8-Day Small-Group China Tour to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai

This morning, your tour guide will pick up you at the hotel and take you to visit Tiananmen Square. You will see what the biggest urban city square in the world looks like.

From Tiananmen Square, you will enter the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City to explore its fascinating halls and pavilions. Here, you will not only learn how the emperor handled political affairs and lived their lives, but appreciate numerous ancient art treasures. At noon, an a la carte welcome lunch will be served at a superb local restaurant, where you can have a taste of authentic Chinese food and the most famous Peking Roast Duck.

In the afternoon, visit the Yonghe Temple, a solemn imperial lamasery that has survived over 300 years intact and features a blend of Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan architecture.

At last, you will see the Temple of Heaven, with its unique architecture, where the emperors worshipped the heavens in hopes of good harvests.

This morning, you will be taken to Mutianyu Great Wall to experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. The round-trip cable car will be arranged. Standing on the wall and looking at it, stretching up and down into boundless distance is an exciting experience and will leave a life-long memory. To celebrate and commemorate this moment, we specially provide red wine for a group-toasting on the Great Wall.

Drive back to down and have a photo stop at the Olympic National Stadium (Bird's Nest), you will see its splendid appearance at a distance.

After seeing pandas in the morning, you will visit the Summer Palace - the largest existing imperial garden with a graceful landscape and magnificent constructions.

The visit to the Terracotta Army will begin your day's journey. In the museum, there are three excavated pits displaying amazing warrior figures and Chinese ancient weapons. Afterwards, take a family visit to the home of the first discoverer of the Terracotta Army. And then make a mini clay warrior by yourself with the help of a local artisan.

In the afternoon, you will the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) to store the Buddhist scriptures brought from ancient India.

The day begins with a leisure visit to the City Wall Park, where you can observe the day-to-day life of the locals. You may also practice Tai Chi with the master. Tai Chi, a soft form of Chinese martial arts, is considered the quintessential Chinese culture. After that, you will pay a visit to the City Wall. It is the most complete existing urban fortification in China. Cycling on the ancient wall is an exciting experience that many people like to try (bike rental fee is not included).

Then you will have a special lunch at the lively Muslim Quarter and try some local food.

This morning, Your local tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. You will visit one of the four largest museums in China, the Shanghai Museum, which specializes in exhibiting artworks from ancient times.

After that, explore Yu Garden and its nearby traditional bazaar. The symbol of the Garden is the Nine Zigzag Bridge built of granite and grass-white jade and the quaint, elegant mid-lake pavilion. Around noon, an a la carte farewell lunch will be served to you at a very nice restaurant.

After that, enjoy a panorama of the city at Duo Yun Bookstore on the 52nd floor of Shanghai Tower. And then go to the thriving Bund area.