➤ Arrival Beijing - Transfer to your hotel and meet your guide:

➤ Itinerary: We will be greeting you at the airport from where you will be transferred by private car and English speaking guide to your hotel. The approximately 1 hour journey to your hotel is a perfect opportunity to ask the guide any initial questions you might have. The guide will provide assisstance with checking in to the 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 Trip Guidebook we send you before the trip. The area around your hotel is perfect for an introductory walk to soak up the local atmosphere.

➤ Overnight at the Bamboo Garden Hotel 4*. Built in the Chinese traditional style this long time favourite is located in lovely grounds in a quiet Hutong area near the popular Ho Hai Lake.

➤ Meals included: None.

➤ Beijing - Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Ming Tombs - Evening Peking Duck dinner:

➤ Itinerary: Today we will be showing you one of China’s most famous sights - the Great Wall. At over 4,000 miles long there is a lot of Wall to see but we will be taking you to one of the better and less touristed sections at Mutianyu 70km from Beijing. The drive to the wall averages 2 hours and will take you from your hotel in the centre of Beijing through the rapidly expanding suburbs and on into the beautiful mountainous countryside to the north east of the city. The Mutianyu section dates back to the 6th century but was largely rebuilt in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the best preserved sections of the wall largely due to the high standard of construction. The views from on top of the wall are spectacular and helped by Mutianyu having a high density of watchtowers which give a good idea of the scale of this section as it passes over the mountain ridges. Lunch will be in a restaurant close to Mutianyu village.

On the way back to Beijing we will stop at the Ming Tombs, the burial place of 13 Ming Dynasty Emperors between 1368 to 1644AD some of whom oversaw the construction the Great Wall section you saw earlier today. The tombs are approached along the Sacred Way lined with giant marble figures and animals who guard the tomb area. After you will be driven back to your hotel.

In the evening enjoy a traditional Peking Duck dinner - Beijing’s world famous signature dish and cooked to perfection in one of Beijing’s best restaurants specialised in this classic cuisine. After the meal a transfer back to your hotel with the rest of the evening free.

➤ Overnight at the Bamboo Garden Hotel 4*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

➤ Beijing - Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan park and the ancient Hutongs by Rickshaw:

➤ Itinerary: Today you will see the main highlights ancient of Beijing delving deeply into the city’s imperial past. We start with the vast Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world. The square is home to the Mao Mausoleum and monument to the People’s Heroes and is flanked by the Great Hall of the People (China’s parliament building) and the National Museum of China both built in the early 1960’s with help from the Soviet Union which shows in the architecture.

To the north of the square is the equally vast palace complex of the Forbidden City reached by passing under the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen in Chinese). Built from 1406 to 1420 by up to 1 million workers it contains 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms and was the former home of the Emperors and their court. We’ll walk up the middle axis from South to North taking in the splendour of the most important central buildings before finishing in the relatively small garden by the north gate.
 
Directly north of the Forbidden city is Jingshan park where we will climb the beautifully landscaped “Coal Hill” for one of the finest views of Beijing and particularly the Forbidden City and imperial centre.

In the afternoon step back in time with a trip by rickshaw around some of Beijing’s ancient residential Hutongs - the heart and soul of the city. The term "hutongs" original meaning is "water wells", and appeared during the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongolians ran China. Later in the Ming Dynasty (early 15th century) the center of the city was the Forbidden City and this was surrounded in concentric circles by the Inner City and Outer City. Citizens of higher social status lived closer to the center and aristocrats lived to the east and west of the imperial palace. Today the Hutongs are preserved in the centre of Beijing and provide a fascinating insight into traditional Chinese city life. By far the best way to navigate the narrow lanes and alleys is by cycle rickshaw. You will also get the chance to visit a traditional courtyard building which make up the Hutongs with one or more families per courtyard.

Free time in the evening and overnight hotel.

➤ Overnight at the Bamboo Garden Hotel 4*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

➤ Beijing - Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace before a bullet train to Shanghai:

➤ Itinerary: This morning we visit the small but beautiful Temple of Heaven. This is definitely a case of size not mattering as this building is considered by many (including us) to be the most beautiful building in China. Perfectly symmetrical it was constructed at the same time as the Forbidden City and its primary purpose was as a prayer hall the Emperors visited to ask for good harvests. The temple is set inside a vast park giving a wonderful feeling of space in such a packed city.

After we move on to the vast Summer Palace to the west of Beijing built in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong. It is dominated by the Kunming lake which was hand dug. The lake is dotted with peaceful pavilions and gardens and is as popular escape from the city for todays Beijingers as it was for the Imperial court.

After the tour a transfer to the station for the bullet train on to Shanghai. The distance is covered in 5 hours making the overall trip on a par with flying. The train service has the added bonus of views from the window and you can walk around on the train. Late afternoon arrival in Shanghai with a transfer to your hotel.

Shanghai aims to be a vision of China's future and is hurtling towards it's goal of being China's financial capital and eclipsing its rival Hong Kong. There are few cities that are such a testament to China's phenomenal growth of the last few decades and what it perhaps lacks in historical sites it more than makes up with sheer energy and dynamism giving you a taste of the New China that is making it's mark on the world stage.

The area around your hotel is perfect for an introductory walk to soak up the local atmosphere.

➤ Overnight at the Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel 4*. Located in the heart of Old Shanghai this hotel combines modern comforts with a good atmospheric location.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Shanghai - Yuyuan Garden - Old Shanghai - Shanghai Museum - The Bund - Acrobats:

➤ Itinerary: Today you will be visiting some of Shanghai’s most famous sights. We will start with the Yuyuan Garden located in the heart of the Old City. The garden was established in 1559 by the son of a Ming Dynasty official who spent 20 years building it up in an effort to please his father. Today the garden showcases the architecture of this period with its pavilions, ponds and rock formations.

Surrounding the garden is Old Shanghai, an area that has been a vibrant commercial centre for over a century and which historically very much represented the “Chinese” part of Shanghai in comparison with the more European areas such as the Bund and the French Concession. Your afternoon finishes with a walk down the Bund along which the Huangpu River runs and where stands some of Asia’s finest colonial European architecture. Across the river rises Shanghai’s ultra modern Pudong Financial district whose skyscrapers dwarf the once dominant buildings of the Bund. All in all a superb introduction to Shanghai.

We round the day off with a visit to the world famous Chinese Acrobats for a show filled with colour and excitement. Return to your hotel and with the rest of the evening free.

➤ Overnight at the Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel 4*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.

➤ Shanghai - free day to further explore this exciting city:

➤ Itinerary: Today will be a free day to further explore Shanghai. The city is China’s shopping capital and a good place to stock up on souvenirs. Another option is to wander the French Concession stopping at cafes and restaurants - another favourite activity!

➤ Overnight at the Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel 4*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Shanghai - Maglev train to Pudong Airport - Departure from China:

➤ Itinerary: Your day is free until a transfer to the Maglev station for a ride on 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 (300km/hour before 9am). End of services on arrival at the airport.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

 ✘ International flight tickets are not included in this itinerary. We can arrange these for you if you wish.

 ✔ Beijing to Shanghai First Class (5 hours by bullet train)
 ✔ Maglev ticket to Pudong airport standard class (8 minutes reaching 430km/hour)

 ✔ 3 nights Beijing - Bamboo Garden Hotel 4* (standard room with breakfast)
 ✔ 3 nights Shanghai - Renaissance Yu Garden Hotel 5* (deluxe room with breakfast)

 ✔ Beijing - Airport to Hotel / Hotel to Train Station
 ✔ Shanghai - Train Station to Hotel / Hotel to Train Station for the Maglev train to Pudong Airport

 ✔ Beijing - Full day private tour to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Ming Tombs.
 ✔ Beijing - Evening Peking Duck dinner including transfers.
 ✔ Beijing - Full day private tour to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and a trip deep into Beijing’s ancient Hutongs by rickshaw.
 ✔ Beijing - Half day private tour to The Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace.
 ✔ Shanghai - Full day private tour to the Yuyuan gardens, Shanghai Museum, Old City and the Bund.
 ✔ Shanghai - Evening visit to the Chinese Acrobats including transfers.

 ✔ Meals - As indicated in the itinerary.
 ✔ Support - Emergency numbers and contacts for each destination.
 ✔ Guidebook - Our exclusive Trip Guidebook personalised to your trip.
 ✔ Financial Peace of Mind - All monies paid to us are legally protected under UK law.

✘ International Airfare to and from China (we can book these flights on request).
✘ The Chinese visa (we can advise as to how best obtain this visa).
✘ Travel insurance to cover medical treatment in China.
✘ Discretionary gratuities to drivers and guides.