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Itinerary
Day 01 Hometown / Beijing
Begin your “Hello China” adventure by departing for Beijing by Air Canada.
Day 02 Arrive Beijing
Arrive Beijing in the afternoon. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel. Rest of the evening at leisure.
Hotel: 4* Novotel Xinqiao or similar
Day 03 Beijing
Hotel breakfast. Visit the Imperial Palace - the “Forbidden City” - the sequestered world of China’s final emperors. After lunch, the tour takes you to the Temple of Heaven, established on the site that feng shui masters determined was where heaven and earth intersect. This is where emperors presided over prayers and rituals for good weather and bountiful harvests. Dinner at hotel. (B/L/D)
Day 04 Beijing
Head to the outskirts of Beijing to check out the Great Wall, and - if you're feeling fit - take the opportunity to scale its heights. After lunch, visit one of the thirteen Ming Tombs laid out in a valley north of Beijing - also in strict accordance with the rules of feng shui. This evening you will feast on a Peking Duck Dinner followed by a Martial Arts Kung fu Performance. (B/L/SD)
Day 05 Beijing
Hotel breakfast. Take a morning stroll around Tian’anmen Square - this vast square and its periphery are home to some of the grandest monuments and government edifices in China. Then enjoy a coach ride to the Summer Palace - which remains much as it was when the Empress Dowager Cixi retreated to this rolling, regal landscape of lake, pagodas, and pavilions. Enjoy a boat ride on Kunming Lake before heading back to Beijing. Afternoon free at leisure - or optionally join a very enjoyable bicycle rickshaw tour of a “Hutong” – one of Beijing’s traditional old neighbourhoods. Lunch and dinner at own expense. (B)
Day 06 Beijing / Xi’an
Morning flight to Xi’an, which served as the capital of 11 dynasties. After lunch, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagodaand Shaanxi Provincial Museum. Western dinner at the hotel. (B/L/D)
Hotel: 4* Tianyi Hotel or similar
Day 07 Xi’an
Full day tour of Xi’an. Tour one of the most amazing archaeological finds of the 20th Century - the burial grounds of Emperor Qingshi Huangdi with its thousands of life-sized terra-cotta warriors and horses assembled to guard his afterlife. After lunch, visit Ancient City Wall. Tonight, you will be treated to a traditional (and yummy) Xi’an special Dumpling Banquet followed by a very colourful Tang Dynasty Show. (B/L/SD)
Day 08 Xi’an / Guilin
Morning flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill and Reed Flute Cave. Western dinner at the hotel. (B/L/D)
Hotel: 4* Park Hotel or similar
Day 09 Guilin
Embark on a tranquil Li River Cruise - your ship will wind its way through the classically beautiful landscape of Guilin's rounded limestone mountains. Disembark at Yangshuo, where you'll have some time to check out its colourful market before heading back by coach to Guilin. This evening, you will enjoy a Guilin Folk Dance and Music Show. (B/L/D)
Day 10 Guilin / Hangzhou
Morning flight to Hangzhou. After lunch you'll visit Lingyin Temple. A Hangzhou Local Cuisine Dinner will be prepared for you tonight. (B/L/SD)
Hotel: 4* Red Star Culture Hotel or similar
Day 11 Hangzhou / Suzhou
Enjoy a cruise on Hangzhou's famous West Lake. You'll get a view of the Qiantang River on your way to a Longqing Tea Plantation. After lunch, transfer to the beautiful garden city of Suzhou. Upon arrival, dinner at a local restaurant. (B/L/D)
Hotel: 4* Suyuan Hotel or similar
Day 12 Suzhou / Shanghai
After breakfast, visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden (Zhuozhengyuan) - regarded as one of Suzhou's finest; and Lions Grove, once tended by renowned architect I.M. Pei. Visit a silk factory. After a western buffet lunch, visit Santang Canal Village and enjoy a boat ride along the picturesque Grand Canal. Your coach will then transport you to fast-paced Shanghai, the most densely populated city in China. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B/L/D)
Hotel: 4* Grand Mercure Hongqiao or similar
Day 13 Shanghai
Tour a carpet factory. Then visit Yu Yuan (Yu Garden) in the heart of old Shanghai. After a local cuisine lunch, promenade along "The Bund" - a terrific vantage point from which to view the grand colonial buildings along Zhongshan Donglu, the colourful traffic on the Huangpu River, and ultra-modern Pudong on the opposite shore. If time permits, some free time to shop on Nanjing Road. Tonight, enjoy a farewelldinner followed by a skilful acrobatic show. (B/L/D)
Day 14 Shanghai / Hometown
After breakfast, bid farewell to China and board your Air Canada flight for your journey home. (B)
Bon Voyage! |
