History Tour to China

Day 1

Depart from the UK

Today you will depart on your scheduled overnight flight from London to Beijing.

Day 2

Arrival in Beijing

You are met on arrival and transfer into the city to your hotel. In the afternoon you can enjoy a stroll across Tiananmen Square to view the huge portrait of Chairman Mao, and visit the vibrant Wangfujing Street, home to many shops and department stores.

This evening dinner will be early so students can rest after the long flight.

Day 3

Bejing - Forbidden City & Hutong Tour

This morning your day will commence in Beijing’s famous Tiananmen Square where you can see Mao Tse Tong’s mausoleum. Chinese soldiers are on ceremonial guard at several places in the Square. At the far end of the square we walk through the Gate of Supreme Harmony and enter Beijing’s magnificent, sprawling Forbidden City. You will find a complex full of imperial riches which never fail to mesmerize. Adjacent to the Forbidden City you explore Jiangshan Park with its manicured plants and exotic pavilions.

In the afternoon you have a Hutong Tour by rickshaw where you can see some of the original and traditional Chinese building and house that are slowly being lost to redevelopment. You will be able to visit local family and hear about how these changes are affecting their lives.

Day 4

Beijing - Great Wall & Olympic Park

This morning you drive to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and take a cable car to reach the wall. The best way to appreciate its scale and magnificence is to take a walk along the wall itself and experience the impressive scenery that it passes through.

In the afternoon you return to Beijing and stop for a visit at the tranquil Summer Palace with its traditional Chinese gardens. You also see the Olympic Park and iconic Birds Nest Stadium and take a trip to the top of the Olympic Tower for a spectacular view across the city.

This evening you will eat out at a traditional Peking Duck restaurant.

Day 5

Temple of Heaven - Train to Xian

This morning you explore the Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO world heritage complex offering an oasis of calm in this bustling city. The temple was built in the 15th century and its most famous building it the iconic, round Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest.

In the afternoon you travel by high speed bullet train to Xian, taking between 4-5 hours. You arrive in the early evening and transfer to your hotel.

In the evening you visit the pedestrian Datang Everbright City which is a combination of shopping malls, restaurants and cinemas, all built in traditional Chinese style and with a range of music and street performers.

Day 6

Terracotta Army, Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter & Cooking Class

This morning you visit the world-famous Terracotta Army. Discovered by local farmers by chance during the 1970’s, the Warriors date from the time of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. You see the life-sized ranks of warriors and horses and explore the adjoining museum.

Later in the day you see Xian’s iconic Bell Tower and explore the historic Muslim Quarter of the city which has lots of great street food to sample.

In the late afternoon you have a Chinese cooking class followed by a traditional dumpling dinner, and can spend the evening strolling through the brightly lit shopping streets of the city.

Day 7

Xian - Flight to Shanghai

In the morning you visit the ancient City Walls of Xian which enclose the old town and which date from the 14th century. You also see the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda located which was built in 652 AD during the Tang dynasty.

In the afternoon you transfer to the airport in Xian for the short domestic flight to Shanghai, China’s business powerhouse with its futuristic cityscape of Pudong.

This evening you will visit the Shanghai Tower for a spectacular vista over the city. The tower was completed in 2015 and rises to 2073 feet or 632 metres, making it the tallest building in China and the third highest in the World at present. You take the high-speed lift to the observation deck on the 118th floor where you have magnificent 360 degree views of this vast city.

Day 8

Shanghai

You begin the day with a visit to the famous Yuyan Garden. Built between 1559 and 1577 the charm of Yu Garden lies in its traditional Chinese architecture and serene ponds, and its elaborate maze of Míng Dynasty pavilions, bridges and ponds, all encircled by an undulating dragon wall.

You continue to the small museum that was the birth place of the Chinese Communist Party. What appears as a small building actually reveals itself to be a large underground exhibition with a view of history skewed towards the Chinese perspective.

In the late afternoon you can stroll along the Bund. This famous waterfront avenue is regarded as the symbol of Shanghai and has some of its most elegant shops. You also have a wonderful night time cruise on the Huangpu River where we can see the famous Bund on one side and the spectacular skyscrapers of Pudong on the other.

Day 9

Fly Home

This morning after breakfast you transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK