11 Day Classic China Tour with Flights

Beijing

After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square, the second-largest public square in the world! Tiananmen Square is named after the Tiananmen (“Gate of Heavenly Peace”) located to the north of the square, separating it from the Forbidden City. The square contains the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the National Museum of China and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong, and holds great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.

Accommodation: Fuyong Yulong Hotel or similar, Beijing
Meals included: breakfast

Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Forbidden City Tour for approx. AU$87 per person

The Forbidden City is the best-preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. On this tour, you’ll enter the Forbidden City to learn the Imperial era of Chinese History.

• Peking Duck Dinner for approx. AU$42 per person

An authentic Peking Duck Banquet served with traditional accompaniments.

Beijing

Today’s highlight is an excursion to the majestic Great Wall at Juyong Pass. This is one of the three most famous passes along the Great Wall of China, together with Jiayuguan and Shanhaiguan. 60 km from downtown Beijing, Juyong Pass was the northern route to Beijing in ancient times. Once here, there is plenty of time to learn about the wall’s constriction and you’ll have the chance to climb a portion of this 6,000 km marvel. On the way back to Beijing, we stop at one of the largest jade exhibitions in Asia. Then, after lunch, see skilled artisans at work at a Cloisonné Factory. Cloisonné is famous traditional enamelware, known as the ‘Blue of Jingtai’ in China, with a history of over 500 years.

Accommodation: Fuyong Yulong Hotel or similar, Beijing
Meals included: breakfast

Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Musical Performance for approx. AU$81 per person.

The large-scale poetic dancing drama, Golden Mask Dynasty Show, is based on a legendary age in China. The Golden Mask Dynasty Show incorporates dancing, lighting and acoustics, acrobatics and some magnificent costumes to recreate the wonderful legend.

Beijing

Enjoy a tour to the Summer Palace, the largest preserved ancient garden in China and a former summer resort for Emperors followed by a visit to the Chinese Herbal Institute. Here, you will learn about traditional Chinese medicine as you enjoy a rejuvenating foot massage which has existed for thousands of years.

Accommodation: Fuyong Yulong Hotel or similar, Beijing
Meals included: breakfast

Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Hutong Life & Panda House Tour for approx. 87 per person

On this tour, you can explore around the intricate winding hutongs to admire the old courtyards. They are maze-like and deep and exactly as they were a long time ago. You are invited to visit a local family’s house to experience authentic Beijing life. Next, visit the Panda House in Beijing Zoo to see China’s adorable national treasure – the Giant Panda.

Wuxi

Take a high-speed train to Wuxi, an ancient city richly endowed with natural attractions. Wuxi boasts a reputation for being the ‘Land of Fish and Rice’. Enjoy the scenery as we pass by Lake Tai, the third-largest freshwater lake in China. This evening, we will stroll along the trendy yet traditional Nanchang Street composed of both ancient and modern architecture juxtaposed with the peacefulness of the waterside town and fashionable life of Wuxi.

Accommodation: Wuxi International Hotel or similar, Wuxi
Meals included: breakfast

Suzhou

This morning visit one of the largest freshwater pearl exhibitions in the country.

After lunch, travel by coach to Suzhou, an extraordinarily elegant city with its canals, stone bridges, and meticulously designed gardens. Suzhou has been referred to as ‘Paradise on Earth’ by Chinese poets and writers since ancient times. It is also known as the ‘Garden City’ due to its many classical gardens, renowned for their charming natural beauty. Visit the Lingering Garden, which is among the finest in China.

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Taihu Lake or similar, Suzhou
Meals included: breakfast

Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Grand Canal Cruise for approx. AU$42 per person

Enjoy a cruise along the ancient canal from the city to the picturesque Grand Canal, which is the best way to appreciate the stunning views of a water town.

• Western Buffet Dinner for approx. AU$53 per person

Enjoy a sumptuous western style buffet dinner at your hotel, a relaxing way to wind down at the end of the day.

Hangzhou

This morning visit a silk spinning mill and learn how silk is created from mulberry-munching silkworms to produce the finest thread and cloth.

After lunch, travel by coach to Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as “the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world”. Upon arrival, take a boat ride on the serene West Lake, noted for its scenic beauty which blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites.

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Xiaoshan or similar, Hangzhou
Meals included: breakfast

 Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Impression West Lake for approx. AU$87 per person

Staged entirely upon the lake itself, Impression West Lake (Enduring Memories of Hangzhou), directed by Zhang Yimou, is a grand open-air show of light, music, dance and theatrics. First initiated in 2007, Impression West Lake deploys the lake and its surroundings as props to create a life-like charming background. Through the vividly performed folklores and myths of Hangzhou, Impression West Lake highly exhibits the deep-rooted culture and natural beauty of Hangzhou. 

Shanghai

Experience tea-tasting at the Dragon Well Tea Plantation.

Then travel by coach to Shanghai, a vibrant metropolis and the commercial centre of China. Upon arrival, walk along the famous Bund, a mile-long stretch along the Huangpu River. Lined with the colonial architecture of European design, it is the best place to capture the Western influences of the old days. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure strolling along the bustling shopping district, Nanjing Road.

Accommodation: Venus International Hotel or similar, Shanghai
Meals included: breakfast

 Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Huangpu River Cruise for approx. AU$53 per person

The Huangpu River offers intriguing views of the Bund, Pudong and riverfront activity. Experience the Bund from a different perspective with a river cruise experience. Gaze at the eclectic group of architectural styles that make up the striking Shanghai skyline from the water.

Shanghai

This morning, visit the Shanghai Museum to see ancient Chinese art, furniture and jade. The rest of the afternoon is at your own leisure, or you may join our optional programs.

Accommodation: Venus International Hotel or similar, Shanghai
Meals included: breakfast

Optional activities at an additional cost. To be booked and paid for locally in Chinese Yuan cash.

• Shanghai Insight Tour for approx. AU$53 per person

This tour takes you to Lujiazui Financial & Trade zone, where the Jinmao Tower is located. Jinmao is with 88 stories reaching a height of 420.5 meters and 290,000 square meter construction area, it literally means “Gold Luxuriance Building” in Chinese. Find the perfect combination of traditional Chinese architectural style and the world’s modern architectural technology. After this, we will visit another famous site in Shanghai – Xi’tian’di. It is a historical and cultural character of the city tourism attraction, its unique Shikumen Shanghai-based urban construction attracts people from around the globe to explore this special leisure area.

• Chinese Acrobatic Show for approx. AU$81 per person

As a multimillion-dollar stunning acrobatic extravaganza, the first of its kind in China, ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. Just like Shanghai, ERA evolves through a constant collision between the past and future.

Shanghai  Australia

Conclude your memorable tour with a transfer to the airport for your onward flight via connecting cities.

Meals included: breakfast and inflight

Australia

Arrive home today.

Meals included: inflight only