Day 1

London/Beijing

Fly non-stop direct flight from London Heathrow to Beijing with British Airways.

Day 2

Beijing

Arrive in Beijing, met on arrival and tansfer to your hotel for a three-night stay at the 4* Novotel Xinqiao Hotel.  

Day 3

Beijing           

Visit Tiananmen Square, then proceed to enter the Forbidden City, the great palace that housed 24 successive emperors and their thousands of courtiers, eunuchs, concubines and slaves. Continue to Jingshan Park, the imperial gardens, for panoramic views and visit the magnificent red and gold Temple of Heaven that was built for the Emperor, the son of Heaven, to make sacrifices for a good harvest. Spectacular Kung Fu show tonight. BLD

Day 4

Beijing

Drive out to one of the best-preserved and most dramatic sections of the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, and walk along the crenellated parapets that have snaked across the rugged mountain landscape for centuries. Back to City, stop at the Birds Nest stadium and Water Cube stadium, home to the world-vewed 2008 Beijing Olympics for a photoshot. Peking Duck dinner tonight, an imperial favourite. BLD

Day 5

Beijing / Xian ( By High Speed Day Train) 

Visit the imperial Summer Palace where you can wander through the formal gardens that were laid out by the extravagant Empress Cixi, before taking high speed day train to Xian, the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and China’s first capital. Met on arrval by your Xi'an guide and transfer to 4* Novotel Xi'an SCPG Hotel for a 2-night stay. BL

Day 6

Xian

7,000 Terracotta Soldiers have stood guard over China’s first emperor for over 2,200 years, and now, painstakingly repaired along with their chariots and horses, they still stand in battle formation in giant exhibition halls erected around the pits where they were discovered in the 1970s. In the city visit the Muslim Quarter surrounding the imposing Great Mosque, and tonight enjoy a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show. BLD

Day 7

Xian / Chengdu ( By High Speed Day Train)

Visit Xian’s Provincial Museum this morning. After lunch, transfer to train station for your high speed day train to Chengdu for an overnight stay at the 5* Chengdu Tibet Hotel. Attend a performance of the local Sichuan ‘face-changing’ opera – a vivid and colourful spectacle of dance and music. See if you can spot how the actors swap their masks so quickly.  BL

Day 8

Chengdu / Yangtze Cruise

Visit the Giant Panda Research Base in he morning.  Have lunch before transferring to the rail station for 2-hour direct train to the mountain city Chongqing.  On board the 5* Victoria Cruise  for an unforgettable three-night cruise down the Yangtze. Unpack in your comfortable cabin and relax in luxury on your private balcony as the ship sets sail tonight. BL

Note: Sailing itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions, water level, navigation and seasonal conditions.

Day 9

Yangtze Cruise

Relax and savour the extraordinary natural landscapes of the Yangtze’s Three Gorges, and enjoy a shore excursion to visit Shibao Pagoda where stalactites and stalagtites as white as marble have created a fairytale grotto. BLD

Day 10

Yangtze Cruise         

Cruise through Qutang Gorge, the shortest and narrowest of the Three Gorges, and onwards beneath the forbidding, misty cliffs of Wu (the Witches’) Gorge. There is an optional shore visit to the Temple of White Emperor City, where it is believed white vapour in the shape of a dragon was seen rising from a nearby well, and another exploring one of the Yangtze’s tributaries on an included scenic excursion by small boat along the picturesque Shennong Stream. Re-join your ship to sail through what was once the most dangerous section of the river, Xiling Gorge, and progress through the five enormous ship locks that are part of the transformation of the Yangtze in recent years.  BLD

Day 11

Yangtze Cruise / Shanghai ( By High Speed Day Train)

See the Three Gorges Dam, the largest and most notorious hydroelectric power station in the world.  Disembark at Yichang, and take fast day train to Shanghai for staying four nights at the superb 4* Novotel Shanghai Atlantis.  BL

Day 12

Shanghai

Stroll through the 400-year-old Yuyuan Garden, with its elegantly landscaped ponds and pavilions, rockeries and statues, and visit Jade Buddha Temple whose two jade statues were carried all the way from Burma by Chinese monks on their backs.  Continue to the superb Shanghai Museum that displays centuries of Chinese civilisation – precious ceramics, bronzes, rare jade sculptures, exquisite calligraphy, traditional folk costumes and furniture.Stroll at the famous Bund - the waterfront of Huangpu River before enjoying an Enthralling acrobatic show tonight. BLD

Day 13

Suzhou          

Drive to Suzhou, one of the region’s beautiful ‘water towns’ and famed for its classical Mingera gardens. Visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, and the 800-year-old Panmen City Gate, the only land and water gate left in the world.  Later inspect some of the region’s fine needlework at the Silk Embroidery Institute before returning to Shanghai.   BL

Day 14

Shanghai    

Enjoy your free time in Shanghai. B

Day 15

Shanghai/London

Transfer to the Airport for the British Airways flight to London Heathrow. Arrive in London on the samy day. B

Key:

B=Breakfast    L=Lunch    D=Dinner