16 Days Classic China and Tibet Tour

Welcome to Beijing! Upon your arrival, your tour guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is for you to have a good rest or explore the surroundings on your own.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today you will first visit the historic Tiananmen Square, which is the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, and then the magnificent Forbidden City which located in the center of Beijing and used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.

In the afternoon, you will visit the fine Summer Palace. Summer Palace was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. It is the most splendid classical garden in China.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today you will visit the majestic Mutianyu Great Wall. You will be taken on a group tour to the Great Wall, the most famous symbol of China and one of the world’s most remarkable architectural wonders. Then, tourists will visit Ming Tombs, the burial site of the emperor Wangli, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620.

After that, you will be transferred back to the hotel in downtown area. On the way, you will witness the remarkable Bird's Nest and Water Cube from the outside. Both designed as the main stadiums of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, they now become the popular landmarks of Beijing.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

In the morning, you will pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven, which is a royal sacred site where prayers for good harvests, prosperity and harmonious life are offered. Then, with the lead of local guide, you will stroll in crisscrossing lanes of the renowned Hutong to feel the peaceful atmosphere there. The name of “Hutong” is given to a lane or small street which originated during the Yuan Dynasty in China. And now it has become the first choice for tourists, especial foreign visitors, to learn about the local culture and history.

After that, the guide will transfer you to the train station for the high-speed train to Xi’an. On arrival, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Xi’an

In the morning, you will visit the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, a must-see when in Xi'an. Around 8,000 ancient, life-sized figures were created to accompany the first Emperor of China to the afterlife and were part of his mausoleum. Each figure has a unique facial structure and expression as if they had been made from living people. The warriors were buried with the Emperor in 208BC and were not discovered until 1974.

After the warriors, you will head over to the Ancient City Wall of Xi'an for a leisure bicycle tour. The wall around the inner part of the city was built in the 14th century and is 14km long. It is an amazing example of ancient defensive structures. Then you will travel to the Muslim Quarter, the largest area of Muslim business in the city. It is the perfect place to buy souvenirs of Xi'an and China, with a wide range of local snacks and handicrafts.

Stay overnight in Xi’an.

In the morning you will be transferred to the Xi'an Railway Station, to begin the ride over the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Lhasa. Traveling along the most scenic railway in the world, you will experience sights that will leave you breathless, and cross a plateau with an average elevation of over 4,000 meters. Do not forget to check out the view as you go over the Tanggula Pass, the highest railway pass in the world at 5072 meters above sea level.

Stay overnight on the train.

The Xi’an-Lhasa train will arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon. Upon your arrival, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit to welcome you. A private car will take you to the reserved hotel. You may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa River on their way to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Tips: If this is your first visit to Tibet, you will need to acclimatize to the increased elevation, to prevent altitude sickness. This is best done by resting in the hotel and minimizing any physical exertion.

Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world cultural heritage. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and a tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then tourists will head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Gampo's reign by princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering the temple, you can see the holiest statue of Buddha. Around the monastery is the famous Barkhor Street, where you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals. And then we’ll go to explore the old market and you may have the chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.

Finally, you’ll taste Tibetan tea with locals in the tea house and enjoy a welcome dinner at night.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Optional:
After finishing the sightseeing, if time allows, you may go with tour guide to visit Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center. Besides, you can also choose to upgrade your tour to enjoy Tibetan Culture Show in the evening (fr. 60USD).

Today, you will visit two of the three prestigious Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416, Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet. Situated at the foot of Gambo Utse Mountain, Drepung was once home to more than 10000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving near Drepung.

After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The highlight is the monk debate held in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. Besides, you can also see the colorful Rock Painting of Buddha and the three sand Mandalas and then visit the Tibetan scripture printing house.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

In the morning, you will be transferred to the Lhasa Gonggar Airport for the flight to Chengdu. Upon arrival, you will meet the local guide and be escorted to the hotel in Chengdu. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

In the morning, drive to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Breeding, the home to giant pandas, where you will catch pandas' feeding time. They are at their most active, both Adults and Babies. There's a wealth of information and a panda museum in this 230-hectare park 10 km (6 miles) north of Chengdu. It takes about 2.5 hours to visit this site.

Then, you will visit some other highlights of Chengdu, including the Wenshu Temple, Renmin Park and Jinli Street. As the best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu, Wenshu Temple is famous for its exquisite gardens and halls. Renmin Park is a beautiful city park often filled with locals, and you can enjoy a cup of tea to experience the slow life of Chengdu there. In the end of today, you will walk along the Jinli Old Street to fully appreciate Sichuan’s customs and folk arts.

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

Today, you will be transferred to the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to board the flight to Guilin. Upon you arrival, you will be welcomed by the local guide and then transferred to the hotel in Guilin. And the rest of the day is for you to have a good rest or explore the surroundings by yourself.

Stay overnight in Guilin.

After breakfast, we will head to Zhujiang Pier to cruise the Li River, a 65km-long natural gallery. The scenery along the river is breathtaking, and will make you think of the traditional Chinese landscape paintings. You will see stunning karst hills, bamboo groves, as well as small villages. Also you can see the river bottom and rocky shoals while looking down in the clear river.

After about 4 hours’ cruise sightseeing, we will disembark at Yangshuo, the paradise of Guilin. You tour guide will help you check in the hotel. The rest of today is free to explore Yangshuo and find interesting things in West Street.

Stay overnight at Yangshuo.

Today's tour we focus on Guilin, a city located in a fabulous picture consists of hills and rivers. It takes about 1.5 hours from Yangshuo to Guilin. The first stop surely is the Elephant Trunk Hill, the city symbol. Situated on the western bank of the Li River, the hill resembles an elephant sucking water from the river with its long trunk. Then head to visit the fabulous Reed Flute Cave to see the beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, and stone flowers with various shapes.

After Guilin tour, we continue our trip to the next city by flight, Shanghai. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel by the local guide.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

Today, you will explore this classic and modern city of Shanghai. We will start with the fascinating Yu Garden, the original private residence of a senior Government administration in the Ming Dynasty. Neighboring to the Yu Garden, there is a lively market called Yuyuan Bazaar, where you can shop some specialties. Then we will move to Shanghai World Financial Center, the supertall skyscraper equipped with the highest sightseeing platform in the world.

In the afternoon, we will head to the renowned pedestrian street of Nanjing Road to take a nice stroll. You can enjoy the local snacks or shop some handicrafts and souvenirs, while appreciating those distinctive architecture. After that, we will enjoy another stroll along the Bund, where you will get amazed by the spectacular view of Huangpu River and dazzling light from buildings of Pudong.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

On the last day of your tour, the guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you get on board.