13-Day Panoramic Tour Along the Yangtze River

Upon the landing of your flight, our tour guide will wait for you in the airport arrival hall, holding a welcome sign with a warm smile to greet your arrival. Then, the tour guide and private driver will escort you to the hotel.

After breakfast, our tour guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and start exploring the historic city of Beijing. First, we head to Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world. Next, cross the square to arrive at the Forbidden City, a palace with nearly ten thousand rooms that once housed twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, a miracle of architecture and history. Afterward, we will walk to Jingshan Park, where you can overlook the magnificent view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan Hill.

Lunch Recommendation: Enjoy lunch at a popular restaurant and experience authentic Chinese cuisine.

After lunch, drive to Houhai Lake, an excellent location to explore Beijing's history and unique charm. Take a rickshaw ride through Beijing's hutongs, which will give you a leisurely experience of old Beijing's flavor, as you visit traditional quadrangle courtyard houses and local residents' homes, immersing you in the traditional Beijing lifestyle. The rickshaw tour of hutongs will end at Drum Tower and Bell Tower, two ancient buildings that were once important places for official timekeeping in ancient China. After a day of sightseeing, you will be taken to the hotel to rest.

After breakfast, drive to the Temple of Heaven, where as you explore this magnificent complex of buildings and gardens, you will find that the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the most famous building in the Temple of Heaven, the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held blessing ceremonies. The Circular Mound Altar, where the emperor offered sacrifices to Heaven on the Winter Solstice, is also a major highlight.

In the early morning, many local residents gather in the pine and cypress forest, and you will have the opportunity to watch Chinese kung fu, tai chi, square dancing, etc., and meet real folk masters.

In the afternoon, ascend the Mutianyu Great Wall, which not only avoids crowds but also truly experiences the charm of nature. You can choose to hike or take a cable car to Tower 14, where you can overlook the Great Wall. With the breeze gently blowing, its majesty and natural beauty are awe-inspiring. At this moment, snap a photo to capture this happy moment.

After breakfast, we will take you to the Summer Palace, known as the "Royal Garden Museum." As one of China's best-preserved royal gardens, the Summer Palace cleverly integrates the essence of Chinese painting, poetry, and literature. Here, you will have the opportunity to admire the sparkling Kunming Lake, the beautifully painted corridors, and the magnificent Buddha Tower. After visiting the Summer Palace, your tour guide will accompany you to Beijing West Railway Station to take the high-speed train to Xi'an (approximately 5 hours). Upon arrival at Xi'an North Railway Station, a local tour guide will greet you and escort you to the hotel.

After breakfast, we will take you to explore the Terracotta Army, known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." Ordered by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, these terracotta statues, more than 8,000 life-sized figures of warriors, horses, and chariots, buried in three pits, will allow you to appreciate the vivid images of these warriors up close and listen to their stories spanning over two thousand years, learning how to make clay statues with your own hands.

In the afternoon, you will visit one of the largest and best-preserved bell towers in China. By climbing up the Bell Tower, you can overlook the bustling scene of Xi'an, the ancient city.

After breakfast, we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda,it is an ancient Chinese architecture, built by the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang,it was build to preserve Buddhist scriptures and statues brought back from India. It is also a World Heritage Site to proved Buddhist culture`s dissemination in China history. After,we will head to the Muslim Quarter, an ideal place for shopping and tasting local specialty snacks： mutton and beef bubble bread, cold noodles, Roujiamo, etc.

After concluding the trip in Xi'an, your tour guide will accompany you to Xi'an Xianyang Airport to take a flight to Chongqing Jiangbei Airport. Upon arrival, a local tour guide will pick you up by car and take you to the hotel to rest.

Hotel breakfast,first scenic to visit: Three Gorges Museum,after you experience this museum, you will know more about Chongqin.

Lunch, we tasted authentic Chongqing foods, including hot pot, spicy and sour noodles, and small noodles.

After replenishing our energy, we will transfer to Ciqikou Ancient Town with a thousand years of history ,a good place to experience Chongqing's folk culture. At a local specialty tea house named Bayu Splendid View, you will watch a wonderful performance and tea culture, deeply feel the traditional charm of Chongqing. Night tour on the river:  The Three Gorges cruise, it is the best way for a night tour on the river.

The cruise ship still sails on the river,people can enjoy the beauty of mountains and villages on both river sides, and also,there are participated in various activities on the ship, including cultural lectures, interactive games, and tasting authentic Yangtze River cuisine. At night, the cruise deck is a good place to feel the tranquility of the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River cruise continues. Visit facilities of the ship after breakfast is a good choice: gym, library, and observation deck.

 In the afternoon, the ship will organize a special captain's welcome dinner, where we tasted the elaborately prepared dishes and had friendly exchanges with the captain and staff. At night, we once again enjoyed the night scenery of the Yangtze River on the deck, feeling the sound of the river gently tapping against the ship's hull.

In the morning, disembark from the cruise ship and arrived in the beautiful city of Yichang. After a brief stay in Yichang, we will board a bullet train to Shanghai.While the train quickly forward, the scenery outside the window just look like a flowing paintings of the prosperity of eastern China. Comfortable seats and convenient services accompany you to looking forward to arrive at Shanghai.

We arrived in bustling Shanghai and visit Yu Garden at first, which has a classical garden charm. Yu Garden is shaded by trees, with rockeries and pebbles scattered in an orderly natural way. The small bridges and flowing streams amidst the households make visitors feel like they are in the water towns of the Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) region.

Afterwards, we took a leisurely walk along The Bund, admiring the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River. The building complex on The Bund is filled with historical traces, and every building tells the story of Shanghai's past and present.

Finally, we get on the Shanghai Tower,reach high into the sky. We could have a full view of Shanghai's prosperity on the observation deck, this is the power of modern technology.

We left the hustle urban area and head to the ancient town: Zhujiajiao. It has a unique style of Jiangnan water towns. Zhujiajiao Water Town attracts countless tourists with its landscape and quaint architecture,every year. When you walk on the stone-paved roads, ancient dwellings and shops on both sides, feels like traveled back to ancient times. The small bridges and streams in the town are so enchanting that making people don`t want to leave. At night,you can enjoy the special local food in this Jiangnan water towns.