11 Days Picturesque Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai Tour

Day 1   Monday 2-August-10    Beijing Arrival

Transfer via: by air Continental Airlines 89 13:50 arrival -own arrangement 
Program: Arrive in Beijing,  be met and transferred to hotel, free at the rest of the day.

Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Beijing*****
Tel: 010-59119999, Fax: 010-65132513

Day 2  Tuesday 3-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Beijing

Program: Full day tour for The Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Hutongs with rickshaw, Lama Monastery.

-The Tian'anmen Square: The largest city square in the world.
-The Forbidden City: The largest imperial palace in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years.
-Hutongs: The old narrow paths where common people lived. All the Hutongs crisscross with each other, dotted with the Kindergarten, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the Tea House, and the lake, House of Gong Infante and local people's houses among them.
-Lama Monastery: the largest 260-year-old monastery in Beijing of the Yellow sect of Lamaism.

Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Beijing*****

Day 3   Wednesday 4-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Beijing

Program: Full day tour for Mutianyu Great Wall with round-way cable car, the Temple of Heaven.

-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.
-The Temple of Heaven: The place where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation.

Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Beijing*****

Day 4  Thursday 5-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Beijing to Xi'an

Transfer via: by air (arranged by us) 
Program: Visit the Summer Palace, take an exterior visit for both of the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), National Swimming Center (The Water Cube), Beijing Zoo, Be transferred to airport (Beijing), Arrive in Xi'an, be met and transferred to hotel.

-The Summer Palace: The largest and best-preserved royal garden in China with a history of over 800 years.
-Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest): The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest was the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics and host to the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
-National Swimming Center (The Water Cube): The National Swimming Center, known as 'The Water Cube', was one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
-Beijing Zoo: Situated in the Xicheng District, Beijing Zoo was the first of its kind to be opened in China. The zoo contains a diverse collection of animals, a number of exhibition halls and some sites of historical interest.

Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Hotel Xi'an*****
Tel: 029-87691234, Fax: 029-87696799

Day 5   Friday 6-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Xi'an

Program: Full day tour for the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Bell Tower.

-The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses: The greatest archaeological findings of the century: the army of terra-cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb.
-Big Wild Goose Pagoda: It is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.
-Bell Tower: The wooden tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China, is 36 meters (118 feet) high.

Accommodations: Hyatt Regency Hotel Xi'an*****

Day 6  Saturday 7-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Xi'an to Guilin

Transfer via: by air (arranged by us) 
Program: Visit the Ancient City Wall, the Great Mosque of Xi'an, Be transferred to airport (Xi'an), Arrive in Guilin, be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Reed Flute Cave.

-Ancient City Wall: It is the largest and best preserved present city wall in ancient China and is probably the best military battlement in the world.
-Great Mosque of Xi'an: It is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques of China. Built primarily in the Ming Dynasty when Chinese architectural elements were synthesized into mosque architecture.
-Reed Flute Cave: Known as "the Palace of Natural Arts" where you can see beautiful stalactites & stalagmites, learn how they are formed.

Accommodations: Sheraton Guilin Hotel*****
Tel: 0773-2825588, Fax: 0773-2805440

Day 7  Sunday 8-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Guilin

Program: Full day tour for Li River Cruise, West Street.

-Li River Cruise: Depart from your hotel in the morning. Be transferred to the Zhujiang Pier (about 1 hour drive)for a 4.5 hours wonderful cruise. You will enjoy the picturesque mountains, peaceful green fields, farms and villages with water buffalos, cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. Disembark at the one-thousand-year-old town Yangshuo in the afternoon. Have a short exploration to the old town before to be transferred back to Guilin city.
-West Street: West Street is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years. Situated at the center of Yangshuo County, West Street has become, since the 1980's, a window of eastern and western culture and the biggest 'foreign language center' in China.

Accommodations: Sheraton Guilin Hotel*****

Day 8  Monday 9-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Guilin to Shanghai

Transfer via: by air (arranged by us) 
Program: Visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, be transferred to airport (Guilin), Arrive in Shanghai, be met and transfer to the hotel, then visit Nanjing Road, the Bund (Waitan)

-Elephant Trunk Hill: Located at the conjunction of the Li River & the Peach Blossom River, the whole hill looks very much like a giant elephant with a long trunk, it is the symbol of Guilin city.
-Fubo (Wave-subduing) Hill: You can see lots of rock stone carvings & Buddha statues since Tang Dynasty. Have a wonderful bird's-eye view of Guilin city if you climb to the summit.
-Nanjing Road: It is one of the most important commercial and tourist streets in Shanghai, which stretches from Waitan to Yanan Xilu.
-The Bund (Waitan): It is one of the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai. It is here where the first British company opened an office in 1846.

Accommodations: Jinjiang Hotel Shanghai*****
Tel: 021-32189888, Fax: 021-62530929

Day 9  Tuesday 10-August-10   Meal(s) (B, L)   Shanghai

Program: Full day tour for Yu Garden, Shanghai Museum, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai World Financial Center 100F.

-Yu Garden: It's reputed to be the most beautiful garden south of the Yangtze River. Built beside the Temple of the City God and covering only fives acres, it follows the Suzhou garden design of a world in microcosm.
-Shanghai Museum: The biggest museum in China, with a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics. It is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy.
-Jade Buddha Temple: The Jade Buddha Temple is one of the few temples in downtown Shanghai. If you're lucky, you can watch the monks serving a ceremony in a side room.
-Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors.

Accommodations: Jinjiang Hotel Shanghai*****

Day 10  Wednesday 11-August-10   Meal(s) (B)   Shanghai

Program: Free on your own.

Accommodations: Jinjiang Hotel Shanghai*****

Day 11 Thursday 12-August-10   Meal(s) (B)   Shanghai to Departure City

Transfer via: by air-own arrangement 
Program: Be transferred to airport (Shanghai).

Service Ends!