CHINA EXPERIENCE

DAY 1 SHANGHAI, CHINA
Welcome to Shanghai, China’s largest city and center of trade. Hotel rooms are available for a mid-afternoon check-in.

DAY 2 SHANGHAI
Sightseeing today includes a stroll through the Old Town and the beautiful Yu Yuan Gardens, a place of peace and tranquility in this bustling city. Visit the Shanghai Museum, where superb antiquities and fine arts dating back 6,000 years are on display. Walk along the famous Bund with its colonial architecture, and explore the restored Xintiandi area with its unique 1920s-style Shikumen buildings. You will also visit a silk factory to learn about the silk-making process. Tonight, join your traveling companions for dinner at your hotel.

DAY 3 SHANGHAI
Explore Shanghai at leisure. You may opt to join an optional excursion to the historic water town of Wuzhen, renowned for its Old World charm and picturesque setting.

DAY 4 SHANGHAI–XI’AN
Today, fly to Xi’an, the former ancient capital. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

DAY 5 XI’AN
One of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world when China dominated the silk trade, Xi’an today is an archaeological treasure trove. Sightseeing begins with the enormous tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, accidentally discovered by local farmers in 1974. Marvel at the legion of Terracotta Warriors that has been guarding the burial site for 2,000 years. Later, walk along the ancient city wall of Xi’an. The balance of the day is at your leisure.

DAY 6 XI’AN–BEIJING
This morning, take a walking tour through the lively Muslim Quarter to explore the Islamic food markets before your flight to Beijing, capital of China.

DAY 7 BEIJING
Start your day with a walk through Tian’anmen Square past Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum and to the treasure-filled Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings in China. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was home to emperors as well as the center of politics

DAY 8 BEIJING
The Great Wall of China once stretched 4,000 miles across China’s barren northern terrain from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. Head north to a village where the Great Wall is well preserved and walk along the wall to enjoy sweeping vistas of this mammoth fortress. This evening your dinner features the local delicacy, Peking duck.

DAY 9 BEIJING
Your tour ends with breakfast this morning