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You are here: Home » China Theme Tours » Chinese Ancient Village Tours » 11 Days Treasures of China Tour with Hongcun

11 Days Treasures of China Tour with Hongcun

Beijing / Guilin / Shanghai / Huangshan / Shanghai

  • Sylvie from France - Yangshuo, Guilin
  • Jack and Emily from UK -  Hongcun Village, Huangshan
  • Forbidden City Photographed by Our Customer
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  • Jack and Emily from UK - Hongcun Village, Huangshan
  • Sylvie from France - Yangshuo, Guilin
  • Forbidden City Photographed by Our Customer
Tour Type:
Private Tour
questions
Experience:
Departure:
Any day you want
Group size:
You, your family, friends or group
Tour Code:
CD-VT-10B
Features:
Hongcun Ancient Village in China is the most representative local-style residencesin southern Anhui Province. It is listed as World Heritage Sites.

Price from $1962

Trip at a Glance

  • Day 1-4: Beijing
  • Tian'anmen Square, Great Wall
    Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven

  • Day 5-6: Guilin
  • Li River, Yangshuo, Elephant Trunk Hill

  • Day 7-8: Shanghai
  • Urban Planning Exhibition Center
    Yuyuan Garden & Bazaar, the Bund

  • Day 9-10: Mt. Huangshan
  • Yellow Mountain, Tunxi Ancient Street

  • Day 11: Shanghai
  • Shanghai Departure

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Full Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1 Beijing Arrival

Ni Hao, welcome to Beijing, the iconic city as well as the capital of China!

You will be met by your local tour guide at the arrival hall of Beijing Capital Airport, or railway station, then be escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to relax. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.

Arrival Ideas: At present, there are many international and domestic flights to Beijing. Besides, you can take a high speed train to this capital city from Shanghai (5-6 hrs), Xian (5.5 hrs), Guangzhou (8-9.5 hrs), etc.

Tour guide picked up our clients at Beijing airport
Day 2 Beijing ( B, L )

After breakfast, start to explore the historical face of Beijing with a brief visit to Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world. Tiananmen Gate on the northern side of the square was the site where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Stepping into the Tiananmen, you will see one of the world's five most important palaces - Forbidden City (Palace Museum), a huge palace complex of more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived. Pass through various doorways in this magnificent structure to admire the beautiful and well-preserved buildings decorated with yellow-glazed tile roofs, white marble bases and splendid colorful paintings. After Forbidden City exploration, take a short visit to Jingshan Park where you can get a nice shot of one watchtower of Forbidden City and take a panoramic view of Forbidden City.

After lunch, drive to the outskirts of Beijing to spend an enjoyable time in the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges and corridors while feasting your eyes on the vast lotus in Kunming Lake and the colorful paintings in the Long Corridor.

Optional activities: 1) You can watch a wonderful Kungfu Show in the Red Theater (Hong Ju Chang) which usually starts at 19:30; 2) Enjoy the classic Chinese art performance of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater during 19:30-21:00.

Linda's family visited the Forbidden City with China DisocveryThe Fudol Couple visited Summer Palace with China Discovery
Day 3 Beijing ( B, L )

After breakfast, drive about 70km to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Wall. Visit the Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. It will more than live up to all of your expectations! This great wall, linking Gubeikou in the east and Juyongguan in the west, was served as the vital military strategic point in the ancient time. Moreover, Mutianyu section is the longest great wall in China so far and since protection work is well done here, tourists can now see its original appearance and enjoy the real ancient culture of great wall. Also, spectacular natural scenery in Mutianyu Great Wall always impresses visitors here for its abundant vegetation. You will take a cable car to ascend the Great Wall, then hike the most beautiful and interesting part of Mutianyu. It's a wonderful experience to climb up its rising towers to enjoy scenic views and take brag-worthy photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. After the exciting time, descend Mutianyu Great Wall by cable car. (Note: If energy permits, you can hike up or down which takes about 40 minutes to climb steps. Please tell your likes to your travel consultant.)

Continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of Ming Dynasty. The Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, who came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, also would return to Heaven through this road. Take a walk through the largest archway in China and Great Palace Gate and you’ll see the magnificent stone guard of 12 sets of mythical animals and 12 officials. Then drive back to Beijing city and take a short stop at the Beijing Olympic Village to view its famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube from the outside.

Optional activity: 1) Enjoy an exciting and safe toboggan ride (about 2~3mins) down Mutianyu Great Wall; 2) After the whole day's tour, treat yourself a great dinner to taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck.

Our customers visited Bird's Nest in 2019Our Guest at the Sacred Way Our customer Heidy visited Mutianyu Great Wall
Day 4 Beijing & Flight to Guilin ( B, L )

Today, your first stop is the charming Beihai Park, then take a lifetime rickshaw tour the ancient alleyway of Hutongs that are still keeping the original layout in the Shichahai area. You’ll stop by a Siheyuan local family and experience what their life is like. Lunch will be arranged at your local family, and you can learn to cook some Chinese dumplings if you like.

Then you will be escorted to the airport for a flight to Guilin, the finest scenery of China. Upon arrival, your local guide will greet and guide you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free on your own.

The Locals' Leisure Time in Hutong
Day 5 Guilin ( B, L )

As the declaration in Chinese textbook "Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven", today you will explore this best landscape starting with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. Along the 84-kilometer cruise, dazzling scenery overwhelms your eyes like a vast endless Chinese painting of winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, amazing scene of A Painting of Nine Horses, and notable view printed on the back of the 20 RMB note. (Please note: Lunch is served by the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine. And you can take some snacks when getting on board.)

After about 4 hours’ cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check into your hotel. After a short break, start your impressive exploration of the best charming sightseeing and ideal countryside ease at Yulong River. Let all the refreshing scenes please your eyes and souls to the utmost. Just enjoy every moment with the Karst hills dotted around, chatting stream, rippling mountain reflection, swaying floras, patches of vivid crops, comfortable breeze….There are diverse kinds of ways for your enjoyment of the fun and beauty, including biking, hiking, bamboo rafting and scooter. You can easily choose and combine your ideal way(s) and part of Yulong River. (Please tell your likes to your travel consultants before booking the tour, as the final prices will differ by activities you choose.).

Biking (some physically demanding & sightseeing by the river) - Ride to enjoy the river view and the real fields (route: Yangshuo - Jima - Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge - West Street; for 1.5-2 hours).

Bamboo Rafting (relaxing and interesting & sightseeing on the river) - have fun with the classic bamboo rafting (Route A: Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 40-50 minutes; Route B: Jima Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 1.5 hours) to see the more serene view like pieces of traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings.

Driving (most leisurable and comfortable & sightseeing on the road) - drive and travel from Jima to Gongnong Bridge to appreciate the lovely countryside view (about 0.5 hour). You can get off and on anywhere on the middle way to explore more about your interested place.

After that, walk leisurely on the ancient West Street to witness how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you can get it here.

Note: according to the regulations of Yulong River Tourism, children less than 1 meter high and seniors over 70 years old are not allowed to take the bamboo rafting.

Optional evening activity:

Watch the splendid evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which was directed by famous director - Zhang Yimou (usually performs for an hour between around 19:45 and 22:20).

Sylvie from France Visited Yangshuo Countryside along Yulong River in June, 2018
Day 6 Guilin ( B, L )

Being driven back to Guilin after breakfast (1.5~2 hrs), and have an essential Guilin city tour. The first stop surely is the Elephant Trunk Hill, the city symbol. Then head to visit the fabulous Reed Flute Cave to see the beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, and stone flowers with various shapes.

After the tour, be escorted to the airport for your flight to Shanghai, the most cosmopolitan city of China. Upon your arrival, transferred to your hotel in Shanghai with the private vehicle and help you check in.

Gerhard from Germany visited Reed Flute Cave in August, 2019
Day 7 Shanghai ( B, L )

You will take a full day of sightseeing to explore both the past and present of Shanghai. Your first stop is Shanghai Museum, one of the Best Four Museums in China. This modern museum, with a round top and a square base which symbolizing the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth", has collected many international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. Then take an interesting walking through the charming Wukang Road which used t be designated for the French and residential and as the premier residential for expats and retail district of Shanghai during the settlement period(1849 until 1943) and the Republic of China era(1912~1949). Its juxtaposition between the ultra-modern and the colonial past,tree-lined streets, boutique shops, historic lane houses and villas make it a window into the city’s up-and-down history. Next you will drive several kilometers to enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m) of “the Eye of Shanghai” Shanghai World Financial Center

You will then be transferred to another popular landmark of Shanghai, Nanjing Road, a shopping paradise as well as a great place to take a wonderful walk to experience the modern atmosphere of the City. Lastly, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods but now transformed into a feverish trading district. You will stroll along the Bund, seeing and feeling the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures while at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline with your own eyes! 

Optional activity: 1) Attend an entertaining Acrobatic Show, including breathtaking “balls of death” acts, chair balancing, hula hoops, juggling of benches, walking in the air, and other breathtaking performances (usually performed during 19:30~21:00); 2) Take Huangpu River cruise to enjoy the fantastic night view of Shanghai. 

The Landmark Supertall Skyscraper of Modern ShanghaiThe View of Lujiazui from the Bund, Shot by Our Guest  LaszloYuyuan Bazaar Shot by Our Customer Paul
Day 8 Shanghai & Bullet Train to Huangshan ( B,L )

Today after breakfast, you’ll be transferred to take the morning high speed bullet train to Huangshan. The fast and comfortable train journey costs you only about 2.5-3 hours to reach Huangshan North Railway Station. After arrival, your private tour guide and driver will pick you up and go to check in your hotel in Huangshan City.

After some rest, you will go to explore the most famous ancient street - Tunxi Ancient Street. First built about 900 years ago, during Song Dynasty (960-1279), Tunxi Ancient Street is a 100% “old” street with well-preserved houses in Huizhou style. It was once called “the Eastern Ancient Rome” by an ancient Western-European architect. Strolling along this 1.5 kilometers long and 7 meter wide street, you could taste the delicious local snacks, purchase some souvenirs, antiques or knick-knacks in the shops, and sip the region’s special tea like Maofeng with hospitable locals…all are the finest experience in this ancient street.

Tunxi Ancient Street
Day 9 Mt. Huang ( B, L )

Today after breakfast, our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel, then drive about 80 kilometers (1.5 hours) to the foot of Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of the most beautiful mountains in China. Your memorable Huangshan trip starts!

To save energy and time, you will directly transfer by park bus from the mountain foot to Yungu Temple to take a cableway to upper beautiful sightseeing area of Huangshan Mountain – North Sea Scenic Area which is famous for marvelous precipitous peaks, beautiful giant pine trees and far-reaching vision. Walk to lofty Begin-to-Believe Peak (1668m) to stretch your eyesight over cloud seas to far distance, and then hike about 40 minutes to Dispelling Cloud Pavilion to look down the Dreamland - West Sea Grand Canyon. Walk down along the stone steps to the bottom of the canyon while enjoying the Avatar-like rising rock peaks, unfathomable cliffs, bizarre stones and tenacious pine trees. 

Generally speaking, it takes about 3 hours for energetic hiker to hike from the Dispelling Cloud Pavilion, via 1st Ring and 2nd Ring to the bottom and return to the starting point. For beginners, children, and senior travelers, you can decide the hiking length on your own according to your physical condition, usually 2 hours for the 1st Ring and 2.5hrs for the 2nd Ring. In the bottom of the canyon, there is also a monorail cable trains for those who don’t want to return by walking to transfer back to the peak area. 

If time and energy allow, you can spend about one hour to explore the Sky Sea Scenic Area where you can enjoy the sunset from the second highest peak - Bright Summit (1840m), visit the incredible Flying-over Rock, then return back your hotel and have a good rest.

Note: 1) The hiking routes on Huangshan can be customized according to your days, energy condition and interest, basically for one day, two days or three days; 2) The best time to visit Huangshan is from March to October. If you want to escape from crazy crowds, you can avoid travelling to Huangshan during Chinese holidays and School summer holidays (July~August). Lotus Peak, Celestial Capital Peak and West Sea Grand Canyon are not open during Winter days (December to March); 3) Before going up to the mountain, you can store your luggages in a hotel located at the bottom of the mountain. Recommended packing list: comfortable and breathable clothes, hiking shoes, alpenstock, sunblock, raincoat, small bag.

Stone Monkey Watching the Sea (on Lion Peak)Our customers Wilna's group visited Yellow Mountain in 2017Robert from USA enjoyed the sea of clouds on Yellow Mountain in June, 2019Ms. Rebecca's family from Australia visited Yellow Mountain in June, 2019
Day 10 Back to Shanghai from Mt. Huang ( B, L )

Get up early (usually around 5am to 6am) to enjoy the magnificent sunrise from Huangshan. We suggest you watch the sunrise from the Refreshing Terrance which is only a few minutes’ walking from Beihai Hotel. After the sunrise, get back to your hotel for breakfast. Continue on your wonderful sightseeing on the Yellow Mountain to see the famous Dawn Pavilion, Stone Monkey Watching the Sea on the Lion Peak (1690m). Then walk along the wood path to the cable station to take a cable car to exit the mountain.

Your driver is ready at the mountain foot to transfer you to Hongcun Ancient Village which is is a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its layout, landscape, architectural form, decoration, and construction techniques are the best examples of ancient Huizhou-style architecture. Originated during Song Dynasty (960-1276), is praised as the most beautiful village in China. The most beautiful sites are the Moon Lake, the crescent-like pond surrounded by several grand dwellings, and Southern Lake Academy, a private ancient school served for the village.

After your sightseeing in Hongcun ends, you will drive to train station in Huangshan to take a high speed bullet train back to Shanghai.

Mr. and Mrs. Gorges from Australia visited Hongcun Village in June, 2019Our Client Jenny's group from Vietnam enjoyed sunrise on Yellow Mountain in November, 2020
Day 11 Shanghai Departure ( B )

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. First, you will pay a wonderful visit to Jade Buddha Temple, the site of the largest Jade Buddha in the world and numerous religious artifacts, ancient statues and Buddhist scriptures. This peaceful kingdom of Buddhism hidden among modern blocks and dominating mansions is a great place for a nice break in this very busy city.

Next, you will be transferred to Tianzifang which is touristic arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated traditional residential area. It is the typical tourist attraction to appreciate the preservation of local Shikumen architecture. In this place full of rich flavor of life, you can leisurely stroll along the clean old alleys to watch the daily life of local Shanghai people, savor a cup of drink at the open-air café, and find some interesting things in the novel shops to feel the international feature mixed with real Shanghai culture.

In the afternoon, your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight to next destination or home.

Spend  Leisure Time at the Mazy Lanes of TianzifangWoo's group visited Jade Buddha Temple with China DiscoverySpend  Leisure Time at the Mazy Lanes of Tianzifang

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