15 Days Journey to Homeland: Shanghai Hangzhou Yiwu Huangshan Xi’an and Beijing
This 15-day China tour offers you the chance to travel from south of China to north and see both the natural scenery and historical sites. We combine the golden triangle tours with the stunning mountain sceneries and aim to provide you a cultural, natural and historical China tour.
Trip Highlights
- Bring back your memories of childhood in Disneyland Park
- Take a relaxing boat cruise at Nanxun Water Town
- Spend overnight on Yellow Mountain top to see the sunset and sunrise
Customizable Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Shanghai Arrival
Welcome to Shanghai, the first stop of your China tour. It is a metropolis of China where you could see many skyscrapers. Upon arrival, a warm smile will await you and our guide and driver will transfer you to the hotel. After the check-in, rest in the hotel.
Meals: No meal, advice freely available
- Hotels: Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai
Day 2 Shanghai Disneyland Park
Today you will not need a guide. You will enjoy yourselves in the park.
Feature Dinner Option: Nan Xiang Mantou Dian, Green Wave Gallery, Lost Heaven-Yunnan Restaurant Bund Branch
Optional evening activity: Era Time or Shangcheng Acrobatic Show
- Meals: Breakfast,
- Hotels: Les Suites Orient, Bund Shanghai
Day 3 Highlights Tour in Shanghai and Bullet Train to Hangzhou
Yuyuan Garden enjoys a history over 400 years and is famous for its beautiful scenery, elegant layout, and delightful pavilions, pagodas, pools, bridges, and rockeries. It is an enjoyment to have a leisure walk in it. Close to Yuyuan Market, it is the City God Temple. City God Temple of shanghai attracts the visitors with all kinds of tasty snacks around rather than the statues of immortals inside. Feast your stomach with the local snacks here. Once a textile mill in Shanghai, now Shanghai M50 Art Community is a paradise for art lover. Pay a visit to it and immerse yourself into the world of art.
With the world’s fastest elevator, you will go from the bottom to the observation deck of Shanghai Tower within a minute. The night view is even more beautiful.
After the tour, the guide and driver will escort you to the train station for the bullet train to Hangzhou.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake
Day 4 Best Sights of Hangzhou
Embraced by mountains on three sides and connected with a romantic legend, West Lake becomes the popular subject of many poets and painters. A boat cruise in the lake is very aggregable, especially when the breeze blows through your face.
With a long history and stunning scenery, Lingyin Temple attracts visitors and Buddhists faithful from all over the world. Hidden in the hills makes it very tranquil. Adjoining to it, it is the Peak Flown From Afar, a place full of Buddhist mood and that clam down your mood.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Taste Known Restaurant with a la carte menu
Feature Dinner Option: Lou Wai Lou Restaurant Gushan Road Branch, Grandma's Restaurant Hubin Branch, XinBai Lu Restaurant Longyou Road Branc, Zhangshengji Restaurant with a la carte menu
Optional evening activity: Enduring Memories of Hangzhou
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake
Day 5 Nanxun Water Town with boat cruise
Thanks to the less fame than other water towns in South China, Nanxun Water Town maintains its original culture, architectures and tranquility. It was once the richest of the ancient water towns, thanks to its silk production industry. Take a boat cruise to relax yourselves and enjoy the beautiful singing of the boatman. The water town wedding ceremony is unmissable.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake
Day 6 Day tour to Yiwu SWI
Our guide will pick up you in the morning. Then we will drive you to Yiwu SWI (about 2 hours), we will start our visiting: meet the children and director of the orphanage, have a brief understanding about the condition of the orphanage, check the file of your child. We will have a lunch with the staff in the orphanage. After that, we will visit the finding site of your child; meet the foster family if possible. Then we will drive you back to the Hangzhou.
Note: The contents of the visit shall be subject to the actual situation and we can arrange your return visit at your request.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
Day 7 Train to Huangshan Cable Car Up
Go to Huangshan by bullet train today. Huangshan is famous for the Yellow Mountain and the heritage villages. The Huangshan guide will wait for you at the exit with your name sign. You will go directly from the train station to the Huangshan Scenic Area. Take the cable car up to save your energy.
After some rest in the hotel, you will visit the West Sea Grand Canyon. Immerse yourself in the world of unique formations of stones, rocks and peaks, and lush pine trees in West Sea Grand Canyon. Also hike down or up along the thrilling stone steps to enjoy the breathtaking view that change with your steps.
Note: There is at least an hour walking from the cable car station to the hotel.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Xihai Hotel
Day 8 Sunrise and Xidi Village
Set your alarm clock, be ready with your camera and get up earlier to enjoy your beautiful sunrise at the Lion Peak.
After breakfast in the hotel, walk about an hour again back to the cable car station. Overlook the scenery below when taking the cable car. Drive about an hour to one of the heritage village, Xidi Village. What draws your attention first at the entrance of the village is the magnificent memorial archway built in mid-Ming Dynasty. The villagers of Xidi now still live a peaceful life in their local-featured houses.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Pig's Heaven Inn Bishan
Day 9 World Cultural Heritages Tour and Flight to Xi'an
Today you will visit another ancient village of Huangshan area, Nanping Village. Besides the normal visit like a tourist, you will visit a local family, pick up vegetables in the local garden and learn to make some local dishes with the host. The dishes made on your own will be the lunch for you later. Drive back to the city area to have a leisure walk in Tunxi Ancient Street. Experience the Huizhou culture, immerse yourself in the tea fragrance and taste the local snacks here.
Drive to the airport for the flight to Xi’an, the representative of China’s history.
- Meals: Breakfast,
- Hotels: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian
Day 10 Terra-Cotta Warriors and Clay Warriors Making
As the guards of Qin shi Huang, the first feudal emperor in Chinese history, Terracotta Armies were huge and orderly. Uncover the mysterious veil of this historical site with the introduction of the guide. You will be amazed by these fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans. You cannot bring home the real figure of the Terra-Cotta Warriors. However, you will have the chance to bring home your own work by making the Small Clay Warriors in Cave Dwelling.
After lunch, drive back to the city area to the hub of the Muslim community in Xi'an City, Muslim Quarter. There are so many snacks, so there's always one for you. Follow on is the visit to one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China, Great Mosque. It is quite tranquil though in the bustling street.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at local restaurant near the Terra-Cotta Warriors scenic area with a la carte menu
Feature Dinner option: Defachang Dumpling Restaurant, Lao Sun Jia Muslim Restaurant, First Noodle under the Sun
Optional evening activity: Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show with Dumpling Banquet
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian
Day 11 City Wall Biking Tour and Dumpling Making, Bullet Train to Beijing
Chinese city walls were built as the defense systems to protect the cities or towns in China. Xi’an Ancient City Wall embodied the defense function perfectly. With a history of more than 1400 years, this ancient city wall witnessed the prosperity and depression of the city and today it is a landmark of Xi’an. Bike riding on the wall is included.
After a quick touch of the Xi’an history, you will get to know the local life and eating culture by taking a dumpling making lesson in a local family and chat with the locals. You will enjoy the dumplings made by yourself with the locals after the lesson. Then drive about 40 minutes to Xi’an North train station. A bullet train travel is arranged for you to experience the development of China. Go directly to the hotel for check-in upon arrival.
After the tour, a bullet train travel will take you to Beijing, the capital of China.
- Meals: Breakfast,
- Hotels: Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 12 Highlights of Beijing and Paper-cut in Hutong Family
After a sound sleep in the hotel, you will explore the Tian’anmen Square, the center of Beijing and the largest urban open square in the world. Walking through Tian’anmen Square, you will tour the Forbidden City. It was home for 24 Emperors from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
After lunch, take a short visit to Jingshan Park where you can get a nice shot of one watchtower of Forbidden City and take a panoramic view of Forbidden City. Walk around the Hutongs and visit the Hutong family and you will experience the “old” Beijing in the new Beijing. Try your hands at the paper cutting at the end of the tour. The teacher will teach you cut some Chinese characters or animals with a pairs of scissors, which you can bring home as souvenirs.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Jindingxuan Dim Sum Restaurant with a la carte menu
Feature Dinner option: Peking Roast Duck(Dadong Peking Duck, Qianmen Quanjude Peking Duck), Fangshan Restaurant, Mei Family Restaurant, Bai Family Restaurant)
Optional evening activity: Peking Opera, Kungfu Show
Note: It takes about 3 hours walking in the Forbidden City. You can ask the guide to stop for some rest if you are tired.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 13 Mutianyu Great Wall and Taichi Learning in Temple of Heaven
After a taste of Chinese history and culture on the first day, you will first visit the most complete existing temple structure in China, Temple of Heaven. A Taichi lesson is arranged here for you to experience the charm of Chinese martial art. Famed for its tightly woven chain of watchtowers and excellent views, Mutianyu Great Wall is easy to reach from the city, less crowded than Badaling, and is well set up for families, with a cable car, a chairlift and a toboggan ride.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 14 Summer Palace, Bird Nest and Water Cube and Panjiayuan Antique Market
Since Chengdu (home to giant pandas) is not in the list, Beijing Zoo is a good substitute for you to see the cute pandas – national treasure of China. It is home to around 450 different species and has a population of some 5,000 animals. Drive about 15km from the city center and take in the stunning view in the imperial summer resort, Summer Palace. Except for the chilly winter, boat cruise is usually available in the Kunming Lake, which allows you a different angle to see the garden.
Olympic Green is the major site where the 2008 Summer Olympic Games was held. Have an exterior view of the Bird Nest and Water Cube and take a picture with this important landmark of Beijing.
Continue your tour to Panjiayuan Antique Market, which is a great market to find antiques and other interesting curios. Be prepared to bargain hard.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 15 Beijing Departure
Your China ends today and you will go to the airport with the escort of the guide and driver at the confirmed time. The guide will not weave the hands to you until you finish the check-in.
- Meals: Breakfast,
Price Includes
- In-country transportationas noted in the itinerary.
- Admission fees and activity expenses as noted in the itinerary.
- Luxury or boutique hotels centrally located.
- Meals in local restaurants as noted in the itinerary with complimentary drinking water.
- Your own English-speaking guide service.
- Your own chauffeur and vehicle service.
Price Excludes
- International transportation.
- Chinese tourist visa. (which enquired for most foreign passport holders)
- Travel and medical insurance.
- Meals, snacks, alcohol, etc. apart from those included in the itinerary.
- Excess baggage charges.
- Personal expenses.
- Sights, excursions and activities not included in the itinerary.
- Gratuities to guide and driver.
ANY QUESTIONS?
This tour is tailor-made and we can tailor to meet your reqeusts. Your personal travel consultant will contact you within 24 working hours!
GREAT FAMILY CHINA TOUR
JULY 2024 We wanted to thank Grace at China Culture tour for organizing a great tour of China. We enjoyed our Beijing - Xian-Chengdu -Guilin -Yangshuo - Shanghai trip. Our local guides Bruce in Beijing, Susan in Xian, Jane in Chengdu, Mike in Guilin and Mary in Shanghai took care of us…read more details »
Teng Han L from SINGAPORE
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