7 Days China Ancient Essence Tour (by Bullet Train) $851

Full Itinerary Day by day (Can Be Customized)

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.

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 – the Forbidden City, 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 between 19:30-21:00.

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 from 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’ll 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 Ding Tomb, the mausoleum of a 13th century emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Follow your tour guide to observe its geomantic arrangement as well as visit the underground palace for a closer observation. 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: After the whole day’s tour, treat yourself a great dinner to taste the famous Peking Roasted Duck at Quanjude.

Day 4 Beijing - High Speed Train to Xian ( B, L )

After breakfast, drive to the imperial site – Temple of Heaven. It was originally used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for harvest, now becomes a bustling place for locals to take part in traditional activities, such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, etc.

Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the Beijing Hutongs - small alleys made by neighboring quadrangle dwellings. Shuttle among different Hutongs to get a feel of the old Beijing life style, visit various antique shops and small boutiques, truly feel the historical changes of Beijing, and also pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs.

Your Beijing tour is now about to end. Your tour guide will see you off at the Beijing West Railway Station for a high speed train trip to Xian (about 5 hours). You will be picked up by your tour guide at Xian North Railway Station and escorted to your hotel in Xian. The rest of the day is on your own to explore this ancient capital of China.

Day 5 Xian ( B, L )

After breakfast, drive about 40 km to discover one of the greatest man-made wonders in the world – the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife. Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses and chariots, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until uncovered by a local farmer in 1974, form an ancient military army with complete battle units of infantry, cavalry, etc. Standing in front of these figures, one can’t help being amazed not only by the ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang but also by the fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans.

After lunch, return to Xian for some leisure time at the Bell & Drum Tower Square, where the biggest and most intact Bell Tower and Drum Tower in China stands. Then head to the Great Mosque, a very special place made up of a group of buildings that include multi-story buildings, towers, pavilions and palaces with Chinese style decoration on the outside and Muslim style decoration on the inside. Leave the City Wall, then go to wander leisurely around bustling and lively Muslim Quarter, a place where you can try different local snacks and explore Muslim culture. Don't miss the Great Mosque of Xian which is a fusion of Chinese culture and Islamic culture, a sacred religious site with huge ancient architectural complex, also a surprisingly quiet land away from the bustling Muslim streets.

Optional activity: Enjoy a wonderful Tang Palace Dance Show (usually from 8pm to 9pm) after a hearty dumpling dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 6 Xian ( B, L )

After breakfast, head to Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. The pagoda, rising to a height of 64.5 meters, was built by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve classic scriptures he bought back from India during the early Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang was the prototype character for Tang Seng in the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. (Note: It costs an extra 30 RMB if you want to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda) After (or before) visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will be provided a free experience of trying on the Hanfu which is the solemn costume of the emperors and their families, the ministers and the noble in the ancient dynasties of China. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory!

Next is an educational visit to the Shaanxi History Museum where you can ramble in the modern exhibition halls to appreciate historic relics such as porcelains, paintings, and currencies dating from the Zhou to the Tang dynastic periods (1100BC to 907 AD). (Note: Shaanxi History Museum may be replaced with other activity or attraction because of crowding tourists during July ~ early September and China’s National Day during Oct.1-Oct.7. You may check details with your travel consultant.)

In the afternoon, you will take a wonderful stroll on the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Enjoy panoramic views of modern Xian while you leisurely examine this well-maintained city wall which is 12 meters high and 18 meters wide with a total circuit of nearly 14 kilometers.

Optional activity: Take a relaxing cycling trip on the Ancient City Wall.

Day 7 Xian Departure ( B )

Today is free until your guide escorts you to catch your flight/train to next destination.

The quotation for this trip is from $851 Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2022.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1= RMB 6.65. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

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Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

Check What our Customers Say...

Hi Wendy,

Helen is INCREDIBLE! Love her energy and enthusiasm. Tour has been very good so far; now we are on our way to Yabuli. Oh it has been an absolute blast so far. Helen was a lifesaver in Ya Bu Li!

Ada was also very nice, but there was, unfortunately, a very big language barrier, as she had difficulty with English.

Thank you Wendy. Just finished the tour today; was a great trip overall.

Varun - 2021.01.18‚ India, January 18, 2021

Hey, Vivien.

We arrived safely and have successfully checked into the room at the Holiday Inn Beidahu. It’s a beautiful hotel and the room is clean and spacious. Thank you so much! The trip was absolutely wonderful. Everything was smooth and our health codes remain green.

Jeffrey - 2021.01.18‚ USA, January 18, 2021

Hey, good morning.

Just wanted to let you know that my trip to jiuhuashan was nice.

Jack - 2021.01.18‚ USA, January 18, 2021

你好 Lyn,

一月十五号晚上我回北京了，我在黑龙江的时候玩儿的很开心了！风景特别美，所以我想发一些照片给您看一下那个地方的风景。如果我有机会的话我还要去，谢谢！

我觉得什么都好，都很顺利。导游和司机的性格也好，谢谢！

Sincerely,

Millicent Thapa

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Millicent - 2021.01.15‚ USA, January 15, 2021

Hi Riley. No problem. Happy to provide feedback. 

Zhangjiajie is beautiful and there are so many activities - I will definitely suggest it to our friends, though perhaps when it is a little warmer. Favourite activities include: Yellow cave, Tianzi Mountain, Golden Whip Stream, Glass Bridge and the walk along the bottom of the canyon, river cruise in FengHuang.

Lily was lovely and very accommodating. We enjoyed her stories about the local customs. Her English is excellent - as is the driver's. Both made sure we had no problems checking into the hotels and made our flight - even though it meant they had to wait at the airport for 1.5 hours. 

The tours were great, and we were really grateful to have Lily guiding us. The only thing I would change would be to include some breaks in a warm place with a cup of tea. The activities meant a long time walking in the cold. I would prefer to walk faster and therefore have more time to rest. Also the lunches were very late some days. 

We were hoping for a slightly more relaxed holiday, so I would take out some activities (e.g. going to the base of the big hole and going up to Huangshi Village). It would be helpful to have some estimated times for how long each activity may take so we can decide if we want to do it or not.

FengHuang was really cool. I wish we had spent one more night there. Lily had excellent knowledge of the history of the town. However, the historical sites we visited were not really that interesting to us, particularly as a lot of it related to quite recent history. For us that time would be better spent exploring the lovely winding streets - especially as it was a sunny day.

The accommodation was very lovely and very comfortable and warm. The only thing I would like, and it may not be possible, is to have some western-style breakfast options - toast, cereal, English Breakfast tea, orange juice.

Finally, we are so grateful to you for rearranging our flights when they were cancelled so late. We would not have enjoyed the stress of trying to find and book new flights ourselves. That is a really valuable service!

I think that covers it. Overall it was a really lovely holiday. Zhangjiajie is an amazing place and it was great to experience some of China's natural beauty and impressive infrastructure like the cable cars, glass bridge and outdoor elevator.

Thanks again for organising it for us so quickly! We will be in touch when we are ready to go on our next trip.

 

Regards,

Rachel

Rachel - 2021.01.15‚ Australia, January 15, 2021

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