Ageless China Tour

8/13/2019 Ageless China Tour

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Ageless China A Luxury Tour of China ! at your own pace

Asia Travel Curators617-600-0340 ! www.curatedtrip.com

A 5-star tour of ChinaBeijing – Xian – Chengdu – Guilin - Shanghai

October 9 th – 26 th , 2014 & May 11 th – 28 th , 2015





Day 1 Beijing

• Arrive in Beijing; meet your guide at thegate, and be brought through thediplomatic channel at immigration.

• Transfer to and check-in at the PrimeHotel (5 star).

• If your flight arrives early enough enjoy a buffet dinner at the hotel on your own (not a groupdinner, but the price is included in the tour)





Day 2 Beijing

• Breakfast buffet at the hotel.• Drive to the Forbidden City and tour the

city within a city in the heart of Beijing.First enjoy the standard tour of the buildings and courtyards, before taking atrue VIP tour, including the Shufangzhaiand the Palace of Double Glory. These arelocations where current heads of state aregiven access and seldom seen by tourists.

(For those who wish to skip the walking involved in the“standard” tour there will be a guide available to take a smallgroup for a morning tea and to rejoin the main group for the VIP portion)

• Enjoy a group lunchnearby, tasting yourfirst “real” Chinesefood of the trip. Withplenty of dishes tochoose from everyone will surely findsomething they like.

• Most people feel quite tired in the afternoon of the firstday due to jet-lag, so feel free to return to the hotel for arest. For those who are interested take a guided walkdown Wangfujing Ave, famous for the shops, snacks, andsights.

• Enjoy a group dinner nearby the hotel.





Day 3 Beijing

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

• Drive to and tour the Great Wall at Badaling (take anelevator to the top if needed). This is the classic portion ofthe great wall, close to Beijing and easily accessible.

• Eat a group lunch and a trip to the Ming Tombs.

• Finish the day with a trip to the newly openedChina National Museum. This is a tremendouscollection of antiquities from throughout Chinaand spanning all of the dynasties.

• Enjoy a group dinner close to the hotel.





Day 4 Beijing

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.• Take a tour of the summer palace (newly

restored for the 2008 Olympics,including a boat ride along the canal tothe Palace) .

• Eat a group lunch and then do some shopping atBeijing’s famous pearl market (many floors ofsmall shops, much more than “just pearls”).

• After another delicious dinner, enjoy a traditionalperformance of Beijing Opera in the evening.





Day 5 Beijing-Chuandixia-Beijing

• Drive to and tour the Ming Dynasty villageof Chuandixia in the morning. Famous for itscourtyard houses, this site is much less visited by tourists and a true hidden gem. A trip tothe village is often referred to as though youare “stepping back in time.”

• After lunch, drive back to Beijing in theafternoon.

• Enjoy a group dinner near the hotel in theevening.





Day 6 Beijing-Xian

• Enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel.• Transfer to the train station and take the bullet

train to Xian (~5 hours).• Arrive in Xian and transfer to and check-in at

the Sofitel on Renmin Square Hotel.• Have a very nice lunch at the hotel before

heading out for an afternoon tour of the city.

• Take a peek inside the Bell Tower in the center ofXian, listening as the thousands of ancient bells clangout the time. This is one of the all time favorites for visitors to Xian.

• Take an up-close look at the city walls, still used byresidents as an “elevated pathway.” Consideredthe most well preserved city walls remaining inChina, once every major city boasted thesefortress-like defenses.

• Walk down the Calligraphy Street area and dosome shopping.

• Enjoy a Tang Dynasty dinner followed by a liveperformance.





Day 7 Xian

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.• Drive to the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors.Nothing can prepare you for the experience ofseeing the amazing effort and skill that went intocreating this vast army of full size warriors, horses,and chariots. Each face is different, based on real-life soldiers at the time. Each pose is different.Each held real weapons. Go where few tourists areallowed and step onto the close-up VIP viewingplatform. Also included in this VIP package is viewing the Kaijia Warriors & Xiyong Warriors.

• Stop at a very good lunch close to the TerraCotta Warrior site.

• Drive back to Xian and view the Little Goose Pagoda.The serene setting is a wonderful change of pace from thetourist filled areas elsewhere. See the grounds and temple,and if desired climb up the stairs running up the center (notnecessary if you are unable). The unique design and

construction are fascinating from an engineering point of view, and the view you get from the top is breathtaking.

• Enjoy a group dinner close to the hotel.





Day 8 Xian-Chengdu

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel .

• Drive to the Provincial Museum for adetailed and informative tour. This is oneof the top museums in China, withamazing exhibits showcasing the vastrichness of China’s long history. Includedin the tour is a very special white-glove visit to the museum vault (closed to thegeneral public). You will see items no oneelse gets to see; surely to beone of the lasting memoriesof the trip.

• Before departing the citytake in a nice lunch as agroup.

• Visit the Hanyang Tomb on the way to theairport, a relatively newly discovered site thatcontinues to be unearthed and examined.

• Transfer to the airport and fly toChengdu.

• Transfer to and check-in at theKempinski Hotel.

• Enjoy a late group dinner.





Day 9 Chengdu/Leshan

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.• Drive to and tour the Leshan giant Buddha. This is

the world’s largest Buddha, and there are many vantage points from which you can stand to trulyappreciate the magnitude of the effort that is took tocreate such a statue.

• Have a group lunch in Leshan.

• Ride a boat down the river at a leisurely pace in Leshan to view the Buddha from the boat comfortably.

• Take an optional (at no extra cost) trip onto the shore to view the Buddha up close (some stairs and walking).

• Drive back to Chengdu in time for dinner.





Day 10 Chengdu-Guilin


• Drive to the Panda Breeding Center in themorning. Rather than a heartless zoo exhibit,this is the world’s leading Panda breeding andresearch center. Stroll slowly among the manyareas housing the pandas (giant and red pandas),or stay in the main building if preferred and watch the baby pandas in the busy nursery. Youcan also actually enter the facilities and cradle a young panda in your arms, posing for photos and videos if desired (a donation is required if you want to do this).

• Group lunch in Chengdu.

• Drive to the airport and fly toGuilin.

• Transfer to and check-in at the Sheraton Hotel(5 star).

• Enjoy a delicious group dinner in Guilin.





Day 11 Guilin


• Transfer to the docks and cruise down the LiRiver to Yangshuo by boat. This river isconsidered by many to be the most beautiful inChina, with limestone rounded hills, water buffalo grazing, rice terraces on the hillsides,and cormorant fishing by the locals. The riverand hills are the subjects of countless paintingsand works of poetry forgood reason, and their full beauty is well captured onthe slow ride along the water.

• Enjoy a lunch in the small town of Yangshuo,famous for it’s small streets and open cafes andrestaurants.

• Take a motorized tour of Yangshuo and thearea, viewing the Moon Hill, the Thousand- Year Tree, and the rice terraces just outside thetown.

• Enjoy some shopping in Yangshuo, withlocal hand crafted goods not found anywhere elsein China.

• Enjoy a group dinner before departing.

• Take a private bus back to the hotel inGuilin in the evening.





Day 12 Guilin


• Head out with the group to take a tour of the nearbyElephant Hill, as well as a short exploration of theReed Flute Cave.

• Alternatively, you may opt to take a private bus backto the town of Yangshuo for a day an afternoon on your own shopping and exploring, and then taking the bus back to rejoin the group in Guilin.

• Lunches in Guilin or Yangshuodepending on your choice for theday.

• Enjoy a group dinner back in Guilinnearby the hotel.

• Head out in the evening with the group, if desired,to the local night market.





Day 13 Guilin-Shanghai


• Tour the Water Pearl Museum and buy somepearls here as well, if desired.

• After a lunch, fly to Shanghai in the afternoon.

• Check-in at the Radisson New World Hotel.

• Enjoy a dinner with the group before headingout for the evening show.

• Enjoy a performance of the famous Shanghaiacrobats after dinner.





Day 14 Shanghai


• Take a walk along the Bund and view the famousarchitecture, the water may be dirty but this is one of thegreatest places to see Shanghai. Standing on the banks ofPuxi, you can see the new business district in Pudongacross the river.

• View it all from the top of the tallest building in China, the World Financial Center.

• Drive to the Yu Garden, for a lunch and a short tour.This visit has two purposes, it is not just a terrific series ofclassical buildings and ponds but it also it the bestsouvenir shopping center in Shanghai.

• To finish the afternoon visit the famous antique market in Shanghai, Dong Tai Lu, where 2 blocksof a small street are transformed into a busy marketplace lined with sellers hawking everythingfrom mid-century home goods to antique furniture and dishes.





Day 15 Shanghai


• Tour the People’s Square area and visit the Shanghaimuseum. This is perhaps the most “modern” museumdisplaying ancient artifacts. Well-displayed and labeledexhibits, this is not “just another museum.” The group will betreated to a VIP tour by a senior guide at the museum and willget an especially in depth visit.

• Enjoy a lunch nearby to People’s Square.

• After lunch, visit the City Planning Center, where youcan see the incredible model of the city showcasing allof the accomplishments as well as the plannedexpansion. This city of 25 million is truly one of thefastest growing in the world as well as one of the bestplanned in terms of housing, business, andinfrastructure.

• Take a walk on the Nanjing road, the most famouspedestrian street in China.

• Enjoy a group dinner together in central Shanghai.

• Take a nighttime walk around Xintiandi (if desired). Thisshopping area is a wonderfully renovated series of classicalShanghai-architecture brick buildings. Shops, restaurants,and bars can all be enjoyed, or simply view and appreciatethis unique part of the city at your leisure.





Day 16 Shanghai/Suzhou

• Buffet breakfast at the hotel.• Drive to the nearby city of Suzhou in the morning,

an approximately 90 minute drive.• Take a tour of the Humble Administrator’s

Garden. This is a terrific way to begin the day inSuzhou since it is the most complete garden in thecity. The physical size is impressive, and it is quitepossible to spend an entire day wandering fromsection to section. The Banzai area is particularlyimpressive and is worth the time to spend on thatfeature.

• Enjoy a group lunch near the gardens.

• Take a private boat cruise on the canals and see theactive life along the waterways.

• Visit the embroidered silk museum, quite famous from this city.In particular, there is a style known as “double-sided”embroidery which is what you should really look for ifinterested. The embroidery is usually displayed in a glass frameand mounted in a wooden holder, allowing the piece to berotated so that both sides may be viewed. Of course you willhave plenty of opportunity to purchase your own if desired.

• Drive back to Shanghai after a scrumptious group dinner, an

approximately 90 minute drive.





Day 17 Shanghai


• Enjoy a free day exploring Shanghai on yourown, or if preferred you may join others inoptional activities (included in the tour cost),including the Longhua Temple and the Qibao oldtown. If attending the optional tour on this daythere will be a lunch as well.

• Everyone will join in a farewell dinner nearby tothe hotel this night, a special goodbye to China.




Asia Travel Curators

Day 18 Shanghai-USA

• Transfer to the airport and fly back to the USA (arriving the same day).

Ageless China Tour

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