13 Days Best of China Luxury Tour

Transcription

1 13 Days Best of China Luxury Tour

2 Day 1 Beijing Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be met by your guide and driver and transferred to your hotel for a four-night stay. Relax after your long flight or enjoy yourself by attending interesting activities offered by Aman at Summer Palace, such as tea ceremony, Tai Chi practice, paper cutting, etc. Accommodation: Aman at Summer Palace Beijing (Village Room) The Aman at Summer Palace Day 2 Beijing (B, L, D) After breakfast your tour begins with a walk through Tiananmen Square, which is the world's largest with a capacity to hold over one million

3 people. Continue through the beautiful Gate of Heavenly Peace to enter the splendid Forbidden City. It was the sacred heart of the empire for about 500 years ( ), totally 24 Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors lived and ruled here. Your tour here will include access to two special exhibition halls, Hall of Clocks and Treasure Gallery, which are not included in normal tours. Have lunch at Li Jia Cai, the first Michelin star restaurant in Beijing famous for Chinese imperial cuisine. This afternoon embark on a pedi-cab tour of the Hutongs(alleyways) in Beijing's historic Houhai(Back Lakes)district. These alleyways containing traditional courtyard homes used to be neighborhoods in Beijing. Though many have been torn down to make room for modern buildings, some are saved and well preserved. On this tour, you will get to visit several homes and chat with the families who reside in them, a rare insight into everyday life of Beijingers. Tonight enjoy a traditional Peking duck dinner at Dadong Restaurant which is considered by many as the best duck restaurant in Beijing and repeatedly voted "Best Chinese Restaurant of the Year" in Beijinger's Annual

4 Restaurant Awards. The skin of the duck at Dadong is crispy and you don t find any oil at all in the duck meat, tastier and healthier. Accommodation: Aman at Summer Palace Beijing (Village Room) Day 3 Beijing (B, L, D) Today we head for the superb Mutianyu section of the 2,000-year-old Great Wall, which is the country's most famous attraction and one of the few sights in the world that is still able to exceed the expectations of visitors. Walking along the walls and enjoy the breathtaking landscapes. Cable car ride is available to save your energy. Have lunch at Mutianyu Schoolhouse Canteen to taste authentic American food.

5 After lunch you will be transferred back to Beijing and visit the spectacular Temple of Heaven, one of the most important landmarks of Beijing and a magnificent example of ceremony architecture, where emperors offered ritual sacrifices and prayed for good harvests. Tonight you have dinner at Lan Club, a high-end venue that brings premium levels of culture and cuisine. Accommodation: Aman at Summer Palace Beijing (Village Room) Day 4 Beijing -> Xian by plane (B, L) This morning you will visit the Summer Palace, a royal residence set among traditional Chinese gardens on the beautiful Kunming Lake. Stroll along the famous Long Corridor and enjoy the traditional imperial architecture. Have lunch at Huajia Yiyuan, a Chinese restaurant serving tasty home-style dishes in a swanky courtyard setting with comfortable private rooms. After lunch you will be transferred to the airport and take flight to Xian CA1225 (Air China, 3:30pm-5:25pm). Upon arrival in Xian, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to your hotel for a 2-night stay. Dinner will be your own choice tonight.

6 Accommodation: Sofitel on Renmin Square (Executive Room) Day 5 Xian (B, L, D) This morning depart with your guide and driver for Xian's most famous attraction, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Your tour here will include a privilege to get a closer look at the soldiers and horses. You may see the archaeologists working in the pit as the warriors are still being excavated. Enjoy lunch at Real Love Chang An, Xian's best-known restaurant. You will be deeply impressed by both its tasty dishes and excellent decoration.

7 In the afternoon drive to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was built in AD652 to house and protect Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by a famous Chinese monk Xuanzang, who spent 17 years traveling to India for the scriptures and translating them into Chinese. His journey has been described in the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West. Tonight you will enjoy dinner at Tang Palace while watching a fantastic dancing show Tang Dynasty Show. It is quite impressive and reflects the social conditions and culture of Tang Dynasty ( ) vividly. Accommodation: Sofitel on Renmin Square (Executive Room)

8 Day 6 Xian -> Guilin by plane (B, L) Today you visit the Shaanxi History Museum, which houses a wonderful collection of historic and cultural artifacts. Xian saw its heyday in Han (206 BC - AD 220) and Tang ( ) Dynasty. The museum houses a great deal of extremely valuable relics reflecting the history, culture and social life of the two periods. From this point of view, even the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) can't compete with it. Lunch will be served at Xian Restaurant. This time-honored restaurant serves authentic Shaanxi food including various traditional Xian snacks. After having lunch you will be transferred to the airport and take flight to Guilin MU2307 (China Eastern, 5:40pm-7:25pm). Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay. Dinner is not included tonight. Accommodation: Shangri-la Hotel Guilin (Deluxe River View Room)

9 Day 7 Guilin -> Yangshuo (B, L, D) After breakfast, enjoy a half-day cruise tour on the picturesque Li River, a trip that affords close-up views of the stunning karst formations for which Guilin is famous. Pass tranquil farming land, fishing scenes and picturesque villages as the ship sailing down the river. A buffet lunch is served onboard. Enjoy your cruise tour on the picturesque Li River in Guilin After lunch disembark at Yangshuo, a small town set in the lush rice paddies and surrounded by meandering rivers and limestone peaks. Embark a golf cart to travel through the streets and explore the peaceful countryside view. Enjoy dinner at Tongle Restaurant where you will be served with authentic local dishes and you can never miss the bestselling Beer Stewed Duck there.

10 It is gorgeous. After dinner enjoy a wonderful show named Impression Liu Sanjie directed by Zhang Yimou who is regarded the most intelligent and creative director in China. He also successfully directed the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Accommodation: Green Lotus Hotel (Deluxe River View Room) Day 8 Guilin-> Hangzhou by plane (B, L) Today attend a Tai Chi class. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art well-known to the public. In traditional Chinese fictions, it is often depicted as a sort of unconquerable power. But in modern time, its legendary meaning gradually fades away and it is now treated as daily exercise done mainly for health purpose. Then you will be driven back to Guilin. Have lunch at Xinjiulong Restaurant. It is a nice restaurant located by the picturesque Li River. When dining there, you can meanwhile enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the river. This afternoon you will be transferred to the airport and take flight to Hangzhou MU5787 (China Eastern, 4:35pm-6:20pm). Upon arrival your local guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Check in for a 2-nights stay. Enjoy a free night.

11 Accommodation: Aman Resort Hangzhou (Village Room) Day 9 Hangzhou (B, L, D) This morning have a full day sightseeing tour. Take a 50-minute boat trip on the West Lake and enjoy a leisurely walk along the picturesque laside park. Hangzhou boasts some excellent museums in China. Today you will visit two of them, China National Tea Museum and China Traditional Medicine Museum. Have lunch at Longjing Caotang Restaurant which is known for its organic food and terrific surroundings. Tonight taste excellent traditional local cuisine at Hubin 28, a signature Chinese restaurant on the first floor of Grand Hyatta Hangzhou near the West Lake. After dinner try a unique experience of traditional Chinese foot massage. Accommodation: Aman Resort Hangzhou (Village Room) Day 10 Hangzhou -> Shanghai by train (B, L) After breakfast, we walk to the nearby temple named Yongfu (Temple of Goodness). Set in the forest with meandering paths and extensive gardens, this is one of the prettiest temples in the area.

12 Enjoy lunch at Weizhuang, a well-reputed restaurant serving authentic local cuisines with very good location and view. In the afternoon you take a safe, fast and comfortable train ride to Shanghai. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for a three-night stay. Dinner is not included tonight. Accommodation: The Peninsula Shanghai (Deluxe River View Room) Day 11 Shanghai (B, L, D) After breakfast visit the lively People's Square, a popular area for Shanghai residents to do morning stretching exercises and a good spot to take in a panoramic vista of the city. Continue to the Urban Planning Museum to learn more about the city's future and past and to see a scale model of how Shanghai will look in Then stop in at the Shikumen Museum, where a traditional courtyard home is decorated as it would have been in the 1920s. Lunch will be served to you at Din Tai Fung which is highly praised for its tasty steam dumplings and many other authentic dim sum items. After lunch move on to the Former French Concession to experience a mixture of both

13 Chinese and Parisian taste. After that we visit the trendy boutiques and restaurants in the Xintiandi district. Dinner will be served at Lynn, a vogue and modern restaurant offering Shanghai, Suzhou and Zhejiang dishes with modern cooking techniques. Accommodation: The Peninsula Shanghai (Deluxe River View Room) Day 12 Suzhou Excursion (B, L, D) After breakfast you will be taken out of Shanghai by private car for a look into another 'Paradise on Earth' Suzhou, also known as Garden City. Visit two famous classic gardens namely the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Master of Nets Garden. Then pay a visit to Suzhou Museum which is designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei. Enjoy lunch at Deyuelou which is a time-honored restaurant in Suzhou. It is well-known for its history and the delicious local-taste dishes.

14 On the way back you stop by Luzhi, a very different styled water town. Much smaller than Suzhou, Luzhi features well-preserved ancient houses and buildings, and its intricate system of canals is connected by a number of stone bridges. Tonight you will dine at Jean Georges, a very nice French restaurant on the Bund that offers wonderful views across the river of the Pudong skyline. After dinner go to the historic Peace Hotel to hear its famous jazz band. Accommodation: The Peninsula Shanghai (Deluxe River View Room) Day 13 - Shanghai (B) Free till departure transfer to the airport to take your international flight. End of the fabulous tour in China.