Itinerary

Day 1

London/Beijing

Begin your unique holiday by making your own way to London Heathrow for an overnight flight to Beijing with British Airways.

Day 2

Beijing

On arrival in Beijing transfer to the 5*Capital Hotel.  Tonight meet your tour manager and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner.  D

Day 3

Beijing

This morning visit Beijing’s vast Botanical Gardens and see its 6,000 species of plants. Tour the gardens of rose, lilac, peony, medicinal herbs, an arboretum, and the conservatory. Later, wander through the formal gardens of the imperial Summer Palace created by the ruthless former concubine, Empress Cixi. Tonight enjoy an intriguing performance of Beijing Opera which blends singing, pantomime and acrobatics with exaggerated costumes and make-up to create an unforgettable and unique interpretation of fairy stories and scenes from history.  B/L/D

Day 4

Xian 

Fly to Xian to stay two nights at the 4*Bell Tower Hotel. Visit the first-class Shaanxi Provincial Museum – as a China Holidays’ guest you will be allowed to touch some of the ancient treasures. Tonight enjoy a performance of elegant and courtly dances from the Tang Dynasty (7th-10th century AD). B/L/D

Day 5

Xian

Rows and rows of life-sized, individually-crafted Terracotta Warriors with their horses, chariots and weapons, have guarded the tomb of China’s first emperor for over 2,000 years, and are on display in the pits where they were accidentally unearthed in the 1970s. Back in the city, climb onto the great City Wall.  B/L/D

Day 6

Guilin  

Fly to Guilin, set amidst breath-taking landscapes of karst mountains, green fields and winding rivers. Stay two nights at the 4*Park Hotel and visit Reed Flute Cave, filled with colourfully illuminated stalagmites, stalagtites and other bizarre rock formations.  B/L

Day 7

Guilin 

Today explore the 166-acre Botanical Gardens of Guilin, filled with exotic and endangered plants. Then continue to the former imperial tea garden, nowadays one of the country’s foremost tea research institutes. Finally, visit Daxu, a charming, story-book old village of traditional wood and stone houses where life proceeds pretty much as it has done since the Ming dynasty.  B/L

Day 8

Yangshou

On the renowned Li River Cruise to Yangshuo admire the endlessly fascinating vistas from the boat of numberless limestone peaks shrouded in mist and covered in pine trees. On arrival in Yangshuo, explore the busy handicraft stalls along West Street, and check in at the waterside Mountain Retreat Lodge for two nights. Tonight attend a spectacular show, Impressions of Liu San Jie, performed on water with the 600-strong cast on bamboo rafts.  B/L/D

Day 9

Yangshuo

After visiting the local market with a chef, spend the morning at a cookery school located in the heart of rural Yangshuo, learning how to produce a range of authentic and tasty dishes for your lunch. Take a gentle stroll along the banks of the Yulong River, then visit quaint Jiuxian, an almost timeless village.   BLD

Day 10

Hangzhou

Fly to Hangzhou and stay two nights at the 4*Best Western Meiyuan Hotel. Enjoy scenes from the olden days along Qinghefang Street and sample some of the delicious local snacks there.  B/L/D

Day 11

Hangzhou

Take a romantic cruise on West Lake with its landscaped banks, temples, pagdoas and distant hills, then visit a Traditional Pharmacy and Hangzhou’s Botanical Gardens.  B/L

Day 12

Suzhou

Visit the extravagant manor house of a local 19th century businessman before taking the train to Suzhou, famous for its waterways, silk and gardens. Stay two nights at the 4* Bamboo Grove Hotel, and admire Panmen City Gate, the only land and water gate left in the world.  B/L

Day 13

Suzhou

Learn about how the relationship between man and nature is expressed in Chinese landscaping at three of Suzhou’s best loved gardens, the Garden of the Master of the Nets, Stone Lion Grove, and the Humble Administrator’s Garden.  B/L

Day 14

Shanghai

Drive to Shanghai to stay two nights at the 4*Lansheng Hotel. Explore the Flower Port, a joint Sino-Dutch venture for the spread of horticultural expertise and trade, and which in springtime is a replica of the Keukenhof, boasts chrysanthemums, lotus and hyacinth. B/L

Day 15

Shanghai 

Enjoy Yuyuan Garden, a perfect example of a Chinese garden with enchanting views of pools, rockeries, trees and elegant pavilions. Continue to the Jade Buddha Temple where two milky-white statues are decorated with jewels, and finally visit Shanghai Museum. B/L

Day 16

Shanghai / London Heathrow

Fly from Shanghai to London Heathrow with British Airways. B