| 17 Days Classic China No Shopping Tour (Tour code: PT1718) | |
| Themes:History, culture, nature | |
| Destinations: Beijing - Pingyao - Xi'an - Luoyang - Guilin - Yangshuo - Hangzhou - Shanghai | |
| From: $3125 |  |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | After arrival at Beijing Airport you meet with your private English-speaking guide and driver and immediately begin your China experience in the old Hutongs, the classic old alleys that used to make up most of Beijing. You will venture into the hutongs in a rickshaw and enjoy the tranquil life in here, before going to your hotel for check in and rest. |
| Attractions | Hutong Rickshaw Tour |
| Meals | Lunch |
| Accommodation | Standart 4* hotel or 3* Hutong hotel |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | Beijings impressive sights are waiting for your visit. The day starts out at the Temple of Heaven, once an important place for the court and now a landmark of Beijing. From the temple you continue to the massive Tian'anmen Square in the heart of the city. After having walked across the square you enter the Forbidden City, from where China was ruled from 1420 to the fall of the dynasties in 1911. In the afternoon you return to your hotel. |
| Attractions | Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | Standart 4* hotel or 3* Hutong hotel |
| Destination | Beijing |
| Activities | Todays day excursion brings you to the incredible Great Wall of China. Yoou go to the Mutianyu Section, which sees much less visitors than other parts. You can have as much time as you like on the wall before you, sometime in the afternoon, return to your car and drive back to downtown Beijing. |
| Attractions | Great Wall of China at Mutianyu |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | Standart 4* hotel or 3* Hutong hotel |
| Destination | Beijing - night train |
| Activities | Tonight you leave Beijing by night train, but before then there are still some great sights to visit. First stop is the Lama Temple. This temple used to be a royal residence but was converted into a temple in the late 17th century. Since then it has been an active Buddhist temple. Later, on your way to the Summer Palace, you stop to see the famous Bird's Nest Stadium from the outside, before reaching the Summer Palace and its beautiful surroundings, including the famous Marble Boat and Long Corridor. In late afternoon you go to the train station and prepare to leave Beijing. |
| Attractions | Lama Temple, Bird's Nest (outside view), Summer Palace |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | Night train, soft sleeper berths |
| Destination | Pingyao |
| Activities | Welcome to charming Pingyao! You are met by your new guide at the train station and taken to Pingyaos Old Quarter. Nestled on the plains of northern Shanxi Province Pingyao is famous for its traditional North China houses and way of life. After breakfast at a hotel you go on a day tour where your guide introduces Pingyaos sights. In the afternoon you return to your hotel, located inside the Old Quarter, and the rest of the day is free to explore Pingyao on your own. |
| Attractions | Pingyao Old Quarter |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Pingyao - Xi'an |
| Activities | After breakfast your guide escorts you to Taiyuan Airport from where you fly to Xi'an. Xi'an used to be the capital of China for centuries and during the Han- and Tang Dynasties the city became known for its culture. Your first sight of the day is the impressive History Museum where you can see many artefacts uncovered in and around Xi'an. From the museum you continue to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda to see this classic Xi'an landmark, before checking in at your centraly located hotel. |
| Attractions | Shaanxi History Museum, Small Wild Goose Pagoda |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Xi'an |
| Activities | Today is a highlight of your tour as you go to see the stunning Terracotta Army. Constructed by order of Emperor Qin in 221 B.C. this is one of China's premier sights, with more than 7000 lifesized clay soldiers standing row by row in the large complex. In the afternoon you return to downtown Xi'an and scale the massive City Wall, one of the best preserved in China. |
| Attractions | Terracotta Army, City Wall |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Xi'an - Luoyang - Xi'an |
| Activities | Today we have prepared a one day tour for you. From Xi'an you take the high-speed train to nearby Luoyang, home to the magnificent Longmen Buddhist Grottoes. During the centuries more than 50.000 figures were carved out of the rock surface here. Luoyang is also home to the oldest remaining temple in China, the White Horse Temple that dates back to the 1st century B.C. In late afternoon you return to Xi'an by train. |
| Attractions | Longmen Buddhist Caves, White Horse Temple |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Xi'an - Ping'an |
| Activities | Todays destination is the mountain village of Ping'an which lies in the middle of the stunning rice terraces of southern Guangxi Province. From Xi'an you take a flight to Guilin, and from here drive up into the mountains. From the parking lot below Ping'an you need to walk for about 30 minutes to reach the village while porters carry your luggage. The walk takes you through the incredible rice terraces. Once in Ping'an you can follow your guide to the nearby viewing point or you can just relax in the village and enjoy the view. |
| Attractions | Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | Non-graded Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Ping'an - Yangshuo |
| Activities | The morning is free until you are ready to leave Ping'an. Ahead a five hour journey out of the mountains and into the low areas near the Li River awaits. Your destination is Yangshuo, a smal town on the banks of the river, which you will use as a base to explore the countryside in the next few days. Upon arrival in Yangshuo you check in at your hotel, and then the rest of the day is free to explore on your own. Yangshuo is famous for its West Street where you can find many shops, restaurants and cafes to enjoy the evening at. |
| Attractions | Guangxi Province's scenery |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Yangshuo |
| Activities | Yangshuo is rightfully famous for the limestone hills and river scenery that has been immortalised in many Chinese poems and paintings. Your guide will bring you to the village of Xingping where you will go on a two hour bamboo raft ride to enjoy the scenery, with a stop at even smaller Yutou Village on the way. Back in Xingping you also visit the local Old Street and the small museum here, before returning to Yangshuo. |
| Attractions | Li River bamboo raft ride, Yutou Village, Xingping Town's Old Street & Museum |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Yangshuo - Shaoxing |
| Activities | Today is a transportation day. First you drive back to Guilin Airport, from where you take a flight to Shaoxing near Shanghai on the East Coast. Shaoxing has been succesfull in preserving many of the old parts of town and you will be staying at a great hotel inside one of these old parts. After arrival sometime in the afternoon you check in and take a short rest before you visit the Shen Garden. The visit includes a short performance of local song and dance. |
| Attractions | Shen Garden |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 5* Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Shaoxing |
| Activities | After breakfast you walk the short distance to Lu Xun's former home. Lu Xun was one of the most influential Chinese writers of the early 20th century. Later you drive to the tranquil and very charming Bazi Bridge area to take a stroll by the canals, before you take a 30 minutes Wupeng fishing boat canal tour. You finish off the day by visiting one of the city's many canal gates, made to protect the city against rising waters. |
| Attractions | Former home of Lu Xun, Bazi Bridge area, Wupeng canal boat tour, city gate |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 5* Priority Hotel |
| Destination | Shaoxing - Hangzhou |
| Activities | After breakfast you leave Shaoxing and head for famous Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo in his journals. Here you take a short cruise on the central West Lake, renowned all over China for its beuty. Later you visit the large and very old Lingyin Temple, before you visit a tea plantation to taste China's famous green tea. In the afternoon you go to your hotel to check in and rest. |
| Attractions | West Lake short cruise, Lingyin Temple, Tea Plantation |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Hangzhou - Shanghai |
| Activities | One of the biggest cities in the world is your destination today. Incredible Shanghai will make you drop your jaw in awe. First stop is the City Planning Museum where you can get an idea of the city's incredible size, before going to the Jinmao Tower to see the sight of Shanghai from above at the tower's 88th floor sightseeing deck. From here your local guide brings you to your hotel in central Shanghai for check in. |
| Attractions | City Plannning Museum, Jinmao Tower |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Shanghai |
| Activities | Today you see Shanghai by foot. You walk the short distance to The Bund, Shanghai's harborfront that is by many seen as the symbol of Shanghai, before you continue through Chinatown's small alleys to Yuyuan Garden, a great example of Chinese garden art. The afternoon is free to rest or pack on your last full day in China. |
| Attractions | The Bund, Chinatown, Yuyuan Garden |
| Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
| Accommodation | 4* hotel |
| Destination | Shanghai - home |
| Activities | Unfortunately it is time to leave China after a fantastic tour of the country's premier sights. After breakfast time is free until departure for the airport. Your journey home begins with many, many great memories to take with you. |
| Attractions | None |
| Meals | Breakfast |
| Accommodation | Not incl. |
| Price information | |
| 2-3 person group: $4310/person
4-6 person group: $3480/person 7-9 person group: $3125/person Luxury upgrade: available |
|
| Price including |
| Domestic flights as in itinerary
Train travel as in itinerary Private English-speaking guide Private ground transportation as per itinerary Accommodation as listed Entrances as listed Meals as listed Chinese travel accident insurance Guaranteed no shopping stops |
| Price not including |
Flights to/from China Personal expenses Tips for guides and drivers Anything not listed in itinerary |
| Important tour information |
Luxury Upgrade Policy: A luxury upgrade option is available with many of our tours. In accordance with our quality benchmark, upgrade options are divided into four categories: 1. Available - upgrade possible at all destinations in tour itinerary. 2. Partially available - upgrade not possible at one or more destnations in tour itinerary. 3. Not recommended - available or partially available, but not recommended (see Hotel Policy). 4. Not available - luxury upgrades are not possible on many of our trademark specialty tours to remote or developing regions. These tours are deeply genuine and authentic.
Keeping our guests' comfort in mind, we prefer to stay in a 2* or 3* hotel in or close to the attraction, rather than a 4* or 5* hotel much further away. Genuine China Tours' all-encompassing hotel policy is that we will never pick a hotel only because of its price. All our partner hotels must live up to a strict quality test that includes: 1. Geographical location - the location of our chosen hotel is of great importantce, both in large cities, where traffic congestion can play a vital role in the handling of the tour, and also on tours to remote villages, where the right choice of village or hotel can mean a world of difference to the tour. 2. Quality of hotel - including room size and cleanliness, quality of breakfast, ease of getting in/out and more. 3. Local environment - local environment should include local sights (when possible), be in the vicinity of local markets/night markets (if any) and have access to shops and convenience stores (if any). 4. Design and layout of hotel - we prefer hotels with history and atmosphere, especially if these have relevance with the sight(s) at the destination. 5. Value for money - any hotel must pass requirements 1-3 and 5. If a hotel passes all five requirements it becomes a Priority Hotel.
Also important: 1. Please perform a thorough health check before traveling. If your health is not good enough please refrain from traveling. Most major tourist destinations in China have good health care services, but on tours to remote or high altitude destinations you should make sure your health allows you to travel to these destinations. Genuine China Tours will bear no responsibility in case of any accident, relapse or discomfort. 2. Disabled persons should be accompanied by by their own aid instruments or an accompanying person. Genuine China Tours can not provide aid instruments. 3. While traveling please adhere to instructions from your guide and stay clear of any dangers and/or annoyances. 4. Genuine China Tours reserves the right to refuse participation on a tour if the traveler is deemed unfit to participate or will be a nuisance to other travelers. 5. On tours to remote areas or high altitude areas accommodation and restaurants may not be up to standart. You should be prepared for this if choosing a tour to these areas. 6. Please make sure to bring items that may be necessary, like windproof jacket, umbrella, sun screen (sun lotion), health related articles, items of personal nature etc. 7. On speciality tours to remote regions, Tibetan areas and mountainous regions Genuine China Tours will bear no responsibility if tour itinerary is changed due to government policies, weather or any other influencing factors outside GCTs control. |
| Genuine China Tours is an officially registered travel agency operating under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Guests are required to follow rules and regulations set forth by existing laws of the country, including behavior respectful of local customs and manners. Tour designs and quotations may not be used in connection with other travel agencies. Genuine China Tours cannot be held responsible for any inconvenience caused by weather, traffic, government policies or other situations outside GCTs control. |