BT-04 Eastern Explorer

Start in SHANGHAI with it’s neon skyline before moving on by bullet train to mount HUANGSHAN, an inspiration for poets and painters with its rock formations and the village of HONGCUN. Next a private car takes you to HANGZHOU, justly famous throughout China for its beautiful West Lake and temples.

Bullet train to China’s Ming dynasty capital of NANJING before SUZHOU famous for its gardens and canals. A final bullet train back to Shanghai to finish.

Arrival in Shanghai With Time to Relax at the Hotel

Welcome to Shanghai, China’s exciting and futuristic financial capital and living testament to China’s phenomenal growth. Your guide will greet you at the airport with a transfer by private car to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax from the long flight or start to explore the city with the help of your personalised and exclusive Trip Guidebook we send you before the trip. The area around your centrally located hotel is perfect for an introductory walk.

Meals Included: None today.

Yuyuan Gardens, Old Shanghai, Antique Market, the Bund, Skyscraper & Acrobats

Today you will have a full day private tour of some of Shanghai’s highlights starting with the classical Yuyuan Garden that dates back to 1577. Surrounding the garden is Old Shanghai, an area that has been a vibrant commercial centre for over a century. Here we visit Fuyou Road antique market, one of the best places for souvenir hunting and a fascinating experience even if not shopping. The tour continues with a walk down the Bund along which the Huangpu River runs and where some of Asia’s finest colonial architecture is located. From here we cross the River by ferry to Shanghai’s ultra modern Pudong Financial district for a bird’s eye view of the city from the top of one of the stunning skyscrapers.

There is no better way to round off this Shanghai experience than with a visit to the world famous Chinese Acrobats for a show filled with colour and excitement.

Return to your hotel or head out to sample Shanghai’s vibrant nightlife.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast & Restaurant Lunch.

Bullet Train to Huangshan With an Exhilarating Cable Car Ride to Your Hotel

After breakfast a transfer to the station for a bullet train out of the big city to the more tranquil environment of Huangshan – China’s famed “Yellow Mountain” and a scenic wonder.

Transfer on arrival to Mount Huangshan’s cable car station that takes you to the Northern Summit area and your hotel. Note that there is about a 30 minute walk from the top of the cable car to the hotel. You will be able to leave unneeded luggage at a hotel before taking the cable car. It will be late afternoon by the time you have checked-in to your hotel but this is an excellent time to take a short walk in the area around the hotel itself to get a feel for this mountain.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

The Famous Sunrise on the Mountain & a Free Day to Explore Its Many Paths

Make sure you are up very early this morning to see the sunrise Huangshan is famous for. One of the best view points is only a few hundred meters away. Much of the year it can be very cold at dawn but you should find down jackets in your hotel room’s wardrobe. If the weather Gods’ are on your side the sunrise is spectacular and the “cloud sea” often plays a part in this with a layer of cloud well below your view point.

Return to the hotel for breakfast before a free day exploring the multitude of well signed and maintained paths that stretch out across the mountains.There is no set itinerary to follow but the time you have is long enough to see the highlights.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

A Second Chance to See the Sunrise on Huangshan Before Descent, a Visit to Hongcun Village & Car to Hangzhou

Another chance to see the sunrise (and these can be very different from day to day so resist the temptation to stay in bed!) before breakfast and some more time for further walks.

A transfer guide will meet you at the hotel from where you take the cable car down the mountain and collect any stored luggage. On the way back to Huangshan City stop at the architecturally stunning village of Hongcun. If Hongcun looks familiar to you it may be because scenes from the Chinese film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” were filmed here.

Continue by car the 3 hours to Hangzhou, famed throughout China for its culture and the beauty of its West Lake, praised and written about for centuries. Check-in to your hotel with free time for the remainder of the day.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Boat Ride on the West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda & a Tea Plantation

Hangzhou is famed throughout the country for its beautiful West Lake, one of China’s most important cultural centers for the last 1,000 years and represents the Chinese ideal of man in perfect harmony with nature. The many temples and gardens surrounding the West lake are designed to personify this relationship and this style has been exported to Japan and Korea. Today’s tour includes a boat ride on the lake itself as well as visit the Lingyin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda and a visit to a nearby tea plantation.

Return to your hotel with the rest of the evening free or just ask us for suggestions of shows or cultural activities.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast & Restaurant Lunch.

Bullet Train to Nanjing & the Sun Yat Sen Memorial, Yangtze Bridge & Confucius Temple

After breakfast a transfer to the station for a bullet train to Nanjing which literally means “southern capital” (versus Beijing meaning “northern capital”) and was twice the capital of China. Your guide and driver will meet and transfer you to your hotel.

Today’s tour cover the highlights of vibrant and cosmopolitan Nanjing. First visit the Mausoleum of revered Sun-Yat-Sen Mausoleum, leader of the 1911 revolution that ended the imperial dynasties. Continue to the vast Yangtze River Bridge, the first major project of the Communist era built without foreign help in the 1960’s. Step much further back in time at the Confucius temple.

Return to your hotel to overnight. The location is, as the hotel suggests, very Central so there is plenty going on around you.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Free Time in Nanjing Before a Bullet Train to Suzhou

Free time this morning to further explore Nanjing before an early afternoon transfer to the station for a bullet train on to Suzhou.

Late afternoon arrival in Suzhou, the most famous of China’s water towns and the centre for silk production. Your guide and driver will meet and transfer you to your hotel.

The rest of today is free to start exploring the canals and alley ways of the old town. Alternatively, this comfortable hotel is an ideal place to relax.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

The Manicured Classical Chinese Gardens & Picturesque Canals of Suzhou

Suzhou has over 2,500 years of history as a major trading centre long before Shanghai rose to prominence. The wealth generated from the closely guarded skills of silk production led to it becoming an important centre of Chinese culture particularly famous for its classical gardens and it is some of these that you see today including the Humble Administrators Garden and the Master of Nets Garden.

You also take a cruise along the canals this city has long been famous for and there is no better way to see the real Suzhou than from a small boat. To finish the day we visit the Embroidery Institute which still produces some of it’s silk in the traditional manner.

Return to your hotel with the rest of the evening free to enjoy this amazing city.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast & Restaurant Lunch.

Bullet Train Back to Shanghai & Free Time

After breakfast a transfer to the station to catch a bullet train back to Shanghai with a transfer to your hotel on arrival.

The rest of the day is free to further explore this fascinating city and a real opportunity to get beneath the surface of what makes Shanghai tick. The personalized Trip Guidebook we give you to accompany your trip is full of suggestions from sightseeing to shopping, eating and drinking.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Take the Ultra Fast Maglev to the Airport for Your Flight Out of China

Free time until a transfer to the Maglev station for the world’s fastest train to Pudong Airport to catch your flight out of China. Your transfer guide will buy a standard class Maglev ticket for you and make sure you get on the train which takes just 8 minutes to cover the 30km to the airport reaching a top speed of 430 km / hour (300 km / hour before 9am).

We sincerely hope that you have had a fantastic China experience with us full of all the memories which make this country such a fascinating destination that continues to inspire us!

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

The hotels & accommodation used for this trip are from our hand picked selection and all are excellent for their class. We also offer upgraded hotels in most locations. Click here to explore additional hotel options and let us know of any changes you wish to make.

What is included?

Transport between destinations as described.

All accommodation as specified under the accommodation tab

All private transfers and any other transportation as described

All meals as specified in the itinerary

All tours as specified in the itinerary

All entrance fees to sights toured in the itinerary

24 hour emergency assistance

Visa Paperwork required in order to obtain the visas

Financial Peace of Mind as your trip is protected

What is not included?

International Airfare to / from the start / finish of your trip – we can book these flights on request

The Chinese visa – we can advise and partner with VisaCentral

Travel insurance to cover any medical treatment – we have partnered with Citybond Suretravel (UK residents only)

Discretionary gratuities to drivers and guides