14 Days China Classic Tour with Tibet Impression and Yangtze River Cruise

Tour Overview

This 14 days China Classic Tour with Tibet Impression and Yangtze River Cruise will first take you to visit Beijing and Xian those two ancient city, to find out the...

Code of Tour: YCT0000003550

Length of Travel: No Data

Destinations of Tour:

Departure City: Beijing

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Culture History Cruise Minority

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This 14 days China Classic Tour with Tibet Impression and Yangtze River Cruise will first take you to visit Beijing and Xian those two ancient city, to find out the solemn manner of the majestic city walls, royal palaces and grand pottery figurine. After that, starts your journey to Lhasa. You will have chance to experience the Tibetan Buddhism in the main monasteries in Lhasa. Then, fly to Chongqing to start your two-day Yangtse River Cruise Tour, passing by grand gorges and streams, etc, to feel the beauty of nature. Finally, transfer to finish your trip with a visit in Shanghai, a city which is walking between Tradition and Modernity.

Highlights:

• Feel profound history and modernization development of China.
• Lose yourselves in the Yangtze River Cruise to feel the beauty of nature.
• Experience the Tibetan Buddism on the main monasteries in Lhasa.
• Explore the earthly paradise with Tibetan Lama monastery, primitive forest, crystal lakes, hospital people.
• Have a wonderful stay in the flourishing and historical cities in China, including Bejing, Xi’an and Shanghai.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Beijing Arrival
• Day 2: Beijing
• Day 3: Beijing
• Day 4: Beijing-Xi’an
• Day 5: Xi’an
• Day 6: Xi’an-Lhasa
• Day 7: Lhasa
• Day 8: Lhasa
• Day 9: Lhasa-Chongqing
• Day 10: Yangtze River Cruise
• Day 11: Yangtze River Cruise
• Day 12: Yichang-Shanghai
• Day 13: Shanghai
• Day 14: Depart from Shanghai

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival Beijing

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrival Beijing
Accommodation:Beijing
Meals:None

Arrive in Beijing, the Capital city of China. Be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Overnight in Beijing.

Day 2 Beijing

Sightseeing and Activities:Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Peking Opera
Accommodation:Beijing
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Depart from your hotel in the morning to visit Tian’anmen Square, the World’s largest urban square and the Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Then visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon. The perfect harmony between the architectural environment and nature can be felt at Temple of Heaven; you might easily imagine the vivid spectacle of a great sacrifice to the Heavens for a good harvest. Peking Opera is available for your optional night entertainment(your own expense).

Day 3 Beijing

Sightseeing and Activities:Badaling Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Peking Roasted Duck
Accommodation:Beijing
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, take a driving for 75km to visit the Badaling Great Wall first, then Ming Tombs (Changling Tomb), the once lavish burial chambers of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty.  Peking Roasted Duck is available for your optional dinner(your own expense).

Day 4 Beijing-Xian by flight

Sightseeing and Activities:Beijing Hutong
Accommodation:Xi’an
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, take a relaxing Hutong Tour by rickshawto visit the ancient lanes and alleyways of Beijing. Hutong Tour will give you an insight into the lives of ordinary Chinese people and reveal their social culture in today’s Beijing City. Be transferred to the airport for the flight to Xian in the afternoon.

Day 5 Xian

Sightseeing and Activities:Terracotta Warriors, Xian City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Dynasty Show
Accommodation:Xi’ an
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your full day visit to the Terracotta Warriors, one of the world’s most important archaeological finds, with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation and the massive Xian City Wall. After that, you can take a nice walk to the North Square to view the ancient Big Wild Goose Pagoda. There is also the option to attend fantastic Tang Dynasty Show (dinner included)(your own expense).

Day 6 Xian-Lhasa by flight

Sightseeing and Activities:Xian-Lhasa by flight
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your own free time and get ready for your Lhasa tour. You will be then transferred to the airport to board a short flight to Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Day 7 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Jokhang temple, Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today’s tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It has been used since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collection are the gilded burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.  


After you take lunch and then head to Jokhang Temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century, in order to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibet Buddhism.


Around the temple Barkhor Street where you can do kora (circling the Barkhor street) with pilgrims and locals and buy the souvenirs. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 8 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities: Drepung Monastery, Carpet factory, Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you are going to visit Drepung Monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. Ganden palace is used as Dalai lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.


Afternoon, Sera Monastery—It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419 by Jamchen chojey, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. The highlight is the Monks debate at around 3 – 5 in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 9 Lhasa-Chongqing

Sightseeing and Activities: Ciqikou Old Town
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast in Lhasa be transferred to airport and take a 2 hours flight to Chongqing – so called ‘Mountain City’. Your Chongqing tour guide will wait for you at the airport and help you to have a stroll in Ciqikou Old Town before transfer to the wharf and start point of the Yangtze River Cruise.

Day 10 YangtzeRiver Cruise

Sightseeing and Activities: Yangtze River Cruise, Fengdu, Shibaozhai
Accommodation:Shibaozhai Guest House
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Enjoy your Yangtze cruise! Around 8:00, you will have a short visit to Fengdu (2.5 – 3 hours, at your own expense) – known as the ‘Ghost City’ to most Chinese people. Around 16:00, there is an excursion to Shibaozhai (around 1 – 2 hours) – a wooden architecture stands on the riverside.

Day 11 YangtzeRiver Cruise

Sightseeing and Activities: Yangtze River Cruise, White Emperor City, Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, Godness Stream
Accommodation:Yichang
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today, an optional excursion around 07:30 will be the White Emperor City (2 hours, at your own expense) – a place offers a view looking toward the Qutang Gorge is depicted on the back of the Chinese 10-yuan bill. Back to the ship and then pass through Three Gorges that namely Qutang Gorge – considered the most dramatic by many visitors, Wu Gorge – known for its deep valleys and forest covered mountains., and then after lunch, you will have a excursion to Goddess Stream (4.5 – 5 hours).

Day 12 Yichang-Shanghai

Sightseeing and Activities:Three Gorge Dam, Chinese Sturgeo Museum
Accommodation:Shanghai
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today around 07:30, you will firstly visit the Three Gorge Dam (2.5 – 3 hours) – planned to be by far the largest hydroelectric project in the world. After the visiting and lunch time, disembark at Yichang around 12:30. Your tour guide will wait for you at the wharf. In Yichang, you will firstly visit the Chinese Sturgeon Museum in Yichang. After that, be transferred to the airport for your 2 hours’ flight to Shanghai. Your Shanghai tour guide will wait for you at the airport and help you to transfer to the hotel.

Day 13 Shanghai

Sightseeing and Activities:Yu Garden, the bund, Shanghai Wax Figure Museum and Old French Concession
Accommodation:Shanghai
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Tour guide will pick you up at hotel in the morning, today, you will explore Classic & Modern Shanghai Full-view Sightseeing. Including Visit Yu Garden, the Bund, Shanghai Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and Old French Concession. You will not only see the Asia’s most modern skyscrapersbut also the modern Chinese culture sites in the most flourishing city in the world. Overnight in Shanghai.

Day 14 Depart from Shanghai

Sightseeing and Activities:Depart from Shanghai
Accommodation:None
Meals:Breakfast

End the tour, please arrange taxi from your hotel to Shanghai airport.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as listed in the itinerary;
• Accommodation with breakfast as listed in the itinerary;
• Private English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
• Service charge & government taxes;
•  Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
• High speed train tickrts with 2nd class seat;
• Two bottles of mineral water each day.

Service Excluded:

• Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
• Chinese visa fees;
• Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
• Single room supplement;
• Tips to guides and drivers;
• Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
• Personal travel insurance;
• All optional programs;
• Domestic air tickets fares with airport tax and fuel extra fee based on economy class mentioned in the program.

Travel Tips:

1. Tibet Permits

There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)

2. Available Months to Visit Tibet

Generally speaking, May to early October is the best time to for a Mount Kailash trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It may be too cold to travel in Kailash area from November to March. There is usually heavy snow. The conditions in Namtso Lake and Mount Everest area are quite similar with Kailash. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.

3. High Altitude Sickness

The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.

4. How to Go to Tibet

Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kuming(3hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa. Kathmandu also has several flights to Lhasa each week.

If you a train travel, you can take a train to from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

5. Packing and Wearing Ideas

Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended. As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.