Day 1: Arrival in Beijing
Upon your arrival at the Beijing airport, our local guide will meet you in the arrival lobby and be escort you to your hotel. After checking into the hotel, you will have the rest of the day free to rest or explore on your own. Our guide will provide you with any advice you want.
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After breakfast, we will go to Tiananmen Square, which used to be a closed palace square. After walking through the square, we will visit the Forbidden City, which served 24 imperial families during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 - 1912) and has numerous majestic palaces as well as invaluable ancient artworks for us to see. Around noon, we will take you to a famous local restaurant to enjoy a delicious a la carte lunch. Then we will take a leisurely walk at the Summer Palace. Surrounded by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it is the largest and best preserved royal garden in China. We will take a boat ride on Kunming Lake to appreciate the beautiful garden landscape and classical royal architecture. Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
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When you come to Beijing, you must see the Great Wall. This morning, we will go to visit one of its most famous sections, Mutianyu. Built along the tops of continuous mountains, the surrounding landscape of the Mutianyu Great Wall looks amazing throughout the whole year. We will take a round-trip cable car to easily reach the top. On the way back to the city, we will stop by the Bird’s Nest, one of China’s famous landmarks, where you will have time to take some pictures. Then we will spend some time visiting the Temple of Heaven, a royal ritual site where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped the heaven and prayed for a good harvest. Friendly Tips: The fees for round-way cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall are included. However, if you are more interested in taking the chairlift up and luge sliding down, we can also arrange that for you. Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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After breakfast, you will need to pack and prepare for the flight to Lhasa. Our Beijing guide will pick you up at the appointed time and see you off in the Beijing airport. When you arrive at the Lhasa airport, you will find our Lhasa guide waiting outside the arrival hall to escort you to your hotel. It’s advisable to have a good rest at the rest of the day to get used to Tibet’s high altitude. Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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We will begin with a visit to the Tibet Museum. This is a good place to learn the history, culture, art and social customs of mysterious Tibet. After that, we will go to Sera Monastery, one of the three largest temples in Lhasa where we can observe the Tibetan spiritual life and if lucky we will encounter monks debating Buddhist doctrines. After lunch, we will go for a walk at Norbulingka Park. Built in the 1740s, it is a classical Tibetan style garden with great scenery and rich relics. Local people often spend their leisure time dancing and singing there. Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
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After breakfast today we will see another highlight, the Potala Palace. With splendid castles, palaces and temples, it is the largest and most complete ancient palace complex in Tibet. The main section consists of the Red Palace for religious activity and the White Palace that used to be the office building and home of the Dalai Lama. Then we will visit Jokhang Temple, an amazing temple that combines the architectural styles of Tibet, India, Nepal, and the Tang dynasty (618 - 917). With a history of more than 1,300 years, it plays an important role in Tibetan Buddhism. Every year, there are many faithful believers who spend all their savings and come a long way to visit the temple. After that, we will spend some time hanging out at Barkhor Street. It is the circumambulation road surrounding Jokhang Temple and also the business center of Lhasa. We will see many Tibetan shops, restaurants and dwellings along the streets. We will end the day with a visit to a Nunnery. Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
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At the end of our Tibet tour, you will be escorted to the Lhasa airport for your flight to Xi’an. The local guide in Xi’an will greet you at the airport and send you to the hotel. After completing the check-in procedure, you will be free to have a good rest and to visit nearby places on your own. Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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In the early morning, we will go to see the Terracotta Army. This powerful army buried with Emperor Qinshihuang (BC259 - 210BC), who established the first centralized feudal dynasty in Chinese history, consists of over 8,000 terracotta warriors, hundreds of clay horses, and several bronze chariots. The facial expression and manner of each warrior is unique. In the afternoon, we will go to the Shaanxi History Museum to explore the long and glorious history of ancient Chinese civilization. Then we will proceed to the Xi’an City Wall, the largest ancient city wall in China, which is well preserved after hundreds of years. Walking on the wall, you can feel the charm of this ancient capital city. Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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In the morning, we will visit the Xi’an Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally built to store the Buddhist scriptures taken from ancient India, the pagoda is over 1,300 years old and still standing after several great earthquakes. Then we will pay a visit to a local family and enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch. We can chat with them or even learn to cook some local dishes from them. After that, we will send you to the airport for your flight to Shanghai, where the local guide will meet you at the airport and accompany you to your hotel. The rest of the day you will be free to explore on your own. Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch
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After breakfast, we will visit the Shanghai Museum which features exquisite ancient artworks including bronzes, china wares, calligraphies, paintings, jade wares and seals. Then we will spend some time strolling in the Yu Garden, an ancient private garden with an elegant and peaceful landscape. After having an a la carte lunch at a popular restaurant, we will take a cruise on the Huangpu River to enjoy the charming scenery. Then we will take a leisurely stroll along the Bund with its many old and classical buildings in different exotic styles. Later we will have the opportunity to enjoy an ancient street before returning to the hotel. Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
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Day 11: Departure from Shanghai
Today we will bid farewell to you at the airport before you fly back home. Thanks for your excellent choice and trust. We hope you have a wonderful time during this tour and a pleasant trip home. Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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