14 Days Beijing, Hohhot, Datong, Xian, Shanghai Budget Tour

Day 1

Beijing Arrival

You will be greeted by our local guide upon your arrival in Beijing and then be transferred to your hotel by a private air-conditioned car.  We will leave the rest of the first day free for you to recover from the jet lag or explore the city by yourself.

Day 2

Beijing (B)

Sightseeing: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City

We start today's highlights with a visit of the Temple of Heaven, The temple of Heaven was where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. With the three blue-tiled cone-shaped roofs, a unique wooden and blue-tiled structure built without a nail, it has become a worldwide symbol of Beijing.

After lunch, we go on our city tours to visit Tiananmen Square, the symbolical heart of China and gathering place for the masses. It is the biggest public square in the world, which can hold one million people.

From here we walk across the Golden River Bridge to visit the Forbidden City and experience ancient Emperor's daily life. Forbidden City was the largest palace in the world, and it was indeed a forbidden place limited to commoners for 500 year in the past. Your tour here will include private access to the Emperor's palace.

Day 3

Beijing (B)

Sightseeing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Sacred Way

After experience of the royal lifestyle, today we will spend about 1.5 hours to be transferred outside the city to the surrounding countryside for a visit to the Mutianyu Great Wall, this less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a pleasant drive 90km NE of Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains.

This afternoon we will visit the legendary Ming Tombs, The Ming Tombs are situated at the foot of Heavenly Longevity Mountain, northwest of Beijing. Since there are 13Ming emperors buried there, there are also called the 13 Ming Tombs. Passing though the Sacred Way, a road guarded on both sides with stone statues by which the ancient emperors went to hold a memorial ceremony for the ancestors, you will encounter the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Day 4

Beijing / Hohhot (B)

Transfer via: Flight – on our arrangement

Today you will be free on your own to explore Beijing City. Please check out before 12:00pm and you could leave your baggage at hotel front desk.

In the afternoon, take a shuttle bus or a taxi to get to Beijing airport to board the flight to Hohhot. Upon arrival, your local guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel.

Day 5

Hohhot (B)

Sightseeing: Gegentala Grassland

In the morning, drive north for 145 km to the fantastic Gegentala Grassland which is the nearest grassland to Hohhot. You will visit the herdsmen's tent and the hospitable natives will treat you with courtesy. You will also enjoy the ethnic singing and dances show by having an overnight accommodation at the Mongolian tent.

Day 6

Hohhot / Datong (B)

Transfer via: High speed train-on our arrangement
Sightseeing: Inner Mongolia Museum, Dazhao Temple, Zhaojun Tomb

After having a local breakfast, return to Hohhot. Visit the Inner Mongolia Museum after breakfast and then visit the Dazhao Temple, which is a Tibetan lamasery. Inside the temple there is silver statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, so the temple is also called Silver Buddha Temple. Then tour the Zhaojun Tomb, which was also called Green Mausoleum in history (Note: Zhaojun, a beauty of Han Dynasty, is famous for her contribution to the solidarity between Mongolian people and Han people in ancient China).

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to railway station to take the high speed train to Datong. When you arrive at Datong railway station, your local guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel and help you check in.

Day 7

Datong (B)

Sightseeing: Shang Huayan Monastery, Yungang Grottoes, Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall

Today we will first visit the Shang Huayan Monastery. The Huayan Monastery complex is located on Daxi Street on the south western side of Datong City. There are two separate sections to the monastery, the upper one referred to as the Grand Hall housing five large Ming Dynasty Buddhas, and the lower section referred to as the Sutra Temple containing a library of some 18,000 volumes of Buddhist writings. Built during the Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125), the Huayan Monastery is the largest and best preserved monastery of the Liao Dynasty in existence in China. This monastery was built according to the Huayan Sutra Sect of the Huayan School and is unique in that it faces east instead of south.

Then we will head to the Yungang Grottoes. Yungang Grottoes, one of the three major cave clusters in China, punctuate the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain, Datong. The area was excavated along the mountain, extending 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west, revealing 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues.

Finally visit the Datong Nine-Dragon Screen Wall, which is presently the oldest and largest glazed screen in China today. It is three times larger than that in Beihai Park, Beijing City. The screen, It is made up of 426 specially-fired glazed bricks, with a height of 8 meters (about 26 feet), 2.02 meters (6.6 feet) thick and 45.5 meters (149 feet) long. The Screen can be divided into three parts, the pedestal, body and roof.

Day 8

Datong / Xi’an (B)

Transfer via: overnight train (soft sleeper) –on our arrangement

Sightseeing: YingXi’an Wooden Pagoda, Hanging Monastery

After breakfast, we will drive to visit YingXi’an Wooden Pagoda, also known as Fogong Temple and Seokga Pagoda is located in the Fogong Palace of YingXi’an County and was built in Qingning years of Liao Dynasty (1056). It is the oldest, largest and the best preserved wooden tower building in China. Except the 4-meter-high stone ground, the wooden pagoda did not use any nail or rivet, all materials are wooden and connected by 50 kinds of base-mat. Every floor was supported by wooden pillars from inside and outside, about 60kinds of inclined beams, wooden stumps and short pillars were used between the wooden pillars, thus, formed a wooden structure of repeated beam. The pagoda is octagonal-shaped with six eaves and nine storeys.

Then we will have a visit to Hanging Monastery. It stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan, 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Hunyuan County, and 65 kilometers (40 miles) from downtown Datong City. Since it hangs on the west cliff of Jinxia Gorge more than 50 meters above the ground, it is called Hanging Monastery. It is an architectural wonder. A unique mechanical theory was applied to building the framework. Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock as the foundation, while the rock in back became its support. Seen from below, Hanging Monastery appears to be a tumble-down castle in the air. Inside, Hanging Monastery provides the same scene as other temples.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Datong Railway Station and take overnight train for Xi'an.

Day 9

Xi’an (B)

Sightseeing: Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower

Arrive in Xi'an in the morning, your local guide will greet you at the exit of the railway station and transfer you to the hotel. Depart from your hotel after breakfast. You will visit the amazing 2000-year-old Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses. Regarded as the 8th Wonder of the World, the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Over 2,200 years ago, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang in search of immortality, ordered the construction of a vast army of Terra-cotta warriors and buried with him to protect his empire after his early death.

Another highlight today is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Situated at south of the Xi'an city, as one of the main constructions in the famous Buddhist temple-Da-Ci-En Temple, where Famous Buddhist Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his well-preserved collection of classic Buddhist artifacts brought from India in Tang Dynasty. Now it is the Landmark of the Xi'an.

Then we go on to visit the Bell Tower, which is the most well-preserved and best-known one among many ancient cities of China. The Bell Tower was built in 1384. In early morning of ancient times it had the mission of ringing the bell and giving the correct time to the whole city, so it is called "The Bell Tower". With magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical building is truly elegant.

Day 10

Xi’an (B)

You will have a free day today and we do not arrange anything for you except for the hotel with breakfast. For your free time in Xi'an, you may explore the downtown area. The Bell Tower - the center of this historical city is just 5 minutes walking to the north of your hotel. Nearby you will find the Islamic Flavor Street and the Drum Tower. Please click Xi'an day trip for referrence.

Day 11

Xi’an / Shanghai (B)

Transfer via: Flight –on our arrangement

Today you will finish the Xi'an tour and fly to Shanghai. You can take a shuttle bus (CNY 26, the bus stop is quite near to your hotel) or a taxi (about CNY150) to the airport and board the flight to Shanghai by yourself. Upon arrival at the Shanghai airport, take a taxi to the reserved hotel in Shanghai and handle the check-in procedure on your own.

Day 12

Shanghai (B)

Today is a free day is for you to explore this international metropolis by yourself. It is advised to walk around the famous Shanghai Bund and see the towering buildings scattered near and far, a perfect mixture of the eastern and western cultures. Visit the symbolistic scenic spots as Shanghai museum, Yuyuan Garden Take a boat tour on the Huangpu River and have a great view of the Pudong district on your own. The boat usually runs from the Zhongshan Dong Lu (East Zhongshan Road) to the Wusongkou dock every one hour in the day time.

Day 13

Shanghai (B)

Day 14

Shanghai Departure (B)

Transfer via: Flight –on your own arrangement

Today you will check out the hotel and arrange the way to airport to board the flight leave Shanghai by yourself. There are two airports in Shanghai, one is Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and the other is Shanghai Pudong Airport. Please confirm the right one to take your flight 2 hours ahead of the schedule.The taxi fare to the Shanghai Hongqiao airport is around CNY80 and the fare to Shanghai Pudong airport is around CNY200.