China
Three nights on the Blue River and its Three Gorges, then imperial China
China
The great journey in a group of 25 at most: from Chongqing, three nights' cruising on the Yangtze (Mount Fengdu, the Shibaozhai pagoda, Goddess Stream and the Three Gorges Dam), then Shanghai and the water town of Zhujiajiao, Xi'an and the Terracotta Army, the walled town of Pingyao and Beijing: the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Tiananmen and the Forbidden City. High-speed train journeys.
When
Apr-June, Sept-Oct
Price
From 3 252€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
14 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-6
Three nights on the river.
Day 1
Flight to China
Flight to Chongqing. Night on board.
Day 2
Arrival in Chongqing
Welcome and transfer to the hotel. Free time.
Day 3
Boarding on the Yangtze
A free morning, then boarding in the late afternoon for the cruise on Asia's longest river.
Day 4
Cruise: Fengdu and Shibaozhai
Mount Fengdu, its temples and carvings, then the wooden Shibaozhai pagoda, perched on a cliff and built without a single nail.
Day 5
Cruise: Goddess Stream
By small boat to Goddess Stream and the hanging coffins of the Ba minority.
Day 6
The Three Gorges Dam – Yichang
Disembark, an excursion to the Three Gorges Dam, then Yichang.
Days 7-10
The Bund, Zhujiajiao and the arts district.
Day 7
Flight to Shanghai
Flight from Yichang to Shanghai and free time.
Day 8
Shanghai, from the Bund to the old town
The Bund and its view of the Pudong towers, Nanjing Road, the old town and its old houses.
Day 9
The water town of Zhujiajiao
The Shanghai Museum, then Zhujiajiao, the 'Venice of Shanghai', its canals, stone bridges and Ming and Qing houses, by boat.
Day 10
Shanghai – Xi'an
Fuxing Park and the Moganshan arts district, then the high-speed train to Xi'an.
Days 11-17
Imperial northern China.
Day 11
Xi'an and the Terracotta Army
The pits of the Terracotta Army, several thousand soldiers lined up in battle order for the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Back to Xi'an and its city walls.
Day 12
Xi'an – Pingyao, the imperial town
About 3 hours by high-speed train. A walk on the ramparts of Pingyao, a walled town that has stayed intact, Rishengchang, China's first bank, and the old Yamen court. Lunch in an inn.
Day 13
Pingyao – Beijing and the Summer Palace
About 4 hours by high-speed train to Beijing, then the Summer Palace.
Day 14
The Great Wall
Drive to the Great Wall at Juyongguan and free time on the ramparts. Lunch, then a visit to a cloisonné enamel workshop.
Day 15
Tiananmen and the Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square, the largest in the world, then the Forbidden City, palace of the last two imperial dynasties.
Day 16
Beijing – flight home
Free time depending on your flight, then transfer to the airport and fly to France.
Day 17
Arrival in France
Arrival in France during the day.
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