In Pursuit of Pandas

This Highlights of China Tour focuses on just four destinations and is ideal for the first time visitor to China and is ideal for those who want to see a lot in a short space of time.

Begin in Beijing with the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Art District and of course a trip to the Great Wall.

From Beijing fly to Xian, historic terminus of the great Silk Road. See the famous Terracotta Warriors, walk the city walls and visit the colourful Muslim Quarter and the great Pagodas.

From Xian head to Chengdu where the highlight is a visit to the Panda Sanctuary along with a glimpse into ancient China in the capital of Sichuan.

Finish the trip in dynamic Shanghai where you will get a taste of just how booming China is.

See some of the tallest buildings in the world as well as wandering along the historic Bund and visiting Yu Gardens and Old Shanghai.

Take a day trip to Suzhou from Shanghai to experience one of China's ancient canal towns. Suzhou has one of the best museums in China along with willow-lined dreamy canals.

As with all of our China tours, this one can be tailored to suit your interests, time and budget so just let us know your preferences.

Day 1: Fly UK to Beijing

Overnight flight UK to Beijing.

Day 2: Beijing

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your chosen hotel with the rest of the day at leisure in Beijing.

Overnight Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing

Enjoy a full day privately guided tour of Beijing.

Visit Tiananmen Square and prepare to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of one of the world’s largest public squares.

Pass several monuments, including Chairman Mao’s mausoleum on the way to the entrance the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City was completed in 1420, and was home to 24 emperors, the last of which left Beijing in 1924.

Stroll through what is arguably the best-preserved example of classical Chinese architecture in the world.

Enjoy an easy walk up Jingshan Hill, for a birds-eye view of the Forbidden City.

Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant.

After lunch, recapture the feeling of Beijing’s past from the wooden seat of a traditional rickshaw, and visit a local family’s courtyard home along the way during a tour of Beijing's traditional Hutong district.

Overnight Beijing. Breakfast & Lunch included.

Day 4: Beijing

Enjoy a full Day Tour to the Great Wall.

The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world.

Explore the much quieter Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, which was first begun in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557) and finished in the 17th century.

The 2.5-km stretch of the Wall allows you to walk along its storied length for over an hour and visit twenty-two watchtowers, should you so choose.

Also enjoy a cable car ride to the top.

Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant.

On the way back, pay a visit to this art district of Beijing where Maoist slogans still adorn the walls, to experience a different side of Beijing.

Once a complex that manufactured electronics, Factory Number 798 was divided, rented out, and converted into galleries, artist studios, design companies, restaurants and bars at the turn of the 20th century.

Overnight Beijing. Breakfast included.

Day 5: Beijing - Xian

Enjoy a morning tour to Beijing's Summer Palace.

The Summer Palace is one of the largest and most well-preserved imperial gardens in the world.

In the 18th century, Emperor Qianlong enlarged and embellished it, only to abandon it a few years later.

The grounds today are stunning, as is the lovely Kunming Lake, which occupies more than three quarters of the total area.

Enjoy a boat ride before walking the Long Corridor, a 728-metre  hall featuring 8,000 paintings collected by the Emperor during his travels around the country.

Return to your hotel to freshen up and have some lunch (not included). Check out of your hotel and enjoy an afternoon tour of the Temple of Heaven.

This tranquil park where the Temple of Heaven is located is a favourite stop for visitors to Beijing, as it provides an authentic look into local life - it's a great place to people watch.

On any given day, you're likely to see enthusiastic groups of Beijingers practicing Tai Chi, playing traditional instruments or singing Peking Opera.

The grounds consist of a sequence of buildings and altars set in beautiful groves of cypress trees.

Learn more about the fascinating history behind this massive, circular structure and see local life unfold before your eyes in this very special visit to the Temple of Heaven.

Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your evening flight to Xian, where you will be met and transferred to your chosen hotel.

Overnight Xian. Breakfast included.

Day 6: Xian

Enjoy a full day tour to the Terracotta Warriors.

One of the world’s greatest archaeological finds, the Terracotta Warriors were discovered quite by chance in 1974 by a group of peasants digging a well outside of Xian.

These sculptures of soldiers, chariots and horses were funerary statues made to accompany China’s first emperor to the afterlife over 2,100 years ago.

Legend has it that it took 100,000 men 38 years to create the soldiers, which all vary in rank, posture, height, uniform and facial features. 

Spend the morning on a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and after lunch transfer back to Xian.

Enjoy the rest of the day in Xian on your own.

Overnight Xian. Breakfast & Lunch included.

Day 7: Xian

Today enjoy a full day tour of Old Xian.

The city walls of Xian are some of the oldest and best preserved in all of China, dating back to the 2nd century BC, when Xian was the capital of the country.

The existing walls were completed in 1370, and are about 14 km in length and are still surrounded by a deep moat to this day.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707 and was named after the already existing Big Wild Goose Pagoda, due to its remarkable likeness.

Beijing

With iconic sights such as the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, it is no wonder that Beijing is top of most people’s lists on a tour of China.

With the advent of the Olympics, Beijing underwent quite a transformation with a lot of modern architecture cropping up around the city.

For a real experience of Beijing, a stay in one of the city’s authentic courtyard hotels in the traditional Hutong district is a great option.

There are also a couple of great luxury hotels by the Great Wall itself – a really unique experience.

Xian

Home to the Terracotta Warriors and the start of the ancient Silk Road, Xian is a large city with plenty of attractions.

A couple of nights in Xian is enough time for most people to take in the sights which include magnificent city walls, spectacular pagodas and a lively market area which continues the ancient trading traditions of the Silk Road city.

The Terracotta Warriors of course are the real highlight, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.

The Panda Centre

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (to give it its full title) is one of the best places in the world to experience Giant Pandas.

The centre, which is just 10 km from Chengdu recreates the natural environment of Giant Pandas in the wild, with a focus on breeding and research.

The Giant Panda is only found in 3 provinces in China and it is estimated that there are less than 2,000 individuals in the world, of which the majority are found in Sichuan.

The Panda Centre is also home to other rare and endangered animals and birds.

Is this a Private Tour or a Group Tour?

All of our China tours are private tailor made itineraries, customised for you - we can amend things to entirely suit you.

You will have your own private car, driver and English-speaking guide on excursions.

What are the departure dates?

Let us know your preferred dates of travel and we will find the best and most suitable flights to fit your itinerary.

As this is a private tour, there are no set departure dates. We can advise you on the best times of your to travel, and some times to avoid.

Which Airlines do you use?

We work with all the major airlines flying to China.

Typically for China, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, Cathay Pacific, Finnair and Air China would be airlines we often use.

However, just let us know your preferred airline if you have one. We can organise flights from any regional destination in the UK.

There are direct flights from the UK to a few destinations in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and of course Hong Kong.

Which Hotels do you use?

We're careful with our choice of hotels, but we're guided by our customers also. If you have some preferred hotels, just let us know.

We specialise in boutique hotels and so we will often suggest some of our favourite smaller hotels where we think these will be suitable.

China is a destination where large hotels predominate. These are geared for business and group travellers as the Chinese usually travel in groups. We try to suggest smaller more personal hotels where we can.

In China, staying in a traditional Courtyard style hotel for a night or two is a great option and something we recommend. Bear in mind however that beds can sometimes be hard and comfort levels aren't always the same as they might be in a standard hotel.

We keep on top of hotel developments in China from our office in Vietnam and regularly inspect the hotels we use.