SG-01 Classic China

Start BEIJING with a day’s trek on the Great Wall and free time before a train to ancient PINGYAO on to XIAN and the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Bullet train to CHENGDU to see the Giant Pandas before a train ride across rural China to reach YANGSHUO, a destination famed for its scenery. A final bullet train journey takes you to GUANGZHOU before a ferry ride takes you on to the final stop of HONG KONG.

Arrival Beijing With Time to Relax at the Hotel

Welcome to Beijing, China’s cultural and political capital and a real highlight with it’s extraordinary blend of ancient and modern sights. 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.

Trekking Along a Wild & Spectacular Section of the Great Wall

For the active and energetic, one of the best ways to see the Great Wall is to walk it and with nearly 4,000 miles of actual wall we need to be selective! The most scenic section to trek within reach of Beijing is at Jinshanling. The trek involves about 6km of walking along the wall itself which averages 4 hours. This is the best way to see and absorb yourself in China’s best known sight, get some superb photos and avoid the tourist crowds.

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.

Explore More of Beijing’s Sights Independently

A free day to explore the wealth of sights Beijing offers. Besides the must sees the city offers ample opportunity to shop in markets such as Hongqiao, the Silk Market or our favourite, the vast Panjiayuan antique market.

For something a bit more sedate we recommend Ho Hai lake and its ancient residential Hutongs which offer a great opportunity to absorb local culture combined with many small cafes, bars and restaurants.

For a more contemporary experience the 798 district to the east of the city offers an impressive array of galleries, cafes and restaurants.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Free Time Before a Bullet Train on to Pingyao

Free time this morning before making your own way to the station to catch a bullet train on to Pingyao. Reaching speeds of over 300 km/hour the overall trip is on a par with flying with the added bonuses of views from the window and being able to stretch your legs.

Afternoon arrival in Pingyao, an intact Ming Dynasty city and once a centre of banking in China with the only complete city wall of that era left in China. Pingyao also holds an International Photography Festival every September which draws in entries from all over the world providing stark contrast to the ancient architecture.

Transfer to your hotel with the rest of today is free to start exploring this ancient and easily navigated city with the help of your trip Guidebook. Alternatively, this characterful traditional style courtyard hotel is an ideal place to relax.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Free Day to Explore Fascinating Pingyao City

A free day to explore the ancient streets of the city which are easy to navigate. If you wish to enter any of the old banking houses or temples you will need to buy a ticket which covers most of the sights within the city walls as well as the walls themselves.

Your hotel will be able to assist with the purchase of this. A free evening to continue to explore the city, the centre of which is beautifully lit by traditional Chinese lanterns.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

A Bullet Train on Xian & a Visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors

After breakfast make your own way to the station for the bullet train to Xian, the once golden city of Emperors, soldiers, arts, culture and the capital of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

On arrival your guide and driver will meet you for a visit to one of China’s most extraordinary sights, the Terra Cotta Army built by China’s first Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 246 BC. Several thousand of the life-sized soldiers are on display and, with no two soldiers looking alike, make for a truly impressive spectacle.

Return to Xian city to check-in to your hotel with the rest of today is free to start exploring this giant of Chinese history with the help of your trip Guidebook.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Free Day to Explore More of Xian’s Many Sights Independently

Free time today, perhaps to explore Xian’s largest construction, the 13.7 km City Walls which are up to 18 meters thick at the base and 12 meters in height. The walls were constructed during the Ming Dynasty from 1370 AD and replaced an even larger wall. It is possible to hire bicycles and ride some sections of the wall and the top of the Wall is perhaps the safest place in China to ride a bicycle!

We also recommend a wander through Xian’s vibrant Muslim quarter, including a visit to the Great Mosque, unusually built entirely in the Chinese architectural style. This area is an excellent place to souvenir shop and eat.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Bullet Train on to Chengdu in Sichuan Province

This morning make your own way to the station for a bullet train to Chengdu. Early afternoon arrival Arrival in Chengdu, capital of mountainous and spicy Sichuan province and the place to come and see Giant Pandas. Your guide and driver will meet and transfer you to your hotel.

The rest of today is free to start exploring Chengdu with the area around your hotel being full of interest. Alternatively, this characterful hotel’s courtyard is an ideal place to relax.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

The World Famous Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding Before a Free Afternoon

This morning we visit Chengdu’s famous Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding which has over 60 pandas and is considered the best place in the world to see these endangered icons of China. In addition to the many pandas you can see here (including Red Pandas) there is an opportunity to hold a panda cub although note that this is not guaranteed and requires a local payment direct to the the Research base of RMB 2,000 per person in the photo (not per photo) and must be booked in advance which we can do for you.

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

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Bullet Train to Guilin & Transfer Direct to the Picturesque Town of Yangshuo

After an early breakfast make your own way to the station for a bullet train to Guilin. Much of today is spent on the train to Guilin passing through the traditional scenery of south central China, a lush land of villages and farms. Late afternoon arrival in Guilin with a transfer direct to your hotel in Yangshuo, a relaxed town about 1 hour from Guilin and surrounded by some of China’s best scenery.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast.

Continue to Explore the Delights of This Special Part of China

Today is free to discover more of Yangshuo and enjoy this very special part of China or just relax and recharge the your battery before your continuing on your China travels.

Meals Included: None Today – this hotel does not offer breakfast.

Bullet Train on to Guangzhou & Capital of Cantonese China

A free morning in Yangshuo before making your own way to the bullet train station in Guilin leaving plenty of time to catch your onward train. Your hotel will be able to arrange a taxi and in almost all cases the guide who initially met you on arrival in Guilin will have given you the tickets and guidance on getting tot he station.

Late afternoon arrival in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province and one of China’s most prosperous cities with more in common with Hong Kong than Beijing. Your guide and driver will meet and transfer you to your hotel.

Meals Included: None Today – this hotel does not offer breakfast.

Six Banyan Tree Temple, Sun Yat-sen & Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family

Today’s tour covers the Six Banyan Tree Temple (also known as Liurong Temple) whose centre piece is the impressive 17 story Flowering Pagoda dating back to the 3rd Century AD. A more modern construction is the Memorial Hall of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China who was from Guangzhou. Perhaps the architectural highlight of Guangzhou is the beautifully ornate Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family built in the 19th century and quite unlike other temples you will have seen on your China travels.

Return to your hotel with the rest of the evening, perhaps to take a Pearl River Cruise or wander the newly restored Shamian Island, the former British and French concession which still has much of its colonial architecture preserved.

Meals Included: Hotel Breakfast & Restaurant Lunch.

The Hydrofoil to Bustling & Cosmopolitan Hong Kong Where This Trip Ends

After an early breakfast take a taxi to the port at Nansha, about 1 hour outside of the city, for the Jetfoil ferry to Hong Kong. At the port you pass through immigration and exit China before boarding the ferry to Hong Kong. The trip takes about two hours through the Pearl River Delta arriving in Hong Kong at the China Ferry Terminal in the heart of Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district instantly throwing you into the buzz and bustle of this fabulous city and surely the best way to arrive in Hong Kong!

End of services on arrival in Hong Kong or we can book you nights at the Salisbury YMCA Hotel 4* in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui.

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