Beijing Nanjing Suzhou Hangzhou Shanghai 12 Day Tour

Arrival in Beijing, met and transferred to your hotel ( booked by us ) in Beijing. In the afternoon, visit Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. You are at your leisure to take a good rest or explore the city for the remainer of the day.

Meal: No

Starting the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square, the world largest square of this kind. You will be given the details of all the buildings in and around the square including Mao's mausaleum, the National Museum, the Parliament Building. Then go through an underground tunnel to the imperial palace, also known as the "Forbidden City", the complex of imperial palace, which was home to the Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties for over 500 years.

Today you have a la carte lunch with an a la carte menu at a nice local Cantonese restaurant, where you could enjoy the authentic Chinese food. After lunch, continue to visit Summer Palace, the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden. It is regarded as a museum of gardens in China. Then visit a Tea market where you can taste the famous Chinese tea and see Chinese tea ceremony in a big Chinese tea market and buy the local Chinese teas.

After the tour, transferred back to your hotel.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and a la carte lunch

After breakfast, you are picked up at your hotel around 8:00am. Drive to the Ming Tombs ( Dingling, one of the 13 Ming Dynasty Tombs complex ). From the Yongle Emperor onwards, 13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this area. You will visit Dingling, the tomb of the Wanli Emperor, which is the only one of the Ming Dynasty Tombs to have been excavated. Visited the Jade Factory where they explained the difference types of jade and how jade can be carved in a great variety of shapes.

After Chinese lunch, head to Mutainyu Great Wall to start your highlight of your Beijing tour, hiking the Great Wall of China, a massive military defense works which was left from the Ming dynasty. It is a very spectacular view. You will take lots of pictures. Back to your hotel.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch

After breakfast, take a 4-hour highspeed train from Beijing South Railway Station to Nanjing South Railway Station. Upon arrival at Nanjing, you are collected by our English speaking tour guide at the station and transferred to your hotel in Nanjing.

After lunch, start your Nanjing tour with the visit to Ming Xiaoling Tomb. The only world cultural heritage site in Nanjing, Ming Xiaoling Tomb is the burial site of the Hongwu Emperor (Zhu Yuanzhang), the first emperor and founder of Ming Dyansty (1368-1644) of China. The tomb construction took 24 yeas from 1381 to ended in 1405. The mausoleum is mainly composed of the Sacred Way and the Mausoleum Complex.

Move on to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Dr. Sun Yat-sen is considered to be the "Father of Modern China" who fought against the imperial Qing government and ended the monarchy and established the Republic of China after the 1911 revolution.

Continue to visit Linggu Temple. Linggu Temple Scenic Area is named after the namesake temple–Linggu Temple. Now the scenic area is mainly composed of Linggu Temple, Linggu Pagoda, the Beamless Hall, the Entrance Gate, the Paifang and a large screen wall. From 1928 to 1935 during the Kuomintang Government, the Linggu Temple was gradually built into a cemetery dedicated to the the National Revolutionary Army's martyes.

Return to your hotel in Nanjing and free for rest of the day

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch

After breakfast at your hotel, first visit Nanjing Massacre Museum. The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders tells the overwhelming atrocities of raping, killing, burning and looting committed by the Japanese forces of aggression during the six weeks from December 13 to January, 1938.

Then head to Yangtze River Bridge. Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the first bridge over the Yangtze River designed and built by China's own technical strength. Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the pride of Chinese people and a proof of the spirit and ability of the Chinese people in Mao Zedong's era.

Continue to visit Presidential Palace. The Presidential Palace is a solid history book of 600 years' Chinese modern history from the Ming Dynasty, through Qing Dynasty, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Republic of China.

Today you have a la carte lunch with an a la carte menu at a nice local Cantonese restaurant, where you could enjoy the authentic Chinese food. After lunch, head to Zhonghua Gate. The Zhonghua Gate was one of the massive and defensive complex on the city wall of Nanjing. It was the southern gate of the ancient Nanjing city wall. It is recognized as the largest ancient city wall gate in the world.

Finally visit the Fuzi Temple ( Confucius Temple ). The Confucius Fuzi Temple has the history of over 1500 years. It has been damaged and rebuilt for many times. Today, the temple you see is the restored Qing Dynasty style buildings in traditional style. In addition, the area around the Confucius Temple has become a busy and lively commercial area packed with tourists thronging here for shopping, eating and mearry-making. At the end of the tour, you are transferred your hotel in Nanjing.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and a la carte Chinese lunch

After breakfast, free till transferred to Nanjing South Raiway Station and take the one hour high-speed train from Nanjing to Suzhou. Upon arrival at Suzhou, you are collected by our tour guide in Suzhou and transferred to your hotel in Suzhou.

After lunch, visit Humble Administrator's Garden. The Humble Administrator's Garden is one of the four most famous private gardens in Suzhou, crowned as the World Cultural Heritage Site along with other classical gardens of Suzhou.

Then walk along Pingjiang Road. This 800-year old street is the best preserved ancient "water lane" ( in contrast with "water town") in Suzhou. The 1600-meter cobblestone path runs alongside with a canal with willows dipping their branches in the water, cute little bridges that cross and all flanked by old white-washed local houses.

Finally visit Net Master Garden,the best and most celebrated as a model Ming Dynasty Garden in all of Suzhou. Then you will be arranged to stop at the Ancient City Gate and Grand Canal for photo taking and exterior viewing ( the admission fees for the two attractions are not included). The Panmen City Gate is the oldest city gate in existence in Suzhou city. Then have a short tour of a silk spinning factory to see how Chinese silk has been produced since the 14th century.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch

Today you have a full day excursion to Zhouzhuang Water Town. Zhouzhuang is known as the No.01 Watertown in China. This over-900 year old watertown has become a trove of oriental culture with its simple and pristine custom, unique folklore, the well preserved ancient residential houses and mesmerising watertown views. You will board a Chinese style gondala to cruise the watetown. After the Suzhou side trip, you are transferred back to your midtown hotel in Suzhou.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch

After breakfast, you are free till transfer to Suzhou Railway Station and take one and half hours' high-speed train from Suzhou to Hangzhou. Upon arrival at Hangzhou, you are collected by our tour guide in Hangzhou and transferred to your hotel in Hangzhou..

After lunch, head to a wharf at West Lake for one hour boat cruise. There are many lakes named "West Lake" in China, but the "West Lake" here in Hangzhou is usually considered the most beautiful among all. It is surrounded by hills on its three sides, with an area of about 6.5 square kilometers.

Finish your cruise at the Huagang Park Wharf. Move on to Huagang Park ( Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond Park ). The Huagang Park was a private garden of an official in the Southern Song Dynasty about 800 years ago. Now it has been greatly renovated and turned into large park of over 20 hectares.

Continue to visit Leifeng Pagoda . Ascending to the top of the pagoda and looking down, one has a panoramic view of West Lake and the whole city of Hangzhou. Leifeng Pagoda is the most visible landmark on West Lake. It is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch

After breakfast, first head to Lingyin Temple . Lingyin Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Chan sect nestled in the Flying Peak north-west of Hangzhou. The Flying Peak features a large number of grottos and religious rock carvings. Then you are taken to Longjing Tea Plantation to experience the traditional method of making Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea as well drinking, picking, smelling or buying.

Today you have a la carte lunch with an a la carte menu at a nice local Cantonese restaurant, where you could enjoy the authentic Chinese food. After lunch, head to Six Harmonies Pagoda. The Six Harmonies Pagoda is located south of West Lake on a high land called Yuelun Hill overlooking the Qiantang River. Originally the pagoda was in 970 A. D. with the aim to press down the tidal bore of the Qiantang River tidal bore.

Then continue to visit the Qinghefang Pedestrian Street . It is the best-preserved histotical street in Hangzhou. A great number of time-honored shops with over a hundred year are located here. Return to your midtown hotel in Hangzhou.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and a la carte Chinese lunch

Take one hour high-speed train in the morning from Hangzhou to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai, met and transferred to your hotel in Shanghai. After Chinese lunch, visit Yu yuan Garden. Yuyuan is the famous gardens in Shanghai where you will see how a large beautiful garden was made by a rich rice merchant 400 years ago. Adjoining these gardens is an old shopping area with narrow streets and buildings that were of a typically old Chinese style. There are many small streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to the tourists and local people. Shopping at a local silk store.

Finally visit the new development zone in Pudong - Lujiazui, which is teeming with the futuristic, avant-garde buildings - Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Building, Bank of China Tower. Taking the elevator to the 88-storey Observation Deck of Jinmao Tower where you will have a spectacular view of the whole city.

Meals: Hotel Western breakfast and Chinese lunch