China high-speed train tour to mega cities

Our guide will wait for you at the airport according to your flight schedule. Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel in downtown Shanghai. You are free to arrange your time for the rest of the day.

cruise starts at 18:00, and ends at 21:30. In the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel according to the appointed time. First, you will be transferred to visit Yu Garden (Closed each Monday) which is a classical garden among the must-see attractions in Huangpu District, Shanghai. Yu Garden was originally a private garden during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was owned by a government officer of the Ming dynasty named Pan Yunduan, who built the Yu Garden for his parents as a place to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age. Although Yu Garden is small in size, it has all the elements that a classical southern-China garden should have. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, and cloisters all have unique characteristics, which are essences of the garden you should not miss when you stroll around the garden. 

Then you will experience Shanghai’s traditional culture by visiting Shanghai Old Street. Adjacent to Yu Garden, Shanghai Old Street is an area centered on tourism, shopping, entertainment and cultural exhibition. Various well-known old shops and restaurants are gathered here, such as money shops, jewelry shops, and tea houses. If you want to buy some souvenirs for your family and friends, here is the best choice for you. You will also see the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912) and have an opportunity to taste local cuisines.

After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit the Shanghai Tower. The Shanghai Tower, reaching 632 meters, is the second “super-tall” tower in the world. Looking down from the 119th floor, you can enjoy the beautiful view of both sides of the Huangpu River. As a comprehensive super high-rise building, Shanghai Tower is mainly for offices, but also runs as exhibition, sightseeing, entertainment, and other types of business.

Our next stop is the Bund. The Bund, with its 52 classical buildings of varying styles, was once the financial center of old Shanghai and has long been regarded as an iconic building and a symbol of Shanghai city. The Bund pleases both your mind and eyes, which combines the landscape enjoying with cultural exploration together, and is the best place for you to take some beautiful photos. For tourists, a Shanghai tour is not complete without a visit to the Bund. Then you will visit Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is one of the earliest and busiest neighborhoods in Shanghai. There are more than seven hundred shops on both sides of Nanjing Road.

Optional Activity:

Enjoy a Huangpu River Night Cruise. The best way to enjoy the night view of the Huangpu River is to take a Huangpu River Night Cruise. Taking a Huangpu River Night Cruise along the regular route, you can enjoy the most extraordinary view. You can see two outstanding bridges- Yangpu Bridge and Nanpu Bridge, the landmark Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai Tower, and a majority of famous attractions in Shanghai. You will be amazed at the fabulous night view along the Huangpu River. The night

Shanghai Tower

The Bund

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at the hotel. First, you will visit the Jade Buddha Temple. Jade Buddha Temple was built in 1882 during the Qing Dynasty. There is a cultural relic room inside the temple, containing precious relics from the Northern Wei, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Located in the bustling Shanghai downtown area, Jade Buddha Temple is regarded as one of the top 10 attractions of Shanghai, and is worth visiting for a spiritual experience. Visiting Jade Buddha Temple, you can see two Jade Buddhas, one of which is the sitting Jade Buddha of 1.95 meters tall and the other is the smaller reclining Jade Buddha of 0.96 meters tall.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the train station and take an estimated train G1305 15:25/16:12 to Hangzhou. Then our local guide will transfer you to the hotel in Hangzhou downtown and your check-in will be carefully taken care of.

Jade Buddha Temple

Jade Buddha Temple

In the morning, you will first be transferred to the West Lake and enjoy the West Lake Cruise. West Lake Scenic Spot, located in the western part of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is divided into five parts by three causeways, and it comprises lots of pagodas, temples, pavilions, and gardens. With stunning natural scenery and rich human culture, the scenery of West Lake has always been praised by numerous Chinese poets and artists since ancient times. A well-known poet of the Song Dynasty-Sushi once wrote a verse called “The West Lake looks like the fair lady at her best. Whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.”, which vividly reflects the stunning scenery of the West Lake. Cruise on the West Lake is the best way to appreciate the scenery around the West Lake, and the cruise will take about 0.5 to 1.5 hours. 

Next, you will visit the Lingyin Temple. Lingyin Temple, also known as Yunlin Temple, was built in the Eastern Jin dynasty and has a history of more than 1,600 years. It is the earliest famous temple in Hangzhou and covers an area of 87,000 square meters. People believe that all the wishes made at Lingyin Temple can come true. Therefore, a large number of pilgrims come to pay respect to Buddha and pray for blessings every day.

Then you will visit Feilai Peak. Feilai Peak is located on the slope facing Lingyin Temple. It is 168 meters above sea level. Marvelous caves were formed because of erosion by water. There are different forms of Buddhist cave statues, and it is rare ancient cave art treasures in south China. Then you will have lunch at the local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will visit the No.1 Tea Plantation and taste the well-known Dragon Well Tea. The Dragon Well Tea is one of the famous Chinese traditional tea. It is the best green tea in China, and many studies say that green tea is beneficial for your health. 

At last, you will visit the Six Harmonies Pagoda. The Six Harmonies Pagoda was built in 970 by a monk of the Northern Song Dynasty to suppress the tidal wave of the Qiantang River. It covers an area of 890 square meters and is 59.89 meters high, with 104 iron bells hanging from the eaves of each floor. It is adjacent to the Qiantang River. Standing on the top of the pagoda, you will see the magnificent view of the Qiantang River. The tidal bore of the Qiantang River is extremely spectacular during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It has become a tradition for the local people to appreciate the spectacular scene since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), which attracts millions of visitors each year.

In addition to appreciating the spectacular scenery, our guide will also tell you some interesting stories about the Six Harmonies Pagoda. Legend has it that the Dragon King in the Qiantang River in ancient times was violent and often flooded the cropland near Qiantang River and the people were suffering. At that time, there was a mother and her son living near the Qiantang River. The boy was called Liu He. One day, the mother and Liu He were fishing in the Qiantang River when the tide suddenly rose and Liu He's mother was swept into the Qiantang River. Liu He was very sad, so he decided to throw stones to the Qiantang River every day to suppress the tide. Liu He was so persistent that he threw stones for 49 days and did fill in a corner of the Qiantang River. This action of Liu He moved the Dragon King. From then on, the tide of the Qiantang River was not so violent anymore, and the people lived a peaceful life. In gratitude to Liu He, the people built a pagoda on the hill where Liu He threw the stone, and that was the Six Harmonies Pagoda(Six Harmonies pronounce the same as Liu He in Chinese).

Then you will be transferred back to your hotel.

West Lake

Feilai Peak

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel according to the appointed time. Then you will be transferred to the train station and take an estimated train G46 09:50-15:43 to Beijing. Upon your arrival, you will be picked up by your friendly tour guide at the train station and escorted to your hotel in Beijing downtown. The rest of the day is on your own to explore this ancient capital city of China.

After breakfast, our tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel according to the appointed time. First, you will go to see the famous Tian'anmen Square. Tian’anmen Square was built in 1417 and has a history of over 600 years. It is situated in the center of Beijing City and the midpoint of Chang'an Avenue, where you can see the Tian’anmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. And if you start early in the morning, you may see the national flag-raising ceremony, which attracts thousands of people to come to the Square every day. It is the No.1 place to visit in Beijing City.

Then you will visit the Forbidden City (closed each Monday). The construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 of the Ming dynasty, which is a royal palace of China's Ming and Qing dynasties and is the essence of ancient Chinese palace architecture. It is one of the largest and best-preserved wooden architecture in the world. The Forbidden City is known as the top five palaces in the world (Beijing Forbidden City, France Versailles, Britain Buckingham Palace, the United States White House, Russia Kremlin). The Forbidden City contains more than a million rare and valuable works of art, accounting for one-sixth of the total number of cultural relics in China. The collection includes ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, bronzes, timepieces, jade pieces, ancient books, and historical documents. 

After lunch, you will be transferred to visit the Summer Palace. It is about 21 kilometers from Tian’anmen Square, and it takes about 45 minutes to get there by car. The Summer Palace, an ancient royal garden in Beijing, was formerly known as Qingyi Garden. The Long Corridor in the Summer Palace was first built in the 15th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1750).  Used as a perfect promenade along the lake, the Long Corridor is a unique art gallery, featuring more than 14,000 pictures of landscapes, flowers, birds, and human figures on its beams and ceilings. Kunming Lake is the main lake in the Summer Palace, with an area of about 220,000 square meters, accounting for three-quarters of the total area of the Summer Palace. Boating on Kunming Lake is highly recommended for you. You can take a ride for about 10 minutes to enjoy the fascinating landscape with a slow pace of the boat. At last, you will be transferred back to your hotel to have a good rest.

Optional Activities:

Enjoy Peking Roast Duck at Quanjude. Peking roast duck, also known as Peking Duck or Chinese roast duck, became popular over 700 years ago in the royal palace in China. It is traditionally wrapped in pancakes along with cucumber and hoisin sauce. This recipe is easier than many traditional Chinese dishes, but it is very delicious, full of classic flavors. |

The Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at the hotel. First, you will visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. It is about 82 kilometers from Tian’anmen Square and will take about 1.5 hours to get there by car. The Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall close to Beijing downtown. Being a scenic section but with fewer tourists than Badaling, Mutianyu Great Wall is especially favored by foreign travelers. Walking up to the Great Wall from the base will take about 40-60 minutes. Unless you are super energetic and have enough time to spend at the Wall, we suggest you take the cable car up to the Wall to save your energy and time. You can also choose to take the cable car or chairlift back down.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred back to the downtown area of Beijing to visit the Hutong. Hutong was originally formed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), and got its heyday during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). In the past, Beijing has hundreds of courtyards in the city, and the lanes stretched out in all four directions, connecting the different kinds of courtyards. The Hutong retains some of the traditional culture and way of life of the past. Then you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Great Wall

Hutong

Your wonderful China tour will come to an end today. Your professional local guide will pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to the airport.                                                                                                                    

Editor: Tina Jia

Proofreader: Lexie Jia