The Experience

Travellers can discover the gems of China during this tour visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Huangshan, and Huangzhou. Holidaymakers will have the opportunity to visit the famous Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City, as well as walk along The Great Wall of China and see a local tea ceremony. The tour will lead participants through the ancient sites, modern streets and natural landscapes alike. The tour also includes a visit to the Beijing Zoo, home to the rare giant pandas, and the scenic Hongcun Village, as well as a hiking tour to Mount Huangshan.

The Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Australia

• Start the adventure with the international flight to Beijing

Day 2: Arrival in Beijing (breakfast):

• Arrive in Beijing, be greeted by the tour guide and transferred to the hotel for an overnight stay; leisure time for the rest of the day

Day 3: Beijing (breakfast, lunch):

• Visit the famous Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. After lunch, visit the famous Temple of Heaven, emperors’ place of worship, and learn more about silk in a silk factory

• Optional programme: Watch a breathtaking acrobatic performance or enjoy a roast Peking duck dinner

Day 4: Beijing (breakfast, lunch):

• Travel through the rugged mountain landscapes north of the city to the Great Wall of China, one of the wonders of the world
• Learn more about Jade, China’s most precious and celebrated stone, and its manufacturing process at the largest Jade carving workshop around Beijing

• See the 2008 Olympic Games sites including the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube before enjoying an oriental foot massage and learning about traditional Chinese medicine

• Optional programme: a Kung Fu legend performance

Day 5: Beijing (breakfast, lunch):

• Experience an authentic Chinese tea ceremony. Then, visit the famous Silk Street Market for a shopping spree

• Optional programme: Take a tour across Beijing’s hutongs with a rickshaw and enter a Sichuan folk house. Then head to the zoo, home to the rare giant pandas. For those looking to explore further, consider taking the optional tour to the Summer Palace. In the evening you may consider having an optional (and delicious) hot pot dinner

Day 6: Beijing to Shanghai (breakfast, lunch):

• Take a bullet train to Shanghai and visit the local City God Temple bazaar which used to be the central shrine of the Taoist worship
• Take a walk along the Bund, known as the Gallery of World Architecture, boasting examples of Romanesque, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Beaux-Arts, Gothic and Renaissance architecture

• Head to Nanjing Road peppered with boutiques and restaurants

• Optional programme: Huangpu River cruise

Day 7: Shanghai (breakfast):

• Enjoy leisure time

• Optional programme: Half-day trip to Zhujiajiao Water Town

Day 8: Shanghai to Huangshan (breakfast, dinner):

• Take the fast train to Huangshan and join a tour to the Tunxi Old Street – the centuries-old shopping street with storefronts and artisanal workshops or living quarters in the back
• Head to the 200 years old Hukaiwen Ink Factory

Day 9: Mount Huangshan (breakfast, lunch):

• Take a cable car to one of the 72 peaks of Mount Huangshan, a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site and also UNESCO Geopark and spend a day hiking with the tour guide

Day 10: Huangshan to Hongcun Village to Hnagzhou (breakfast, lunch):

• Travel by bus to the ancient, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listed Hongcun Village, where the Hollywood blockbuster Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was filmed.
• After lunch, take bullet train to Hangzhou, dubbed as ‘paradise on Earth’ by famous Italian traveler Marco Polo.

Day 11: Hangzhou (breakfast):

• Spend a day exploring Hangzhou at leisure

• Optional programme: half-day tour of Hangzhou with a boat ride on the West Lake and a visit to the Hefang Old Street - a perfect spot for handicraft shopping and street food tasting

Day 12: Hangzhou Departure (breakfast):

• Fly back to Australia from Hangzhou airport

Day 13: Australia:

• Arrival in Australia