11 Days Shanghai-Huangshan-Hangzhou-Beijing Train Tour

Day 1

Arrival / Shanghai

Transfer via: International flight –on your own arrangement

Upon your arrival in Shanghai, our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Then you will have leisure time to explore the near streets, or relax and get over the jet lag.

Day 2

Shanghai (B, L)

Sightseeing: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Yuyuan Market, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple

After breakfast, we will first visit Shanghai Urban Planning Hall, which is the first kind of exhibition center in China showcasing a city's development. It showcases the past, the present and the future of the development of the urban planning of Shanghai.

Then we will take a stroll through the lovely Yuyuan Garden, one of the best Suzhou-style gardens in southern China, which has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools and flora, all connected by corridors and passageways. Afterwards, you will get an insight into Shanghai's local life on the Yuyuan Market – taste a pot of tea, shop for unique souvenirs and get a feeling for Old Shanghai.  

Follow us to the Jade Buddha Temple. It is famous for its two rare statues of Buddha carved out of a single piece of white jade. One is a 1,000kg, 1.9 meter-high figure carved from Burmese jade brought to China in 1882, and the other is a sleeping Buddha; The temple receives thousands of visitors and worshipers every day. If you're lucky, you can watch the monks serving a ceremony in a side room.

Day 3

Shanghai / Huangshan (B, L, D)

Transfer via: Overnight train (soft sleeper class) – on our arrangement
Sightseeing: The Bund, Nanjing Road, Jinmao Tower

This morning, you will take a walk to the famous Nanjing Road and the Bund. They are among the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai and therefore a must-see when visiting Shanghai. Then get a bird's eye view of Shanghai form the Jinmao Tower.

After the tours, you will be escorted to the railway station to take overnight train for Huangshan.

Day 4

Huangshan (B, L, D)

Sightseeing: Mt. Huangshan

Arrive at Huangshan railway station in early morning. Then you will be met and transferred to the foot of Mt. Huangshan, take cable car to the top of it and make a tour to North Sea Scenic Area and other peaks. This night, you will stay on top of the mountain.

Mt. Huangshan, known as "the loveliest mountain in China", is famous for its magnificent scenery made up of many granite peaks and rocks emerging out of clouds. Its landscape features “four wonders” of imposing peaks, spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines, and a sea of clouds. Mount Huangshan boasts 72 peaks, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, with three main peaks rising majestically. The famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine (1,500 years old) and See-Guest-Off Pine have become a symbol of being faithful, unyielding and hospitable.

Day 5

Huangshan (B, L)

Sightseeing: Xidi and Hongcun Ancient Villages 

This morning you will enjoy the famous Huangshan sunrise. Afterwards we'll take a cable car down the mountain and continue to visit Xidi Village. First built 900 years ago in Song Dynasty, its traditional architecture is still well preserved. The buildings and the street patterns reflect the socio-economic structure of a long-lived settled period of Chinese history.

Our next stop will be Hongcun Village: Being an over 800-years-old town leaning against Mt. Huangshan, it is folded in the fog of the Mountain which makes it look like a river. You will see that it is as beautiful as a Chinese landscape drawing. The famous film "Crouching Tiger" was produced here.

Day 6

Huangshan / Hangzhou (B, L)

Transfer via: Express Bus-on our arrangement
Sightseeing: West Lake

In the morning, you will be transferred to the bus station and take the express bus to Hangzhou. There, you will be met by our local guide and visit beautiful West Lake with him. We will take a cruise boat across the lake to see the 3 pagodas in the lake. The West Lake is the most famous tourist spot of Hangzhou. Graceful mountains surround it on three sides. It has a charming scenery and many cultural relics and historic sites.

Day 7

Hangzhou / Overnight train (B, L)

Transfer via: Overnight train – on our arrangement
Sightseeing: Feilai Feng, Ling Yin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Dragon Well Tea Plantation

Today you will visit Lingyin Temple including the Feilai Feng. The Feilai Feng is situated in the east of Ling Yin Temple. Isolated from others, its stone quality is totally different from that of surrounding mountain groups. It is 167 meters high, on the peak there are many grotesque stones in the shapes of charming dragon, prostrate tiger, walking elephant and scared ape. The main hall of Lingyin Temple is about 34 meters (111 feet) tall - incredibly high for a one-storey building. In the center of the hall you'll find the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which was carved from 24 pieces of camphor wood. The temple was named Lingyin Temple for its extremely beautiful environment which is serene and suitable for "Soul's Retreat".

After having lunch at local restaurant, we will drive to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, highly erected next to Qiantang River and in the south of the West Lake. It is a perfect example of brick-and-wood structure built in ancient China and was built in 970 AD in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) to press down the evil of the river tidal bore in Qiantang River.

Dragon Well Tea is well known worldwide, so you will be guided to the Dragon Well Tea Plantation to discover the history of Chinese tea and the tea ceremony. The water of dragon well is sweet and of good taste. The green tea here enjoys very high reputation since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D) for its four special features: green color, fragrant aroma, sweet taste and smooth appearance. Finally you will be transferred back to your hotel.

In the evening, you will be escorted by your guide to railway station to take overnight train to Beijing.

Day 8

Overnight train / Beijing (B, L)

Sightseeing: Summer Palace, Hutong tour in rickshaw

Arrive at Beijing station in the morning. Upon arriving at the Beijing, your local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel.

Then have a visit to the Summer Palace. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called 'Yiheyuan' (Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. Until nowadays, it is the best preserved and the largest imperial garden in China. You will regret it if you leave Beijing without having visited this grand imperial garden.

Continued, we will experience a unique Hutong tour by taking a men-driven rickshaw. Hutongs are a kind of ancient city alley or lane and are very typical for Beijing. Most of them can be found close to the Forbidden City, and were built during the three dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing. Today, the Hutong is a living museum of Beijing history showing the traditional lifestyle of Beijing people. We will make stops to visit a local family and experience how the people of Beijing live.

Day 9

Beijing (B,L)

Sightseeing: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace

This morning our tour will begin with a visit of the Temple of Heaven, which was completed in 1420, and expanded over the years by two Qing Dynasty Emperors. It was the place 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 will go on our city tour 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 will walk across the Golden River Bridge to visit the Forbidden City and experience the ancient Emperor's daily life. For 5 centuries Chinese emperors carried out their administration here. With almost 10,000 rooms, it was the centre of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a massive complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens where 24 emperors used to live. Forbidden City was the largest palace in the world, and in the past it was indeed a forbidden place for commoners. Your tour here will include private access to the Emperor's palace.

Day 10

Beijing (B,L)

Sightseeing: Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Sacred Way

After experiencing the royal lifestyle, today we will be transferred to the surrounding countryside of Beijing and visit the Badaling Great Wall, the pride of China and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Whereas Genghis Khan contemplated it as a military obstacle, Richard Nixon described it as one of humankind's greatest achievements. You will be able to climb and walk one of the best preserved sections of the 2,000 years old ancient wall, admiring the splendid mountain views. Bring a jacket and layer- although it is breezy, the climbing is tough. So be in a good shape!

In the afternoon we will visit the legendary Ming Tombs, which are situated at the foot of Heavenly Longevity Mountain, Changping, northwest of Beijing. Since there are 13 Ming emperors buried there, this place was called the 13 Ming Tombs. You will walk along the Sacred Way, a road guarded by stone statues on both sides, as the ancient emperors did to hold a memorial ceremony for their ancestors.

In addition, you will encounter the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Day 11

Beijing / Departure (B)

Transfer via: flight on your own arrangement

Today will be free for your own purposes, until our guide will escort you to the airport for your next destination.