China Tour from Ottawa

On the day of departure, please catch your flight to Beijing. There is no direct flight from Ottawa to Beijing, so you need to make a connecting itinerary; consult real-time flight trackers if need be. The whole flight trip will take about 16 hours. Please check with your travel consultant and confirm your arrival time in advance.

After you land in Beijing, we will pick you up outside the customs and transfer you to the arranged hotel. After check-in, you can either have a rest or explore around on your own. Your China tours from Ottawa start tomorrow.

Accommodation: Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong

After breakfast, let’s begin your tour with a visit to the famous Tiananmen Square situated right at the heart of Beijing. The square is particularly known as the place for National Flag-Raising Ceremony, which is held on a daily basis at every dawn. Intriguingly, the flag to be raised each day is actually a new one, while the retired and record of the exact time they were raised would be carefully kept in brocade boxes, some to be presented to the contributors or special schools, others to be buried with martyrs. As you walk north, your guide will unlock more interesting stories for you.

Cross a stone bridge and you will arrive before the Forbidden City, aka Palace Museum, the palace complex built 600 years ago for Chinese emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1911). We will also offer you a visit to the Treasure Gallery in the northeast of the City.

At noon, an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) with Peking Duck awaits at a famous restaurant. In the afternoon, you will be accompanied by your guide to Yonghe Temple, a lamasery unique for its imperial origin, and Temple of Heaven, the largest sacrificial building complex in the world. We will liven up this evening by taking you to enjoy a Peking Opera performance at Liyuan Theatre. Wonder how the artists prepare for their show, like how they dress lavish costumes or paint their faces? We will arrive earlier to check it out.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte welcome lunch

This morning, we will head to the Mutianyu Great Wall, 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the north of Beijing, which is the longest section of the Great Wall of China. A round-trip ride up and down on cable car is arranged, so you can devote all your efforts to hiking on the Wall. Moreover, a toast with red wine is provided.

Lunch is not arranged today as restaurants nearby are limited in terms of both number and quality. You can prepare some fast food or snacks beforehand. If you really want to have lunch at the site, your guide is of course glad to offer recommendations.

Afterwards, get back downtown. We will stop by Olympic National Stadium, also called the Bird's Nest, for you to pose with its fascinating design for pictures. Continue towards Beijing’s historical area of Hutongs, or alleys packed with residential houses on either side, which you will tour via rickshaw. Wrap it up with a local family visit, before we go back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today's itinerary starts from Panda House in Beijing Zoo. The next place is Summer Palace, a garden and getaway for royal families from their mundane life.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for a flight to Xi'an. Your Xi'an guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to prepare for your coming tour in Xi'an.

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

This morning will be spent appreciating Terracotta Army, aka Terracotta Warriors and Horses. As funeral object, this huge underground army is located in the military zone guarding the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history. We will then learn about the details of how the Army was brought to light at his first discoverer’s home. Craft a mini clay soldier with the help of mold and an artisan, before we drive back downtown.

Next, we will pay a visit to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a witness to the introduction and development of Buddhism in China. When night comes, you will enjoy a wonderful Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show over a feast of dumplings dinner. The dinner we’ve prepared for you is not merely a meal – not only the dumpling itself, but also the chopsticks that we use for dinner have a profound meaning unique to Chinese people. Originating in this land, made of bamboo, wood, porcelain, or metal, chopsticks are commonly used in China, making it an icon of Chinese culinary culture. They carry food as well as blessings. Happen to have newlyweds as friends who want child as soon as possible? Want to wish a kid happy life? For lovers and friends moving to a new house? Just make chopsticks your gift!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Dumpling dinner

Tip:
Guests coming in January, February, March and December need to arrange the dinner and evening activity on their own for this day, since the theater is usually not open at those times.

In the morning, we will first wander around City Wall Park, a playground between the moat and the City Wall for locals to stretch their bodies or simply idle about. Here, a master will take you for a brief journey of Tai Chi, a gentle form of martial art. Go on the climb to the City Wall, on which you can savor a panorama of the surrounding cityscape.

This noon, dive into the bustling food streets of Muslim Quarter for lunch. We will next take a stroll at the Great Mosque, a UNESCO Islamic Heritage sitting in one of those streets. With neither domes nor Arabian-style main prayer hall, it will make you wonder whether it’s a mosque at all. If it weren’t not for the Islamic patterns and language carved here and there, you would definitely take this ensemble of traditional Chinese buildings as a Buddhist temple. Out of the Quarter, head for Shaanxi History Museum, whose nationally-treasured relics will impress on you an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of Xi’an.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, fly to Guilin and head to your local hotel for check-in. Take a break and we will embark on our journey to marvel at Guilin’s karst landscape, of which Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill - our first destinations - are two crowning glories.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Sheraton Guilin Hotel

A cruise on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo (about 4.5 hours), to explore a surreal landform formed by karst force, is prepared for you today. The cost-effective cruise ship will offer a box lunch that we find may be a bit too simple, so you might want to prepare some supplementary fast food in advance.

On arriving in Yangshuo, head further ahead to its countryside. We recommend you ride a rental bike or scooter to enjoy its rustic beauty to the fullest. Then, spend a while mingling with villagers at a local house, until it’s time to drive back to downtown Guilin.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch on board

On the last day of your tour in China, please pack your belongings after breakfast and catch your flight home. Generally you need to make two connections as you fly from Guilin to Ottawa. You can consult real-time flight tracking websites to make a flight route. If you plan to continue to travel to Shanghai and Hong Kong or other cities, we are also happy to arrange a private tour extension for you. Bon voyage!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast