ITINERARY
Days 1-2
Your journey
takes you over Canada, Alaska, parts of eastern Russia
and Japan. You'll lose a day crossing the International
Date Line.
You arrive in Shanghai in the afternoon. You'll be met and taken to your hotel.
Grand Mercure Hongqiao
Day 3 SHANGHAI
Enjoy a tour of China’s most populous city and commercial hub. You’ll go to the modern Shanghai Museum, one of the best in China, stroll on the waterfront Bund, where Western traders set up shop in the 19th and 20th centuries, and visit beautiful Yu Garden, a fine example of private garden dating back 400 years. A camellia found there was said to have been planted by the original owner.
Grand Mercure Hongqiao Hotel B L D
Day 4 SUZHOU
Today have a tour of Suzhou, visiting World Heritage gardens, canals and the Grand Canal, which once ran from Hangzhou to Beijing and is one of ancient China's greatest building accomplishments on par with the Great Wall. You'll also visit a silk factory.
Garden View Hotel B L D
Day 5 WUZHEN/HANGZHOU
Today you'll travel by coach to Hangzhou, stopping at the picturesque water town Wuzhen en route.
Holiday Inn Hangzhou B L
Day 6 HANGZHOU
Hangzhou is famous for its beautiful West Lake, subject of countless poems and paintings over China's long history. You'll have a ride on the lake to best take in the wonderful scenery. Then you'll go to Linyin Temple, one of China's oldest and most revered Buddhist temples. A stop at a tea plantation is also included in the day's activities. Zhejiang is renowned for its teas.
Holiday Inn Hangzhou B L
Day 7 YICHANG/YANGTZE RIVER
Morning enjoy some free time; around noon transfer to the airport for a flight to Yichang, an ancient town on the Yangtze River just below the Three Gorges. After dinner board your luxury Victoria Cruises ship for the start of an unforgettable four-night, five-day upriver cruise.
Victoria Cruise Ship B D
Days 8-10 YANGTZE RIVER
Your cruise includes shore excursions to the Three Gorges Dam Site, Shennong Stream or Daming River, and Fengdu or Shibaozhai. The captain hosts welcome and farewell banquets. Many shipboard activities await. Evening entertainment invites passengers to join in the fun.
Victoria Cruise Ship B L D (daily)
Day 11 CHONGQING/CHENGDU
The cruise ends at Chongqing, Enjoy a tour of the city, before boarding a train for Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. It's a two-hour ride; enjoy the scenery; Sichuan is one of China's most agriculturally productive provinces.
Wang Jiang Hotel BD
Day 12 CHENGDU/EMEISHAN
In the morning you'll visit the Panda Breeding Research Centre for a closeup look at this remarkable animal, the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund. In the afternoon drive 150 km south to Emeishan, one of China's holy mountains dedicated to the Bodhisattva Puxian. The mountain and its many temples constitute a World Heritage Site.
Hong Zhu Shan Hotel B L D
Day 13 EMEISHAN/CHENGDU
Spend a day on the mountain, returning to Chengdu in the late afternoon.
Wang Jiang Hotel BD
Day 14 XIAN
Morning free; in the afternoon fly to Xian, capital of historic Shaanxi Province. Stop at the city wall en route to the hotel. The Xian wall is one of the best preserved in China.
Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza B L D
Day 15 XIAN
Today you'll visit the amazing display of terracotta figures guarding the vast tomb of China's first emperor. This extraordinary treasure was discovered 34 years ago by some farmers digging a well, although its existence had been rumored for centuries in legends. You will also go to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda built in the 8th century to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India. In the evening dine on dumplings, a local specialty, and attend a glittering performance of song and dance from the Tang Dynasty, 1300 years ago, when Xian, then called Chang’an, was capital of China and one of the grandest cities in the world.
Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza B L D
Day 16 JINAN/TAI'AN
Fly to Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, historic home of two of China's greatest sages: Confucius and Mencius Proceed by coach to Tai'an at the foot of Sacred Tai Mountain, another of China's World Heritage sites.
Ramada Taishan Plaza B L D
Day 17 QUFU/TAI'AN
After breakfast, travel by coach to Qufu, birthplace of Confucius. Visit the Confucian Temple, Confucian Mansion and Confucian Forest where the sage and more than 250,000 of his kin are buried. Return to Tai'an for the night.
Ramada Taishan Plaza B L D
Day 18 TAI'AN/JINAN
In the morning, ascend Tai Mountain that looms over the town. Ordinarily this is done by cable car, but tour members may elect to walk up. The climb is an arduous one and takes five or six hours. There's a saying in China: nothing is as tough as the last 16 steps up Tai Mountain. It's true. In the afternoon, go by coach to Jinan. Man has lived in these environs for more than 4000 years attracted here by its many natural springs. You’ll go to the most famous, Baotu, as well as Daming Lake.
Zhonghua Hotel B L D
Day 19 JINAN/BEIJING
After breakfast, travel by high-speed train to Beijing. In the afternoon visit the Temple of Heaven, where emperors used to go in grand procession to render homage to heaven and pray for good harvests. The temple dome is a defining symbol of the capital. It's timbers come from the forests of Oregon.
Presidential Plaza B L D
Day 20 BEIJING
Enjoy a tour to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the city’s two most important sites. Tiananmen means the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the square in front is the largest in the world. Chairman Mao still dominates the square 34 years after his death, with his giant portrait at the north end and his mausoleum at the south. Behind imposing red walls is the Forbidden City, a vast collection of buildings reputed to comprise 9,999 rooms. It was home to emperors of both the Ming and Qing dynasties — a span of more than 500 years. Afternoon enjoy a ride through one of Beijing’s old residential sections called hutongs, which are fast disappearing as the city modernizes. Remainder of day at leisure. Tonight enjoy Peking Duck, a local specialty.
Presidential Plaza B L D
Day 21 BEIJING
Today you’ll go to the Great Wall, China’s best-known heritage site. The wall extends thousands of kilometers across northern China and is actually a collection of walls built over two millennia. The section of wall you’ll be visiting rises and falls along the ridges of the Yin and Yan Mountains at Mutianyu, a two-hour coach ride north of the city. After lunch, you’ll go to the Summer Palace, once a favorite haunt of the Empress Dowager Cixi, de facto ruler of China until her death in 1908. Tonight enjoy a performance of traditional Chinese opera. The tales are drawn from China’s rich history and include myths and age-old traditions.
Presidential Plaza B L D
Day 22 BEIJING/HOME
Morning free; afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight home
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