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Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing  - the former Sheraton

When you arrive in Beijing today, our guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the reserved hotel. We suggest you have a good rest at the hotel to get refreshed.

Day 2: Beijing

Meals: Western buffet breakfast and A la carte welcome lunch

The prelude of your China tour is going to be opened while visiting Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City this morning. You could walk around the world largest city square for a while and then go across Chang'an Avenue to the well-preserved Forbidden City. As one of the world's largest imperial palace, Forbidden City is said to have more than 9,000 houses and over one million cultural relics. While you are walking on the flat stone path, our guide will also provide information and interesting stories of the palace's history and culture.

Then an a la carte welcome lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) is served at a very nice restaurant to taste the authentic Chinese food and the crispy Roast Duck.

In the afternoon, visit another imperial site, the Temple of Heaven, where emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifice to heaven and prayed for good harvest for the country. Afterwards, a wonderful Chinese Kung Fu Show will be arranged for your enjoyment at the Red Theatre.

Day 3: Beijing

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Morning excursion transfers you to China Great Wall - Mutianyu section. It will be too much tiring to climb up the steps to the wall in Mutianyu, so we have included the cable car up and down for you. Walking on the wall, you will see the majestic great wall and beacon towers, as well as the gorgeous landscape.

Lunch is arranged on your own. As restaurants nearby the site are in low quality, we do not arrange it. It may be the best that you have a big breakfast and have some fast food for lunch by yourself. Or you may turn to your guide for suggestions.

On the way back to downtown, you will have a photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium, namely the Bird's Nest. After that, a visit to a featured local market follows. You will enjoy some free time to explore the market before you are taken back to the hotel.

Day 4: Beijing - Xi'an

Meals: Western buffet breakfast and A la carte lunch

Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel

The morning visit takes you to the imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace, which is the largest and best preserved royal garden in the world. The whole garden mainly consists of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. The Long Gallery, 728 meters (796.2 yards) in length, boasts as the longest gallery in China's gardens. Beginning from the Yaoyue (Inviting-Moon) Gate and ending at Shizhang Pavilion, the Long Gallery ingeniously links Longevity Hill with Kunming Lake. Then following our guide, you will trace the old Beijing culture by walking through the original Hutong alleys, appreciate the oldest gray brick courtyard residence and capture the lifestyles of local families. What's more, a special experience of making Chinese Paper Cutting will be arranged for you.

We will serve you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a fancy restaurant with delicious food and great atmosphere. After that, take an afternoon flight to Xi'an and check in at the hotel upon arrival.

Day 5: Xi'an

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch and Dumpling Dinner

 After breakfast, we will drive to the Terracotta Army Museum. The warriors were discovered accidentally by local farmers when they were digging a well, thus unveiled a grand underground army. When you are in the museum, you will be shocked by life-sized clay soldiers and horses that stand neatly in formations. The bronze chariot and horses are considered as the crown of bronze for its design and process of making more than 2,000 years ago are very similar to modern engineer structures.

Around noon, drive back to the city for a special and authentic home cooked a la carte lunch at a local family.

Afterwards, visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda & Xi''an Museum. A splendid evening is in store when you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show when partaking of the famous Dumpling Dinner.

Friendly Tips

Clients visiting in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec need to arrange the dinner and evening activity on their own for this day, since the theater is usually not open at that time.

Day 6: Xi'an - Shanghai

Meals: Western buffet breakfast and A la carte lunch

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Century Park Shanghai

After breakfast, we will take a walk on the City Wall Park. It is a popular venue for local people to spend their leisure time and a good chance for you to get to know more about their daily life. With the nice environment and great atmosphere, you will learn to practice Tai Chi with the master. Then we ascend to the old City Wall. As a part of the city's defending systems, the wall's thickness is even larger than height so that soldiers and chariots could run on the top. Today, we get a chance for a bike ride on the wall (the cost is on your own), and this has been proved to be very popular among most visitors.

After an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) is served at a well-known local restaurant, you will take a flight to Shanghai. Our local guide will meet and escort you to the hotel.

Day 7: Shanghai

Meals: Western buffet breakfast and A la carte lunch

This morning, you will first visit Shanghai Museum, which houses a large collection of cultural relics, such as bronze wares, chinaware, ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy works. Then go ahead to the famous Yu Garden and its nearby traditional bazaar. Yu Garden is one of the best Chinese gardens in the finest preservation in Shanghai. Its pavilions, rockery, pools, flowers make it a land of peace and leisure in the bustling Shanghai.

An a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be served for you today to taste the authentic Shanghai cuisine.

After lunch, you will explore the Former French Concession, the thriving Bund area and take a one-hour cruise tour on the Huangpu River. You will be impressed by different scenes on the two banks of the river - rows of skyscrapers on the east showing the modernness while the old western-style buildings telling the history of the colonial times of Shanghai. Our guide will transfer you back to your hotel and say you bon voyage in the lobby.

Day 8: Shanghai - Hong Kong

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Accommodation: Regal Kowloon Hotel

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and find your own way to the Pudong Airport to catch your flight to Hong Kong. We will issue air tickets for you. You can charter a taxi from the hotel, costing about CNY150 per cab. Upon arrival in Hong Kong, you can make your way to the 4-star Regal Kowloon Hotel via either of the following ways.

Airport Shuttle Bus:

The bus is available every 1.5 to 2 hours from 07:10 to 23:35 daily. The single way ticket costs HK$130 per person. Please follow the signs to take the shuttle bus and get off at Regal Kowloon Hotel by yourself. The ride takes around 45 minutes.

Public Bus A21:

It is available from 06:00 to 24:00 daily. The ticket costs HK$33 per person. You can take it for 15 stops to Mody Road and then walk for about 5 minutes to the hotel. Check in and have a good rest.

Day 9: Hong Kong

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Breakfast is served at the hotel. After that, you can start your one-day independent exploration in Hong Kong. We suggest you have a peak tram ride to reach the Victoria Peak and enjoy the city panorama.

After having lunch at the Central Area, you can take a bus to Stanley Market and enjoy a sunbath on the soft beach of Repulse Bay where the richest Hong Kong people live around. If time permits, you can go to explore the local fishermen's life in Aberdeen.

Day 10: Departure from Hong Kong

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Check out of the hotel before noon and take the airport shuttle bus or citybus No. A21 to the airport for your homebound flight. If you want to extend your stay in Hong Kong, we will be glad to assist. Wish you a smooth journey home!

Day 1: Arrival and sightseeing in Beijing

After your arrival at the Beijing airport you will be greeted by our guide who will drop you off at your hotel. After checkingin, you will have the rest of the day to tour Beijing. With more than 3000 years of history, Beijing has rich assortment of well-preserved cultural and imperial relics. Today we tour Tian’anmen Square, which is an extensive open area in central Beijing. Then walk north into the Forbidden City. For five hundred years, it served as home for the emperors of China. Later we visit the Summer Palace which was constructedfrom 1749 to 1764 and is the grandest imperial playground in China with elaborate Qing-style pavilions, bridges, walkways, and gardens scattered around the immense Kunming Lake.Overnight in Beijing.

Day 2: Fly to Xian and tour Xi'an Ancient City Wall and Shaanxi History Museum

After flying to Xian in the morning, you will spend the rest of the day visiting the city’s beautiful landmarks. The City Wall of Xian represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls and also is one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Next, visit the Shaanxi History Museum, regarded as “the pearl of ancient dynasties and house of Chinese treasures”. It gives a miniature overview of the thousands of years of Chinese history and the splendid ancient cultures of olden times. Overnight in Xi’an.

Day 3: Sightseeing in Xi’an

Believed to be the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century, the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horse Museum includes Pit 1, Pit 2 and Pit 3 as well the exhibition hall of the chariots and horses. After completing the tour at the museum, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Later visit another archaeological site, Banpo, discovered in 1953, which contains the remains of several well organized Neolithic settlements carbon dated to 5600–6700 years ago. In the evening, enjoy the Tang Dynasty Song and Dance Show at Tang Yuegong Theatre. Overnight in Xi’an.

Day 4: Fly from Xi'an to Zhangye

Today we fly to Zhangye and tour its famous landmark, the giant Buddha temple which is a complex consisting of the Giant Buddha Hall, the Buddhist Classics Hall, and a Clay Pagoda. The Giant Buddha statue of 34.5m lying in the middle of the hall is the temple’s main attraction. It is also believed that the famous Italian traveller Marco Polo was very impressed by the magnificent architecture of the Giant Buddha Temple and by the prosperity of Zhangye city and lived here for more than a year. Overnight in Zhangye.

Day 5: Morning sightseeing then take a train to Duhuang

Today we visit the famous Matisi grottos or caves. The Thousand Buddha Caves are just inside the entrance gateway to the Matisi Scenic Area, and walking up the road is a pleasant experience, with the river rushing past on one side, and the decaying niches studding the cliff face on the other. Later we visit the temple of the legendary King Gesar. In the evening, you get to witness the excellent sunset over the picturesque landscape of Danxia. Later, take a train to Duhuang to spend the night.

Day 6: Sightseeing in Duhuang: Hechang Military Depot: 95km, 3-4 hours

Today we visit Hechang Military Depot, which is located in the northwest part of Dunhuang, about 20km away from Yumen Pass. The military depot was used to store food and clothing when fighting with the nomadic Xiongnu people during the Han dynasty. Overnight in Duhuang.

Day 7: Sightseeing in Duhuang: Crescent Lakeand Mogao Grottoes

We begin the day by visiting the beautiful Crescent Lake, which is a small pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. We even enjoy the beauty of the area with a camel safari. Next, you will tour Dunhuang’s famous Mogao Grottoes also known as the Dunhuang Grottoes. The site showcases China’s largest collection of Buddhist grottoes, the oldest ones dating back to as early as a thousand years ago. While touring the site you will also get to marvel at the murals that have Buddhist stories, folk culture, farming, and hunting as their main themes. Take a train to Yumen and finally to Turpan to spend the night.

Day 8: Sightseeing in Turpan

Begin sightseeing in Turpan with a visit to the Suleiman’s Minaret also known as the Sugong Pagoda. Built in Uighur architectural style, the Pagoda is an old brick tower dating back to 1778, almost as old as the United States! Next, visit the grape valley, a small paradise with a thick maze of grape trellises. Today you will also tour the Karez channels, which is a unique underground water system, invented and built by ancient farmers from various ethnic minorities of Turpan. Another highlight of today would be visiting the Astana Tombs from where thousands of priceless historical relics have been unearthed. End the tour by passing through the legendary Flaming Mountain, believed as the hottest place on earth.

Day 9: Drive to Urumqi

Drive to Urumqi after breakfast and visit the Terai Camp followed by Nanshan Grassland, both beautiful natural sites. Nanshan Grassland, also known as Mount Nan Pasture, is a large pasture region with many beautiful streams and a waterfall. While in Urumqi you can also enjoy a traditional meal of ethnic Kazakhs, who were traditionally nomadic, tribal shepherds and ranchers of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses.

Day 10: Fly to Kashgar

After checking in at your hotel in Kashgar, you will visit the Etigar Mosque, a famous mosque, which is well known among muslims in central and west Asia with the name of “Little Mecca”. Also visit the Tomb of Abakh Khoja, a much revered muslim leader and prophet of the 17th century. Next, enjoy strolling in the world’s livelest market in Kashgar, an oasis in the centuries-old Silk Road before calling it a day.

Day 11: Sightseeing in Kashgar: Karakuli Lake

You will spend the whole day enjoying the beauty of Karakuli Lake which is popular among travellers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. The lake lies at an altitude of 3,600m, and is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir, Tian Shan and Kunlun mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztagh Ata (7,546m), Kongur Tagh (7,649m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530m). Overnight in Kashgar.

Day 12: Final departure

Your journey on the Silk Road ends today. You will fly to Beijing and board an international airplane to fly home. On the way, you can reminisce on your incredible journey on the Silk Road.