Golden Triangle - from $1369

Day 01Arrival in Beijing Our guide will meet you or your family outside the customs of Beijing Airport after your check-out procedures are fully completed and then transfer you to the Hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to rest or explore. For dinner on your own arrangement, we have some suggestions around our luxury hotel. Meals: No meals Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Day 02Beijing This morning, you will visit the world's largest urban center square, Tiananmen Square, which is a site where many major historical and celebratory events happened. Walk through the square to the Golden Water Bridge, you will enter the largest as well as best-preserved imperial palace complex, Forbidden City. Once the palace of twenty-four emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties, it not only exhibits the incomparable architecture arts and precious cultural relics, but also shows how the ancient emperors administered the country and lived their lives 600 years ago. As is our practice, you will be served an a la carte lunch of authentic Chinese dishes at a noted local restaurant, not a tourist-oriented eatery. You will eat the most delicious Chinese food during your journey like taking a food tour. For these a la carte meals, we will pay 3 to 4 times' price higher than that of the tourist food. In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Heaven, which is the largest ancient imperial worship architecture group in the world. After the sightseeing visit, our guide will take you to the Red Theatre to watch a lively Chinese Kung Fu Show. Unlike the traditional Kung Fu Show, this show has brought in a story of dramatic interest, which makes it more interesting and attractive. Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch Day 03Beijing Today you will head to the Great Wall at Badaling. As one of the greatest wonders of mankind, the majestic Great Wall is always a must for those visitors to Beijing. Among all the existing sections, Badaling Great Wall is the most famous and developed one. After that, we will take you to have a short stay at a Jade Store. To avoid having lunch at shopping site restaurants, where the food is cheap and low quality, and the worst is that after lunch you still need to stay at least 40 minutes in the shopping area of the restaurant although you have no interest in buying anything, we will drive you to a popular local restaurant to have Sichuan food. In the afternoon, pass through the Sacred Way to visit the Ming Tomb. The Sacred Way is a road leading to the Ming Tomb, which mainly consists of memorial archway, stele pavilion, ornamental pillar and 18 pairs of stone statues. The Ming Tomb is a group of mausoleums of the Chinese emperors from 15th to 17th century. On the way back to downtown area, we will drive by the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium), which is the major venue of the 2008 Olympic Games. Meals: American breakfast, Lunch Day 04Beijing - Xian Explore the Summer Palace and have a Hutong tour. Then you are scheduled to visit a Pearl Factory. Reputed as the 'Museum of Imperial Garden', the Summer Palace is an imperial garden and temporary dwelling palace for the emperors built 260 years ago. It is also a large-scaled natural mountain and water garden. Enjoying the rickshaw riding through Hutongs will be your memorable experience. Here you will feel the special Beijing culture and history by visiting the famous romantic Shichahai, classic Yinding Bridge, dazzling Yandaixiejie, grand Bell tower or Drum tower and local flavored family. Around noon, we will serve you an a la carte lunch at a fancy restaurant with delicious food and great atmosphere. Then fly to Xian and our guide will transfer you to the well-selected hotel. Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel Day 05Xian The highlight of today is the 'Eighth Wonder' of the world, Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which is a huge underground military museum constructed as an accessory pit of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. In the museum, you will not only appreciate the amazing warrior figures, but also enjoy the display of Chinese ancient weapons, which exemplify the wisdom of the laboring people over 2,200 years ago. Afterwards, you will have a brief visit to the Pottery-making House. To avoid the mass-produced tourist food near the warrior site, we will serve you an a la carte lunch with a price of 3 to 4 times higher than that of the tourist food at a delicate restaurant, which boasts tasty Chinese food and graceful environment. In the afternoon, visit one of the landmarks of Xian, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally built to collect Buddhist scriptures, now the pagoda has been a symbol of this ancient capital city. Later, our guide will take you to the Provincial History Museum, the most comprehensive museum exhibiting ancient China in all aspects. This evening, you will enjoy a marvelous Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show and the Dumpling Dinner at Shaanxi Opera Theatre. The show will take you back to 1400 years ago - the dreamy and glorious Tang Dynasty. Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch, Dumpling dinner Day 06Xian Pay a visit to the City Wall in the morning. Originally built as military defensive systems in the Ming Dynasty, at present, a garden has been built along the wall. Standing on it, you may see the local people doing morning exercises, singing, playing games. After that, you will have a local family visit and a la carte lunch will be arranged at the visited home to taste the authentic home cooked dishes. If you are interested in learning to cook Chinese food, you can choose your preferred dishes in the menu of our Chinese food cooking class. The host will prepare the ingredients beforehand and then teach you step by step when you come to the home. You do not need to pay any fee for this. In the afternoon, continue to visit the Great Mosque, a place where the local Muslims attend worship ceremony. You may have a glimpse of Muslims' life here. Meals: American breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch Day 07Xian - Shanghai This morning you will take a flight to Shanghai. Our guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to downtown hotel. The rest of the day is free on your own exploration. We kindly remind you that the hotel is not far from the famous Xin Tian Di area. Xin Tian Di, where the new meets the old and East meets West, is a famous place for shopping, dining and nightlife in this modern city. When evening comes, the Xintiandi area becomes a shining star in the city center. You could enjoy its unique construction, have dinner at the outdoor tables, or do some shopping in the fashion shops. The various styles of night bars can absolutely satisfy and enrich your night life. It takes you five minutes to go there by taxi from your hotel and takes twenty minutes if you walk there. Please ask the hotel bellboy to help you. Meals: American breakfast Accommodation: Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel Day 08Shanghai In the morning, visit Shanghai Museum. It is a large museum exhibiting the ancient art while featuring bronze ware, chinaware, calligraphy and painting. Then, proceed to the Yuyuan Garden, which is a famous classic garden of south region. The beautiful scenery and quiet atmosphere here make it a peaceful place in bustling city. A Silk Factory visit will be arranged later. Around noon, you will have an a la carte farewell lunch at a fancy and famous local restaurant, which offers authentic Shanghai and Cantonese cuisines. In the afternoon, we will transfer you to the Bund area for a short cruise on the Huangpu River. Standing on the cruise ship, you will see many western-style buildings from Shanghai's colonial days in Puxi area. While on Pudong side, rows of skyscrapers will come into view. The utterly different buildings are the best records of the development of the city. You will explore the Bund area and then visit an old street. Meals: American breakfast, A la carte lunch Day 09Departure from Shanghai Our guide will pick you up from the hotel and send you to the airport so that you can board the flight back home after this pleasant journey. If you plan to have an extension journey, please refer to our City Package for more details. Meals: American breakfast