14 Days China: Dynasties & Discoveries Tour Package
Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights Priced From: $7,970 pp dbl. occ Dates: Jun - Aug

 This program is part of Family Holidays. China's culture is founded on age-old traditions that value strong family ties. Travel from Shanghai to Beijing on a journey that has you cycling with locals, cruising the Yangzi and making your own pottery warriors in Xian.
Tour Itinerary
Days 1-2: USA or Canada/Shanghai, China Fly overnight to Shanghai, the heart of one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world. You and your family go back in history when you walk along narrow streets to see bustling bazaars and Ming Dynasty gardens. Turn around, and steel towers, skyscrapers and modern shopping malls show you new Shanghai. The Portman Ritz-Carlton
Day 3: Shanghai Explore Shanghai, a diversity of old and new, Europe and Asia, high-tech innovations and old traditions. Glimpse Chinese life when you go by electric pedestrian tram under the Huangpu River through the Bund sightseeing tunnel. Watch for puppets that pop up along the way. At the Shanghai History Museum, see ancient bronze bells, prehistoric jade knives and ethnic costumes and ornaments from different parts of China. After lunch, wander the Yu Garden, adorned with pavilions, streams and pools. Don't miss the huge Dragon Wall; the red fish swimming in the Lotus Pool; and the Bridge of Nine Turns, designed to foil the demons. Shop for a souvenir Chinese toy or paper dragon to take home. The Portman Ritz-Carlton B L D
Day 4: Shanghai/Zhujiajiao/Shanghai Travel to Zhujiajiao, a picturesque "water village" with stone bridges and buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After lunch, your family learns how to prepare your favorite Chinese dishes at a local cooking school. Tonight, see the dazzling balancing acts and pretzel-like acrobatics at the famous Shanghai Acrobatic show. The Portman Ritz-Carlton B L
Day 5: Shanghai/Guilin Fly to picturesque Guilin. This afternoon, take an art class on the grounds of your hotel and paint your own postcard view of this scenic wonderland. Hotel of Modern Art B L
Day 6: Guilin Cruise the Li River past scenery that has inspired painters and poets throughout the centuries. Disembark in Yangshuo and bicycle along cobbled lanes and bustling markets, as well as through emerald green rice paddies where farmers plow by hand. Then the evening explodes with color, sound and light during a performance of Impressions of Yangshuo. Hotel of Modern Art B L
Day 7: Guilin/Xian Fly to Xian and see where Chinese peasants digging a well in 1974 discovered an incredible ancient burial site. It was the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, the thousands of life-size ceramic soldiers and horses "guarding" the tomb of China's first emperor. Then climb the Ancient Gate of the City Walls, one of the few existing city walls left in China. Shangri-La Hotel, Xian B L
Day 8: Xian/Chongqing/MS 'Yangzi Explorer' Learn to make your own terra cotta soldiers when your family visits a pottery factory. After lunch, explore the Stone Tablets Forest, housing engraved slabs of ancient calligraphy. Afterward, fly to Chongqing and board your boutique river cruiser for the experience of a lifetime, travelling through the scenic Three Gorges. Sanctuary MS 'Yangzi Explorer' B L D
Days 9-10: Cruising the Yangzi River Spend two adventurous days on the ship and exploring the shore. Meet with a local family, visit a school and pass through the world's largest dam project. On board, an activity coordinator engages young travellers in calligraphy and Mandarin lessons, as well as crafts and games. Sanctuary MS 'Yangzi Explorer' B L D
Day 11: Yichang/Beijing Disembark in Yichang and head to the Three Travellers Cave. Later, fly to Beijing. This fascinating city is the capital and cultural heart of China. The Peninsula Beijing B L
Day 12: Beijing Walk in the footsteps of emperors in the Forbidden City and wander through Tiananmen Square, the world's largest public plaza. Later in the afternoon, choose your Design Your Day activity from the options listed below. Design Your Day - Beijing: Visit one of the most wellknown kite companies in the world to try your hand at kite flying or visit the Beijing Shaolin Wushu School for a wushu (martial arts) demonstration and lesson. The Peninsula Beijing B L
Day 13: Beijing Visit sites from the 2008 Summer Olympics, including the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest." Continue to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and walk or take a cable car to the top; then hop onto a toboggan for an exciting ride down the curvy path. Later, visit the Temple of Heaven and climb into a pedicab to thread your way through the winding lanes of a hutong neighborhood. The Peninsula Beijing B L D
Day 14: Beijing/USA or Canada Board your homebound flight. B
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Contact: Travelwizard.com Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
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