14 Days Golden Ring of China with Hong Kong

On arrival into Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), you will be met by your dedicated tour guide outside the baggage claim area. On the way to your pre-booked four or five star inner city hotel, your guide will point out the highlights and history of Beijing. Spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible city.

Meals included: None

After breakfast today explore Beijing with your guide who will collect you from your hotel. Visit the world’s largest city square, Tiananmen Square. Make your way across the road to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally historic landmark in China, which was the former residence of Chinese royalty for five centuries. After the Forbidden City tour, exploration continues with a visit to the Summer Palace. Appreciate the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of royalty who enjoyed this summer resort during imperial times. A stopover at Beijing’s stadium and pool – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a modern contrast to China’s ancient history. Return to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to closure of the Forbidden City each Monday.

Before heading to the Mutianyu Great Wall, sample the famous local food market Sanyuanli where you can stock up on fruit and snacks for your today’s trip. Continue to explore the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less frequented part of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic landmark located approximately 70 kilometres from Beijing. Take a pleasant and comfortable round-trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery, then walk the wall to take in the Ming dynasty guard towers and sensational views. On return to the city in the afternoon, exploration continues with a visit to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum. Stroll through Wudaoying Hutong and experience local life as you wander through quaint shops, enjoy a coffee, and gain an insider’s view of a real Beijing community.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start today with a visit to the remarkable Temple of Heaven, where emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties performed ceremonies and rituals to pray for good harvests and blessings for the country. Transfer to the Beijing West railway station and be checked in by your guide to travel by high speed rail train to Xian. Approximately a five hour trip, travelling at 300 kilometres per hour, you can relax and absorb the diverse landscape along the way. On arrival at the Xian North Station, your local tour guide will meet and escort you to your inner city four or five star hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s tour highlight is the world-renowned Terracotta Army. Recognized as the largest underground military base in the world, take in this extraordinary archeological discovery, which houses thousands of unique life-sized figures. Return to the city and explore Xian’s ancient City Wall, currently the largest and best-preserved wall of its type in China. Enclosing China’s former capital city and almost 14 kilometres long, enjoy your free time by exploring on foot or bicycle. For a change of pace, take in the quiet of Xian’s Great Mosque, located in the middle of the city’s old block. Built mid seventh century, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic mosque in China. Mix with locals and find food of every flavor in Muslim Street, which is bustling with authentic eateries and travel souvenirs. Today’s final destination is Xian’s famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square. Return to your hotel for a relaxed evening or book a dinner, show, or both for an evening of entertainment.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast and check out from your hotel, the tour guide will take you to the Shaanxi History Museum where you’ll discover over 370,000 relics of Chinese history. Take in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of two iconic Buddhist pagodas in Xian. You may have a chance to explore the top of the pagoda and look out over Xian’s 1,400 years of history, before enjoying a contemplative walk through the temple and gardens. Following on from the morning’s activities, you’ll be driven to the railway station for your bullet train journey to Chengdu. Upon arrival in Chengdu, your local guide will meet and transfer you to your hotel, providing a brief introduction to Chengdu on the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Shaanxi History Museum is closed on Mondays.

Today, you will work as a panda volunteer when you visit the Dunjiangyan Panda Base. In your role, you will clean the indoor and outdoor enclosure, prepare food and feed pandas. Panda keepers will supervise your activities, with translation provided by your guide. A certificate will be provided as a memento from this very special day. At the conclusion of today’s excursion, you will be returned to your Chengdu Hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Tips:
1. Panda Keeper Program has an age restriction from between 5 years to 80 years. For children under five years who are accompanied by an adult can take the standard panda tour in panda base, but due to restrictions they are not able to be a panda volunteer.

2. As a maximum of 30 keepers are allowed each day, it is advisable that you book the program at least two weeks before departure. You will appreciate that sometimes adjustments may be made to the program due to pandas’ health condition. Accurate information about the program will be provided to you by our travel as soon as we are advised.

3. Each volunteer panda keep applicant must provide a Physical Examination Record prior to commencement of the day’s activities.

4. Panda keepers are strongly advised to be guided by their supervisors and should approach the animals with extreme caution and only under supervision. Though pandas look gentle, they are animals and their behaviour can be unpredictable.

5. Panda keepers are not allowed to clean enclosures for panda mothers and babies but can help supervisors.

Check out of your hotel and be taken by your guide to Jinli Street. Lined with unique regional street food and artisans, you’ll find yourself immersed in typical local culture and have the opportunity to sample traditional food snacks and meet local craftsmen. The final stop for today allows you to enjoy some leisure time in Wangjiang Pavilion Park where you can amble among the rare bamboo groves and drink fragrant teas before driving to Chengdu airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival in Shanghai, be met by your guide and escorted to your hotel. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy.

Meals included: Breakfast

Commence your tour of Shanghai with a visit to the Shanghai Museum, a massive museum housing over 140,000 artifacts, presenting the full history and culture of this cosmopolitan city. Enjoy a walk along The Bund, iconic and prestigious, one of the most well-preserved examples of old Shanghai glamour. Walk Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping precinct in China. Change tempo and visit Yuyuan Garden, where you can marvel at the artistically designed traditional Chinese gardens; then stroll around the nearby Chenghuangmiao bazaars and make a worthwhile detour and visit the Shikumen Museum in New Spot (XinTianDi) for a true taste of old world Shanghai. Make the most of your afternoon by wandering the quieter streets of Dongping Road or Sinan Road in the Former French Concession, where you will find the essence of classic Shanghai.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: As the Shanghai Museum is closed to public on Mondays, a visit to the Shanghai History Museum is arranged as an alternative.

Your tour guide will collect you at the hotel and drive you to the airport for your flight to Shenzhen.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, you will see the modern face of Shenzhen by getting atop the 600-meter tall skyscraper – Ping’an Finance Center. It is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest building in China and the 4th tallest building in the world. Reach Free Sky at 116th floor to catch a panoramic view of Shenzhen as well as overlook Hong Kong in far distance. Afterwards, be driven to Shenzhen Museum for a better understanding about this migrant city turning from a fishing village to the first-tier class metropolis in China within 40 years. Enjoy many informative displays and learn the history from ancient times to modern life.

Later, be driven to DJI Flagship Store located in OCT Harbor close to Shenzhen Bay. You will enjoy the performances of drones in the specialized demonstration area, appreciate fantastic photos and videos shared by enthusiasts all over the world, moreover, you can touch and personally experience the latest drones and aerial photography and videography, and if you have any questions and interests, you will be well served by the staff here. DJI offers the best chance to see the world in God’s eyes, expanding people’s horizon from ground to sky, from our familiar territory to less-visited zones. It will be cool to experience the newest tech and free your mind when visiting DJI flagship store.

In this afternoon, be transferred to Splendid China Folk Village to have a glimpse of vast China and experience the colorful culture of ethnic minorities of China. Walk and recognize the iconic sites in Splendid China Miniature Park which is composed of 82 reproductions of beautiful scenery, grand architecture, historical sites and traditional dwellings of China. You won’t miss Forbidden City, Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Potala Palace, Mogao Caves, Li River, Leshan Giant Buddha, Stone Forest etc. Traveling across China within short time, you’ll be enchanted with China’s profound history, culture, natural beauty, palaces, temples and pagodas in one go. Then, take a stroll at China Folk Culture Village to explore 27 different ethnic villages built with the proportion of 1:1, experience brilliant culture, unique folk customs and hospitality of the ethnic groups. Watch interesting performances at their villages at the scheduled time. If your time allows, enjoy the fantastic performance called “New Oriental Neon Costumes” at Impression China Theater at 17:00, and “Dragon and Phoenix Dance” at Phoenix Square at 19:30.

After the tour, drive back to your hotel for a good rest. 

Ni Hao! Welcome to Hong Kong, Asia’s World City. Upon arrival, your local guide is ready to meet you at the airport, train station, port or metro station. Then, you’ll be escorted to your hotel to check in. The rest of today is free on your own to explore this modern metropolis.

Suggested Activities at Night (Explore on Your Own):

Later, take a walk through Temple Street Night Market which is the livest night market in Hong Kong. You and your kids are going to find everything from souvenirs to tiny trinkets and from clothes to footwear, bags and more. Browse different kinds of commodities with exquisite design, and if you like, stop to sit and enjoy some delicious snacks. After the tour, get back to your hotel by yourselves. 

Today’s tour begins when you are picked up at the hotel and taken to Victoria Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong, which has wonderful panoramic views of the whole city. (Peak Tram and Sky Terrace are included.) Enchanting Repulse Bay is the next stop, then Stanley Market, one of the best places to have an authentic experience with the locals. Later a stopover at the Aberdeen Fishing Village on the pristine side of this international metropolis, is a great place to try some fresh, delicious seafood dishes. Complete your Hong Kong tour with the Sampan ride.

Lunch and the rest of the day will be at your own interest.

Meals included: Breakfast

Your tour guide will accompany you to the airport to catch the departing flight for your next destination.

Meals included: Breakfast