Day 01 Beijing (Meals: -/-/-)

Arrive in Beijing, the capital of China. To be met at the airport then transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the first day.

Day 02 Beijing (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Badaling Great Wall / Ming Tombs / Spirit Way
You will depart from your hotel after breakfast to the Great Wall part at Badaling. This construction is one of the most remarkable feats of mankind. It was built over 2,000 years ago and in Badaling it is still in a very good shape. That part of the wall has such a good strategic location that it got never be attacked. After lunch you will visit ancient Ming Tomb constructions. Passing down the Spirit Way, an alley lined with statues of dignitaries as well as different holy animals, you will come to the marble tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors. You will visit one of the biggest tombs.

Day 03 Beijing-Xian via express train (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Beijing-Tiananmen Square / Forbidden City / Temple of Heaven
Depart from your hotel in the morning to have city tours to visit Tiananmen Square, the symbolical heart of China and gathering place for the masses. It is the biggest public square in the world, which can hold one million people. Have a free walk there, imagining the great historic events of the 20th century that took place there. You will also see legendary landmarks including the Great Hall of the People and the towering 125 foot granite obelisk, Monument to the People s Heroes, honoring those who died in revolution. After your lunch the tour goes on with a visit of the Temple of Heaven. The Temple area is larger then the Forbidden City and the world known Hall of Harvest Sacrifices, is nowadays the symbol of Beijing. It is officially said that this building is the perfection of Chinese architecture. Free at leisure in the evening. To be transferred to the railway station in the evening for your train Z19 (departing from Beijing at 20:28, arriving Xian 07:58 next morning) to Xian. Overnight on the train this evening (soft sleepers).

Day 04 Arrive in Xian (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Shaanxi Provincial Museum / Ancient City Wall / Bell Tower
Arrive in Xian in the morning. Our tour guide will meet you at the railway station then guide you to your hotel. Then start your city tour first by visiting the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. This largest museum of the province, exhibits primarily historical relics of the past dynasties and displays precious art treasures and stone carvings. After your lunch you will go on with a visit of the Ancient City Wall. It is the best preserved remaining city wall in China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
Next, the tour will continue with a visit of the Bell Tower, which is the known as one of the best preserved towers of the country. With its magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical building is truly elegant.
The evening is free for leisure.

Day 05 Xian (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Full day private tours to Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses / Huaqing Hot Springs / Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Today s highlight will be the unique ancient Terracotta Army. You will depart from your hotel after breakfast and be transferred to the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses archeological excavation. This found is regarded as the 8th WONDER OF THE WORLD! Over 2,200 years ago, the first emperor of China, ordered the construction of a vast army of 8,000 over life-sized Terra-cotta Warriors and buried in order to bury them with his corpse to protect his empire after his death. After lunch you will visit the Huaqing Hot Springs. Located at the foot of Lishan Mountain the hot springs, rich in minerals, are highly recommended since more than 3,000 years. On your way back, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda as today s last sight. Located in the south of Xian, it is one of the main buildings in the famous Buddhist Da-Ci-En Temple. Free at leisure for the evening.

Day 06 Xian Guilin (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Guilin-Elephant Trunk Hill / Reed Flute Cave
Be transferred to the airport for your flight to Guilin. Be met at the airport then start your tour to visit the Elephant Trunk Hill. Located on the west bank of the Li River by a small branch called Peach Blossom River, the hill resembles a huge elephant standing on the bank of the river, sucking up water with its long trunk. The trunk is particularly striking and lifelike when viewed from either nearby or afar. A circular foot cave called Shui Yue Dong (Moon-In-the Water Cave) separates the trunk and the body. A 3-story Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D) brick pagoda rises from the top of hill.

Then visit Reed Flute Cave. A ten-minute drive (half hour bike ride) from downtown, the cave is one of the largest known examples of what each tropical Karst cone conceals within it. The script writers and set designers for Star Trek would have a field day in this cavernous underground stalactite/stalagmite maze-style theater. The dripping water is rich and the drip stones vary in shape and size, displaying a wonderful cave world. This cave was called "The Art Gallery of Mother Nature." Colored fluorescent lights cast shadows and illuminate shapes of imaginary animals, fruits and vegetables, completing the unworldly effect. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Day 07 Guilin- Yangshuo (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Full day Li River Cruise to Yangshuo
Depart from your hotel in the morning. The Li River is by far the main reason to visit Guilin. Double-decker and triple-decker river boats weigh anchor from a pier at Zhujiang, about 40 minutes from Guilin by bus, and meander through the sleepy countryside offer a relaxing way to enjoy the superlative river scenery and life along its banks. In contrast to the burgeoning cities of the north, it is quiet here; the rural scenery is magnificent. You will enjoy the picturesque mountains, peaceful green fields, farms and villages with water buffalo and cows wandering around on both sides of the river bank. After about 4.5 hours, the one-thousand-year-old town of Yangshuo, the disembarking point, comes into sight. It is well worth browsing around this quaint town and its environs. Explore the old town after check-in your hotel. Enjoy the ancient town on your own in the evening.

Day 08 Guilin Shanghai (Meals: B/L/- )

Sightseeing: The Bund /Yu Garden / Jade Buddha Temple
To be transferred to the airport for your flight to Shanghai in the morning. To be met at the airport then visit the Bund. Have a stroll along the waterfront to experience the smells, sights and sounds of the old "Wall Street" in Shanghai. Banks, trading houses, residences, hotels and clubs all had a view of bustling Huangpu River traffic as they shared in the city s rising and falling fortunes. Then walk along the famous shopping street-Nanjing Road. It is said that shopping in Shanghai is the most varied and rewarding in China. After having lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Yu Garden. This delightfully restored labyrinth of tiny specialty shops, and tea and snack houses centered around a Ming-dynasty Mandarin Suzhou-style garden is a fascinating spot to people-watch over a pot of tea, to shop for unique souvenirs and to get a feel for Old Shanghai. It is well worth a meander through the Yu Garden, which has many scenic courtyards decorated with baroque rockery, pools and flora, all connected by corridors and passageways. Follow with the Jade Buddha Temple. Built in 1911, it is the most famous and one of the most active Buddhist temples in Shanghai. Named for its two bejeweled white jade Buddhas, one is a 1,000kg, 1.9 meter-high figure carved from Burmese jade brought to China in 1882, and the other is smaller reclining Buddha; the temple receives thousands of visitors and worshipers daily. Although Chinese New Year and the Buddha s birthday are the most popular times to visit the temple for the faithful, it is possible to witness ceremonies at other times. Free at leisure in the evening.

Day 09 Shanghai (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Full day private tours to Shanghai Museum / Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower
You will departure from your hotel in the morning and begin the day tour with a visit of the Shanghai Museum. As a museum of ancient Chinese art, the Shanghai Museum holds a collection of 120,000 precious artworks. Its rich and high quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy is known for its value all over the world. The present Shanghai Museum is with its eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls the biggest Museum in China. After lunch you will visit the highest TV Tower in Asia, the Oriental Pearl. It is the best place to have a bird s-eye view of Shanghai and its impressive ultra modern buildings. With its unique and amazing design, it has become the new symbol of Shanghai known all over the world. Free at leisure in the evening.

Day 10 Depart Shanghai for next city (Meals: B/-/-)

Free at leisure until to be transferred to the airport for next destination.

End of service!