Historical China with Tibet

Your guide will meet you at your hotel lobby after breakfast and let’s start today’s sightseeing from Tiananmen Square, one of China’s most significant landmarks, renowned for hosting major national events. Successively passing by the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao and the 38-meter-high (125-foot) Monument to the People's Heroes, we’ll finally arrive at the grand Tiananmen Tower.

Passing through the tower gate, we’ll reach the Forbidden City, the world’s largest royal palace, equivalent to 100 football fields, which was once the home of 24 emperors from 1368 to 1911 AD. You could peek at the royal life by wandering through grand palaces with golden roofs and red pillars. You may be surprised to notice that it is completely treeless on the square where the Three Great Halls are situated. It is a deliberate design to eliminate potential hiding spots for assassins. While at the north end of the complex, you’ll eventually discover the meticulously constructed Imperial Garden with rare vegetation and wired rockeries, which served as a tranquil retreat where the emperors and his consorts could stroll, relax, and escape the formalities of court life.

In the afternoon, continue to the Temple of Heaven. Among all the buildings, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is the most popular, where the emperor held heaven worship ceremonies in lunar January to pray for good weather and abundant crops in the coming year. Besides historical buildings, you can also encounter many locals doing shadowboxing or playing musical instruments. After visiting this awe-inspiring sight, you will watch a lively Chinese Acrobatic Show at the Red Theatre.

At the end of the day, an a la carte welcome dinner will be included for you at a lovely local restaurant, valued around USD 22 per person. You’ll have a chance to taste Beijing’s most iconic dish: Peking Duck. The reddish-jujube-hue roast duck will be sliced into pieces and served with paper-like pancakes. Roll the duck with sweet bean sauce, fresh cucumber strips, and scallions, and take a bite; the combination of crispness and tenderness is sure to amaze your taste buds. Finally, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, A la carte welcome dinner with Peking Duck

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and drive directly to the Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved sections of Great Wall of China. Mutianyu boasts a vegetation coverage rate of over 96%, offering greener and more scenic views compared to other sections. Its slopes are more gradual, making the climb less strenuous and suitable for visitors of different ages. Moreover, due to the distant location, it is less crowded, providing a more peaceful and immersive experience. Follow your guide to board the included round-trip cable car to ascend to the wall, where you can touch its weather-worn stones and take in breathtaking views of the forested mountains around. Adventurers can hike to Tower 20, the highest point of Mutianyu. The one-way trek takes approximately 1.5 hours and rewards you with a panoramic vista of the Great Wall winding across the ridges like a Chinese dragon. After visiting, you will taste a glass of wine at the foot of the scenic Great Wall and enjoy a buffet lunch then.    
► For a thrilling experience, you can go up the Great Wall by chairlift and descend via toboggan, which are also included in our price. 

In the afternoon, let’s return to the city center. On the way, we’ll pass by the grand National Stadium, nicknamed the Bird’s Nest, and finally stop at the Hutong alleys area, a vibrant block where modern commerce blends seamlessly with Beijing's traditional lanes. Enjoy a rickshaw ride through narrow alleyways illuminated by neon lights, experiencing the captivating contrast between historical charm and contemporary energy. Also, step into a traditional courtyard to visit a local family for a glimpse into authentic local life.

At the end of the day, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel. If you want to explore more about the lively nightlife at your own pace, you can stay longer and return to the hotel on your own. Just unwind at a trendy hutong bar with a cocktail in hand while listening to the live music, or taste local street snacks, such as candied haws or chewy glutinous rice rolls dusted with soybean flour.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Buffet lunch

In the morning, your guide and the driver will pick you up from the hotel and accompany you to the last destination in Beijing - the Summer Palace, one of China's largest and most well-preserved royal resorts, mainly composed of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Along the lake shore, the Long Corridor stretches with red railings and green columns. The walkway is adorned with more than 14,000 traditional Chinese paintings, depicting landscapes, natural motifs, and Chinese mythologies. At the end of the corridor, you’ll see the majestic Tower of Buddhist Incense standing midway up the Longevity Hill. This three-story octagonal tower, crowned with gleaming yellow glazed tiles, shines brilliantly under the sun. If time permits, you may climb to the tower for a panoramic view over Kunming Lake.

After a local flavor lunch, your guide and the driver will escort you to the railway station to catch the high-speed train to Xi’an. Arrive in about 5 hours, and your Xi’an guide and driver will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel.

► For dinner, you can head to the vibrant Muslim Quarter on your own to hunt for local food, such as Cold Noodles, Mung Bean Cake, and sweet, sticky rice cake with jujubes.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your guide and driver will escort you on a one-hour ride to the Terracotta Army Museum. In 246 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, ascended to the throne and began constructing his mausoleum, which took 39 years to complete. Over 8,000 life-sized terracotta figures were buried to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The army remained hidden for more than 2,000 years until 1974, when local farmers accidentally found several broken clay figures while digging a well. This remarkable discovery revealed one of the greatest archaeological treasures of the 20th century. Today, you can explore three excavated pits where the soldiers stand in battle formation, accompanied by terracotta horses and chariots, as if ready for combat. In the museum’s latest exhibition, you can also encounter the reconstructed figures with their original painted colors. Today’s lunch will be served at a good restaurant around the museum.

★ Exceptional Experiences: 

Next, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army. And then visit a local workshop to sculpt your own terracotta figure. Using the same type of clay that once crafted the ancient Terracotta Army, you’ll learn to knead, shape, and carve under the guidance of an experienced artisan. This hands-on session offers a memorable and immersive way to engage with Chinese culture, and you could take home a unique handmade souvenir that you created yourself.

In the afternoon, we’ll escort you to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the downtown. Built in 652 AD under the guidance of the renowned monk Xuanzang, this pagoda stands as a testament to both faith and gratitude. Legend has it that while pilgrimaging to India in search of Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang lost his way in the desert, and a wild goose guided him to safety, so he built the pagoda as an appreciation. On the square south of the pagoda stands a bronze statue of Xuanzang, where you can capture a photo of both the pagoda and its revered builder.

Tonight, you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, accompanied by a delicious Dumpling Dinner. In the end, your guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dumpling dinner

Today you will say goodbye to your Xi'an guide at the airport and take a morning flight to the capital city of the mysterious Tibet - Lhasa. Located in the middle of the Tibet Plateau, it is an ancient city having 1,300 years of history. With an altitude of 3,650 meters, Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world. Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel, where you can have a good rest to acclimate yourself to the high altitude.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today you will be guided to explore two of the Three Great Monasteries of Lhasa and Lhasa’s Summer Palace. The first stop is the Drepung Monastery, the largest Buddhist temple in Lhasa and even in Tibet. Drepung Monastery literally means "Rice Heap Monastery", because its white buildings along the hillside were constructed in a layered manner, just looking like a white rice heap. Then we will head to the Norbulingka Park, which means "Treasure Park" in Tibetan, is the summer palace of Dalai Lama. It is the largest Tibetan garden with the most beautiful scenery and has been changed into a park later. It houses several palaces and chapels, surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush trees. Today’s last destination is Sera Monastery, also one of the three largest monasteries in Tibet. Here you may come across the monks' debates, the biggest draw of the temple, which generally happen in the late afternoons of week days. It mainly focuses on the discussion of Buddhist knowledge and monks will debate drastically with various gestures. The visual feast will definitely amaze you!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you will visit the world-famous Potala Palace. As the former winter palace of Dalai Lama, it was the governmental center of unity of politics and religions in Tibet. The White and Red Palaces built in the 7th century stand high at an altitude of 3,700 meters (12,139 ft.). It can be called a palace of art because it stores tremendous treasures and works of art. Visitors must follow the taboos of Tibetan Buddhism, no hats, no photos, and no overstaying inside the palace during your visit. The palaces house many valuable treasures like hundreds of murals, exquisite scrolls, carpets, and some jade, gold, and silver artifacts. When visiting the world’s highest palace, you will also have the chance to see the most gold in your lifetime, as tons of gold have been used to make various Buddhist statues and stupas. Besides that, tens of thousands of gems, agates, and pearls were also put to decorate the statues and sacred halls. In fact, most of the gold comes from the local devout Buddhist believers. Nearly all the Tibetan people are Buddhists and they always donate what they have to monasteries. At present, there are more than 3,000 Buddhist monasteries existing in the Tibetan region.

We will go on to visit the Jokhang Temple. Located in the old part of the city, it is a monastery with a history of 1,350 years. It is the most glorious existing building established in Tubo times and the oldest existing civil structure. What makes the temple the spiritual heart of the Tibet is the golden Buddha image, Jowo Sakyamuni, brought by then King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife, Princess Wencheng. After the temple visit, let’s wander along Barkhor Street outside the temple, now a gathering area of Tibetan religion, culture and local handicrafts. Here you will witness the original view of this city and its people, and discover a treasure trove of local handicrafts and souvenirs. Today's trip is completed with a visit to a Nunnery, where you can see the normal daily life of nuns living there.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Today, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport to catch a 5-hour flight to Shanghai, the most vibrant international metropolis in China. Upon your landing, your Shanghai guide and driver will pick you up and offer you a comfortable transfer to your hotel for check-in. For the rest of the day, take a good rest to recharge your energy. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

This morning, meet your guide and driver at your hotel lobby, and then set out to visit the Yu Garden, an elegant classic Chinese garden built more than 4 centuries ago. As you stroll, immerse yourself in a leisurely state where human and nature coexist in harmony, and appreciate various ornately carved beams, plaques, and painted pillars on pavilions, artificial hills, serpentine corridors, as well as ponds filled with koi fish. Out of the garden, ready to be awed by the dazzling array of exquisite handicrafts and local foods like steamed buns at its adjoining bustling Yuyuan Bazaar.

Next, let’s move to Shanghai Museum, which is considered to hold half of China’s cultural relics. Feast your eyes on 150,000 ancient Chinese bronzes, sculptures, seals, jade articles, ceramics, and currencies. You won’t miss the Great Ke Bronze Tripod, which was cast by a nobleman named Ke over 3,000 years ago to pay tribute to his deceased grandfather. From the distorted beast face patterns decorated under its rim, the 290-character inscription inside its abdomen, and the three hoof-shaped feet, you can not only admire the superb bronze casting techniques at that time, but also gain an insight into the ancient systems of ritual and registration, land enfeoffment, and noble economy. 

After that, make our way to the Bund, known as the ‘Wall Street of the East’. Travelling along this 1.5-km-long (0.9-mile-long) waterfront, it seems as if you can feel the pulse of the blending of the East and the West, a centuries-old history and a modern future. There are 52 exotic historical buildings, featuring Gothic spires and Baroque reliefs, silently yet vividly telling you the golden age of old Shanghai. Across the surging Huangpu River, the skyline of Lujiazui, with skyscrapers such as the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower, interprets the rise of the city’s modernity to you. Following that, we’ll have you on a relaxing cruise tour on the Huangpu River. As an important carrier of urban tourism in Shanghai, as early as the end of the 19th century, steam-powered sightseeing boats appeared on the Huangpu River, used to receive foreign and domestic visitors to enjoy the scenery on both banks. Now, step onto the deck yourself, feeling the gentle breeze caressing your face, listening to the river water gently lapping the hull, and take in those iconic buildings from a different perspective.

At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. Don't want to miss the chance to admire the stunning night view here? Then you can also stay to have some fun yourself, and finally take a taxi back to your hotel on your own.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today marks the end of your China tour of Beijing, Xi’an, Lhasa, and Shanghai. For private tour guests, your guide will pick you up on time and provide a seamless transfer to the airport. For group guests, please head on your own to the airport to catch your homebound flight. We wish you a smooth flight home!

► For Your Information: To Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), a taxi ride takes about 1.5 hours and costs around US$30. To Hongqiao International Airport, a taxi takes 40-60 minutes and costs around US$15.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast