China Tour from Manchester

Today, you will take a flight to Beijing on your own. There is one direct flight from Manchester to Beijing on each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and the journey takes about 16 hours. We will confirm your arrival date with you in advance, to make sure your China tours from Manchester will go smoothly as planned.

Upon arrival, we will meet you at the Beijing’s airport and then transfer you to a luxury hotel for check-in. In your free time, it’s your choice to take a rest to recover from the jet lag, or have a leisurely exploration around to get familiar with the capital city.

Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong (5 stars)

Let’s start with a stroll through Tiananmen Square, where you can see a lot of monumental buildings including Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes and Great Hall of the People. The way leads to the world-famous Forbidden City. Once the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), the City has turned to a museum housing about one-sixth cultural relics in China. With our guide’s commentary, here you will find everything radiates imperial indignity - even the mane of stone lions sitting at palace gates. Take a closer look at its design, and the image of Buddha’s ringlet curls on their head will occur to your mind. The likeness was actually intentionally made, in order for people to see the imperial power as something holy as the divinity; and the higher the social status, the more the curls. A visit to the Treasure Gallery will also be included to give you more insights.

Out of the Forbidden City, we will have an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) for you to taste authentic Chinese food, like Peking Roast Duck.

Yonghe Temple, the lamasery once ruled directly by the Qing government, is our next stop; then proceed to Temple of Heaven, where you can learn about rites and rituals practiced in Chinese emperors’ worshipping of Heaven. A Peking Opera Show at Liyuan Theatre is in store tonight, and we will come earlier to the dressing room to see how the performers put on makeup and costumes.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

Today, we will let you witness one of the world’s wonders, the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section). After breakfast, you will be transferred to the site and jump in a round-trip cable car to ascend the Wall. To remember this moment of setting foot on it, we will provide a red wine group-toasting at the same time. As the district is kept from commercial pollution, so for lunch you might need to make do with what restaurants the place has; of course you can take some fast food instead to boost your energy.

Afterwards, you will be driven back downtown and have a photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium (Bird's Nest). Continue forward to Beijing’s iconic Hutong area, where you will enjoy a tour via rickshaw through crisscrossed hutong alleys buzzing with local life, which ends with a visit to an inhabited courtyard house.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today's itinerary starts with Panda House in Beijing Zoo. The next stop is the Summer Palace, a UNESCO-lauded classical imperial garden, comprising elegant pavilions and palaces for you to admire, as well as natural beauties to lose yourself in.

This afternoon, you will take a flight to Xi’an. Upon arrival, our Xi’an guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel. Xi'an, the former capital of China, awaits your exploration.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Xi'an (5 stars)

Begin today with a visit to the immortal Terracotta Army, “the Eighth Wonder of the World”. There are over nine thousand terracotta soldiers, plus bronze weapons and chariots, once buried to protect China’s first emperor, Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 – 210 BC). Secrets of why these potteries can survive 2,000 years of vicissitudes partly lie in the earth walls among them, which originally served the role of load bearing; now, as the army was excavated, the walls are now preserving the soldiers from wind erosion.

Later, our guide will take you to learn about how the Army was brought to light at the first discoverer’s home near the museum. Craft a cute pottery warrior under tutelage at a workshop, before we head back to downtown.

In the afternoon, we will move towards Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) for the storing and translating of Buddhist scriptures taken from India. At dusk, enjoy Tang Dynasty Music and Dance over a Dumpling Dinner at a local famous theatre.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Dumpling Dinner

Tip:
Guests visiting in January, February, March, and December need to arrange the dinner and evening activity on your own for this day, because the theater is usually not available at those times.

Today's first stop is City Wall Park, where you can learn some moves of Tai Chi - a mellow form of Chinese Kung Fu - from a master. Afterwards, we will climb the 600-year-old City Wall and take a stroll on it; cycling on the City Wall (rental fee is at your own expense) is also an exciting experience.

This noon, we will browse the bustling streets of Muslim Quarter for some authentic local food; before leaving, drop by the Great Mosque to enjoy divine tranquility. After that, we will visit Shaanxi History Museum, a national-level museum which houses ancient treasures including bronze wares, pottery figurines, and murals from different dynasties.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Local lunch

Take a flight to Guilin in the early morning. Our local guide will meet you at Guilin airport. You will then be escorted to the hotel and have a short break. Today, visits to Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill, the landmarks of Guilin, are included to introduce you to Guilin’s world-renowned karst beauty.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Sheraton Guilin Hotel (5 stars)

After breakfast, we will cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo - the essence of your Guilin tour now unfolds. There are two Ha Long Bays in the world, one lies here in Guilin, another in Vietnam; both share breathtaking karst landscapes with water-eroded limestone. As if it’s not enough to form a coincidence, images of both can also be found on the back of a banknote of China and Vietnam to symbolize respective natural beauties. The difference between them is that, Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay enjoys a seascape, while Guilin’s is a riverscape, which is perhaps less expansive, but more visually striking. As your ship cleaves forward, you will be like transported into a Chinese scroll painting.

After arriving in Yangshuo, continue on to the countryside to appreciate its idyllic landscape - you will want to ride a bike or scooter to soak up its charm as much as you can. Finally, pay a short visit to a local’s house, before we drive back to Guilin.

Tip:
To prioritize sustainability, the cruise we choose for you offers a limited meal plan. In case the lunch box onboard is not to your taste, we recommend you enjoy a hearty breakfast at your hotel and pack some snacks for extra energy.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Today, our guide will transfer you to the airport for a flight to Shanghai, the Pearl of the Orient. Upon your landing, our Shanghai guide will pick you up and assist you to check in at the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the modern city.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (5 stars)

In the morning, we will head to Shanghai Museum, which features ancient arts of bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, and Chinese paintings. The next stop is Yu Garden, a classical Chinese garden in which pavilions, rockeries and ponds with elaborate designs blend; inscriptions on plaques of the ancient Chinese calligraphers are also worth a contemplation. Out of the garden, have a walk through the Yuyuan Bazaar nearby.

This noon, you will be treated to an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a nice restaurant. Not only Beijing has its Peking Roast Duck, but Shanghai has a specialty duck dish, too, called Eight-Treasure Duck. As the name suggests, it contains eight ingredients, namely ham, mushroom, almond, Chinese chestnut, diced bamboo shoots and meats of pork, chicken and chicken gizzards. What makes Shanghai’s duck different is its sweeter-ness, which you get to discover yourself. The restaurant we arranged for you specializes in Shanghai dishes, famous for generous ingredients and simmering cooking methods; blending a good amount of soy sauce and crystal sugars, the taste is thick, flavorful, and refreshingly sweet. Food is part of Shanghai’s identity; whether it’s saltily tasty pork ribs with rice cakes, or crispy pan-fried pork bun, it makes you want to return!

In the afternoon, ascend to the highest bookstore in the world, Duo Yun Bookstore, 52nd floor of Shanghai Tower; there, you will sit by windows and enjoy a commanding view of Shanghai’s cityscape. Our guide will then accompany you to the vibrant Bund area, where you can appreciate colonial-era buildings in varied western architectural styles. Besides that, a cruise tour on the Huangpu River will help you enjoy the city from a different angle.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte farewell lunch

Today, your China tour comes to an end and you will take your homeward flight by yourself. Surely, if you need help, our travel consultant will assist you to arrange a private transfer to the airport. Wish you had harvested good memories and a nice journey home!

As there is no direct flight between Shanghai and Manchester, you might want to consult real-time flight tracking websites or apps to make your connecting itinerary.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast