• Beijing: city tour (3 nights)
• Great Wall & Forbidden City
• Xian: City tour (2 nights)
• Terracotta Warriors
• Guilin: City tour (3 night)
• Li River Cruise
• Yangshuo
• Shanghai: city tour (3 nights)
• Suzhou / Zhujiajiao Water Village
• Maglev train
• Hong Kong: Optional Extension

View Itinerary

Price & Departure dates

Day 1
Depart from Heathrow or your preferred airport for scheduled flight to Beijing. Meals on board. We arrange direct flight whenever possible.

Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be greeted at the airport by our English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel by private transport. The rest of the day is at your leisure to recover from jet lag and get ready for the adventure to come! (China is 8 hours ahead of UK GMT)

Day 3 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
A full day city tour to soak up the atmosphere of Beijing. This includes visiting historical sites such as Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Our welcome dinner in the evening provides an opportunity to sample various type of Chinese cuisine.

Evening entertainment recommended *Optional:Acrobatic show.

Day 4 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
The highlights of today's visit is to the Great Wall (Mutianyu Section), which is quieter and less touristy compare with many others. This section of the Wall is also equipped with a cable car for those who prefer an easier way up (fee required at local ticket office approx £5). You will have plenty of time to walk along the wall and enjoy unforgettable views.

Our memorable day continues with a trip to see the 2008 Bird's Nest Olympics Stadium and enjoy great photo opportunities. Time permitting, we will have a stroll in the large Olympic square and see the Water Cube (exteriors only). We conclude this unforgettable day by enjoying a selection of Beijing dishes including Peking Duck.

Day 5 Beijing to Xian (Breakfast, Lunch)
Visit the 12th century Summer Palace, Kunming Lake and the Garden of Harmony before taking the ferry next to the famous Marble Boat. In the next part of the tour enjoy a fascinating Rickshaw ride through the 'Hutong' residential area of Beijing to see how local people live. Our guide will then escort you to Houhai, a popular relaxing eating out place for both Western and Chinese tourists. For travellers who would like to experience shopping in China, we can take you to the popular shopping street - Xiushui Silk Market.

In the late afternoon, we take a flight to Xian, the former capital of China and starting point of the ancient Silk Road. After the 2 hours flight and help you to check in at your hotel, our guide will leave you to have a good rest and ready for tomorrow's adventure.

Day 6 Xian (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
An exciting day awaits you as we head to the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum. We will spend plenty time to visit the luxury underground palace of Emperor Qinshihuang, The Archaeological Museum of 6,000 life-size Terracotta Warriors and their horses. The warriors were the after life protectors of the first emperor who united China (221BC-206BC).

Enjoy our lunch include Xian's specialities. Following this we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built as a Buddhist Monastery during the Tang Dynasty. We enjoy the jovial atmosphere around the beautiful Pagoda and picturesque boulevard where Xian residents come to meet & relax.

Evening entertainment includes: a re-enactment of the royal arts performance of a 7th century Tang Dynasty Show, with a special Dinner of dumplings included.

Day 7 Xian to Guilin ( Breakfast, Lunch)

After breakfast we explore Xian and visit the old Muslim Quarter of the City which is home to large Ethnic Muslim Chinese community, who have lived in the city since the silk road was established.

Enjoy walking through Muslim Square which leads into narrow winding streets crammed with shop stalls selling an array of interesting handcrafts and local food specialities. We also give time to visit the Wooden Mosque. Afterwards we will visit the majestic Bell Tower (exterior) for photo opportunities, and Drum Towers (inside) where provides fantastic bird's view across the city centre.

In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely walk & optional cycle ride on the ancient city walls. The smooth & well preserved walls make for an ideal and safe walking & cycling route around the inner historic city centre and are a charming way to enjoy the local lifestyle of Xian.

Late afternoon take a flight to Guilin. After the 1.5 hours flight and help you to check in at your hotel, our guide will leave you to have a good rest and ready for tomorrow's adventure.

Day 8 Guilin (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)
We take a tour to the delightful Fubo Hill or Elephant Trunk Hill (depends on local situation). Later we visit Reed Flute Cave, a vast underground cavern of exotic rock formations.

Evening entertainment recommended *Optional: to see the fantastic Ethnic Dragon Dance theater show.

Day 9 Guilin - Yangshuo (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast we take an hour drive to Zhujiang Dock, where you will board our boat and start cruising down the picturesque Li River with lime stone pinnacles, water buffalos, farms and villages on both sides of the river bank. Lunch will be served on board and we will disembark upon arrival at Yangshuo, a charming ancient town that is famous for its beautiful scenery.

Day 10 Guilin to Shanghai (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)
We take a flight to Shanghai where our guide will meet you upon arrival and check into your hotel.

After having a rest, we start our city tour of Shanghai which will include visiting Yu Garden, famous for its rock gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds. We marvel at the futuristic landscape and magnificent towers on the famous promenade along the Huangpu River, the Bund and Nanjing Road. Finally our tour takes us to see the historic side of Shanghai. We visit the traditional low-rise homes, which was the former French quarter in colonial times and known locally as 'Heaven on Earth'.

Evening entertainment recommended *Optional:Martial art show, dance show etc.

Day 11 Shanghai - Zhujiajiao or Suzhou (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)
Depending on your preference, today we either take an hour and half drive to the water village of Zhujiajiao, unspoiled for hundreds of years. There you have the opportunity to take a winding boat ride through the village canals whilst being serenaded. Or travel to Suzhou where we visit some traditional Chinese gardens, including Humble Administrator's Garden and Garden of the Master of the Nets. Return to Shanghai in the evening.

Day 12 Shanghai (Includes: Breakfast)
We leave this final full day for you to explore this cosmopolitan city at your own leisure, to relax, and perhaps do some last minute shopping in Shanghai's incredible shopping malls. We also recommend a visit to Pudong area and the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Day 13 Shanghai to Homeward (Includes: Breakfast)
Be taken by private car from your hotel to the Maglev train station in Shanghai, where our local guide will assist you to board the futuristic and super fast Maglev train with a top speed of 267mph. The train will take you to the airport in time for your flight homeward.

Hong Kong extension (£399* per person inc flight)

Day 13 Shanghai to Hong Kong (Includes: Breakfast)
You will be met at your hotel and taken by private car to the Maglev train station in Shanghai. With the assistance of our local guide, board the futuristic and super fast Maglev train which will take you to the airport for your onward flight to Hong Kong. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel (superior/moderate deluxe standard). The rest of day is free at leisure.

Day 14 Hong Kong (Includes: Breakfast)
Half day morning tour to the Victoria Peak, Stanley Market, Aberdeen Fishing Village. Rest of the day is free.

Day 15 Hong Kong (Includes: Breakfast)
You are transferred to Hong Kong airport for your departure flight.

OR, for the same price, you may choose the option of 3 nights/4 days in Hong Kong incl a flight to Hong Kong. (flight & accommodation only)

*supplement of £60pp apply for Mar, Apr, Sept, Oct, Nov.

Magical China Holiday 2013 Departure Dates & Prices £

Thursdays departure

Price Includes (The prices shown above are 'per person' in Mainland China)

• All internal & International flights including airport tax. (International flights based upon London, Heathrow departure). We can also arrange departures from your local airport. Fully ATOL Protected.
• All airport/hotel transfers.
• Fully escorted sightseeing tours by professional English speaking guides (including entrance fee).
• Carefully selected good 4/5 star hotel and 5 star cruise accommodation in well furnished rooms with private facilities. In Hong Kong it is 3/4 star standard, upgrade option available.
• Meals as specified in the itinerary, daily supply of bottled water.

We also arrange tailor made departure & private tours according to this itinerary, please contact us to discuss your requirements. Flight Prices may be different around the bank holiday period in the UK, and festival periods in China. Please contact us for confirmation.

Price Does Not Include

• Chinese Visa (we can provide service, please go to Our Visa Service for details).
• Travel Insurance.
• Tips to guides and drivers.
• Optional tours and extensions.

Our Tour Facts: Our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace, with a suitable combination of escorted sightseeing, special activities & free time for your ultimate enjoyment. China is a big country and we believe your holiday should be enjoyable, not an endurance race.

Our tour is arranged on a small group basis average 8 people per group, as we feel this gives our travellers more flexibility and enjoyment. By reducing the group size our experienced local guides are able to get to know you all individually and show you the true beauty of China.

Add on tours and city extension available, for details visit Optional tours page.

Our Accommodation: We take a great deal of time and effort to source our hotel selection in each city for our travellers enjoyment and our hotels are good 4 star & 5 star rating. We also monitor our established hotel selection continually based upon each of our customers feedback received over the years. Please visit our Hotel page for full accommodation details.

Flights We can obtain flights in various class seats with many reputable airlines. We can also provide flights from many UK regional airports and depends on availability. We always try to arrange direct flight when possible, if you wish to be booked on a particular airline, please specify at the time of booking. Alternatively, for the cheapest deal we recommend you book our land only package and we can search your prefered airline ticket for the best price at time of booking, as this can save you £££s off your final holiday price.

Your Meals We include all breakfasts (mixture of western & Chinese cuisine) at your hotel and most Chinese style lunches and dinners, which are all pre-booked as shown in your itinerary. Each lunch and dinner menu is selected to ensure you can try a wide variety of tasty traditional dishes whilst in China. We feel it is also an important part of your holiday experience to try buying a few meals by yourself whilst you're in China and for your convenience the hotels we select provide a good choices of Chinese cuisine with English menu. Alternatively there are plenty of restaurants to choose from around the main sightseeing area in most Chinese cities. A good meal (dinner) in a restaurant should cost about £8 per person.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of flights available, although on rare occasions the sequence in which cities are visited, duration of time spent can change due to local conditions which are out of our control. The above itinerary highlights the main attractions that are to be visited each day. Further places of interest may be visited during your stay, which will provide unique ethnic and cultural handcraft shopping opportunities. We reserve the right to change, amend or alter the itinerary, although we will act in your best interests to handle any amendments. Please refer to the booking form for detailed terms & conditions.