What’s included:
- Breakfast each day
- 4/5 Star Hotels
- All transfers as indicated
- domestic airfare (3)
What’s not included:
- International flights to and from tour. Contact us for the best prices from your city
- Additional meals and drinks not indicated in Itinerary.
- Any internal country fees, taxes or permits
- Taxes, fees and charges not included in the itinerary.
- Travel Insurance
- Gratuities
Minimum of 2 guests for this tour.
Day 1 – Arrive in Beijing, China
On arrival in Beijing, you will be met by our tour guide and transferred to your hotel in Beijing. Free for the rest of the day.
Meals: No
Day 2 – Beijing
After breakfast at your hotel, start your tour with the visit to Tiananmen Square (40 minutes), the largest public square in the world. Then move on to the Forbidden City (2 hours), the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Then visit a Silk Factory, where you can bargain for silk products and China’s traditional silk arts (40 minutes). To avoid the tourist meal, today you have a la carte lunch with an a la carte menu at a nice local Cantonese restaurant, where you will enjoy the authentic Chinese food.
After lunch, head to the Shichahai Area ( 2.5 hours ) – the old part of Beijing and visit a century- old courtyard and learn about its history, layout, Fengshui, and its traditional Chinese culture involved. Then take a pedicab and drive through the zigzag and narrow alleys or hutongs. Two people share one rickshaw. Drop off the pedicab at the Silver Ingot Bridge( Yinding Bridge ) and walk along the 800-year old Yandai Xiejie ( Tobacco Pipe Lean Street ), and get to the Drum Tower.
Ascending the 67-meter high and two-story Drum Tower dating from 1420 is sure to bring you back to the old Beijing by seeing the big drum tower and having bird’s-eye view of the surrounding communities of hutongs and siheyuan – existing traditional courtyards in Beijing.
Tonight you are arranged to see the Kung Fu Show at Red Theatre (middle Seating Area). This is a great show. It tells a story of Chin Yu entering the monastery and making his way through life to finally becoming the Abbott. There are many demonstrations of Kungfu and strength throughout the show. The costumes and the choreography are great. Unfortunately people are not allowed to take photos nor video it. You can however purchase a DVD of the show. The show lasts about one hour and 15 minutes. After the show, transferred back to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast and a la carte lunch
Day 3 – Beijing
Morning excursion to the most beautiful section of the Great Wall – the Mutianyu Great Wall (2 hours). The hike takes about 2-3 hours. Then visit a Jade Carving Factory, where you can bargain for jade and handicrafts and get to know about Chinese jade culture (40 minutes).
After lunch, continue to visit Changling (1.5 hours), one of the 13 Ming Tombs of the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). Back to the downtown hotel in Beijing.
Meals: Hotel western breakfast and Chinese lunch
Day 4 – Beijing
After breakfast, start your morning tour with the visit to the Summer Place (2 hours), originally a royal garden and a temporary dwelling palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty. Then visit a Pearl market where you’ll have the chance to shop for gifts and souvenirs and get to know pearl culture. (40 minutes).
To avoid the tourist meal, today you have a la carte lunch with an a la carte menu at a nice local Cantonese restaurant, where you could enjoy the authentic Chinese food.
After lunch, head to the Olympic Green (1 hour ) to have an outside look at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. Then go to Capital Museum Beijing (1.5 hours), a five-storey building allowing for a maximum of 13 concurrent exhibitions, English and Japanese services are available. After the day tour, back to your hotel in Beijing.
Meals: Hotel western breakfast and a la carte lunch
Day 5 – Beijing to Xi’an
After breakfast, start your morning tour with the visit to the Temple of Heaven (1.5 hours), the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. Then, transfer to airport for your trip to Xian
Meals: Hotel western breakfast
Transfer to your hotel. Free for rest of the day.
Day 6 – Sightseeing in the city of Xi’an
Pick up from your hotel in Xian. First visit Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. If you love Chinese history, Shaanxi Provincial Museum is a must on your Xian trip. It is one of the four largest museums in China (the other three are Forbidden City Museum, Shanghai Museum and Henan Provincial Museum. It is situated 1km away, northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a giant architectural complex in the Tang-dynasty style. It occupies an area of 70,000 square metres, and the construction area being more than 50,000 square metres. It focuses on the highlights of the Shaanxi culture and depicts the development of the Chinese civilization.
Then move on to Big Goose Pagoda for a visit. Big Goose Pagoda is one of the oldest structures in China. Originally Big Goose Pagoda consisted of a brick structure of five storeys and was about 60 meters high. First built in 589A.D.in the Sui Dynasty. Between AD 701 and AD 704 during the reign of the Empress Wu Zetian five more storeys were added to the pagoda making ten in all. Unfortunately it was damaged during World War II and reduced to seven storeys, which is as it remains today. The Big Goose Pagoda is situated in the Da Ci’en Temple, four kilometers south away from the center of the city. It is one of the city’s most distinctive and outstanding landmarks, possibly the most beautiful building left in Xian today.
After lunch, continue to visit the famous Great Mosque is located in the Muslim Area. For the tourists coming here, the bazaar in the Muslim area is most attractive with a wide area of stalls selling everything. The streets and walkways are full of life. The shopping is great, very cheap and some unusual items we will seldom see anywhere else in China. The Great Mosque in Xian is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China. Unlike most mosques in Middle Eastern or Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xian is completely Chinese in its construction and architectural style, except for some Arabic lettering and decorations.
After visiting the Great Mosque, continue to walk to the Bell Tower. On the way to Bell Tower, just to the northwest of the tower, there is a nice Starbucks. You may have a break for a few minutes there before you climb up the Bell Tower. The coffee at Starbuckcs is on you.
After drinking coffee at Starbucks, you are arranged to ascend the Bell Tower. In Chinese history from Ming Dynasty, each city had a bell tower and a drum tower. The bell was sounded at dawn and the drum at dusk each day in ancient time, a means of telling time. Xian was not exception. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower of Xi’an date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The two are located in the center of the Xian city connecting the four roads from east, south, west and north within the city wall. Atop the Bell Tower you will have a panoramic view of the Xian City; atop the Drum Tower you will have a bird’s eye view of the Muslim Quarters.
After visiting the Bell Tower, you come to the final attraction for today’ sightseeing in Xi’an – The Forest of Stone Steles Xian. Xi’an Forest of Stone Tablets was originally built in 1087. The Forest of Stone Steles in Xi’an holds a big collection of steles in China. It is a classical courtyard styled structure at the site of former Confucian Temple in Sanxue Street, Xian, close to the south gate of Xi’an City Wall. The museum has an area of over 30,000 square meters. It is one of the centers of ancient Chinese stone-engraving classic. It is also the center of the works of art of noted calligraphers of past dynasties. The numerous standing steles likens a forest, hence the name ” Forest of Steles”‘. With a history of over 900 years, it is an art treasure well known at home and abroad.
After the day tour, get to the Shaanxi Grand Opera House around 6:00pm and our tour guide will help you find your seat for the Dumpling dinner within the Opera House. Dumpling, or Jiaozi in Chinese, is one of the most representative Chinese food. The food can be dated back two thousand years ago. It is quite popular in China, and also loved by most of foreign tourists.
Enjoy the jiaozi dinner before and over the Tang Dynasty Show. The Tang Dynasty Show showcases the costumes, music, and dancing of China’s golden age: the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). Return to your downtown hotel in Xian. ( B L D )
End of service. Transferred to your hotel in Xian.
Day 7 – Visit Army of Terra Cotta Warrors and City Wall, and Exit ( B L ) and evening flight to Chongquing and transfer to your hotel.
Pick up from your hotel in Xian. First visit the Terra-cotta Warriors. To visit Army of Terra Cotta Warriors is the main reason why you are here in Xian. You may have already seen its pictures from China travel books or China tour related travel websites. The original site was found by a local farmer drilling a well in 1974. Now it has turned into the most important attraction in Xian – Terracotta Warriors and Horse Museum. It is located about 50km east of the Xian City. The museum includes Pit 1, Pit 2 and Pit 3 as well the exhibition hall of the chariots and horses. The Pit 1 is the largest of the three. The museum and the mausoleum are listed the world’s cultural legacies as the UNESCO.
Typical Xian local flavor lunch will be arranged in a nice restaurant in Lintong County on your way back to the downtown Xian. You will see how chefs make noodles. After lunch, drive back to the city center of Xian and visit the City Wall. The main magnet of Xian is the city wall, which is the most complete city wall that has survived in China as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. It was enlarged in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) from the city wall initially built in Tang Dynasty (618 -907). Now it is 12 meters tall, 12-14 meters wide covering 14 kilometers in length with a deep moat surrounding it. You can walk, even cycle on the wall. Its south gate is the most largest with a suspension bridge. Most of the tourists choose the south gate for sightseeing.
Once your tour has ended, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Phuket Upon arrival to Phuket, you will be transferred to your 4/5 star beachfront hotel
Day 8 – On your own to explore or relax.
Day 9 – June Bahtra – Magical Phang Nga Bay Cruise
You will be picked up from the hotel at approximately 07:30 and be transferred to the embarkation pier at Yacht Haven Marina by air–conditioned bus.
Embark the June Bahtra from a 09:00 departure and enjoy your cruise through the enchanting and breathtaking Phang Nga Bay. Around noon, you will arrive at James Bond Island and continue your journey by long-tail boat through the mangrove delta and the Grotto Cave to the Sea Gypsy village. A delicious Thai buffet lunch is served back on board, then, the afternoon is free to relax, sunbathe and swim.
Cruise back to Phuket Island and transfer to the hotel. You will arrive back in your hotel at approximately 18:00.
Day 10 – On your own to explore or relax.
Day 11 – Flight from Phuket to Bangkok with a transfer to your hotel
Day 12- River Kwai Bridge, Death Railway Tour, Elephant Trek and Bamboo Raft River Cruise From Bangkok
Travel out of Bangkok to lovely Kanchanaburi. This serene paradise of green forest and winding rivers witnessed some of the worst horrors of World War II, being a key point on the infamous Thailand-Burma Railway (Death Railway) and the location of the famous ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’.
Visit the excellent Thailand-Burma Railway Centre to learn more about construction of the Railway by the Japanese Imperial Army. You then have a chance to ride the Railway yourself, a journey that takes you over that famous Kwai Bridge. The scenic trip is a wonderful experience in its own right but even more meaningful when you have learnt the poignant history.
The tour package also includes a scenic river trip by bamboo raft and an exciting elephant trek through the jungle.
Day 13 – Ayutthaya Ancient City Tour and River Cruise From Bangkok
Once the capital of Siam and one of the wealthiest cities in Asia, Ayutthaya is now a splendid ruin. Visit for the day and let the ancient stones tell you tales of a glorious past.
Enjoy the evocative atmosphere of this historic place. See the remains of the temples and royal residences and admire the handsome restored palace of Bang-pa-in.
Stop at the temple of Wat Yai Chai Mongkon with its towering stupa. Absorb the tranquility of its massive sleeping Buddha and sit awhile in the plumeria-scented courtyard filled with countless statues of meditating Buddhas.
You will also see one of the most photographed features of Ayutthaya – the famous Buddha’s head cradled in the roots of a fig tree at Wat Mahathat.
Take the scenic route back to Bangkok – by river. Relax on a comfortable boat and enjoy a delicious buffet lunch while the lovely Thai countryside slips past
Day 14 – Transfer from hotel to the airport to board your flight home.
ASK ABOUT GROUPS RATES
$3,407.00 US per guest based on double occupancy
