Army, which we will then pay a visit. Go on to take an informal lesson to craft a mini clay soldier - a special souvenir to take home.

Proceed to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the afternoon. The evening will be highlighted by the colorful Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show and a sumptuous Dumpling Dinner.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Dumpling dinner

Note:
You will arrange your own dinner and have a free evening if today falls in January, February, March and December, during which the theater for show is usually closed.

After breakfast, amble around City Wall Park, a great place to experience local life. You will learn some moves of Tai Chi, a mellow form of martial art, with the help of a master. Then, step up the ancient City Wall, where you can cycle on it with a bike rented at your own expense and have an overall view of Xi'an.

Taste local flavors for lunch at Muslim Quarter. Afterwards, your guide will escort you to the airport for a flight to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, you will be greeted and transferred to the hotel by your local guide.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel

Enjoy a whole day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Your guide will accompany you to take the world-famous Bailong Sightseeing Elevator of 300 meters (950 feet) in height to Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. There, admire an iconic landscape starred by monolith sandstone columns, named Hallelujah Mountains, which inspired the world of the sci-fi movie Avatar. Then, take a public sightseeing bus to Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, known for forests of grotesque peaks wreathed by fog and clouds.

Afterwards, go along the Golden Whip Stream through a verdant valley and take a small train to view the surreal hills along the Ten-Mile Gallery. Finally, you will be transferred to hotel.

Tip:
The best time to visit Zhangjiajia lasts from April to October. To preserve its natural beauty, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park was established in 1982 and is the first of its kind in China. Acclaimed as “the most beautiful mid-air garden”, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the temperature difference here between day and night can reach up to 10°C, on the whole you will find the spot trapped in spring, between too cold and too hot. If you want to see Zhangjiajie at its most attractive, come between April and October.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

The first stop of today is Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon. You will have a heart-throbbing experience while crossing the Glass Bridge, which is for now the world’s highest and longest glass bridge. Then, take a boat cruise on Baofeng Lake, to admire surrounding mountains with glassy water reflecting them.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, take a cable car to Tianmen Mountain, which means Heaven’s Door Mountain, a world-class karst miracle.

In the afternoon, your guide will see you off at the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, meet your guide outside the baggage claim area and transfer to your downtown hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World

Your tour of Shanghai starts with a visit to Shanghai Museum, famous for exhibiting nationally-treasured ancient Chinese artworks. Go ahead to the well-known Yu Garden, a private residence centuries ago, combining classical Chinese buildings and natural charm. Hang around the nearby traditional bazaar afterwards.

A luxurious a la carte farewell lunch will be served at an elegant restaurant for you to taste first-rate Shanghai cuisine.

This afternoon, go to Duo Yun Bookstore, on the 52nd floor of Shanghai Tower, to enjoy a panoramic view of Shanghai’s cityscape. You are now overlooking the busiest metropolis of China, the center of economy, finance, trade and shipping. Shanghai, five times larger and three times more populous than New York, will mesmerize you not only for its energetic modernity, but also for traces telling its unique history, which are concentrated in the Bund - the next place on your itinerary. Hop on a ship for a one-hour cruise tour on the Huangpu River, before enjoying some free time to explore the Bund. After that, we will take you back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte farewell lunch

Today, your China tour from United States reaches its end. Please pack your luggage and check out before 12:00. You can book a taxi prior to your departure at the hotel. As there is no direct flight from Shanghai to Houston, you can transfer in other cities based on the latest flight schedule. Wishing you a pleasant trip home!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast