IMPERIAL CAPITALS 11 DAYS

DAY 1 : BEIJING
Arrival Beijing airport. You will be met by your private guide and driver and transfer to the hotel of your choice for a 3 nights stay. After settling in at your hotel, your guide will take you for a city walking tour visiting Tiananmen Square, Great Hall of People, Chairman Mao Mausoleum, and the Forbidden City. Enjoy a Peking Duck lunch. (L)

DAY 2 : BEIJING
Morning to visit the Temple of Heaven followed by a leisurely walk along the cobblestone lanes nearby lined with street artists, teahouses and private shops. Lunch in a glamorous lakeside restaurant with special dishes developed from the original imperial receipes. Visit the Summer Palace, a grand and sensual palace complex set around the beautiful Kunming Lake, dotted with dozens of halls, pavilions and temples. Your guide will escort you through the wonderful 'Long Corridor' and describe its artistic history. (B, L)

DAY 3 : BEIJING
A day trip outside Beijing to visit the Great Wall of China.  Tonight a cultural performance is included - your choice of peking opera, acrobatics show or puppet show in a local teahouse. (B, L)
* Cultural performance is excluded in Standard Class.

DAY 4 : BEIJING - KAIFENG
Morning fly to Zhengzhou. (For those who wish to see more of the countryside, we suggest travelling by a daytime tourist train, 7 hours.)
After settling in, your private guide and driver will take you to the ancient town of Kaifeng. Kaifeng first served as the capital of the Kingdom of Wei during the Warring States period in 2nd century A.D. and was florished when it was the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty between 960 and 1127. This charming walled city, restored to its imperial splendor, delights visitors with beautiful wooden houses, historic temples and pagodas.
This afternoon, you'll visit the Iron Pagoda, Dragon Pavillion, and the Qingming Park. You may also want to stroll along the lively open-air market. Overnight in Zhengzhou. (B, L)

DAY 5 : SONGSHAN
After a leisurely breakfast at hotel, travels through the countryside to the holy mountain SongShan and visit the birth place of Chinese martial arts at Shaolin Monastery with an opportunity to appreciate the world-famous Kung Fu performance by Shaolin monks. Also visit the Ancient Observatory and stop en-route to see the rare cave houses. Overnight in Luoyang (2 nights). (B, L)

DAY 6 : LUOYANG
Touring the prime sights of Luoyang, including The Dragon Buddhist Grottoes, situated alongside the banks of Yi River this long buried Buddhist grotto is considered as one of the most exquisite in China. Also visit the legendary White Horse Temple and the underground Ancient Tombs Museum. (B, L)

DAY 7 : LUOYANG - XIAN
Enjoy a late breakfast at hotel and some free leisure time. Mid-day transfer to station for a 5 hours scenic train to Xian. This is a modern, air-conditioned double-deck tourist train and you will travel comfortably on reserved first class seat. The train winds its way across the 'yellow plains' in central China, passing numerous Buddhist Caves, through the rocky mountains and small villages with barefoot farmers working on paddy rice fields. Arrival into Xian later this afternoon, transfer to the hotel of your choice for a 3 nights stay.

DAY 8 : XIAN
Embark on a grand tour of Xian covering the Terracotta Warriors, here, thousands of life-size warrior sculptures, each with unique figure, armed with bronze swords, stand guardian to the resting place of the mighty Emperor Qin, who first unified China in the 3rd century B.C. Also visit the Imperial Hot Springs. Lunch with special local delicacies. This afternoon, visit the Big Goose Pagoda, built to house precious Buddhist scriptures imported from India along the Silk Road; and the Forest of Steles with thousands of life-size stone books carved with beautiful writings by infamous poets and literates. (B, L)
 

DAY 9 : XIAN
This morning your guide will take you for a leisurely walk on the Ancient City Walls, preserved through the ages, the massive Wall encloses today's Xian city center. Continue to visit the Great Mosque. The remainder of the day is left open to meander through the lively local markets nearby. (B)
* Free day at leisure for Standard Class.

DAY 10 : XIAN - BEIJING
After a leisurely breakfast at hotel, fly to Beijing. Arrival Beijing and transfer to hotel. The remainder of the day is free at leisure. (B)

DAY 11 : BEIJING
After breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight home. End of itinerary or perhaps consider to extend your tour to Hong Kong, Shanghai or other cities in China. (B)
* Private transfer is excluded in Standard Class.