14 Days Best China Tours with Mysterious Tibet and Yangtze Cruise
Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. Being a dividing line between North China and South China, it traverses eleven provinces and cities from west to east with many stunning scenery and ancient cultural sites along the river. Besides the thrilling Cruise, this tour also covers China’s most popular cities: Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and the mysterious Lhasa.
Highlights:
- Visit the popular Golden Triangle cities in China – Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.
- Get close to the roof of the world – Tibet and feel its strong Buddhism atmosphere.
- Have a luxurious cruise on the beautiful Yangtze River.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Beijing Arrival
- Day 2: Beijing
- Day 3: Beijing
- Day 4: Beijing – Xian
- Day 5: Xian
- Day 6: Xian – Lhasa
- Day 7: Lhasa
- Day 8: Lhasa
- Day 9: Lhasa – Chongqing
- Day 10: Yangtze River Cruise
- Day 11: Yangtze River Cruise
- Day 12: Yangtze River Cruise – Yichang – Shanghai
- Day 13: Shanghai
- Day 14: Shanghai Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing Arrival
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals:
Welcome to the capital of China – Beijing! Upon arrival, met by tour guide and transferred to you hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Day 2 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Breakfast at hotel, start today’s tour with Tiananmen Square. Go north through the square and you will reach the Forbidden City. As the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden structure in the world, it has more than 8,000 pavilions and thousands of historic treasures.
In the afternoon, head to visit the royal altar of the Ming and Qing dynasties – the Temple of Heaven. Then have a fantastic Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre in the evening(optional).
Day 3 Beijing
Sightseeing and Activities: Great Wall, Summer Palace
Accommodation: Beijing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Get up early to visit Badaling Great Wall. Great Wall is one of the greatest architecture projects in human history. Then visit the Summer Palace , which used to be the summer resort for royal families and emperors.
Day 4 Beijing – Xian
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast
Today we will take the bullet train to Xian. A local tour guide will pick you up and transfer to your hotel.
Day 5 Xian
Sightseeing and Activities: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Accommodation: Xian
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today visit the world famous Terracotta Warriors. The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
Then move on to visit the landmark of Xian – Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda built in 652 during the Tang dynasty.
Day 6 Xian – Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, be transferred to the airport to take the morning flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival, met by tour guide and transferred to your hotel. Have a good rest and get acclimatized to the high altitude in Tibet.
Day 7 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities: Potala Palace, Sera Monastery
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at hotel, the Lhasa tour begins with the must-see attraction – Potala Palace, the largest monastery of its type in the world and official home to Dalai Lama.
In the afternoon, move on to one of the “great three” Gelug university monasteries of Tibet – Sera Monastery. Visit Monks debate, Tibetan religious scripture printing house, three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha.
Day 8 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Norbulingkha
Accommodation: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, head to visit Jokhang Monastery and walk along the Barkhor Street nearby. Enjoy the local Tibetan culture here.
Then move on to the largest garden in Tibet – Norbulingka.
Day 9 Lhasa – Chongqing
Sightseeing and Activities: Ciqikou Ancient Town, Stillwell Museum
Accommodation: Chongqing
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today take the flight to Chongqing and then tour Chongqing city. Visit Ciqikou Ancient Town. It dates back to the late Ming Dynasty and has being the symbol of Old Chongqing. It is also a great place to stimulate the tastebuds and find unique souvenirs.
Then continue the trip to Stillwell Museum, which preserves the former residence of General Joseph W. Stilwell, the Allied Chief of Staff in China Theater during World War II.
After the tour, transferred to the wharf to check-in the cruise.
Day 10 Yangtze River Cruise
Sightseeing and Activities: Fengdu Ghost City(optional), Shibaozhai, Captain’s Welcome Party
Accommodation: on the cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy the spectacular view from the deck. Morning have a cup of coffee or practise Tai Chi on the deck. Have an optional shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City if you like.
At around 16:00pm, there is an excursion to Shibaozhai to visit a 12-storey wooden pavilion built in the Ming Dynasty. After back to the cruise, join the Captain’s Welcome Party and have a buffet dinner.
Day 11 Yangtze River Cruise
Sightseeing and Activities: White Emperor City(optional), Three Gorges, Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong Stream, Captain’s Farewell Party
Accommodation: on the cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Take and optional shore excursion to White Emperor City. Then continue the Yangtze River Cruise through the spectacular Three Gorges – Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. After lunch, enjoy a shore excursion at Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong Stream. Join the Captain’s Farewell Party in the evening.
Day 12 Yichang – Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Three Gorges Dam Site, Xiling Gorge
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast
Take a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam Site – one of the largest hydroelectric project in the world. Then sail through Xiling Gorge. Disembark at Yichang and be transferred to airport for your flight to Shanghai. The Shanghai local guide will pick you up from airport and escorted to your hotel.
Day 13 Shanghai
Sightseeing and Activities: Yuyuan Garden, Yuyuan Market, Shanghai Museum, the Jade Buddha Temple
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, we will first visit Yuyuan Garden and Yuyuan Market. Yu Yuan Garden(or Yun Garden) is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. It abuts the Yuyuan Market. Then we will stop at Shanghai Museum. It is the Museum of Ancient Chinese Art with more than 120,000 precious and rare works of art. In the afternoon, we will head to the Jade Buddha Temple, which is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple built in 1928.
Day 14 Shanghai Departure
Sightseeing and Activities: the bund, Nanjing Road East, Oriental Pearl TV Tower
Accommodation:
Meals: Breakfast
Today visit the bund, which is located along the Huangpu River. It is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai. Then we will head to East Nanjing Road – the first choice for many fashion-seeking shoppers. You can find out whatever you want. Afterwards we will stop at Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The ultra-modern Oriental Pearl TV Tower combines ancient concepts with 21st Century technology, where you can get a bird-eye-view of whole Shanghai city.
In the afternoon, we will drive you to the airport for your flight.
Service Included:
- Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
- Meals as listed in the itinerary;
- Hotels as listed in the itinerary;
- Private English-speaking tour guide;
- Private vehicle for transfers & sightseeing with skilled driver;
- Service charge & government taxes;
- Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
- Domestic train tickets of soft sleeper.
Service Excluded:
- Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
- Chinese visa fees;
- Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
- Single room supplement;
- Tips to guides and drivers;
- Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
- Personal travel accident insurance;
- All optional programs.
