12 Days tour to world of ice and snow: Beijing-Harbin-Xi’an-Shanghai
This 12-day suggested bullet train travel offers you an in-depth discovery of Northern China, covering the must-sees in each city, like Great Wall in Beijing, Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, world of ice in Harbin and the Bund in Shanghai.
Trip Highlights
- In-depth exploration of the Forbidden City
- Immerse yourself in the ice world
- Dumpling making experience in a local family
- Stroll on the Bund and appreciate its collection of 1930s buildings
Customizable Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Beijing, private transfer from the airport to the hotel
Nihao! Welcome to Beijing, one of the ‘must-see’ city for first time travelers. Upon your arrival, you will be met by CCT’s private guide and driver, who will escort you to your hotel.
Meals: No meal, advice freely available
- Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 2 Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City (closed on every Monday), Jingshan Park, Walking tour in Hutong with Family Visit
Look like you are ready with full energy after the sound sleep. Today, we will start with Tian’anmen Square, where the five-star red flag is raised every day. The flag-raising ceremony is very popular and a must-see for many Chinese visitors.
Walking through Tian’anmen Square, you will tour the Forbidden City. Once home to emperors in Ming and Qing Dynasty, it is now converted to a big, bewitching ancient Chinese culture and art museum, named Palace Museum, with numerous precious collections and relics. After Forbidden City exploration, 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.
After that, you will walk around in Hutongs. By walking in the Hutongs and visiting the Hutong family, you will experience the “old” Beijing in the New Beijing.
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: Kung Fu Show or Peking Opera
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 3 Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall with round ways cable car or one way cable car up and slide way down
Are you still excited after the first day tour? Get up earlier to join in the morning exercises with the locals in Temple of Heaven. It is the most complete existing temple structure in China, which used to be the place for emperors offering sacrifices to the gods of Heaven. Do you feel that you still have something important to do in Beijing? You are right, the Great Wall, one of the seven wonders in the world. Driving about 1.5 hours, you will visit the Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. The sceneries on the Great Wall changes with the change of the seasons. You will not regret.
After the tour, your guide and driver will transfer you back to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Xin Shuang Quan Restaurant with a la carte menu
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 4 Summer Palace with cruise, Yonghegong Lama Temple, Temple of Confucius, Guozijian Ancient Imperial School
After breakfast, drive to the outskirts of Beijing to spend an enjoyable time in the Summer Palace, one of the World Heritages in Beijing. You will visit the park with the Garden of Virtue and Harmony and have a 10 minutes' boat cruise on the Kunming Lake if you like. Lunch will be arranged in a local restaurant near the Summer Palace. By visiting Yonghegong Lama Temple, you will see the largest wooden Buddha in China and the world. Many Chinese people go to pray in this temple, especially during the weekend. Close by are Temple of Confucius and Guozijian Ancient Imperial School. Guozijian is the only existing ancient imperial central college in Beijing.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Dayali Restaurant with a la carte menu
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Regent Beijing, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel
Day 5 Private transfer to the train station in Beijing. Private transfer from the train station to the hotel in Harbin
It is time to weave your hands to your Beijing guide and driver after lunch. Take an 8 hours’ bullet train to Harbin, a world of ice and snow. Our Harbin guide is already there when you arrive. They are ready to transfer you to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
- Meals: Breakfast,
- Hotels: Shangri-La Hotel (the best hotel in Harbin ), Sofitel Wanda Harbin, Jingu Hotel
Day 6 Siberian Tiger Park, Sun Island Scenic Area, The Ice and Snow World
Today, you will start the Harbin tour by visiting the largest breeding center in the world for Siberian tigers, Siberian Tiger Park. Here you can see about 100 purebred Siberian tigers roaming freely inside the park. Sun Island Park is a major sight of Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. In winter during the festival, the park becomes a wonderful snow world with many snow sculptures of various sizes created by Chinese and international artists. In summer the park is a big recreational center. Artists from China and aboard gather together to create a galaxy of ice and snow sculptures which looks even more beautiful at night in The Ice and Snow World during the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at the local restaurant with a la carte menu
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Shangri-La Hotel (the best hotel in Harbin ), Sofitel Wanda Harbin, Jingu Hotel
Day 7 Central Pedestrian Street, Winter Swimming Watching, Stalin Park, private transfer to the airport in Harbin. Private transfer from the airport to the hotel in Xi’an
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Central Pedestrian Street. It is the most prosperous street in Harbin and considered an architectural art gallery, with buildings of the most influential western architectural styles, such as Baroque and Byzantine, lining both sides. Watch the exciting winter swimming, one of the most popular activities in winter among Harbin people. Your Harbin tour ends by a leisure walk in Stalin Park, where you could see Harbin Flood Control Memorial Tower in the middle. After the Harbin tour, you will take a direct flight to Xi’an, where you will be met by your Xi’an guide and driver.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at the local restaurant with a la carte menu
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Sofitel Legend Peoples Grand Hotel Xian, Wyndham Grand Xian South
Day 8 Terra-Cotta Warriors with Golf car, Muslim Quarter, Great Mosque
Xi’an tells the history of China. Today, your Xi’an guide will show you to the seven wonder of the world, Terra-Cotta Warriors Museum. You will be amazed by the delicate craftsmanship, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years. Xian's Muslim Quarter is a good place to stroll day or night to shop or soak up the unique atmosphere of this historic area. In this area, you will also find a quiet place hidden in the bustling Muslim Street, the Great Mosque. This Mosque is famous not only for its centuries-old history but also for its particular design of mixed architecture - traditional Muslim and Chinese styles.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Real Love Qin Culture Themed Restaurant
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, Wyndham Grand Xian South
Day 9 Xi’an City Wall, Dumpling making in local family,private transfer to the train station in Xi’an. Private transfer from the train station to the hotel in Shanghai
After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby. You will tour the ancient City Wall. It's the most completed city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Here you can go biking on the City Wall to get to different sites for one hour on this non-traffic wall. Follow on is a dumpling making lesson in a local family. You will enjoy the dumplings made by yourself with the locals after the lesson.
After that, you will be transferred to the train station in Xi’an. You will take the bullet train to your next Stop, Shanghai. Our guide and driver will wait for you at the exit and escort you to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch in the local family
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel, Grand Central Hotel Shanghai, Central Hotel Shanghai
Day 10 Fuxing Park, Yuyuan Garden (close on every Monday), City God Temple, Shanghai Tower, the Bund
Welcome to Shanghai for the sightseeing. Do some morning exercises, Taichi, badminton, singing or dancing in Fuxing Park in the morning. After the morning exercise, you will visit a classic man-made garden, Yuyuan Garden. Although repaired for many times, each hall, pavilion, stream, stone and so on in the garden expresses the essence of the landscape design of the Ming and Qing Dynasty in Southern China. Follow on is the visit to Shanghai City God Temple (Chenghuang Miao), a Taoist temple known for its long history and grand architecture. You can also find a range of shops, restaurants, teahouses at the temple area.
After lunch, you will visit Currently China's tallest building (and the second tallest in the world), Shanghai Tower. It is a great place to overview Shanghai city and the Bund from its top floor. Today’s tour will end with a leisure walk along the Bund.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at Xiangyefu Teahouse Restaurant with a la carte menu
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, Lunch,
- Hotels: Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel, Grand Central Hotel Shanghai, Central Hotel Shanghai
Day 11 Day tour to Tongli Water Town with cruise
Besides the city tour in Shanghai, you today will take a one day Tongli Water Town tour in Suzhou. Tongli has a history of more than 1000 years and it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for its beautiful winding rivers, historic bridges, and ancient residences. You will also have a boat cruise there.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch at the local restaurant in Tongli Water Town with a la carte menu
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch,
- Hotels: Shanghai Fairmont Peace Hotel, Grand Central Hotel Shanghai, Central Hotel Shanghai
Day 12 Private transfer from the hotel to the airport in Shanghai, exit China
Be ready to pack you bag and go home with beautiful memories of the China tour. Our guide and driver will escort you to the airport and help you do the check-in. Farewell.
Meals: Breakfast
- Meals: Breakfast,
Price Includes
Price Excludes
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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