A classic circuit for all tastes!
It is a proposal of stay. This classic circuit of 13 days can be adapted according to your desires and your possibilities. But of course also according to your budget and your availability for this trip. For any further information on this tour do not hesitate to contact us by email at voyages.chine@gmail.com.
To learn more about our other more specific tours in Sichuan Province, please visit our website: Sichuan Roads. If you want to extend your trip or to know other regions, do not hesitate to consult our website.
Daily program: Classic China and Sichuan’s Pandas (13 days)
Day 1: Arrival in Beijing (L)
Arrival at Beijing airport, welcome by your English-speaking guide and your driver (supplement of 300 to 500RMB for the group if your flight arrives at Beijing Daxing airport). Depending on your time of arrival and in agreement with your guide, possibility of having breakfast (additional charge to be paid on site).
First discoveries of the Chinese capital. Visits to the Temple of Heaven nestled in the huge Tiantan Park, whose majestic triple-roofed rotunda is one of the greatest achievements of Ming architecture. Considered the completion of traditional Chinese architecture, The Temple of Heaven was inscribed with UNESCO in 1998 and it is one of the 4 great temples of the imperial area of Beijing.
The end of the day can continue in the shopping streets, such as Wangfujing Street which is the capital’s largest shopping street. If Wangfujing Street was restored in 1999, it has more than 100 years of history. The architecture and decoration of the shops are modern but many of the shops date from before the restoration.
Breakfast not included, lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Shichahai Shadow Art Performance – subject to availability (highly demanded hotel).
Option:
Gourmet Peking Duck dinner in a renowned restaurant, the Tangyuan, located in Nanluoguxiang Street, a lively district of Beijing with many bars and restaurants (supplement of approximately 250RMB / person).
Day 2: Beijing - Great Wall - Mings' Tomb - Beijing (B; L)
Meeting with your English speaking guide and your driver then drive to the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu), built during the Ming dynasty. Built over 6,700 km long to protect the Middle Empire from invasions by the Barbarians from the North, the Great Wall of China is a World Heritage Site (chairlift ascent and toboggan descent).
In the afternoon, visit the site of the 13 Ming Tombs where the Ming emperors are buried, who reigned over China between 1368 and 1644. They were overthrown during the invasion of the Manchus from the north, who established the Qing dynasty which continued until the revolution of 1911. You will reach the site by taking the Spirits’ route, lined with 36 statues of animals, then mandarins, soldiers and civilians.
Return to Beijing and free late afternoon.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Shichahai Shadow Art Performance – subject to availability.
Day 3: Beijing (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. Walk on Tian An Men Square, the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”, the fourth largest square in the world.
Then visit the Forbidden City, once the place of residence of the Chinese emperors and the center of political power. Many times burned down, looted and destroyed, the Forbidden City was listed by UNESCO in 1987. Stroll through this immense palace where you can discover many buildings, living rooms, official rooms, museum rooms exhibiting ancient objects, but also many bronze statues: Lions, Phoenix…
On leaving the Forbidden City, walk on the hill of coal (108m high), an artificial hill built thanks to the soil of the moats and lakes of the capital, and from where you can enjoy a 360-degree view on Beijing.
After your lunch, stroll through a typical Hutong district, around the drum and bell towers.
Finally, visit the Summer Palace outside Beijing, as well as its large Kunming Lake. You can take a boat trip on the pond in the huge Empress Cixi Park. This Palace, started in the 12th century and enlarged many times, was very popular with imperial families during the summer to escape the dampness of the city.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Shichahai Shadow Art Performance – subject to availability.
Day 4: Beijing - Flight to Chengdu (B)
Meet your driver at 6:30 am, transfer to Beijing Capital International Airport to catch your flight to Chengdu: Air China CA1415 / 09: 30-13: 00 (flight given as an indication, subject to change).
Arrival at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at 1:00 p.m., welcome by your driver then transfer to your hotel.
Free to discover the Wenshu temple built under the Tang (618-907) and then renovated by a Zen master in 1697. It is the head office of the Buddhist association in Chengdu. The area around the temple has been renovated in period style. The lively evening atmosphere with its art shops, tea houses, lounges and restaurants serving local dishes is worth a visit.
Breakfast included (depending on departure time), lunch and dinner not included.
Night at the Buddha Zen.
Our suggestion:
Evening Szechuan opera performance. This local version of Chinese opera is famous for presenting epic stories including the Three Kingdoms era. This star art is characterized by the rapid change of face and the spitting of fire (supplement of 310RMB / pers approximately).
Day 5: Chengdu - Dujiangyuan (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. This morning, discovery of the old Kuanzhai district, which was a garrison of the Qing army in the 19th century. Composed of 3 alleys, this district offers a range of buildings of old architecture, snacks, small shops… It is always lively and is really worth a look.
Depart for Dujiangyan Town and afternoon visit the town’s old irrigation system built over 2,500 years ago by Libin, then head of the Shu Kingdom. This irrigation system is still in use today to irrigate the Chengdu plain.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Yinxiu Shanting Hotel.
Day 6: Dujiangyan (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver, then off to visit the Dujiangyan panda center. Adults and children over 12 will be able to participate in their care, feed them, and will be able to ask their questions to the caregivers. Children under 12 will observe, but away and under the supervision of a parent.
Breakfast included, simple lunch at the volunteer center, dinner not included.
Overnight at Yinxiu Shanting Hotel.
Day 7: Dujiangyan - Leshan - Emeishan (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. This morning, stroll in the heart of the millennial old village of Jiezi where it is possible to discover ancient stone pagodas and temples.
Then depart for Leshan, famous for its statue of the seated Buddha at a height of 71 meters. It is responsible for calming the tumultuous waves of the three rivers meeting in front of it. Dug in the 7th century from the cliff itself, a water drainage system inside the structure was specially designed, which has allowed the statue to be well preserved over time. Then visit the Wuyou temple located in the surrounding forest.
At the end of the afternoon, resumption of the road towards Emeishan.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Hengmai Hotel.
Day 8: Emeishan (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. Drive to Emeishan and take the cable car up to Mount Emei, reaching an altitude of 3,099 meters. “The Golden Summit” is one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Depending on the weather conditions, you may see the aura of light around the Buddha statue as well as the Minjiang, Qingyi and Dadu rivers flowing like three silk stoles, the Daxue and Gongga mountains stretching out on the horizon.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Hengmai Hotel.
Day 9: Emeishan - Chengdu (B)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. In the morning, visit to certain sites located at the foot of the mountain such as the temple of Fuhu known as the “tamed Tiger”.
Return to Chengdu and visit the Qingyang Temple (bronze goats), the largest Taoist temple in the southwest region of China. Legend has it that “Laozi”, founder of Taoism, appeared on the temple site in the form of a young shepherd with 2 goats (hence the name of the temple). The 2 bronze goats are still there, protecting the site.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at the Buddha Zen.
Jour 10: Chengdu - Flight to Shanghai (B)
Meet your driver at 9:20 am and transfer to Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu for your flight to Shanghai: Air China CA1948 / 12: 20-15: 20 (flight given as an indication, subject to change).
Arrival at Shanghai airport at 3:20 pm, welcome by your driver who will drive you to your hotel.
End of the day free and without a guide. Possibility of taking a tour of the city in the evening and discovering the illuminations of the shopping streets. Walk on the Bund, along the Huangpu River and in the alleys of the French concession whose architecture of the 1930s recalls the Shanghai of yesteryear.
Breakfast included (depending on departure time), lunch & dinner not included.
Overnight at Narada Boutique Hotel.
Day 11: Shanghai (B; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. This morning, walk in Fuxing Park to discover the morning activities of the people of Shanghai: Taichi, dances, and songs in a most festive atmosphere. Also visit the Temple of the Jade Buddha, which was built in 1928 to store 2 Jade Buddha statues brought back from Burma.
In the afternoon, stroll through the historic center of Shanghai and in the maze of lively alleys in the heart of which the Huxingting tea house and the Mandarin Yu garden have been preserved. Built in the 16th century, the Yu garden symbolizes the world in miniature and guides you through flowery paths, picturesque pavilions, small bridges …
Explore the shopping streets and new ultra-modern districts of Pudong located across the Huangpu River. Built in the early 90s, this district is dotted with skyscrapers, luxury hotels, banks, etc. Visit the tallest tower in China, the Shanghai Tower.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Overnight at Narada Boutique Hotel.
Day 12: Shanghai - Tongli - Suzhou (D; L)
Meeting with your English-speaking guide and your driver. Road to the charming little lakeside village of Tongli (1 hour), a labyrinth of canals and alleys which makes it one of the “Venises of the East” and which has preserved its traditional charm of an ancient city. Ancient bridges, clear water and local houses give it an image of a peaceful and pleasant place. Gondola ride (included), visit of some museum houses and the Tuisi Garden (garden of retirement and reflection) which was the residence of a high dignitary of the army.
Continuation to Suzhou located 1 hour drive. Renowned for its superb Chinese gardens, the city will offer the discovery of the Wangshi Garden (Master of the Nets), considered one of the most beautiful classical gardens in Suzhou and whose origins date back to the 12th century but which was reborn in the 18th century thanks to a retired fisherman (hence his name). Possibility to visit small stalls and workshops of Jade if you wish.
Breakfast and lunch included, dinner not included.
Night at the Garden Hotel – Liuyan Lu.
Day 13: Suzhou - Shanghai - return flight (B; L)
Meeting with your French-speaking guide and your driver. visit of the Zhuozheng Garden (Politics of the Simple or Humble Administrator), the largest garden in the city. Walk in the Pingjianglu district which is reserved for pedestrians. All the streets in this district have not been affected by the development of the city and the traditional architecture has been preserved.
At the beginning of the afternoon, return to Shanghai. Depending on the schedule of your return flight, you can make some final purchases. Transfer to Shanghai airport for your return flight.
Breakfast and lunch included & dinner not included.
End of our services. Our teams wish you a pleasant return home!