China Golden Route (12 days)

Beijing – Xi’an – Guilin – Shanghai

This luxury China tour is an ideal choice for first-time visitors. Tour highlights include the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, the Terracotta Army Museum and a cruise on the incredibly photogenic Li River.

Important Features

• • Small group size (average 15, maximum 20).
  • Outstanding professional guides handpicked by company owners.
  • No annoying forced shopping of any kind.
  • Quality meals at non-tourist restaurants.
  • Unlimited supply of bottled water during group activities.
  • Great Wall visit at Mutianyu with cable car rides.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE

• Half-day Jewish Heritage Tour in Shanghai
• 2-day post-tour Yellow Mountain extension
• Half-day immersive team farm visit in Guilin

Meal Code: B = breakfast / L = lunch / D = dinner

Day 1/Thu: Departing for Beijing
Depart for Beijing from a city of your choice and lose a day upon crossing the International Date Line.

Day 2/Fri: Arrival in Beijing
Welcome to Beijing! Meet the driver on arrival for your private transfer to the hotel. You’ll have the balance of the day at leisure.

Day 3/Sat: Beijing (B/L/D)
The capital of China, Beijing is a world-class cultural and educational centre with a population of 22 million and ranks as China’s second largest city behind Shanghai. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates – treasures that make it the most popular tourist destination in China by the number of visitors it receives every year.

We begin today with a visit to the Forbidden City. Officially known as the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City was the place where the emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) Dynasties lived and carried out their administration. Construction of the Forbidden City took 14 years (1406-1420) to complete. The complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 hectares or 180 acres. Though the Qing Dynasty was overthrown in 1912, the royal family was allowed to continue to live in the Forbidden City till 1924, when the last emperor, Pu Yi, was driven out of the imperial palace. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, this is the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Next up is Tian’anmen Square. Located in the heart of Beijing, the square measures 880 metres from north to south and 500 meters from east to west. Said to be the largest public plaza in the world, Tian’anmen Square has the capacity to hold one million people. The imposing Tian’anmen Tower sits at the north end of the square while the Monument to the People’s Heroes dominates the centre. The square is flanked by The Great Hall of the People (west) and the National Museum (east). Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum and Qianmen (Front Gate) are located in the south of the square. One of the top 16 tourist attractions in Beijing, Tian’anmen Square is also the witness of the Chinese people’s great struggles for democracy and personal freedom since 1919.

Afternoon sightseeing takes place at the Temple of Heaven, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated in southeastern Beijing the Temple of Heaven is China’s largest extant sacrificial temple where, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the emperors conducted the elaborate and most exalted sacrifices addressed to “the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.” Construction of the temple started in 1406, during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, and took 14 years to complete. The temple was expanded under the Qing emperors Qianlong (1736-1796) and Jiaqing (1796-1820). Occupying 2.73 square kilometres (roughly 1,700 by 1,600 metres), the area of the Temple of Heaven is more than twice that of the Forbidden City.

The famous Hongqiao Pearl Market, the largest pearl market in the world, is right across the street from the Temple of Heaven. Recommended by numerous guidebooks for freshwater pearls, Hongqiao teems with domestic and international shoppers. If you are interested, please ask the guide to drop you off there. However, you’ll need to get back to the hotel by taxi, which costs less than 10 US dollars.

Today’s dinner features Beijing roast duck, a famous local dish.

Day 4/Sun: Beijing (B/L)
After an early breakfast we embark on a full-day excursion to the legendary Great Wall at Mutianyu, 75 km northeast of the city.

Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres from east to west along undulating mountains, the Great Wall was built to hold off tribal invaders from the north. As history shows, the Wall failed the Chinese rulers miserably, especially in the case of Kublai Khan whose cavalrymen swept across China from the Mongolian steppe, thus the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).

Construction of the earliest sections of the Wall started in the 7th century BCE. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today in Beijing is almost exactly the result of this effort.

Day 5/Mon: Beijing – Xi’an (B/L/D)
We begin our sightseeing today with a visit to a traditional hutong neighbourhood. Hutong refers to an ancient alleyway with siheyuan or ”4-sided courtyard house” on both sides. The name hutong dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1279 – 1368 CE). According to some experts, the word originated from the Mongolian language, in which it is pronounced as hottog and means “well.” In ancient times, people tended to gather and live around wells. Therefore, the original meaning of hutong should be “a place where people live around”.

Next on our schedule is the Summer Palace, a well preserved UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The imperial resort was first named Garden of Clear Ripples, which was burnt down by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860 at the end of the Second Opium War (often referred to as the Arrow War by the British). Reconstruction started 25 years later and was completed in 1895 when the name was changed to Yi He Yuan (Garden of Good Health and Harmony). The design gives prominence to Longevity Hill, as well as Kunming Lake south of the hill. The sprawling complex covers an area of 290 hectares and the buildings inside consist of over 3,000 bays.

We travel to Xian by high-speed train (#G57, 14:00/18:20). The 4-hour-23-minute rail journey through fertile farmland dotted with villages provides the visitor with an excellent way to enjoy the beautiful countryside. The track we travel on between Beijing and Zhengzhou is part of the new 2,298 km high-speed railway linking Beijing and subtropical Guangzhou and is also the longest high-speed rail line in the world. In the past 20 years China has been on a building spree expanding the country’s rail network and upgrading existing railways. Its high-speed rail service rivals France’s TGV and Japan’s “shinkansen” in terms of safety, speed, comfort and punctuality.

Day 6/Tue: Xi’an (B/L)
With a history going back over 3,000 years, Xi’an served as China’s capital of several ruling dynasties including the Han (206 BCE – 220 CE) and the Tang (618 – 907). It is home to the famous Terracotta Army and the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road – a network of trade routes connecting China proper with regions as far as the Mediterranean beginning in the second century BCE.

We spend the morning visiting the Terracotta Army. Built on the excavation site, the museum is located 30 km east of the city. Designed to follow the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) into eternity, the Terracotta Army represents one of the greatest archeological discoveries of the 20th Century.

After lunch we return to the city for a stroll on the ancient city wall. Declared a national treasure by the State Council in 1961, the wall (first built in 1370) encircles an area of 14 square kilometres. It runs 13.7 kilometres long and measures 12 metres in height with a thickness at the base between 15 to 18 metres.

Day 07/Wed: Xi’an – Guilin (B/L)
Morning sightseeing begins at Shaanxi Provincial Museum. The modern, well-organized museum was completed in 1992 and traces the history of Xian from prehistory to the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). The extensive galleries and exhibitions offer the visitor an excellent introduction to the area that greatly improves understanding of the numerous historical sites in and around the city.

We then visit the grand mosque in the old town centre and the adjacent Muslim bazaar. The mosque was established in the 8th century but the majority of the complex was constructed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was further expanded in the Qing Dynasty. Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, this mosque is completely Chinese in architectural style. It has neither domes nor traditional minarets.

Our late afternoon or evening flight to Guilin takes 2 hours. A small city by Chinese standard, Guilin has long been renowned for its unique scenery. The name Guilin literally means ‘forest of sweet osmanthus’, due to the prolific growth of these flowers throughout the city.

Day 08/Thu: Guilin (B/L)
We begin today with a five-hour cruise down the Li River. The 83 km stretch of river between Guilin and Yangshuo affords breathtaking scenery as the river snakes through tall karst mountains, gigantic bamboo growths, and picturesque villages — sights that have inspired countless poets and painters for generations.

We will disembark in Yangshuo after lunch on the ship, then drive back to Guilin. We wrap up the day with a quick tour of Fubo Hill (elevation 63 metres) located 2 km from the hotel. Walking back to the hotel along the Li River is a perfect way to soak in the beauty of the city.

Day 09/Fri: Guilin – Shanghai (B)
Free morning to explore on your own in Guilin. The afternoon flight to Shanghai takes less than two and half hours.

Shanghai is China’s largest city with a current population of 25 million. The city delights visitors with its futuristic skyline and historical landmarks.

Day 10/Sat: Shanghai (B/L/D)
Today’s sightseeing begins at Jade Buddha Temple located in an old neighbourhood. We then proceed to the famous waterfront promenade known as the Bund, which is followed by the classic Yu Garden in the old town centre. We wrap up the day with a drive through the glitzy financial district of Lujiazui on the opposite side of the Bund across Huangpu River.

Day 11/Sun: Shanghai (B)
Free day to explore on your own. We recommend Shanghai Museum and the Urban Planning Exhibition Center nearby. Shanghai Museum is frequently cited by visitors as one of the best of its kind in China.

Day 12/Mon: Returning Home (B)
The tour ends this morning. Your airport transfer to the airport by private vehicle is included. 

Dates & Prices
discount available

Price based on double occupancy. See Terms & Conditions for cancellation penalty. Scroll down for what the tour price includes and excludes.

* Land Only price does not include international airfare. Please contact us for a fare quote.