Incredible China 10 Days $999

Fly to Beijing. On arrival, you will be met by your guide and will transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore and relax. Note: Some flights may depart the night before.

After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square in the centre of Beijing. The square is named after the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its north, which provides entry to the famed Forbidden City. The square contains the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong. You may also wish to take an optional Forbidden City Tour (at your own expense). You’ll discover the former seat of the emperors throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a true architectural masterpiece, and is home to the fascinating National Palace Museum.Optional activities;

• Peking Duck Lunch ($50): Dine on Peking Duck.
• Forbidden City Tour ($85): Explore the ancient and imposing heart of China’s imperial past.
• Authentic Old Beijing Tour, with Temple of Heaven, Hutong Tour, and Dinner ($115): The Temple of Heaven is recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO. It is an architectural masterpiece, and was built between 1406 and 1460 AD. The temple was used by China’s emperors for ceremonies honouring the god of harvests. Then, take a rickshaw tour of Beijing’s ancient Hutong neighbourhoods, and visit a local family. This package also includes a traditional Beijing Noodle dish – zhajiangmian (fried bean sauce noodles) meal at a local restaurant. A speciality of Beijing, zhajiangmian is cooked by mixing noodles with vegetables and fried soybean sauce.

Today’s highlight is an excursion to the majestic Great Wall, one of the Seven Wonders of the World! You’ll have a chance to climb a portion of this 6,000km marvel, at Juyong Pass. Then tour the iconic Beijing 2008 Olympic Centre; which includes the famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube stadiums, which now host many spectacular events. You’ll see these magnificent structures from the outside, providing a perfect photo opportunity. You’ll visit one of the largest jade exhibitions in Asia en route, and after lunch, see skilled artisans work at a cloisonné factory.Optional activity

• The Golden Mask Dynasty ($75): Be amazed by the colour, music, and action of this large-scale stage production (evening).

Today, tour the exquisite Summer Palace, the largest preserved ancient garden in China, and formerly a summer resort for emperors. This is followed by a visit to a Chinese herbal medicine institute, and learn about this ancient medical tradition. Then, take a high speed train to Suzhou. Alternatively, the group may fly to Shanghai and travel the short distance to Suzhou by bus.

Suzhou has long been known as the ‘Venice of the East’, for its exquisite canals, bridges, pagodas, and beautiful gardens, and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. After breakfast, tour the Lingering Garden, a classic private garden with 500 years of history. Next, visit the largest silk factory in the country, and discover how silk is manufactured from mulberry-munching silkworms. You may also take an optional cruise along the Grand Canal (at your own expense) and view life along this section of the longest and oldest canal in the world. Late afternoon, we continue to Wuxi and visit Three Kingdoms City, which is a major CCTV (China Central Television) production studio, and a renowned tourist attraction. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical TV series, was filmed there.Optional activity

• Grand Canal Cruise ($45): Cruise on China’s Grand Canal, at 1,776km long and reaching all the way to Beijing, this massive engineering feat was unparalleled in the ancient world.

This morning, tour beautiful Li Lake (Lihu), which is the most scenic corner of Wuxi’s huge Lake Tai (Taihu), followed by a visit to a freshwater pearl exhibition and store. Continue on to Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as “the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world”. Upon arrival, You may take an optional cruise on the serene West Lake (Xihu), which the most renowned feature of Hangzhou, and is noted for its scenic beauty, which blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites. In the evening, you may wish to attend Enduring Memories of Hangzhou, and see the story of West Lake come alive before your eyes.Optional activity

• West Lake Cruise ($55): An optional cruise on the serene West Lake.
• Show: Enduring Memories of Hangzhou ($95): See the story of West Lake come alive before your eyes (season runs Feb-Oct)

Experience tea-tasting at the Dragon Well Tea Plantation, which produces some of the the best ‘Longjing’ Green Tea in China. After lunch we drive to Shanghai. The Bund, on the Huangpu River and lined by historical architecture of European design, is the best place to capture the Western influences of the colonial era. Then, visit the City God Temple Bazaar, which is composed of stores selling traditional Chinese arts and crafts, medicine, and souvenirs. Tonight you can watch a thrilling Chinese acrobatic show SPIRAL (at your own expense).Optional activity

• SPIRAL Acrobatic Show ($85): A thrilling Chinese acrobatic show, featuring dance, drama, music, and multimedia effects.

In the morning, tour Shanghai Museum, to see ancient Chinese art, furniture, and jade, followed by a visit to an emerald exhibition centre. In the afternoon, you may enjoy an optional half day tour of the Jin Mao Tower and Xintiandi ($85/person). You’ll visit the Jin Mao Tower Observation Deck on the 88th floor, for a panoramic view of the Huangpu River and the Bund. Xintiandi (New Heaven and Earth) holds the historical and cultural legacy of the city. It was the site of the first congress of the Chinese Communist Party, but is now the most expensive place to live in China. Tonight, you may enjoy an optional Huangpu River night cruise.Optional activity

• Half-day City Tour ($85): Tour the Jin Mao Tower and see the city from the 88-floor observation deck, then visit the famed Xintiandi district.
• Huangpu River night cruise ($75): Get a glimpse of the dazzling night view of Shanghai, with the colonial-era Bund on one side and the futuristic skyscrapers of Lujiazui financial district on the other.

After breakfast, transfer to Shanghai airport to board your overnight connecting flight via an intermediate city to Australia. The trip may be over, but the experiences and memories will certainly last a lifetime.

Arrive back in Australia today.