Historical China - 14 days

*Well paced itinerary *Guaranteed departure *Small group * Hand-picked 4/5 star hotels *Special banquets and shows

• Beijing: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Bird's Nest Stadium (3n)
• Xian: City tour (2n)
• Terracotta Warriors
• Luoyang: Longmen Grottoes, Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, (2n)
• Shaolin Temple - Martial arts demonstration
• Guilin: City tour, Li River Cruise (2n)
• Yangshuo: rice paddies (1n)
• Shanghai: city tour (2n)

View Itinerary & Prices

Forbidden City

Great Wall

Temple of Heaven

Beijing show

Terra-cotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors

Guilin

Bell Tower Xian

Shanghai

Heaven on Earth, Shanghai

Shanghai

Day 1
Depart from Heathrow or your preferred airport for scheduled flight to Beijing. Meals on board.

Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you are 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 jetlag and get ready for the adventure to come! (China is 8 hours ahead of UK)

Day 3 Beijing
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. Then we will go to watch an entertaining acrobat show. (includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Our welcome dinner in the evening provides an opportunity to sample special Chinese cuisine combined with live music, singing and dancing entertainment.

Day 4 Beijing
The highlights of today's tour include a visit to the Great Wall, the only man-made wonder on earth visible from the moon. We travel to the Ming Tombs and walk on the Sacred Way to see the resting place of thirteen Chinese Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Our memorable date continues with a trip to the Beijing Olympics Stadia (Bird's Nest & Water Cube)(exterior) for picture opportunities. Enjoy the famous Peking Roasted Duck dinner upon your return. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

We will visit Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, which was originally constructed in the 5th century and is regarded as the most strategic section of the Wall. The section is quieter and less commercial than some other areas and it provides the opportunity to visit the Sacred Way, another highlight of the Great Wall heritage.

Day 5 Beijing to Xian
Our tours includes a visit to the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), which dates back to the 12th century when the Jin ruler built his Gold Mountain Travelling Palace. We walk along the Long Corridor beside Kunming Lake and take a detour to the Garden of Harmony before taking the ferry next to the Marble Boat. In the next part of our tour we take a fascinating Rickshaw ride and visit an old residential area and see how local people live. Our guide will then escort you to Houhai, a popular relaxing and eating out place for both Western and Chinese tourists. For travelers who would like to experience shopping in China, we can take you to the popular shopping street - Xiushui Silk Market. In the evening, we take a flight to Xian, the former capital of China and starting point of the ancient Silk Road. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 6 Xian
Todays highlights include the Terra-cotta Warriors. You will 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 the first emperor who united China (221BC-206BC). Following this we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built as a Buddhist Monastery during the Tang Dynasty. If time allows we will also visit the Muslin Square. In the evening we attend a re-enactment of the royal arts performance of a 7th century Tang Dynasty Show, with a special Dinner of dumplings included. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 7 Xian to Luoyang
A city tour which includes visiting Xian's well preserved Ancient City Walls, built in the early Ming Dynasty (about 600 years ago) and the historic Bell Tower where you can overlook the entire city. Transfer to the train station for Luoyang. Be met and transfer to your hotel. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 8 Luoyang
Today, we visit the impressive Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple. This temple is very important in China, as it was the very first temple constructed after Buddhism was introduced to China from India (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 9 Luoyang - Guilin
The highlight of the tour today is to see the famous Shaolin Temple, We will also be treated to a fabulous Martial Arts performance by the monks. After lunch we transfer to Zhengzhou for your flight to Guilin. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to our hotel. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 10 Guilin
Today 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. In the evening you have the opportunity to attend an optional tour to see the fantastic Ethnic Dragon dance theater show. (contact us to find out prices etc for the show). (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 11 Guilin to Yangshuo
After breakfast we Li' River Cruise. Depart from your hotel in the morning for the hour drive to Zhujiang Dock, where you will board your 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 you will disembark upon arrival at Yangshuo, an charming ancient town that is famous for its beautiful scenery. Overnight stay in Yangshuo as it is such a quaint town which being regarded as the best scenery places in the Guilin region.

Day 12 Yangshuo - Shanghai
Morning transfer to Guilin Airport for our flight to Shanghai. After having a rest, our city tour continues with a visit to Yu Garden, famous for its rock gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds. We also have an opportunity for sightseeing on the famous promenade along the Huangpu River, the Bund and Nanjing Road. Then we will go to Xin Tian DI (Heaven on Earth), a conservation area of traditional low-rise homes, formerly part of the French quarter. (Includes: Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 13 Guilin to Shanghai
Free day at your own leisure. (Includes: Breakfast)

Day 14 Shanghai to UK
Our Guide will meet you at the hotel and see depart at the airport. You will arrive UK the same day. (Includes: Breakfast)

Departure Dates & Price from (£)

The price may be different around the bank holidays in the UK, and the festivals period in China. Please contact us for confirmation. The single supplement is based on 3 people in 1 group. The hotel upgrade price is based on twin share, for single room upgrade please contact us.

We also arrange private tour or tailor made departure according to this itinerary, please contact us to discuss your requirement.

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

• All flights including airport tax. We can also arrange your local airport departure from £65. Please enquire at the time of your booking.
• All airport/hotel transfers.
• Sightseeing tours (including entrance fee) by professional English-speaking tour guide.
• Selections of good 4 and 5 star hotel accommodation in well furnished rooms with private facilities. (In upgrade category some are 5 star hotels).
• Meals as specified in the itinerary.

Price Does Not Include

• Visa fee (please go to Our Visa Service for details).
• Travel Insurance.

Your Accommodation for this tour Excellent choice among the same standard. In some remote areas, the hotel standard can be lower but we will provide you with one of the best available in the area. Please visit Accommodation for details.

Flights As agent of many airline consolidators, we can obtain flights in various class, with reputable airlines such as BA, Air China, Virgin, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair etc. Depends on the availability we will choose airline for you and will try to arrange direct flight when possible. There may be a supplements for direct flights in high season periods. We can also provide land-only tours if you prefer to organise your own flights and save airmiles. For the cheapest deal we recommend you book your international flights at time of booking, as this can save you £££s off your final holiday price.

Fact of our tour arrangement Our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace to provide you with a real opportunity to enjoy touring the country, with a combination of escorted sightseeing, and some free time. Our itineraries are regularly checked and updated to provide the latest sightseeing spots for our travellers to visit. We organise our own special activities to introduce the real China to our travellers, and connect you closer to the local people.

Too good to be true; At Magical China we Guaranteed departure from 2 people and therefore we do not cancel holidays due to lack of numbers, therefore you can be sure you will actually be going on your holiday when you have booked.

Our tours usually consist of a small group of like minded travellers who like a degree of flexibility on the tour and are suitable for all ages. Our normal group size is 10 people. Add on tours and city extension available, for details visit Optional tours page.

Your Meals We include all breakfast (mixture of western & Chinese) at your hotel and most Chinese lunches and dinners on tour. Each lunch and dinner is selected to ensure you can try a wide variety of tasty dishes. All meals included in the itinerary are pre-booked. We think it is part of the experience of trying out a few meals by yourself while you in China. Therefore the hotels we select provide a good choices of cuisine with English menu. Alternatively there are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the main sightseeing area in Chinese cities. A good meal (dinner) in a restaurant should cost about £5 per person.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of flights and cruises sailing schedules available, although occasionally the sequence in which cities are visited, duration of time spent and upstream/downstream cruise route 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.