13 Days Authentic Chinese Food Exploration Tour

Summary

Day1 Shanghai Arrival: Airport--Hotel private transfer
Day2 Shanghai: Yu Garden, City God Temple, Nanxiang Steamed Bun Lunch, Old French Concession
Day3 Shanghai-Guilin: Zhujiajiao Water Town, The Bund & Nanjing Road, Fly to Guilin
Day4 Guilin: Li River Cruise, Yangshuo West Street & Yangshuo Cooking Class
Day5 Guilin: Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill
Day6 Guilin-Chengdu: Fly to Chengdu, Chengdu Panda Base, Sichuan Cuisine Museum, Hot pot dinner
Day7 Chengdu: Leshan Giant Buddha, Jinli Ancient Street
Day8 Chengdu-Xian: Take flight to Xian, Xian Anicent City Wall & Yong Xing Fang
Day9 Xian: Terracotta Warriors, Big Goose Pagoda, Tang Dynasty & Dumpling banquet
Day10 Xian-Beijing: Take high speed train to Beijing, Summer Palace, Peking Roast Duck Dinner
Day11 Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall
Day12 Beijing: Hutong Cooking Class, Temple of Heaven, Wangfujing Food Street
Day13 Beijing Departure

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival

Make your own flight arrangement to Shanghai. Pick up service can be arranged at Shanghai International Airport, there are two airports in Shanghai. Our Shanghai local guide will meet you at the exit of airport with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Transfer to your hotel in Shanghai, our guide will help you to check in. The rest day is free on your own to explore Shanghai city.

Optional Activity: Shanghai Huangpu River Night Cruise. In the evening, enjoy a relaxing 40-minute night cruise along the longest river passing through the city of Shanghai, the vast Huangpu River. Dividing the city of Shanghai into two sections, with the what the locals call the Pudong district to the east, and the Puxi district to the west, cruises along the Huangpu River provide some of the most dramatic views of the city and its many amazing monuments.

Day 2 Shanghai

After breakfast, our guide will take you to visit the famous Yu Garden. It is a must visit place and the most celebrated classical Chinese Garden in Shanghai downtown area. It also enjoys the reputation of “ the crown of beauty in Southeast China ”, offering charming and pleasant views. The garden is unique in its design. It perfectly blends decorative halls, elaborate pavilions, glittering pools, zigzag bridges, pagodas, archways, and impressive rockeries.

Next, pay a visit to the City God Temple, it is a Taoist temple which is composed of many halls such as the Grand Hall, Middle Hall, Bedroom Palace, Star Gods Hall, Yama Palace, Xuzhen God Hall. Especially when the Sanxun festival, nearly all people will come to the Temple to burn incense and worship the God, while all shops inside or close by would hang red lanterns to celebrate the festival.

You will have the famous Shanghai Nanxiang Steam Bun for lunch. It is a franchise from Shanghai and has won numerous award over the years. Their speciality Xiao Long Bao is supposed be the most authentic Shanghai Styled. 

In the afternoon, you will explore Shanghai Old French Concession for the whole afternoon. It lined with trees is a bustling area, combined with a growing number of trendy boutiques and restaurants. Changle Road and Xinle Road are rapidly becoming the places to find small designer clothing shops. Interesting architecture built with French and Belgian venture investments and showing mixed Chinese-European styles. 

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Shanghai.

Day 3 Shanghai-Guilin

After breakfast, drive you about 1 hour to visit the Zhujiajiao Water Town where you will meets various authentic snacks. Zhujiajiao is one of famous water towns around Shanghai city, attracts a lot of tourists because of the interesting things which can be done in this place. Since there are plenty of waterways, riding the canal gondolas is a famous activity. Despite the modernizations which were adapted by the town, it has still successfully kept its traditional beauty which is seen with the antique bridges, age-old willow trees and houses with traditional architecture. 

In the afternoon, transfer back to Shanghai city to visit the Nanjing Road & the Bund. Both of two places are close to each other. For visitors to Shanghai, Nanjing Road is an absolute must-see, on par with a visit to the Bund itself. If ever there was a silver lining to an unhappy event, the London-inspired, Nanjing Road shopping mall is it!

Next, walk along the Bund to appreciate the modern buildings of Shanghai. It is a mile-long stretch of waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River. To the west of this stretch stand 52 buildings of various architectural styles, including Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical styles. It is often referred to as "the museum of buildings". 

After the tour, transfer to Shanghai airport to catch your flight to Guilin. It takes around 2 hours from Shanghai to Guilin. Once you arrive in Guilin, our local guide will meet you at the exit of airport with a welcome sign. Transfer to your hotel in Guilin, the rest day is free on your own to rest in your hotel.

Day 4 Guilin

After breakfast, transfer to the Li River Cruise Pier for your Li River Cruise to Yangshuo. As the declaration in Chinese textbook "Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven", if you take tour to Guilin city, can not miss this boat cruise, which is the highlight of Guilin Tour. On the way you will inmmersed in the beautiful mountains, verdant fields, farms and villages with water buffalos, cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. The boat cruise is around 4 hours, you can will have prepared lunch when you on the boat. 

The boat will take you to Yangshuo, our guide will take you walk around the West Street to witness how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere.

Starts your Chinese Cooking Class in Yangshuo at 15:00pm, it is a great chance to see local farmer's market full with different kinds of seasonable vegetable and meat sell in the market. Back to school and start the class, there are three steps to learn: chopping, frying and seasoning, the chief speak in English, worry free with language bounder. 

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Guilin.

Day 5 Guilin

After breakfast, you will have chance to visit the the Reed Flute Cave, also known as "the Palace of Natural Arts” is a landmark and tourist attraction in Guilin, Guangxi. It is a natural limestone cave with multicolored lighting and has been one of Guilin’s most interesting attractions for over 1200 years. It is over 180 million years old. The cave is a haven for spelunking enthusiasts. 

Next place is Elephant Trunk Hill which is a hill, landmark and top tourist attraction in Guilin. It is the symbol of the city of Guilin. It got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water. The round opening that would be under the elephant’s trunk is known as Water-Moon Cave because at night the reflection of the moon can be seen through the arch and it looks as if it is under the water and floating on the surface of the water at the same time. 

You will try the most famous dish in Guilin at a popular local restaurant. You can try some dishes such as Yangshuo beer fish. This food is made from fresh Li River fish. It is fried along with beer, pepper, garlic, onions, tomatoes, soy, sugar and celery. It is unforgettable experience when you eat Yangshuo's beer fish.

In the afternoon, continue your tour to visit the Fubo Hill. It is actually an integrative garden park in the center of the city with the handsome Fubo Hill, unique mountain caves and elegant garden rock formation. Fubo Hill park is rather small, but very nice and offers wonderful  view of Guilin and the Li River.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Guilin.

Day 6 Guilin-Chengdu

Enjoy a morning flight from Chengdu to Guilin which takes around 2 hours. Once you arrive in Chengdu, our local guide will meet you at the exit of Chengdu airport with a welcome sign. Transfer to Chengdu city for sightseeing.

Firstly, you will visit the Chengdu Panda Base, the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. You can meet the cute giant pandas there, one of the rarest animals in the world and known as “living fossil”, are not only extolled as China’s “National Treasure”, but also beloved by people around the world. It is the world's only museum that focuses entirely on the critically endangered giant pandas. It is a site that panda fans cannot miss.

After that, our guide will take you to learn about the Sichuan food culture at Sichuan Cuisine Museum. It's the only museum in the world with the theme of the culture of the local cuisine. Inside the museum, many books, pictures, recipes, raw materials and utensils of Sichuan cuisine are on show. Visitors are also given a chance to taste many famous local snacks in the museum for free. 

Lastly, go to a local restaurant to taste the authentic Chengdu hot pot. When you ask them on what food to try, Chengdu Hot Pot is the local hit! Everybody in the city likes Chengdu Hot Pot or also known as Sichuan Hot Pot. Hot Pot is a boiling dish set in the center of the table accompanied with raw meat and vegetables that you have to cook in it.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Chengdu.

Day 7 Chengdu

After breakfast, our guide will take you to visit the UNESCO Heritage Site--Leshan Giant Buddha. It holds the record as the largest Buddha sculpture in the world. A Buddhist monk—hoping to earn divine protection for the local fishermen—carved the massive statue into a cliff, starting in 713. Ninety years later, the carving was finished. It takes around 2 hours from Chengdu downtown. Once you arrive, you can take a boat to enjoy the statue as well as climb up to it.

In the afternoon, transfer back to Chengdu city to visit the Jinli Ancient Street, it is a shopping street as well as food street. you'll be tempted by the aroma of delicious local snacks. The citizens of Chengdu are born epicures and they are particularly fond of dining. Here there are many restaurants as well as sidewalk booths offering local snacks that will make your mouth water.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Chengdu.

Day 8 Chengdu-Xian

After breakfast, transfer to Chengdu airport for your flight to Xian. Once you arrive, our Xian local guide will meet you at the exit of the airport with a welcome sign. Transfer to Xian downtown for your tour.

Firstly, spend your time to explore the Xian Ancient City Wall. You can choose to walk around the wall or rent a bike to go around (optional). It is one of the most famous tourist sites in Xian. It is the China’s best-preserved, and largest existing ancient city wall. Originally serving as a military defensive system in ancient times, the city wall today is considered a landmark dividing the city of Xi’an into the inner part and the outer part.

Next, move on to the Yong Xing Fang where you can find local Xian food and snacks. Though Muslim Quarter still is the most popular street for food in Xian, but Xian local people and domestic tourist will go to Yong Xing Fang for the typical Xian flavor. If you want to try the most authentic Shannxi food when you travel to Xian, Yong Xing Fang is better than Muslim Quarter.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Xian.

Day 9 Xian

After breakfast, spend an half day to explore the Terracotta Warriors in Xian. Known as “the eighth Wonders of the world”, the museum shows a surprisingly high level in sculpture which is listed as the most significant discovery of the 20th century. Up to now, there has discovered a total of 179 accompanying burial pits of different connotations and various shapes in Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum area. The discovery of these pits has provided all important significance in the research of the burial system of the Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum, the characteristics structures and characteristics of the burial pits.

In the afternoon, pay a visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. As the symbol of the old-line Xi'an, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. It is brick structure, square-pavilion pagoda. It is 64 meters high now. The tower footing is 4.2 meters high, 48.7 meters in l ength from north to south, about 45.7 meters from east to west. 

Today, you will have chance to the Shaanxi Grand Opera House around 6:00PM and our tour guide will help you find your seat for the Dumpling Banquet in the Opera House. Dumpling, or Jiaozi in Chinese, is one of the most representative Chinese food. Nearly 20 varieties are made and inside the dumplings are stuffed with delicious vegetables, meats and seafood. Dumplings’ legend offers an original approach to Chinese food, merging the familiar comfort food of London’s Chinatown with the culinary heritage of regional oriental cuisine. 

What's more, enjoy the local colorful and splendid Tang Dynasty Dance Show, which is a performance of music and dance that imitate the Tang Dynasty over one thousand-year ago. The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, a wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance, is a must when you visit Xian.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Xian.

Day 10 Xian-Beijing

After breakfast, transfer to Xian train station for your high speed train to Beijing (around 5 hours ). Upon on your arrival, our Beijing local guide will meet you at the exit of train station with a sign. Transfer to Beijing downtown for lunch.

After lunch, you will visit the famous Summer Palace in Beijing. It is an imperial garden in Beijing and famous for it's landscape. The palace is stunning and truly a work of art. It is bright and beautiful. Each part of the architecture is colorful and has unique detail. The combination of lakes, gardens, and palaces give the Imperial Garden a serene and peaceful feeling.

Today, you get a chance to taste the typical Peking Roast Duck as your dinner. Peking roast duck is a typical dish in Beijing and a must try food when you travel here. The popular and delicious Beijing Roast Duck surely has a long history in the country’s cuisine, culture, and even customs. No visit to this beautiful city would be complete if you haven’t gone to the Great Wall or feast on the delicious roasted duck.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Beijing.

Day 11 Beijing

After breakfast, continue your Beijing tour to visit the Tiananmen Sqaure, it is the largest city square in the world. It is a vast open concrete expanse at the heart of modern Beijing. Here you can see the national flag raised at dawn and lowered at dusk every day, and the locals, as well as visitors strolling about at ease. 

Next, walk into the Forbidden City, also named "Palace Museum". It served as the home of emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years. It is one of the world’s largest imperial palaces in the world. It has a grand scale. The width of it from east to west is 753m, and the length from south to north is 961m. It encompasses an area of 720,000 square meters. The entire palace consists of several dozen courtyards. The total construction area of the palace is approximately 160,000 square meters. You will spend around 2 hours here.

In the afternoon, drive about 1.5 hours to visit Mutianyu Great Wall. There is an old saying goes "He who does not reach Great Wall of China is not a true man" and "A Beijing Tour without Great Wall is not completed". It is one of the best-preserved sections of the Wall close to Beijing. Being a scenic section but with fewer tourists than Badaling, Mutianyu Great wall is an ideal introduction to this ancient wonder and especially favored by foreign travelers. Once you arrive there, our guide will show you the best part of the wall and take round way cable car up and down to save you energy.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Beijing.

Day 12 Beijing

Get up early and go with our guide for a local breakfast experience instead of eating in your hotel, we sample the most authentic and delicious breakfast hiding in plain sight once you get off the crowded roads and into the backstreets. The meandering hutong alleyways bustle with local neighborhood life and delicious food.

Next, take a rickshaw to go around Beijing's old hutongs, many laid out hundreds of years ago during the Ming and Qing dynasty eras (1368-1912), retain some of the traditional culture and way of life of the past. Visiting the Beijing hutongs for shopping, dining, and experiencing the street life is a way to get in touch with the everyday people and experience the daily life of people in Beijing.

Our guide will arrange a Hutong family cooking experience for you, you will have chance to learn how it's made and what makes it so special to Beijing locals and eat the best hand-made noodles in Beijing, and wrap delicious dishes in freshly made Beijing pancakes. You will have chance to try the best local food in the city at places where only locals go that are truly off the beaten path. You won't see any other tourists, these are family-run restaurants that you can't find on your own. 

In the afternoon, go to visit the Temple of Heaven, one of the most famous tourist attractions in Beijing. A large religious complex in the old outer city of Beijing, considered the supreme achievement of traditional Chinese architecture. Its layout symbolizes the belief that heaven is round and earth square. The three buildings are built in a straight line.

Lastly, walk along the Wangfujing Food Street for the various snacks. The Street is situated on the south side of the Wangfujing Haoyou Emporium. It is the best place to enjoy and experience the famous snacks from all over China. It boasts a traditional Beijing architectural design. 

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Beijing.

Day 13 Beijing Departure

Free on your own to explore Beijing city until transfer to Beijing Airport for your next destination or fly back home.

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.