Discover the wonders of China and Hong Kong on this 17 Day odyssey. Explore the Forbidden City and Beijing’s famous sights, then embark on a four night cruise of the Yangtze River. Visit the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an and travel to exciting Shanghai and visit the canal city of Suzhou. One of the tour’s highlights is a Li River cruise from Guilin, taking in the beautiful riverside landscapes and evocative scenery.
Day 1. Arrive Beijing
Upon arrival in China’s bustling capital, you’ll be met at the airport by an APT representative and transferred to your luxurious hotel. After settling in, the remainder of today is yours at leisure. Perhaps relax, or step out for a wander along nearby Wangfujing Street, one of Beijing’s most famous shopping streets. Later this evening, get to know your APT Tour Director and fellow travellers at a Welcome Reception.
Day 2. Beijing
Your sightseeing begins today with a tour of Tian’anmen Square. Enlarged to four times its original size in the 1950s, Tian’anmen is today the world’s largest city square. After the tour, head to the World Heritage-listed Forbidden City, the largest surviving palace complex on earth. Located within the Imperial City of Beijing, the Forbidden City was home to 24 Chinese emperors between 1420 and 1924. Entrance to the city was once at the sole discretion of the emperor, but today visitors are able to access what is probably the best-preserved site of classical Chinese architecture. After time to look around, you’ll head to the Summer Palace, built by Empress Dowager Cixi following the destruction of the Old Summer Palace by French and British troops in 1860. Here you’ll find a variety of palaces, gardens and pavilions as well as Longevity Hill and the man-made Kunming Lake. Tonight, indulge in a Peking Duck banquet with all the traditional accompaniments in a private room at the Quanjude Restaurant.
Day 3. Beijing, Great Wall of China, Freedom of Choice Touring
Today after breakfast, you’ll set out for Huairou County and the Great Wall of China, which winds its way from the Yellow Sea up into the Gobi Desert for more than 6,000 kilometres. On the way, visit a jade factory for an insight into the 6,000 year-old craft of grinding and polishing these revered stones. Afterwards, stop at the Ming Dynasty Tombs, where thirteen Ming Dynasty Emperors are buried. Later, arrive at one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall of China, the Mutianyu section. Here, board a cable car and enjoy great views of the wall, the surrounding mountains and the village of Mutianyu as you travel up to the top of the wall. Enjoy time to walk along the wall before returning back to the ground by cable car. After dinner at leisure back in Beijing this evening, choose to attend either a Peking Opera show at Qianmen Liyuan Theatre or take in a Kung Fu Show at the Red Theatre.
Day 4. Beijing, Yichang, Embark Cruise
After breakfast this morning, hop on a rickshaw for a guided sightseeing tour through the hutongs (narrow streets or alleys) of Old Beijing. Explore the maze of historic alleyways with old single-storey traditional courtyard houses and visit the home of a local family. Afterwards, transfer to the airport and fly to Yichang, enjoying lunch during the flight. On arrival in Yichang, an important river port city on the Yangtze River, transfer to your river ship.
Day 5. Three Gorges Dam, Xiling Gorge
This morning set off on your cruise along the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges region, considered by many to be China’s most picturesque area. This morning, perhaps attend a lecture on the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. After lunch, arrive at the dam itself and take a tour of what was the world’s largest engineering project. Completed in 2008, the dam is the world’s largest electricity-generating plant of any kind. Later, cruise through the longest of the three gorges, Xiling Gorge. Here, you’ll pass through Yellow Ox Gorge and under Huangling Temple, built between 770 BC - 476 BC and set today amid groves of orange and pomelo trees. After the Captain’s Welcome Reception this evening enjoy a Welcome Dinner followed by a crew show.
Day 6. Shennong Stream, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge
This morning following breakfast, disembark your river ship at Badong and transfer by ferry to a traditional sampan (longboat). As you cruise on this longboat, poled by local Tujia boatman, you’re able to absorb the serenity of the river and take in the crystalline waters, rich surrounding forest and towering rock formations from up close. After lunch back on board your river ship, continue to tranquil Wu Gorge, noted for its sheer peaks and cliff faces. Later this afternoon, your ship will pass between two majestic cliffs on entry to Qutang Gorge, the shortest, narrowest and most dramatic of the Three Gorges. This afternoon, perhaps attend an arts and crafts demonstration on board.
Day 7. Fengdu
This morning, you might choose to rise early and participate in a Tai Chi class atop the Observation Deck. Following breakfast, disembark for a tour of Fengdu, a graceful little ‘Ghost City’ that lies at the foothill of the mountains right by the river. It’s noted for its bustling markets and the many Buddha and Tao temples gathered on Ming Mountain. After time to explore, re-board your ship and continue cruising. This afternoon, you may like to attend a Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy demonstration, learn how to play the ancient game of Mahjong, learn a few words of Mandarin or participate in a dumpling-making session, run by the ship’s chef.
Day 8. Chongqing, Disembark Ship, Xi’an, Dine Around Dinner
After breakfast, disembark in Chongqing, a strategic port since ancient times. Here, you’ll head to the famous Chongqing Zoo, where more than 200 varieties of wild and rare animals are on display, including the Giant Pandas. Afterwards, visit a local restaurant for an authentic hotpot lunch, before transferring to the airport for your flight to historic Xi’an. This evening, choose from a western-style buffet dinner at Azur Restaurant or sample Chinese specialities at Le Chinois.
Day 9. Xi’an, Terracotta Army
This morning tour the City Wall of Xi’an, one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Then travel via a nearby clay factory, where replica Terracotta Warriors are made, to the site of the Terracotta Army, an incredible collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China. After lunch, explore the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses - built on the site of the three excavation pits where the sculptures were buried. Today, exclusive to APT guests, you’ll also receive a book on the Terracotta Army signed by one of the farmers that discovered it. Afterwards, take in a movie on the history of the army then return to Xi’an. Tonight enjoy a Tang Dynasty singing and dancing show and a dumpling banquet.
Day 10. Xi’an, Shanghai, Dine Around Dinner
Exclusive to APT, travel to Anwu Village this morning. Here, get a feel for the local culture of a typical northern Chinese rural village as you visit the local dairy farm and a primary school. After lunch, return to Xi’an, transfer to the airport and fly to Shanghai. On arrival, check in to your hotel, overlooking the Huangpu River. This evening, perhaps enjoy a meal of Chinese at the Dragon Phoenix restaurant or head to the Mosaic Café at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland for a delicious buffet dinner of international cuisine.
Day 11. Shanghai
Enjoy a stroll on the Bund, this morning, a famous stretch of riverfront which houses buildings of various styles including Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco. Later, visit the Shanghai Art Museum, with its five floors of display rooms featuring both modern and traditional works, then cruise the Huangpu River, which runs through the heart of the city. Afterwards, explore Yu Garden, one of the most lavish Chinese gardens in the region, and look around Shanghai’s Old City, in which the garden is set. After dinner at leisure, enjoy premium seating at a thrilling acrobatic show.
Day 12. Zhujiajiao, Suzhou, Freedom of Choice Touring, Shanghai
Today’s touring begins with a cruise through the ancient water village of Zhujiajiao, on the outskirts of Shanghai. Afterwards, travel by coach to Suzhou, located on the shores of Taihu Lake. On arrival here, visit the No. 1 Silk Factory and enjoy a picnic lunch in the World Heritage-listed Humble Administrator’s Garden. After lunch, enjoy time to explore the garden, set over more than 12 acres and considered the finest garden in southern China. Alternatively, enjoy a tour of Pingjiang Lu, a canal-lined street not far from the heart of the city’s Old Town. Later, return to Shanghai and enjoy a dinner of contemporary French cuisine at Mr and Mrs Bund, overlooking the Bund and the Huangpu River.
Day 13. Shanghai, Guilin, Dine Around Dinner
After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure before transferring to Shanghai airport in the afternoon for your flight to Guilin. On arrival in Guilin, transfer from the airport to your hotel, located near the pretty Li River. Tonight, enjoy an international buffet dinner at the Li Café or enjoy a set menu of Chinese specialities at Shang Place.
Day 14. Guilin, Li River Cruise
After breakfast today, enjoy a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo along the picturesque Li River. On the way, you’ll pass an array of karst peaks, bamboo groves, rice paddies, quaint fishing villages and lush fields. Keep an eye out for fishermen on rafts using cormorants to do their fishing, see water buffalos grazing and listen as the on-board commentary tells of several mystical tales from the region’s ancient past. After lunch on board, disembark for a visit to Yangshuo before returning by coach to Guilin. This evening, enjoy a dinner of the famous local rice noodles.
Day 15. Reed Flute Cave, Hong Kong
Travel to Reed Flute Cave this morning, named after the reeds growing outside that are used for making flutes. On a tour, venture inside the cave to discover a world of various stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations that are illuminated by coloured lighting. Hear tales and legends about the formations and see the inscriptions on the cave walls, said to be travelogues and poems derived from the Tang Dynasty. Afterwards, visit Fubo Hill, a shear-sided rock situated in a park that contains historical stone carvings and Buddhist inscriptions. Then transfer to the airport for your flight to Hong Kong.
Day 16. Hong Kong, Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning after breakfast, choose from two half-day sightseeing tours. On the Hong Kong Island tour, you’ll: ride the Peak Tram up one of the world’s oldest and most famous funicular railways to Victoria Peak, 396 metres above sea level, where spectacular city views await; wander through bustling Stanley Market; and travel to Aberdeen Harbour, where hundreds of people live on fishing junks, dramatically juxtaposed against the modern high-rises spread over the nearby hillsides. Alternatively, on a New Territories tour, you’ll: visit the Bamboo Forest Monastery, nestled in the tranquil foothills above Tsuen Wan; take in superb views from Tai Mo Shan Lookout, atop Hong Kong’s highest peak; visit the 900 year-old villages of Shui Tau and Shui Mei; and enjoy the tranquillity of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. After your selected activity, enjoy this afternoon at leisure to further explore. This evening, enjoy a special Farewell Dinner atop Victoria Peak at the Pearl on the Peak, offering spectacular panoramic views of the Hong Kong skyline lit up at night.
Day 17. Depart Hong Kong
After breakfast this morning, your tour draws to its conclusion and you’ll be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
