14 days: Beijing/ Xi'an/Guilin / Yangshuo/ Suzhou / Shanghai

Day 4 Beijing
Visit the enchanting Summer Palace, one of China's largest and best-preserved imperial gardens. In the afternoon, you will visit the Sackler Archaeological Museum on the beautiful campus of Peking University and Beijing's Ancient Observatory. Tonight's dinner is the Royal Cuisine at Fangshan Restaurant in Beihai Park. (B-L-D)

Day 5 Beijing
Today's highlight is your excursion to the Great Wall. On your way back to the city, you will make a stop at a mountain village and meet local residents. A short drive away is Shenlu (Sacred Road) you can see some marvelous stone sculptures. Rest of the day is free. (B- L)

Day 6 Beijing/Xi'an After a relaxed breakfast at hotel this morning, you will take a walk through some old "hutongs", a kind of ancient-city compound, to see traditional style courtyards and locals doing their daily chores. You will then fly to Xi'an, a famous ancient capital of China. Check in hotel upon arrival. Climb up the ancient City Walls and visit the Forest of Steles Museum, where precious stone carvings and sculptures are kept. Dumpling dinner is at a local restaurant. (B-D)

Day 7 Xi'an
Begin the day with a once-in-a-lifetime viewing of the extraordinary 2,200-year-old terra cotta warriors of China's first Emperor, Qin Shihuang. Visit the superb Shaanxi History Museum, the best of its kind in China. Tonight, you are invited to enjoy a splendid dinner show with Tang Dynasty style performances. (B-L-D)

Day 8 Xi'an-Guilin
Fly to Guilin, one of China's most beautiful cities. Check in Sheraton Hotel Guilin. Visit Fubo Hill for a panoramic view of Guilin and Seven Star Park for its huge caverns and charming pavilions. Enjoy a Sichuan flavor dinner at a local restaurant. In the evening, you will go to the Spring Theater for an ethnic song and dance performance. (B-L-D)

Day 9 Yangshuo
Visit Elephant Trunk Hill in the morning. Today's highlight is cruising down the Li River, which stretches 83 kilometers from Guilin to Yangshuo. The cruise will give you a chance to savor the lovely view of the area's extraordinary limestone peaks. The cruise ends in Yangshuo. Check in your hotel. Visit local markets. Yangshuo is a charming small town with its main street lined with small hotels, countless souvenir shops and restaurants. (B-L)
Day 10 Guilin-Suzhou Take a morning walk through the town to the river. Visit a couple of local villages and meet the farmers in the fields. Fly to Suzhou in the afternoon, check in Sheraton Hotel Suzhou. Founded in 514BC, Suzhou is known as the "Venice of the East". It was so named by early travelers because the town was built around a network of canals and 300 crossing bridges that fanned out from the Grand Canal (B-L)

Day 11 Suzhou
You will begin the day with a stop at the relatively under-visited but intriguing Canglang Pavilion. The highlight of the day is a visit to two of Suzhou's beautiful gardens -- Zhuozheng Yuan and Lion's Grove. You will also visit Suzhou Silk Museum. Afternoon, you will take a boat ride on the Grand Canal and visit Hanshan Temple, Puming Pagoda and the superb arched bridge Feng Qiao, built in 1557. (B-L-D)

Day 12 Suzhou-Shanghai
Travel to Shanghai this morning and stop by Luozhi Village on the way. This charming village is set in a lovely environment and maintains a traditional atmosphere with many classical buildings and bridges over streams and canals. Arrive Shanghai at noon. Check in your hotel. Visit the Bund and Yuyuan Garden in the afternoon. A fabulous acrobatic show concludes your first day in Shanghai. (B-L)

Day 13 Shanghai
This morning you will visit the marvelous Shanghai Museum, a leading attraction of the city since it opened in 1994. Move on to check out the St. Ignatius Cathedral built in 1846. Wander around the former French Concession represented by the leafy Fuxing Park and the architecture in the area. Enjoy a farewell dinner at Jinjiang Hotel. (B-L-D)

Day 14 Return Home