16 Days Budget China Highlights Tour

Summary

Itinerary Highlight
Day 1 Arrive in Beijing
Day 2 Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Beijing National Olympic Stadium
Day 3 Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace
Day 4 Beijing-Xian: Nanluoguxiang, Beijing to Xian by high-speed train
Day 5 Xian: Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Drum & Bell Tower, Tang Dynasty Show, Dumpling Banquet
Day 6 Xian-Chengdu: Xian to Chengdu by Flight, Xi'an Ancient City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Day 7 Chengdu: Chengdu Panda Base, Wenshu Temple, Jinli Old Street
Day 8 Chengdu-Guilin: Chengdu to Guilin by Flight, Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill
Day 9 Guilin-Longsheng: Guilin to Longsheng by car, Longji Rice Terrace, Minority Village
Day 10 Guilin: Li River Cruise, West Street
Day 11 Guilin-Hangzhou: Guilin to Hangzhou by Flight, West Lake Boat Cruise, Leifeng Pagoda
Day 12 Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple, Meijiawu Tea Plantation, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Qinghefang Street
Day 13 Hangzhou-Suzhou: Hangzhou to Suzhou by Bullet Train, Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, Pingjiang Ancient Street, Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory
Day 14 Suzhou-Shanghai: Suzhou to Shanghai by Bullet Train, Yuyuan Garden & Bazaar, Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Road, The Bund, Huangpu River Night Cruise
Day 15 Shanghai: Jade Buddha Temple, Old French Concession,World Financial Center,Xin Tian Di
Day 16 Shanghai Depature

Day 1 Arrive in Beijing

Upon on your arrival, our guide will meet you at Beijing Airport with a welcome signage "China Private Tour". And then, drive you to your hotel in Beijing downtown. The rest day is free on your own to explore the city or recover the jetlag.

Day 2 Beijing

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby. Your tour starts with visiting Mutianyu Great Wall, it about 70KM far way from downtown. There is an old saying "If you haven't climbed the Great Wall, you haven't seen China." Many of your friends who visited China before might have told you this. It is indeed an experience of life. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. It's known for its beautiful surroundings - dense woods and rich pastures changing colors with the seasons of a year. 

Your lunch is offered near the Great Wall in a local Chinese restaurant.

After lunch, the Sacred Way, affiliated with the Ming Tombs, is a main attractions arranged for you. The Ming Tombs lie in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest from the urban area of Beijing. It is actually a tomb cluster of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including thirteen emperor's mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines and one grave for eunuchs.  

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.

Day 3 Beijing

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at appointed time. The first place for Beijing is Tiananmen Square, Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 1,000,000 people at one time.

After sightseeing, walk into the Tiananmen you will meet the one of the world’s 5 most important palaces – Forbidden City. The Forbidden City, also named the Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia.

Have lunch at the local famous Peking Roast Duck restaurant, taste the most famous duck in Beijing and try some local cuisine in Beijing.Roast duck — or Peking Duck, as it's often known — has been served in Beijing for around 600 years, according to Liu. First served by palace chefs during the Ming dynasty, it has royal pedigree.

In the afternoon, drive about 6km to next imperial site - Temple of Heaven. The temple was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was enlarged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is the grandest cult architecture complex in the world and a masterpiece of the Chinese people created in ancient times. It covers 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres). Emperors of the two dynasties used to worship the heaven and pray for rich harvests, as the feudal emperors thought they were the son of the heaven. 

At last, you will head to visit Summer Palace, it is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water.  After 1949, the Summer Palace briefly housed the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China. Many of Mao Zedong's friends and key figures in the Communist Party, such as Liu Yazi and Jiang Qing, also lived there. Since 1953, many major restoration and renovation works have been done on the Summer Palace, which is now open to the public as a tourist attraction and park.

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

Day 4 Beijing-Xian

In the morning, check out from your hotel. Our guide will take you to start the Beijing hutong tour. Hutong is a window into Beijing folk life. Drive you to Nanluoguxiang Hutong, it's one of the best preserved historical areas in downtown Beijing, is famous for its hutong and siheyuan courtyards. Recently the popularity of Nanluoguxiang has increased noticeably with tourist numbers on the rise after 2008 Olympic Games. You will do a short walking along the authentic Beijing Hutong. Will give you a deep impression of the local residents’ live. You will have lunch at local family, to taste the home cooking style.

After lunch, transferred to Beijing West Train Station for the train to Xi'an. It takes around 5 hours. 

Once arrived at Xi'an train station, you will be greeted by our guide at the exit of the train station with a welcome signage “China Private Tour". Our guide will take you have a dinner at local restaurant. After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Xian.

Overnight in Xian.

Day 5 Xian

In the morning, our guide will meet you at the pointed time. Today, you will visit the highlights of Xi'an city.

Firstly, drive you to Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it 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. However, what makes people feel amazing is that of all the burial pits, none has been found survived from being burnt down. 

Your lunch is arranged at local restaurant with tasting local cuisine. Such as Liangpi, it is made from rice, this cold noodle dish is a summer favourite through Shaanxi province as well as other places around China.

After lunch, drive you back to the Xian downtown, keep going to visit the Drum Tower & Bell Tower, which is the largest bell tower in structure and shape and the best-preserved one in China. The Drum and Bell towers located in the center of the ancient city of Xian, are two of its most famous symbols.

At night, you will have a Xi'an Dumpling Dinner, which is famous in Xi'an. Our guide will lead you to Shaanxi Grand Opera House and help you find your seat for the most famous Xi'an Dumpling Dinner within the Opera House.In Xian, a must for visitors to try is the delicious dumplings. While tasting those dumplings, customers will be astonished by the cooks' smart cooking methods include steaming, boiling, pan-frying, deep frying, and roasting. It seems that all of the indigenous meat and vegetables can be used for the dumplings' stuffing, such as pork, mutton, beef as well as celery, radish, cabbages, etc. Nowadays, by the cooks' continuously improving, the dumpling has been one of the local best foods to entertain visitors from home and abroad..

After dinner, you will 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.

Drive you back to your hotel.

Day 6 Xian-Chengdu

In the morning, first drive you to 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 over 14 kilometers in length with a deep moat surrounding it. You can walk, or even cycle on the wall. Its south gate is the largest with a suspension bridge. Most of the tourists choose the south gate for sightseeing. 

Continue to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, also named Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'and became the symbol of the old-line Xi'an. It was built in 652 during the Tang dynasty and originally had five stories. The structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, and its exterior brick facade was renovated during the Ming dynasty. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion and its simple but appealing style of construction. It is rated as a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang.

In the afternoon, transfer to Xi'an airport for your flight to Chengdu. Upon arrival, our Chengdu local guide will pick you up at the exit of airport with a signage "China Private Tour" and take you to your hotel in Chengdu.

Day 7 Chengdu

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Today, you will visit Chengdu Research Base of Giant Breeding, Chengdu is the hometown of 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.

You will have lunch after Panda Base in a local Chinese reastaurant to eat authentic Sichuan Cuisine.

After lunch, you will visit Wenshu Temple. Wenshu Monastery is the best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu, serving as the home of Buddhist Association of Sichuan Province now.Wenshu Temple is famous for its exquisite gardens and halls. 

Next, you will visit Jinli Ancient Street, one of the most well known and trafficked tourist areas in Chengdu, Jinli is an “ancient” pedestrian street housing dozens of food and gift vendors along an ever-expanding network of alleys.Jinli is particularly famous for its traditional Sichuanese snacks. There is an area dedicated just to snacks, where you will see dozens of vendors preparing and displaying an impressive variety of noodles and finger food to snack on. Shadow puppet performance and other traditional Chinese arts also make an appearance, and this tends to be an excellent places to procure local gifts.

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

Day 8 Chengdu-Guilin

Pick up from your hotel at pointed time and transfer to Chengdu airport for the morning fligt to Guilin. Upon your arrival, our Guilin local guide will meet you at the exit of the airport with welcome sign "China Private Tour". 

You will be taken to Guilin downtown for a lunch, it is arranged at a local restaurant to taste Guilin food.

After lunch, you will visit Reed Flute Cave. It is a natural limestone cave in Guilin, Guangxi Province of China and has been one of the most interesting attractions for over 1200 years in Guilin. It is also known as "the Palace of Natural Arts". The place is called Reed Flute Cave because of the abundance of reed plants present outside the cave. The reeds are used by the locals to make flutes.

Then, drive you to Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbishan), it is regarded as the symbol of Guilin. The name was chosen because the hill looks like a giant elephant dipping its trunk into the river. The green water of Li River in front of it and the clear spring at the foot make Elephant Trunk Hill one of the most famous hills in Guilin City. The Elephant Hill has several features: - Water Moon Cave (Shuiyue dong), Elephant's Eye Stone, and Pagoda for Puxian and Yunfeng Temple.

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

Day 9 Guilin-Longsheng

Pick up from your hotel in the morning, drive you to visit Longji Rice Terrace. It takes around 2 hours from Guilin downtown. With trekking for a while, we could see the stunning Longji Terraces. More than 700 years, the brave and smart local residents developed and built the paddies into hillsides surrounding their villages. With such a long history, the area is still being used for growing premium quality rice by Yao and Zhuang villagers. The rice terraces are built into the hillsides and look like great steps cut into the slopes as they wind around the mountainsides, which becomes a great natural view for tourists from all over the world.

Today, you will have a authentic lunch in the minority village to try some local food and know the dinning culture of minority enthnic group.

After lunch, free on your own to explore the Minority Villages and also walk into the rice terraces to take some good pictures. You will have chance to see locals working in the fields, children playing in the village as well as women in national costume weaving or doing needle works under the roof, ect.

Dirve you back to Guilin City at a suitable time. After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 10 Guilin

Today, you will take a cruise along the Li River to enjoy the charming view and explore Yangshuo City. 

In the morning, you will take a boat cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo (5 hours). And you will have a lunch on the boat. From Guilin to Yangshuo, the prominent landforms are karst peak clusters. The Li River flows around these mountains to form valleys. The scenery is the best in Caoping, Yangdi and Xingping. There are beautiful scenes of Nine Horses Fresco Hill, Yellow Cloth Reflection, and Half Side Ferry. The Li River landscape's appearance varies at different times of the year, from different viewpoints, and during different climates. 

Today, you will have a buffet lunch on board.

After disembarkation, we will drive you to see the picturesque countryside of Yangshuo-West Street, it is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. Situated at the center of Yangshuo County, the street has become, since the 1980's, a window of eastern and western culture and the biggest 'foreign language center' in China.

Drive you back to your hotel in Guilin.

Day 11 Guilin-Hangzhou

Check out from hotel in the morning and drive to airport to catch the morning flight for Hangzhou. Upon arriving at Hangzhou Airport, our guide will meet you at the exit of the airport with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Drive you to Hangzhou City center for a lunch.

After lunch, taking a boat sailing on the picturesque West Lake. This is an enjoyable and relaxing way to appreciate the beautiful scenery with its islands, causeways, temples, pagodas and ornamental planting. Different from appreciating scenery on the bank of West Lake, you’ll enjoy the heavenly lake view in another angle, closer and closer. It is not surprised that you’ll become a part of this traditional Chinese painting. West Lake has an area of 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles) and is the symbol of Hangzhou which lies on its banks and is a place of tranquility.

Next, pay a visit for Leifeng Pagoda, is situated on the Sunset Hill south bank of West Lake. Leifeng Pagoda also called Huangfei Pagoda was built in 975AD at the order of King Qian Chu of Wuyue, one kingdom during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was built to celebrate the birth of Qian Chu’s son who born to Huang Fei. Due to its location on Leifeng Peak, people began to name it Leifeng Pagoda. It collapsed in 1924 and was rebuilt in 2002. At dusk, the colorful evening glow and green mountains are mirrored in the rippling lake, forming a picturesque scene renowned as "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow", one of the top ten scenes of West Lake.

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

Day 12 Hangzhou

After breakfast, the first stop for today is the Lingyin Temple & Peak Flying From Afar: Lingyin temple, commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat" is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China. It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. Lingyin Temple is one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. It also houses various Buddhist literature and treasures situated in front of the Temple, and is famous for its more than 470 stone carvings of Buddhist figures, which dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.

After lunch, continue on your tour to visit the Meijiawu Tea Culture Village. Meijiawu Teaplantation has long been well known for its Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea tradition. It is a good place to understand the brilliant past and equally bright future of tea in China. Taking tea dates back to several centuries before the birth of Jesus! In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), people considered tea to a medicine for curing ailments. But drinking tea as a social function or leisure or cultural purposes date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Drinking tea in China was quite popular around 760 AD. Meijiawu Village in particular is famous for its history of offering exquisite tea. This beautiful village will make you to feel the pleasure of a perfect cup of tea, our guide will show you how to pick the tea leaves, how to fry the tea leaves and how to drink the tea. 

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit for Six Harmonies Pagoda,which is a representative ancient pavilion-style tower in China, located on Yuelun Mountain to the south of the West Lake and facing Qiantang River. It is one of the three renowned pagodas in Hangzhou, together with another two around the West Lake, Baochu Pagoda and Leifeng Pagoda.

Your last destination is Qinghefang street, is a good place to experience the life of Old Hangzhou, because it is the epitome of historic Hangzhou. A great place for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. You can see the well-preserved old buildings, explore the interesting boutique stores, and choose your favourite souvenirs.

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

Day 13 Hangzhou-Suzhou

Pick you up from your hotel at pointed time, our driver will drive you to Hangzhou train station to catch a high speed train for Suzhou. Upon your arrival, our Suzhou guide will wait for you at the exit of train station with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". 

The first stop for Suzhou tour is Lingering Garden. It is one of the four most famous gardens in China with plenty of exquisite halls in various sizes, shapes and colors, possessing Qing style. If you want to savor a natural beauty in a man-made garden? Lingering Garden (Liu Garden in Chinese),such a famed garden with delicate designed architecture, featured shaped stones and idyllic scenery, can satisfy your needs. As one of the Four Famous Garden, Lingering Garden will give you a visual treat. 

After admireing the classic Chinese gardens, our guide will take you to a local restaurant for lunch to try the authentic Suzhou food.

In the afternoon, visit Tiger Hill, one of the most renowned tourist destinations in Suzhou, which is in fact a hillock about 30 meters in height. However, this tourist attraction site comprises nearly a dozen of historic and cultural relics to see, including Tomb of King He Lu, Yunyan Pagoda, Sword-testing Stone, the Thousand Men Rock, and the Sword Pond. The millennium-old Tiger Hill Yunyan pagoda stands on the top of the hill and is considered as the symbol of Suzhou.

Next, you will have a lesuire time to walk along the ancient street - Pingjiang Ancient Street. With the length of 1,606 meters, Pingjiang Road parallels with Pingjiang River. The typical houses of ancient Suzhou with white walls and black tiles are standing by the street, simple and unsophisticated. Today, the old town of Suzhou centred around Pingjiang Road in the northeast, remains little changed since Song Dynasty, some 800 years ago.

The last stop for today is Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory. Suzhou has a long and rich history of silk culture, including mulberry tree and silk worm cultivation and turning raw silk into beautiful fabric. The Suzhou No. 1 Silk Factory more like a museum which shows you how the silk is made from cocoons from the beginning and the whole silk process.

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

Day 14 Suzhou-Shanghai

Pick you up from your hotel at pointed time, our driver will drive you to Suzhou train station to catch a high speed train for Shanghai. Upon your arrival, our Shanghai guide will wait for you at the exit of train station with a welcome sign "China Private Tour".

The first stop for the tour is Shanghai Museum. It houses a comprehensive collection that perfectly showcases the Middle Kingdom’s millennia old history. Spread over five floors, covers most of the major categories of Chinese art with a collection of 12, 300 pieces in 21 categories of valuable cultural relics.

Next you will visit Yuyuan Garden, it not only regarded as best private garden in Shanghai but also the best in southeast China.The garden enjoyed a history over 400 years since its first establishment by Pan Yunduan who had intended to bring happiness and pleasure to his parents and relatives.

And then walking to nearby to Yuyuan Bazaar, there are many small streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to the tourists and local people.It is an ideal place for you to find some specialists.

Your lunch is arranged at Nanxiang Dumpling House to try the most famous Shanghai Xiaolongbao(soup dumpling). A favorite of dim sum eaters around the globe, are considered to be a Shanghai specialty, rumored to have originated here in the 19th century. Legend has it that this world-renowned snack started out as an experiment by a cake shop owner in Nanxiang who decided to try out a riff on his popular steamed bread. 

After lunch, drive you to The Bund. The Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai.When you come here, you can embrace the best cityscape, feast on the rich architectural fashions and know why Shanghai is glorified as "Paris of the East". 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. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.

Walking with your guide to Nanjing Road, another popular landmark of Shanghai. It is a shopping paradise as well as a ideal place tootake a wonderful walk to explore the modern atmosphere of the city.

You will have a dinner before cruise, the last thing for today is Night cruise along the Huangpu River. When traveling in Shanghai, you should not miss a cruise tour on the Huangpu River. It is the best way to admire Shanghai's classic skyline views of colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers along the river.

After the cruise, you will be taken back yo your hotel in Shanghai.

Day 15 Shanghai

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Today, you will visit Jade Buddha Temple, the site of the largest jade Buddha in the world and numerous religious artifacts, ancient statues and Buddhist scriptures. This peaceful kingdom of Buddhism hidden among modern blocks and dominating mansions is a great place for a nice break in this very busy city.

Then, visit Old French Concession Shanghai. Shanghai is popular for many places and reasons, but the French Concession is somewhere on top of that list. Hugely popular and sought after as the preferred residential address among expats, the Former French Concession has a lot of history and beauty to its credit. 

You will have a lunch at local restaurant with authentic Shanghai food.

In the afternoon, you will ascend the 100-storey of Shanghai World Financial Center, where you could have a bird's eye view of the scenery along the Huangpu River, look straight forward to the sharp roof of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and experience the roof of Jinmao Tower under your feet. 

The last stop for today is Xin Tian Di, a former neighborhood of old Shanghai has been renewed as a fashionable pedestrian street featuring fine restaurants, upscale clubs and boutiques.

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

Day 16 Shanghai Depature

Our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel lobby at appointed time, dirve you to airport for your flight to next destinastion or back home. Our service ends!

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.