Best of China
This is a very special tour and different from all other tours featured. Not only does it cover the Beijing – Lhasa railroad which experienced more than 6 months test and has been going smoothly, but also that hotels and some restaurants selected are very special ones. All the hotels used have limited capacity.
Itinerary – 16 Days/ 15 Nights Beijing ( 3 N), Lhasa ( 3 N) , Shangri-La (2N), Lijiang (2N) & Shanghai ( 3 N)
Key: B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner SD = Special Dinner N = Nights
Day01 Arrive Beijing
Upon arrival you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day will be at leisure.
Day02 Beijing (B/L /D )
Your tour starts with the Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world from where you enter the gates of the Forbidden City. Built during 1405-1420, it is the world’s largest complex of halls and palaces from where 24 emperors ruled China. After Chinese imperial style lunch at the Family Bai Restaurant, visit the Summer Palace, the most scenic park of the city. Enjoy Welcome Dinner at the Red Capital Club.
Day03 Beijing (B/L)
Today you will have full day excursion to the north suburb where your first stop is the Sacred Way which was supposed to represent the life when emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) were still alive. Afterwards visit the Changling Tomb which is one the 13 tombs in the area. Chinese lunch will be served at the Commune by the Great Wall. In the afternoon you will see the Mutianyu Great Wall which was built and renovated in a time span of over 2000 years.
Day04 Beijing – Lhasa (B/L /D )
After breakfast, take the leisure Hutong tour which includes rickshaw ride, visit to local people’s home and historical sites. Experience also a very local Chinese lunch in which one learns on the spot how to prepare. In the afternoon see the Temple of Heaven where emperors of old times used to pray for good harvest and now one of the most popular parks. Do shopping at the Hongqiao Pearl Market or Silk Alley before having Beijing Duck Dinner at a local restaurant. Transfer to the train station for overnight train to Lhasa.
Day05 On The Train
This more or less 48-hour long train ride can be tedious though it is one of the most advanced trains in the country, but scenery along the way will be interesting.
Day06 Arrive Lhasa
Upon arrival into Lhasa Train Station, you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel.
Day0 7 Lhasa (B/L)
Your tours in this “Sacred Place of Buddha” start with the golden-roofed Jokhang Monastery – a curious mix of somber darkness, wafting incense and prostrating pilgrims. Then visit the Barkor Street, an astonishing Tibetan style stock exchange and hive of market activity. In the afternoon visit the Potala Palace, once the center of the Tibetan government and winter residence of the Dalai Lama as well as the most imposing attraction of Lhasa.
Day0 8 Lhasa (B/L)
Another full day tours include Norbulingka that used to be the summer Palace of the Dalai Lama, the Drepung Monastery - the largest in the world and still has 700 monks in residence, and a Tibetan hospital which often creates a sense of mystery among Chinese.
Day0 9 Lhasa – Shangri-La (B)
Depending on the flight, you will be transferred to the airport for flight to Shangri-La. Upon arrival meet and transfer to your hotel with rest of the day free at leisure.
Day 10 Shangri-La (B/L)
The full day tours today take you first to the Songzanlin Monastery, the one founded in the 17th century and is nicknamed by local the Lesser Potala Palace. Holding about 700 monks and one living Buddha, the monastery is a must go in the region. You will also visit the Napa Lake Reserve with its vista of blossoming flowers and lush grassland dotted with sheep and cattle, a local Tibetan family and a local market.
Day 11 Shangri-La - Lijiang (B/L)
A 210km drive of around 5 hours through forest reserves alongside the extreme upper reaches of the Yangtze River brings you to Lijiang. Visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the First Bend of the Yangtze River on the way.
Day 12 Lijiang (B/L)
Take full day excursion to the Yak Meadow, a plateau of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain where you will take a chair-lift and have a panoramic view of the snow-clayed mountains. Then visit the Baisha Fresco, dating back to the Ming Dynasty and the Yuhu Village which to some extent resembles the past Lijiang. Enjoy the Naxi Classical Music Show in the evening.
Day13 Lijiang – Shanghai (B/L)
Visit the old city of Lijiang that is reputed to be a “living museum”, the Dongba Culture Museum that is in a purpose to study, document and preserve the ancient Naxi culture of the dongbas, and the Black Dragon Pool Park – the best known and most frequently visited park in Lijiang. Transfer to airport for afternoon flight to Shanghai.
Day1 4 Shanghai (B/L)
Your full day tours will start with the Historical Display Museum which tells the city’s past in a vivid way. The next stop is the Grand Hyatt on top of which you can get a nice view of the Bund. After lunch at the Green Ripples Restaurant, visit the old city bazaar and Yu Garden as well as the Bund with Acrobatic Show in the evening.
Day1 5 Shanghai (B /L/D )
Another full day tours today include the best museum in China – Shanghai Museum, the Jade Buddha Temple that is often enveloped in incense smoke and the former British and French Concessions area with Chinese lunch at the Shanghai Uncle Restaurant. After Farewell Dinner at the La Vie En Rose Restaurant, visit the Xintiandi which is frequented by both local and foreign tourists.
Day16 Depart Shanghai (B)
You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
Price per person in $US
2 up = 2 or more persons; *S/S = Single Supplement is the surcharge of a single person occupying a room
City |
Hotel |
Season |
Deluxe |
Deluxe |
2 Up |
S/S |
Beijing |
Red Capital Residence |
Apr, 08 |
4828 |
1784 |
Lhasa |
House of Shambhala |
May - Jul & Sep - Oct , 08 |
4930 |
1886 |
Shangri-La |
Banyan Tree |
Nov , 08 |
4856 |
1812 |
Dec , 08 - Feb , 09 |
4724 |
1680 |
Lijiang |
Banyan Tree |
Shanghai |
Old Time House |
Mar , 09 |
4856 |
1812 |
