Memorable Honeymoon Tour with Panda

Welcome to China. Our guide will wait for you at the arrival hall of Beijing airport. After meeting you, you will be transferred to the hotel. No attractions will be arranged today, so you can have a good rest to recover from the long-haul flight. Your honeymoon journey will start from Beijing, the capital of China. You can climb the Great Wall, visit the ancient emperors’ home, taste authentic Beijing Roast Duck and experience the local people’s lifestyle, etc. with your love.

Free time suggestion:

After check-in, if you want to have a glimpse of Beijing, you can go to the Houhai Lake. If you come to Houhai Lake in Summer, you may see clear lake water, weeping willow on the bank, swaying lotuses in the gentle breeze and lovely ducks playing on the lake. That scene will release your fatigue and make you pleased.

After breakfast, we will head to the Tian’anmen Square. It is located in the center of Beijing and is the largest city square in the world covering an area of 440,000 square meters. When you come here, you will see the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, Great Hall of the People, National Museum of China and Tian’anmen Gatetower. If you walk close to the Tian’anmen Gatetower, you will find five archways, among which, the middle one is the biggest. It is said that in ancient times, only the emperor could pass through this archway.

Leaving the Tian’anmen Square, we will go to the Forbidden City(closed on Mondays) to take a look at the palaces where the ancient emperors and imperial concubines had lived. Our guide will not only take you to see the three main palaces, but also take you to several small but interesting halls to discover the hidden stories behind them. The Forbidden City has a construction area of about 150,000 square meters, with more than seventy large and small palaces and more than nine thousand rooms. About the accurate number of these rooms, there is a folktale. Some people believe that the number of all the rooms of the Forbidden city is 9999.5, as there are 10,000 rooms in the Heavenly Palace(the palace for Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven). To show respect to the Jade Emperor, the Chinese ancient emperor ordered that the rooms of Forbidden City cannot exceed that in the Heavenly Palace. Although this story is not true, it tells us how big the Forbidden City is.

Next, we will go to a local restaurant to taste authentic Beijing foods. After that, we will head to the Summer Palace. It is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. You can take the Dragon Boat to admire the landscape around the Kunming Lake. Or climb to the top of the Longevity Hill to overlook the splendid halls and pavilions on the front hill as well as the quiet natural scenery on the back hills. Besides, you can also take a stroll on the West Embankment connected by various bridges with your love to admire this amazing royal garden. Among these bridges, the Seventeen-arch Bridge is one attraction you cannot miss for its artistic construction style. Every attraction in this Summer Palace is perfect for taking pictures, leaving a good memory of your honeymoon tour.

Option: Peking Roast Duck

Peking Roast Duck is a famous Beijing traditional food. We will take you to the best place for it-Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, to taste this delicacy. This restaurant uses the high-quality Beijing ducks, roasted by fruitwood charcoal fire. The roasted duck presents the red color with fatty but not greasy meat. The meat tastes crispy outside and tender inside.

The Forbidden City

Summer Palace

After breakfast, we will drive about 2 hours(80KM) to the Mutianyu Great Wall, which is located in the north of Beijing. As the Mutianyu Great Wall is far from downtown Beijing, you’d better take some snacks with you, which will provide you the necessary energy for the Great Wall tour. The Mutianyu Great Wall is 5400 meters long and the vegetation coverage of the whole scenery area is above 90%. If you come here in spring, the Great Wall seems like a dragon lying on a huge green carpet. In autumn, the leaves of the surrounding trees will turn yellow and the Great Wall seems like a flying golden dragon on a sunny day. Besides, you and your love can take the advanced facilities to ascend and descend the Great Wall, such as the cable car, chairlift and toboggan. You can have a romantic private time with your love on the way to the top, at that time you can take some pictures and leave a good memory of this honeymoon tour.

Leaving the Great Wall, we will have lunch and then drive back to downtown Beijing to visit the traditional Chinese Hutongs. On the way back, we will stop at a place nearby the National Stadium- Bird’s Nest and the National Aquatics Center-Water Cube. And then you can take some pictures. After that, we will continue driving to the Hutongs. Hutong refers to a narrow lane, alley, or small street in the ancient dwelling district dwelled by Beijingers. We will arrange a rickshaw for you and your love to explore the Hutongs, and you can have a romantic private time with your love. The guide will tell you some interesting stories about these Hutongs. You may hear a romantic love story about one noble Dutch girl and one common Chinese worker when you come to the Dongsi Sitiao Hutong. They have overcome various difficulties to get married and live a happy life for over 60 years in China.

Option:

Cooking class in Hutong. You can come into a local family to learn cooking, such as making dumplings, learn the popular and easy-to-cook dish of stir-fried eggs with tomato, etc. When you come back home you can cook for your families.

Mutianyu Great Wal

Hutong

After breakfast, we will go to the Temple of Heaven. It is the largest and best preserved altar complex where the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and prayed for a good harvest. The Temple of Heaven is mainly divided into the inner altar and the outer altar. Following the guide, you will see many splendid and interesting buildings, such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Circular Mound Altar, Huajia Door, etc. Among these, the Huajia Door(Huajia means 60 years old) is one interesting attraction. It is said that this door was opened when the emperor Qianlong(1736-1796) was 60 years old. At that time, it was difficult for him to walk a long way to the Circular Mound Altar (the place for offering sacrifices to heaven) because of his physical condition. So he ordered to open a door to reduce the walking time to the altar. Furthermore, he stipulated that only the emperors over 60 years can walk through this door. Although it is a common door now, you may have a special feeling when you walk through this door after knowing this story.

After lunch, you will take the Estimated train G87 14:00/18:19 to Xi’an. Your Xi’an guide will wait for you at the train station and then transfer you to the hotel. On the way to the hotel, the guide will make a brief introduction to the ancient city-Xi’an.

Free time suggestion: Great Tang All Day Mall 

If you are not tired, you can go to the Great Tang All Day Mall to take a romantic walk with your love. It is a pedestrian street with Tang culture as the theme. Walking on this prosperous street, you may see many artistic statues, different behavior art performances, solo concerts and music fountain, etc.

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

After breakfast, the driver will take you to the world-famous Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, which is located in the northeast of Xi’an city. It will take about 1 hour(44 KM) to get there. This Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is one large-scale funerary pits group. Now four pits have been excavated, covering a total area of more than 25,000 square meters. Besides, as many as 10,000 pieces of cultural relics have been unearthed, like the painted terracotta warriors and horses, as well as various weapons used in actual combat at that time. If you look carefully, you will find that every warrior has a different facial outline with vivid expressions. So when you take pictures by cellphone, you’d better turn off the beauty mode of your camera, otherwise, all the warriors will present a similar facial outline in the picture.

After lunch, we will go to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was named according to the Indian Pagoda “Wild Goose Pagoda”. It is a seven-storey pavilion-style brick pagoda with a total height of 64 meters. This Pagoda was constructed to preserve the Sanskrit Scripture brought back to China from India by Xuanzang(a Chinese Buddhist monk). Before entering the pagoda, you will find artistic Buddha figures carved on the door frame on the ground floor. After entering the pagoda, you will see a winding stair inside the pagoda, through which, you can go to every floor of the pagoda. Besides, you will have a different view of Xi’an city through the cave-shaped doors on each floor.

After leaving the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we will head for the Muslim Street. Accurately speaking, the Muslim Street is a district famous for its authentic Xi’an street snacks. Entering this district, you will see various delicious foods on both sides of the streets. Whatever you like, you’ll find something here to suit your tastes. Among these, you cannot miss these most popular authentic local snacks, like the Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup, Steamed Cold Noodles, Peppery Beef Ball Soup, etc. After a food feast on the Muslim Street, you can take some prepackaged foods home to share with your friends and families. This foodie experience in Muslim Street will be one special memory for your honeymoon journey.

Option: Dumpling Banquet with Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show

If you are not tired, you can attend the Dumpling Banquet with Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show in the Shaanxi Song and Dance Theatre, where you can have a romantic date with your love. The dumpling banquet starts at 18:00 and ends at 19:30; the song and dance performance starts at 20:00 and ends at 21:20. Don’t miss the time.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

After breakfast, we will go to the Old City Wall to explore this 600-years old attraction. It is the largest and most well-preserved ancient city wall in China. In ancient times, the wall was a military defense project, but now the wall has become a famous tourist attraction in Xi’an, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year. You can choose to walk on the city wall with your love for a few minutes and enjoy the quiet city view. But it is highly recommended to ride a tandem bicycle on the Old City Wall for a romantic bicycle tour for your honeymoon trip, leaving unforgettable memory. The road on the Old City Wall is not completely smooth, so be careful when you ride a bicycle. Besides, while riding on the city wall, you will find a green-brick made channel every 40-60 meters. These channels are used for drainage and play a very important role in the long-term protection of this Old City Wall.

In the afternoon, you will take the Estimated flight 16:55/18:35 to Chengdu. Our professional guide will wait for you at the airport and then transfer you to the hotel. Chengdu is a famous national historical and cultural city, one of the best tourist cities in China, the starting point of the Southern Silk Road(a trade and culture route connecting the outer world) and one of the “Ten Ancient Capitals”.

Option: A luxurious airport pickup

If you want to give your love a surprise during your honeymoon tour, we can arrange a luxurious airport pickup with cars, like Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Ferrari and then transfer you and your love to the elaborately selected romantic hotel.

City Wall

City Wall

Your first honeymoon tour in Chengdu will start from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It covers an area of 1 million square meters and is the world-famous Giant Panda Relocation Protection Base, Scientific Research and Breeding Base, Public Education Base and Educational Tourism Base. This base is built completely simulating the wildlife environment of giant pandas, with lakes, streams, bamboo forests, lawns, etc. At the very beginning, there were only 6 pandas in this base,, who are unhealthy, but now there are over 150 healthy pandas lived happily in this base under the staff’s loving care. When you visit these chubby pandas, it is highly recommended to see the cutest newborn pandas in the Sun Delivery Room and Moon Delivery Room! Of course, given that there are newborns. You may be curious about the names of the two rooms, the guide will tell you the reasons. The Sun Delivery Room is sun-shaped and accommodates the panda babies born in the daytime. The Moon Delivery Room is moon-shaped and accommodates the panda babies born at night. In addition to these lovely pandas, you may also see many other animals, such as black-necked crane, peacock, egret, etc.

After lunch, we will head to the Wide and Narrow Alley. It is located in the Qingyang District and consists of Wide Alley, Narrow Alley and Well Alley arranged in parallel. The houses on both sides of the alleys are ancient quadrangle courtyards (a building complex with one courtyard as its nucleus, which is surrounded by four houses) constructed by gray bricks and tiles. This district is also one well-preserved ancient district of the Qing Dynasty(1636-1912). Walking through these alleys, you will encounter many cafes, restaurants and stores. If you are tired, you can walk up to the second floor of the quaint Starbucks with your love, sit at a table by the window facing the street, order two cups of coffee to enjoy a romantic time, which will be one unforgettable experience for your honeymoon tour.

Leaving the Wide and Narrow Alley, we will head for the Wuhou Shrine Museum. The Wuhou Shrine Museum, located on the Wuhouci Street of Chengdu City, is the only ancestral temple complex, where people can offer sacrifices to both monarch and courtiers. There are many statues of the courtiers in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), such as Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei. Among these statues, the statue of Liu Bei accompanied by the statue of his grandson Liu Zhan is of great historical significance. It is said that Liu Bei’s son Liu Shan was incapable and his state got many attacks by other states in his reign. Eventually, he surrendered to Wei State. During that period, Liu Bei’s statue was also severely damaged. Many years later, Liu Bei’s grandson Liu Zhan knelt before Liu Bei’s tomb, crying and regretting for not protecting Liu Bei’s statue very well. Finally, he took his own life in front of Liu Bei’s tomb. Later, people constructed this group of statues to commemorate this event.

Option: Chengdu Hot Pot Dinner

Chengdu Hot Pot is the most representative delicacy in China. A hot pot full of flavored broth is kept simmering and you can put any ingredients you like into the broth. After the ingredient is well-cooked, you can have it with the dipping sauce. If you cannot eat the spicy hot pot, please tell your guide in advance. In China, almost everyone love the hot pot.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Wuhou Shrine Museum

After breakfast, we will go to see the Leshan Giant Buddha. It is located in the Shizhong district of Leshan City. The construction of Leshan Buddha began in 713 AD (in the Tang Dynasty) and took 90 years to complete. The statue is 71 meters tall, making it the tallest Buddha in the world. The head of the Buddha is 14.7 meters long and 10 meters wide. The shoulders of the Buddha are 24 meters wide and the ears are 7 meters long, which can accommodate two people standing side by side in it. Besides, each of the Buddha’s instep is 8.5 meters wide, which can accommodate more than a hundred people sitting there. Our guide will take you to a perfect location to take pictures with the Buddha. You can take some beautiful pictures with the Buddha to leave a good memory for your honeymoon tour in Chengdu.

After lunch, we will head to the Huanglongxi Old Town. It is a town with the oldest historic sites and the most beautiful pastoral landscape. Walking in this town, you will see wooden dwellings, wood-structure ancient theater, thousand-year-old banyan trees, interesting waterwheels and temples etc. Among these, there is an ancient building called ‘Sanxian Yamen’. ‘Sanxian’ means three counties and Yamen refers to an administrative office or residence of a local bureaucrat in imperial China. At the very beginning, the Huanglongxi Old Town was located at the junction of three counties, but there are no official agencies to govern this district. Later, in order to develop this area and guarantee the social stability, this Sanxian Yamen was set here. If you come into the Sanxian Yamen, you will see many ancient public court articles, such as Goutouzha(one instrument of torture ), official uniform, official hat, ancient interrogation room, etc.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Huanglongxi Town

After breakfast, you will take the Estimated flight EU 2207 13:45/16:20 to Sanya. Your Sanya guide will wait for you at the airport and then transfer you to the comfortable hotel. Sanya is the southernmost tropical coastal tourist city in China and has the best air quality in China. It is popular among the newlyweds to go on a honeymoon here for its beautiful sea scenery and interesting folk culture.

After breakfast, your Sanya journey will begin from the Dadonghai Scenic Area. The driver will take you there. Before leaving the hotel, the guide will remind you to take your sunscreen, bringing a sunshade, wearing sun-protective  clothing and sunglasses, etc. The Dadonghai Scenic Area is located between the Yulin Harbor and Luhuitou Scenic Area. It includes a crescent-shaped Dadonghai bay, which is the closest bay to Sanya city. Every year, a large number of newlyweds come here to spend their honeymoon. The beach here is flat and the sand is white. You will feel very comfortable when you walk barefoot on the beach. Besides, you will see many luxuriant coconut trees on one side of the beach. If you come here when the coconuts are ripe, the whole air will be filled with the faint scent of coconuts. If you like swimming, you may swim with your love in the shallow-water section. Ask your guide whether it is allowed to swim on that day.

Leaving the beach, we will find a local restaurant for lunch. And then we will go to the Luhuitou Scenic Area. Luhuitou Scenic Area, also known as Luhuitou Hilltop Park, is located in the south of Sanya city, surrounded by the sea on three sides. Climbing to the top of the 275-meter-high hill, you can have a fabulous panoramic view of Sanya’s urban scenery and coastal beauty - must be a treasured memory of your honeymoon tour. Besides, if time allowed, you can admire the beautiful sunset view down the coastline. In the park, one of the most famous attractions is the 15-meter-high Luhuitou sculpture, which is built according to one touching love legend about one beautiful Yi(‘Yi’ refers to Yi nationality) girl and one brave Yi boy who fell in love with each other at the first sight. You can ask your guide to take a picture for you two with the sculpture, leaving your love memory on your honeymoon trip in Sanya.

Later, we will head to the First Market. It is not only a traditional market, but also a prosperous commercial block, which is a perfect place for people to buy and eat seafood as the seafood is fresh and cheap. If you want to taste the seafood here, our guide can recommend some restaurants for you according to your taste and you and have a romantic private time with your love. In addition to the seafood, you can also taste a lot of Hainan’s special snacks, such as Hainan noodles, glutinous rice cake, coconut-flavored rice, etc. Besides, you can buy a cup of freshly squeezed juice, of which, the freshly squeezed papaya juice and coconut juice are highly recommended.

Luhuitou Scenic Area

Dadonghai

After breakfast, we will head to the Wuzhizhou Island. Situated in Haitang Bay in the north of Sanya City, Wuzhizhou Island is 1,400 meters long from east to west and 1,100 meters wide from north to south, in the shape of an irregular butterfly. The attractions on the island are very romantic, including the Lover’s Bridge, the Wave Watching Pavilion, the Sea Watching Gallery, and so on. Among them, the Lover’s Bridge is a perfect site for taking photos, and many newlyweds choose to come here to take wedding photos. If you need, our guide can arrange a special place for you two to take some beautiful photos, leaving unforgettable memories for your honeymoon.

Option: Sanya Romance Show

If you want to experience more in Sanya, you can go to watch the Sanya Romance Show. It is a large-scale song and dance show that allows visitors to experience the over 1000-year history, culture and folklore of Sanya. The show begins respectively at 14:00, 17:00,20:00.

Wuzhizhou Island

Wuzhizhou Island

Today, you will take a flight to Hong Kong after breakfast. Your Hong Kong guide will wait for you at the airport and then transfer you to the hotel. Hong Kong is a shopping and food paradise, where you can buy almost anything and eat almost any delicious food you want. Besides, you can also admire fabulous scenery and splendid modern buildings here. So have a good rest today, and your honeymoon tour in Hong Kong will begin tomorrow officially.

Today’s tour is a half-day tour. After breakfast, we will take the popular and romantic Peak Tram to the Victoria Peak. Riding one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious Peak Tram is an unforgettable experience for your honeymoon tour in Hong Kong! The entire railroad is towed by a steel cable, and the train climbs slantly from 28 meters to 396 meters (about 1,300 feet) above sea level, offering passengers a view of Victoria Harbour along the way. Sitting in the carriage, you can’t help but lean back, and the slope of the whole ride ranges from 4 to 25.7 degrees! At the same time, the tall buildings and dense trees seem to fall backward, which is a wonderful feeling! At that time, you can take out your cellphone can take some pictures and make some videos, which absolutely will receive many thumb-ups in your Facebook.

Taking the Peak Tram, we will reach the Victoria Peak. If you can only take one photo in Hong Kong, at least 50% of people will choose to go to the Victoria Peak, where you can overlook the whole Victoria Harbour and is a great site for a panoramic view of Hong Kong. The popular attractions on the Victoria peak include Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, the Sky Terrace 428, Peak Circle Walk, Lions Point View Pavilion, etc., among which, the Lions Point View Pavilion is hugely popular among tourists. Standing there, you can overview the whole scenery on both sides of Victoria Harbor and the skyscrapers for free. Besides, it is one perfect site to take some pictures, leaving a beautiful memory for you two on your honeymoon journey.

Later, we will head to the Repulse Bay. It is located in the south of Hong Kong Island, with a half-moon-shaped sandy beach. The sand is white, smooth and shiny. When walking barefoot on the beach on a sunny day, your feet will have a warm and tickling feeling, which is very comfortable and pleasant. In the summer, many tourists like to gather here for sightseeing, strolling or playing in the water, enjoying the summer on the beach. You and your love can walk on the beach to feel this romantic bay. In addition to the beach scenery, the Repulse Bay is also one of the most fashionable and luxurious residential areas in Hong Kong, where many celebrities have bought their private sea-view houses, such as Li Ka-shing, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and so on.

Leaving the Repulse Bay, we will go to the Stanley Market. It is also located in the south of Hong Kong Island. Walking into the Stanley Market, you will see a wide variety of stores selling clothes, accessories, souvenirs and artwork, if you like, you can buy one as a souvenir. You can bargain with the owner for a good price. In addition, the coastal Stanley Street is full of romantic bars, cafes and restaurants. You and your love can choose any of the bars or cafes to spend a quiet private time. It’s better to choose a table near the window by the sea, where you can admire the beautiful view of the sea.

Stanley Market

Peak Tram

Today, you will say goodbye to China. Your guide will take you to the airport according to your flight schedule. China Tour Star looks forward to your next China tour.

Author: Yan Liu

Proofreader: Liz Lee