DAY 1 26th June National Express Bus Departs Exeter at 01:05 and arrives at Heathrow Aiport at 05:30.
DAY 2 27th June Flight to Beijing Central Airport Departs at 10:30am (with 08:00 check-in).
DAY 3 28th June Arrive at Beijing Central Airport at 08:30am (Beijing TIme).
DAY 3 Cont. 28th June Train to Dongzhimen (centre) and check-in at Beijing Sicily Hostel at 12noon.
DAY 3 Cont. 28th June The rest of the day is for exploring the central areas of Beijing: Dongzhimen, Jingshan & Belhai Park.
DAY 4 29th June In the morning, our guide and driver will pick us up at our hotel at 09:00. Visiting the Remple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Note: Lunch should be brought with us. There are also some nice restaurants nearby the main square. Ask the tour guide for more details. The tour then continues in the early afternoon to Hutong; ending early evening.
BEIJING
DAY 5 30th June On this full-day Beijing tour, you will see two of the most popular attractions in China: the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall is fully restored, is less crowded, and has better architecture than the section at Badaling. The Ming Tombs, with a history of over 500 years, are burial sites of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
DAY 5 Cont. 30th June The Legation Quarter has a range of restaurants and bars and an art gallery. You can eat wonderful food of course, but there is also a bar where they make the best lychee martini in town, or possibly anywhere.
DAY 6 1st July Early afternoon Bullet Train to Xi’an - Duration 5h 30mins, Departing 14:00.
DAY 6 Cont. 1st July
Spend the day roaming within the City Walls of Xi’an, visiting the North & South Gates and the famous Bell Tower.
DAY 7 2nd July
The day will start at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum; the highlight of Xian.
DAY 7 Cont. 2nd July
The Wild Goose Pagoda is next on the list followed by a walking tour in Downtown Xian and Muslim Street.
DAY 8 3rd July
Spend the day at the Huaqing Springs for a classical and relaxing trip at a traditional Chinese Bath House.
DAY 8 Cont. 3rd July
Finish up the night with a scenic walk down Xi’an’s district highstreets before the main train station.
DAY 9 4th July
The 4th will be spend exploring the city of Chongqing from noon until night. One of the four furnaces of China, its known for its hot weather.
DAY 10 5th July
In the afternoonour tour guide will show us the Giant Panda Nature Reserve.and at night we set off for the 4 day Yangtze River Cruise.
DAY 11 6th July
SHIBAOZHAI
The first stop along the river will be Shibaozhai, wIth an afternoon spent exploring the Pagoda and the surrounding nature.
DAY 12 7th July
The cruise continues down the Yangtze ro Badong where you will see the vast and dramatic landscapes of this province of China.
DAY 12 Cont. 7th July
The Criuse will continue on to the main highight of the trip - the Three Gorges. This is where you will see the iconic mountain peaks, red trees and emerald water associated with the river.
XILING
DAY 13 8th July
Our trip ends in the city of Yichang, where we will have dirext transfer and catch our connecting train to Shanghai on a high speed train.
DAY 14 9th July
Zhujiajiao is one of the few still remaining ancient water towns. Located in the Qingpu District of Shanghai this an authentic trip to a more traditional area of China.
DAY 14 Cont. 9th July
When visiting the Pearl TV Tower of Shanghai, you can look out over the city expanse. It is the perfect place to see all of the surrounding landscape.
DAY 14 Cont. 9th July
At night it is a must to visit Nanjing road. Follow the many sreets of Shanghai and be surrounded by good food and the best city illumination in the area.
DAY 15 10th July
The last day in Shanghai is a free day. This is unplanned and can be spend relaxing or visiting a few final tourist traps like the Jade Temple or Yu Garden.
DAY 16 11th July
The Flight back to the UK leaves at 23:35. This allows to see anyting we missed in last few days or just relax for our final few hours in China.