12 Days Classica China Tea Culture Tour
Destination:Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuyishan
Tour Code: CCT18
Tour Duration: 12 Days
- Tour overview:
- Tea is a very special part of China’s culture, and for many, it is a way of life. This tour will invite you into the world of Chinese tea. Hangzhou, famous for its Dragon Well Tea, and Wuyishan Mountain, famous for its Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Tea, are two of the most famous tea destinations. There you will visit tea gardens, see how tea is picked and processed, and you will be introduced to the Chinese tea ceremony.
Day by Day Itinerary
Tour Summary
Reviews
B=Breakfast,L=Lunch,D=Dinner
Day 1
Arrive in Shanghai
Transfer via: international flight on your own arrangement
Sightseeing: The Bund, Nanjing Road
Arriving in Shanghai, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our local guide. Afterwards, 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.
Day 2
Shanghai (B, L)
Sightseeing: Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Museum, Oriental Pearl Tower
In the morning we will take a relaxing walk to the lovely Yuyuan Garden, a beautiful garden in the south of the Yangtze River. Wandering through it, you will find pavilions, corridors, streams, courtyards as well as many other natural features.
Then we will visit Shanghai Museum which is the biggest museum of China. It incorporates a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics and is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy.
After lunch, we will visit the Oriental Pearl Tower, the highest TV Tower in Asia, which creates a picture of 'twin dragons playing with pearls'. The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excites the imagination and attracts thousands of visitors all year-round.
Day 3
Shanghai / Hangzhou (B, L)
Transfer via: High speed train on our arrangement
Sightseeing: West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Feilai Peak
Take high speed train to Hangzhou. Upon your arrival in Hangzhou, our local guide will meet you and escort you to beautiful West Lake. 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.
Then you will visit Lingyin Temple including the FeiLai Feng. The Fei Lai 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".
Day 4
Hangzhou / Wuyishan (B, L)
Transfer via: High speed train on our arrangement
Sightseeing: Chinese Tea Museum, tea farm
Visit Chinese Tea Museum, and visit a tea farm, pick tea (an hour), and see frying tea process. Take an afternoon high speed train to Wuyishan, arrive at Wuyishan, be met and transfer to hotel.
Day 5
Wuyishan (B, L, D)
Sightseeing: Royal Tea Garden
Go to Royal Tea Garden and learn about the history of Oolong Tea, and then visit a tea valley. In the afternoon, you will visit a tea factory to see the whole process of producing Oolong Tea.
Day 6
Wuyishan (B, L, D)
Sightseeing: Water Curtain Cave
Hike from Dahongpao (Red Gown) to Water Curtain Cave, you will see a huge old tea tree. The Water Curtain Cave is the largest rock cavern in Wuyi Mountains, with a slanting top, like upturned eaves. Two streams run down from the top of the cave. Often, the flowing stream water is cut into numerous drops of water by the wind, now moving to the east, now to the west, now getting together, now scattering, and thus forming a moving water curtain.
Continue, you will go to a tea farmer's house to taste special wild mushroom tea.
Day 7
Wuyishan (B, L, D)
Sightseeing: Tea School, Jiuqu Steam
Visit the tea Professional School and learn about rock tea.
In the afternoon, rafting in Jiuqu Stream.The Jiuqu Stream valley covers 8.5 sq km, with a total length of 9.5km. It takes two hours to tour the valley. The stream water is so clear that you can see the stones at the bottom. The clear stream forms a delightful contrast with the red mountains, with each bend having its own unique landscape. On both sides of the Nine Bend Stream stand grotesque rocks.Along the winding stream, there are both shoals and deep pools. Floating on a bamboo raft along the stream, you may raise your head to appreciate the towering mountains, and lower it to listen to the flowing water, and touch it with your hands.
Day 8
Wuyishan / Beijing (B, L)
Transfer via: Flight on our arrangement
Sightseeing: Summer Palace
Take a morning flight to Beijing. Be met and transferred to your hotel. Then we will visit 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.
Day 9
Beijing (B, L)
Sightseeing: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City
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: Mutianyu 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 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.
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.
On the way back to hotel, you will be driven to visit the main 2008 Beijing Olympic venues, take an exterior visit of both the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest/Olympic Stadium) and the National Swimming Centre (The Water Cube),feel free to take some photos of the stadiums.
Day 11
Beijing (B, L)
Sightseeing: Hutongs, Free shopping at Wangfujing Shopping Avenue.
We will experience a unique Hutong Tour by taking a rickshaw this morning. 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 many 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.
This afternoon you will be free shopping at Wangfujing Shopping Avenue.
Day 12
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.
B=Breakfast,L=Lunch,D=Dinner
Tour Dates | Destinations | Services Provided | Meals Included | ||||||||||||||
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Day 1 |
Shanghai
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Arrive in Shanghai, be met and transferred to hotel. Visit The Bund , Nanjing Road .
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Day 2 |
Shanghai
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Visit Yuyuan Garden , Shanghai Museum , Oriental Pearl TV Tower .
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Day 3 |
Shanghai/Hangzhou
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Take high speed train to Hangzhou, be met and transfer to Boat at West Lake , and visit Ling Yin Temple (Temple of Soul's Retreat) , FeiLaiFeng (also named Ling JiuFeng) .
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Day 4 |
Hangzhou/Wuyishan
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Visit Chinese Tea Museum, and visit a tea farm, pick tea (an hour), and see frying tea process. Take an afternoon high speed train to Wuyishan, arrive at Wuyishan, be met and transferred to hotel.
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Day 5 |
Wuyishan
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Go to Royal Tea Garden and learn about the history of Oolong Tea, and then visit a tea valley. In the afternoon, you will visit a tea factory to see the whole process of producing Oolong Tea.
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Day 6 |
Wuyishan
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Hike from Dahongpao (Red Gown) to Water Curtain Cave, you will see a huge old tea tree. And go to a tea farmer’s house to taste special wild mushroom tea.
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Day 7 |
Wuyishan
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Visit the tea Professional School and learn about rock tea. In the afternoon, rafting in Jiuqu Stream.
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Day 8 |
Wuyishan/Beijing
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Take a morning flight to Beijing. Be met and transfer to visit the Summer Palace .
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Day 9 |
Beijing
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Full day visit Tiananmen Square , Forbidden City , The Temple of Heaven .
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Day 10 |
Beijing
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Full day visit Mutianyu Great Wall , Ming Tombs , The Sacred Way .
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Day 11 |
Beijing
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Visit Hutong Tours in Rickshaw . Free shopping at Wangfujing Street .
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Day 12 |
Beijing
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Free at leisure till be transferred to airport for your flight departure. |
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-NOTE:
1. Normally hotels allow a maximum of 3 adults per room with an extra bed, at extra charge. Some hotels will allow three adults and a small child.
2. Tour price is indicative only, please enquire for a detailed quotation.
3. More people more discounts. Please enquire for more details.
Price Includes
A. Entrance fees:To scenic spots as listed above in the itinerary.
B. Meals: All meals as specified in the itinerary.
C. Private Transfers: Among airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in the above cities by the private air conditioned vehicle.
D. Guide and Driver: As outlined in the itinerary, a well selected English-speaking guide and driver will accompany you throughout the entire tour in that city. They do not fly with you from one city to another.
E. Hotels: Hotel Based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds. All hotels as listed in the above itinerary serve daily western or Chinese breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities unless specified.
F. Luggage Transfers: Between airports and hotels.
G. Service Charge & Government Taxes.
H. Travel insurance in mainland China during the above travel period.
I. Arrangements: The tour cost includes planning, handling, operational and communication charges.
Had an amazing experience with visitourchina during my recent tour to Zhangjiajie. Lisa was very helpful and catered to all my requests for the tour. We wished we had more days to see more of Zhangjiajie. As we are travelling with my elderly parents, we requested for more elderly-friendly itinerary in Zhangjiajie. Even though the trip is still a bit tough for my mum as she has knee problems, my family still enjoyed the tour. Special thank you to Lisa and Max, our guide.
- Booking Code:VOC-20241116
- Tour Starting Date:Saturday, 16 November 2024
- Client's information:Vanessa,Singapore

The services rendered from the travel agency is prompt. Very responsive and cater my tour according to my requests. The tour guides assigned to us were also caring and helpful. I continue to seek inquiries after our tour ended and they continued to response promptly. This is my second trip with this company and will continue to engage them when I next return to China.
- Booking Code:VOC-20241103
- Tour Starting Date:Sunday, 3 November 2024
- Client's information:Wendy, Singapore

How to navigate China for the second time after 45 years for a couple over 70 years old? We spent part of our honeymoon in China in 1978 together with a Spanish speaking tour group when China just opened its door to the outside world. It was the era of "Friendship stores" and "food ration coupons". Tourists could only shop at government designated stores and the ordinary local people lived on rationed food, notwithstanding, tourists were treated with the highest honor and the best of everything including food. By then, the main transportation tool in cities were bicycles. From balconies of hotels, we saw never ending long queue of people on bicycles heading to work every morning. Since then, China has developed into a super modern and industrialized country. Shopping is a bliss nowadays. Motorized vehicles and lots of EV has replaced a huge part of the fleet of human-driven bicycles since. Infrastructure-wise China is the pioneer nowadays. Over the years, the only retained memories are the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Pandas. There was an incident which I could not forget either. We went to a theater at night for an opera and I lost my wallet with all my documents and some money ( a small fortune for the Chinese people by then). I was very nervous and didn't know what to do. When we got back to the hotel, my wallet was waiting for me at the reception. Somebody found it at the theatre and sent it to the hotel where we were lodged. Everything was back, nothing missing. Again, it was 1978! Impressed! So, we wanted to visit China again to revive the lost sweet memories and hoping to gain more of them. Being seniors, we don't have the energy to follow a vigorous group tour anymore. Could we plan and schedule our own tour in this wonderland like the modern China? The answer is simple, No! I don't know the language well enough and have no knowledge of the city areas for choices like accommodations and transportations. In order to travel safely, efficient...
- Booking Code:VOC-20241016B
- Tour Starting Date:Wednesday, 16 October 2024
- Client's information:Cheng, Canada

I found Lisa from Trip Advisor and started chatting with her and send my requirements for which she planned excellent tours for me in between my spare time during Canton Fair. She planned and managed the trip so well and professionally and provided me with such an excellent follow up services that we ended up becoming very good friends. A wonderful person to look into for all your China Travel needs. Highly recommended for good planning, timing, and organization of your vacation.
- Booking Code:VOC-20241009
- Tour Starting Date:Wednesday, 9 October 2024
- Client's information:Ismail Soni,Canada

Booked a 2 day private tour of Xi’an with Grace as our local tour guide. Really good service from both the booking agent Lisa as well as Grace and the driver Mr Wang. Managed to see all the big sights including Terracotta Warriors, City Wall, Bell Tower and Big Wild Goose Pagoda. They took care of everything and gave good local food recommendations. Travelled with my father who walks quite slow, but they managed to accomodate him no problem. 10/10 would recommend.
- Booking Code:VOC-20240723
- Tour Starting Date:Tuesday, 23 July 2024
- Client's information:Julian,Singapore
Hello, dear Lisa! Happy to be in Guilin and very pleased to meet you! Thank you for a wonderful tours!!! Every day is filled with magnificient views and unforgetable moments! I would like to Thank you for all these events! Special thanks for Beijing tour. Happy to visit so many places in China ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ wonderful country and wonderful people! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Both tours to Guilin and Beijing were amazing! I visited so many wonderful places! The guides were very friendly and hospitable, thanks for everything! Happy to choose this agency because the programme included all interesting places and they did their best to make my Dreams come true!
- Booking Code:VOC-20240713
- Tour Starting Date:Saturday, 13 July 2024
- Client's information:Elena, Russia
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