13 Days Classic China Tour with Lhasa Exploration

Summary

Itinerary Highlight
Day 1 Shanghai: Shanghai Arrival
Day 2 Shanghai: Yuyuan Garden, Yuyuan Market, Nanjing Road, French Concession, Xintiandi
Day 3 Shanghai: The Bund, Pudong New Area, World Financial Center, Shanghai-Chengdu By Flight
Day 4 Chengdu: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Jinli Street, Sichuan Opera and Hotpot
Day 5 Chengdu: Chengdu to Lhasa By Flight
Day 6 Lhasa: Sera Monastery, Norbulingka, Drepung Monastery
Day 7 Lhasa: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Day 8 Lhasa: Lhasa-Barkhor Street, Lake Namtso
Day 9 Lhasa: Lhasa to Xian By Flight
Day 10 Xian: Terracotta Warriors,Cycling on Ancient City Wall, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Dynasty Show
Day 11 Xian: Xian to Beijing By Flight, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City
Day 12 Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tomb, Bird's Nest, Peking Roast Duck
Day 13 Beijing: Beijing Departure

Day 1: Shanghai Arrival

Our Shanghai private tour guide will meet you at the exit of Shanghai international airport holding with a welcome sign "China Private Tour" and escort you to your hotel. The rest day is free for your own to explore Shanghai.

Day 2: Shanghai

Today your memorable tour start! The first stop of your trip is the well-known Yuyuan Garden, the representative ancient garden in Shanghai. Here you have about 1.5 hours to enjoy the elegant pavilions, villa, lotus pond and bridges in the 400-year-old garden and visit the two highlights Mid-Lake Pavilion and Zigzag Bridge that make access to the Pavilion. Out from Yuyuan Garden and you can move to the nearby Yuyuan Market to explore how elaborate and cute the traditional Chinese handicrafts and art works are. 

Later, you will go to Nanjing Road. Walking along this 1,599-meter-long Nanjing Road, you will see why it is regarded the symbol of Shanghai fashion and luxury. Seas of garment, shoes, jewelry, accessory, snack and souvenir are displayed in front of you. Perhaps 2 hours is just too brief to meet your curiosity! 

After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, you will head to Shanghai French Concession, which used to be one of the center of Catholicism in China. For much of the 20th century, the area covered by the former French Concession remained the premier residential and retail district of Shanghai. And a few historical buildings, such as The Cloisters, Lyceum Theatre and Grosvenor House are located in the Concession. 

After that, drive you back to your hotel.

At night, you could enjoy active nightlife in Xintiandi an option, which is considered one of the first lifestyle centers in China. The district is composed of an area of reconstituted traditional mid-19th century stone gate houses on narrow alleys, some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls, and romantic settings can be seen everywhere.

Drive you back to your hotel. 

Day 3: Shanghai-Chengdu

Today you will visit the Bund, on which you can embrace the best cityscape, feast on the rich architectural fashions (Gothic, Baroque, Rome, Renaissance, Classic and Mixed Eastern and Western style, etc.) and know why Shanghai is glorified as "Paris of the East.

Then leave the Bund and continue your tour to enjoy the lofty skylines in Pudong New Area, the new town of Shanghai by car ride. There are a number of attractions in the area, such as Shanghai World Financial Center, The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Century Park, Century Boulevard, Jinmao Tower etc. You will have a chance to step on sightseeing floor at 474 meters (about 1,555 feet) in the World Financial Center, which is the second highest skyscraper in mainland China. Aiming to be a magnet of the world's finance, the building is able to showcase monetary talents, cultural and art exhibitions and information from all over the world. Modern office facilities, sightseeing floor at 474 meters (about 1,555 feet) above the ground, luxury hotel and multi-function meeting facilities are all available here, and over twenty multinational financial institutions have moved into the ultra-modern building. 

After lunch at a great local restaurant, we will drive you to Pudong International Airport and take flight to Chengdu. Our guide will pick you up at the exit of the airport holding with a welcome signal "China private tour" when you arrive in Chengdu and drive you to the hotel immediately.

Day 4: Chengdu

In the morning, drive to the Chinese national treasure-pandas! Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, replicates the natural habitat of the giant panda and is dedicated to preserving and increasing their population. Here you are able to hold cute pandas and be photographed with them. 

After that, you will visit Jinli Ancient Street, whose theme is Three Kingdoms Culture, a traditional folk custom. The street is the most famous place for baldachin - a rich, ornate cloth. The buildings in the street are in the Qing Dynasty style, and many bars, inns, snack stores and souvenir shops locate here for you experiencing the ancient folk life.

After lunch at a Chinese local restaurant, you will go to a local tea house to appropriate the renowned Sichuan Opera. There are folk music, opera, solo music, some comedy, amazing acrobatics, shadow puppets, intriguing face changing and spectacular fire eating. You must be attracted by colorful costumes, sounds of traditional music and charmed by the shadow play. 

For dinner, you have an opportunity to taste authentic spicy Sichuan Hot Pot as an option. 

Day 5: Chengdu-Lhasa

Today our guide will drive you to the airport for you to take a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa. Our local guide will be waiting at Lhasa's Gongga Airport with a signage " China Private Tour" when you arrived and send you directly to your hotel. And the rest of the day is for your own to adjust the jet lag.

Day 6: Lhasa

After breakfast, you will visit Sera Monastery, a complex of four structures: the Great Assembly Hall and three colleges. As one of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is here that the monks "famous daily debates" take place. Built by the 7th Dalai, LamaNorbulingka was constructed as a summer palace, and served both administrative and religious purposes. 

Then head to Norbulingka Park, it is considered the premier park of all such horticultural parks in similar ethnic settings in Tibet. During the summer and autumn months, the parks in Tibet, including the Norbulinga, become hubs of entertainment with dancing, singing, music and festivities. 

After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, the last site today is Drepung Monastery, built in 1416, Drepung Monastery lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. GamboUtse, clustered round by the Black Mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight with the contrasting backdrop. Drepung Monastery used as the living palace of Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala palace (after the 5th Dalai Lamas was bestowed by Qing emperor Qianlong). The grand Shonton Festival is held in early August every year. And it is the busiest day there with crowds of people. 

After the tour ends, drive you back to your hotel. 

Day 7: Lhasa

After breakfast, our guide will take you to see the magnificent Potala Palace, the former winter palace of the Dalai Lama. There are vast and awe-inspiring maze of corridors and stairs leading to countless rooms,which are richly decorated with statues, tombs, murals and antiques. Climb past the White Palace into the Red Palace, where the file of pilgrims offering silk scarves, coins or yak butter to burn in the shrines. Pay attention that you need to be in good health for the climb up the long stairways.

After lunch at a local restaurant, then pay a visit to Jokhang Temple. It is a 4-story golden-roofed temple surrounded by Barkhor Street and thronged with pilgrims and tourists. The temple's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, Chinese Tang Dynasty design, and Nepalese design. Along with the Potala Palace, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual centre of Lhasa. Many people call the Barkhor "the window of Tibet" as it shows typical Tibetan life. Watch the pilgrims, wearing their local dress from many different parts of Tibet, as they circle clockwise around Jokhang Temple with prayer wheels, or prostrate them near the front gate. 

Finally, drive you back to your hotel. 

Day 8: Lhasa

After breakfast, you will visit the famous street in Lhasa-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 chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.

After finished the tour in Lhasa-Barkhor Street, take you to a local restaruant for lunch.

Then you will visit Namtso Lake next. The name of Namtso Lake means Heavenly Lake, or Gods' Lake or Lake of Immortals. The Namtso Lake is the second largest saltwater lake in China as well as the highest saltwater lake in the world. Surrounded by vast grassland, the lake looks like a huge mirror. With the clear blue sky over the dark blue lake, white snow, green grass, colorful wild flowers and herdsman's ox-hair tents make a beautiful and appealing natural landscape. The lake is also a habitat of various wild animals such as black bear, wild ox, wild donkey, blue sheep and marmot, etc. And we will drive you back to hotel before the night falls. 

At last, drive you back to your hotel.

Day 9: Lhasa-Xian

Today our guide take you to the airport and you take a flight to Xi'an city, one of seven ancient capital in China. After taking off the plane, our local guide will pick you up and lead you to a comfortable hotel for a rest. Today we do not arrange any tour plan, and you will have enough time to recover from altitude stress, or you may stroll near the hotel to relax yourself.

Day 10: Xian

This morning, your first destination is the prestigious Terracotta Warriors. Terracotta Warriors is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.

After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, you will head to a significant pagoda in the city of Xi'an-The Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The pagoda has a brick frame built around a hollow interior, and its square base and shape reflect the building style of other pagodas from the era. As part of the artistic heritage of Buddhist architectures of the Tang Dynasty, it is witness as to how Buddhism was introduced to China and integrated with the culture of Han nationality. 

After that, you will visit the Ancient City Wall.This wall represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Now it is 12 meters tall, 12-14 meters wide over14 kilometers in length with a deep moat surrounding it. You can walk, or even cycle on the wall.

Then drive you back to your hotel.

In the evening, appreciate the Tang Dynasty Show is a good option for you, which is a wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance. Over thousands of years, the dances developed from a few simple postures or gestures to become delicate and reaching a peak artistically during the Tang Dynasty. 

Day 11: Xian-Beijing

Today, drive you to the airport and you will fly to national capital Beijing. Our guide will wait you at the exit and drive you to your hotel. 

After a break, you will visit the Tiananmen Square to start your Beijing tour. Strolling round the large square is very enjoyable where you will see Beijing with ancient and modern elements.

After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, then walk north to the Forbidden City. It served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government for almost 500 years. As the largest and best-preserved imperial palace in China, it vividly indulges us with a whole impression of the royal life. Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artefacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

You can appreciate the beautiful night scenery and enjoy the pure local flavor as well as options. 

Day 12: Beijing

After breakfast, drive to the Mutuanyu Great Wall. One of the most important activities for the entire Beijing trip is the brief hiking at the Great Wall, Mutianyu section. No words can tell its amazement to the world. It is the must place you should visit in China. Its tremendous influence is well-known around the world. The Mutianyu stretch of the Great Wall is 22 kilometers long and has 22 watchtowers - the highest of which reaches an altitude of 540 meters above sea level, thanks to the mountain peak on which it is erected - making it the most densely packed section of the Great Wall as far as watchtowers go.

After lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, you will continue the visit to the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb. The Ming Tomb was originally built only as Changling, the tomb of Emperor Zhuli and his empresses. This is the most magnificent of the tombs. The succeeding twelve emperors built their tombs around Changling. We feel that it is necessary to remind visitors with heart problems to consider carefully whether they should enter the underground chambers. The atmosphere and dull lighting can be a problem. As always, do not hesitate to consult your guide, who will be able to offer advice.

On the way back to your hotel, you are fortunately to pass by the famous Bird's nest and the Water Cube. You can take their exterior photography photographs to keep track of the two grand constructions and leave a pleasant memory here.

Besides, here is a good option for you to taste famous Peking Roast Duck or visit a teahouse at night. 

Day 13: Beijing Departure

The last day, after breakfast, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties once worshiped heaven and prayed for good harvests. Its grand architectural style and profound cultural connotation give an insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern civilization. And the design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of "the heaven is round and the earth is square". Nowadays, it serves as a park, and a great deal of Beijing local people would come here for doing morning exercises.

After a Chinese lunch, drive on the way to your final stop- The Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden. The Summer Palace is a real masterpiece of China's classic landscape gardens, combining natural beauty with a great number of ancient Chinese architectural structures which include courtyards, halls, temples, pavilions, walks and bridges. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and 5-A class tourist attraction in China in 2007. 

Then, drive you to the Beijing International airport directly and your 13-day-tour ends. Hope you a pleasant trip!

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.