12-Day China Tour for Seniors

Tour Overview
A well-designed package for senior citizens. You have private cars, considerate and experienced guides, comfortable hotels...all is worry-free. You will travel the most famous tour highlights in Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Suzhou and along the Yangtze River at a leisurely pace!

Day 1 Beijing Arrival (no meal)

Meet your guide at the Beijing Capital International Airport. Later transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. 

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

Highlights today：Tiananmen Square，the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven

Breakfast in hotel. At around 9am, you will be picked up by your guide and driver at hotel lobby. Private escorted tour to the largest city square in the world, Tiananmen Square first. Then go to the Forbidden City, which is the largest imperial palace in China for 24 emperors' reign during the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years. Later, move to Temple of Heaven, a masterpiece of architecture and landscape desig where the ancient emperors used to pray for the God's bless of the whole nation.

Optional night show:

Beijing Kung Fu Show: A rare chance to watch the real Shaolin Kung Fu. The performers are the best and have mastered the difficult moves.
Beijing Opera Show: It is one of the most famous traditional Chinese opera. The artists wear heavy make-up and act out the legends and romance with their unique style of singing and dance.

Day 3 Beijing (B, L, D)

Highlights today： Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing Roast Duck dinner

After breakfast in hotel, the guide will pick you up and transfer to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. Take cable car to No. 14 Tower directly and then challenge steps on the Great Wall. It is suggested to walk to No. 23 Tower, the highlight section of the Wall. Spend around 2 hours on the wall and descend by cable car at No. 6 Tower. Transfer back to hotel for a rest in the afternoon.

Tonight’s dinner, we arrange you the famous Peking Duck Banquet, which used to be a royal court dish with a history of around 1500 years.

Day 4 Beijing (B, L)

Highlights today： the Summer Palace, Hutongs, Houhai Lake

In the morning, you will visit the Summer Palace, where the emperors once escaped from heat in ancient times. Walk around the lakes and view some gardens inside. After the visit, you will go for a home-cooked lunch in a local family in Hutongs. Talk with the famiies to learn more about local people's life. Spend some leisure time to walk in the Beijing Hutongs with a ride of rickshaw after lunch. You may also have a cup of coffee in the bar by Houhai Lake.

Day 5 Beijing → Chengdu by flight (B)

Fly to Chengdu in the morning. After arrival, Meet your tour guide and driver, and then transfer to your hotel.

In the afternoon, you will start your Chengdu tour by visiting Renmin Park with the Tea House nearby where you will experience local folk’s life style and learn some Chinese tea culture. After that, transfer to Kuanzhai Alley, as one of the three conservation districts of historic sites of Chengdu City, Kuanzhai Alley consists of three parallel Chinese old-style alleys.

Optional night show:

• Sichuan Opera - Sichuan Opera or Chuanju is a type of local Chinese opera mainly prevailing in Southwestern China's Sichuan province around 1700. You may have chance to watch the famed face-changing show in some Sichuan Opera performance.

Day 6 Chengdu → Chongqing by high speed train (B, L, D)

Highlights today： Panda Breeding Center, Ciqikou Ancient Town

In this morning, you will go to Chengdu Panda Breeding Center to have a closer view of lovely pandas. In this center, you can see many pandas, especially baby pandas being taking care in the nursing room. Kid pandas play together or with their mothers are always the most attractive. 

After lunch, take high speed train to Chongqing. Be met upon arrival, and take a short excursion of Ciqikou Ancient Town - a 1000-year-old small ancient town standing on the west bank of Jialing River. After dinner in local restaurant, you will be transferred to pier and board a deluxe cruise ship and settle into your comfortable outside cabin to begin your memorable Yangtze cruise. 

Day 7 Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)

Leisure time on cruise ship

On board, shore excursion to "the Ghost City" Fengdu or Shibaozhai depending on the schedule of the cruise companies. Since 2010, some cruise companies offer optional shore excursions during your cruise, please kindly check with your travel consultant for more information.

Day 8 Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)

Leisure time on cruise ship

Today you'll get a close look of the enchanting landscape as you board a small boat and cruise along a tributary to the Yangtze to explore the exceptionally beautiful Goddess Stream or Mini Three Gorges depending on the arrangement of the cruise company.

Day 9 Yichang → Shanghai by flight (B)

Highlights today: Three Gorges Dam project

Shore excursion to the amazing Three Gorge Dam: it is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). Later, disembark at Yichang. After lunch, transfer to airport and fly to vibrant Shanghai. 

Day 10 Shanghai (B, L)

Highlights today: Shanghai Museum, Tianzifang, the Bund

First you will head to the Shanghai Museum. It is widely recognized as one of the best collections of ancient art in China. The bronze collection is considered the best in the world, with other first-rate exhibits of sculpture, jade, calligraphy, painting, and Ming and Qing dynasty furniture and minority art.

Afterwards you will visit the Tianzifang. Tianzifang is a narrow lane dotted with local style Shikumen Houses, here you can appreciate the old Shikumen residences and find the epitome of locals’ life. Though Tianzifang possesses international sense of art, it’s still a residence area. You can steep into modern art atmosphere and take your time in some pretty handicrafts shops. And besides boutiques and art studios, there are various fascinating bars and exquisite restaurants where you can enjoy Italian, French, outheastern cuisines, etc.

After lunch you will explore the Bund, Shanghai's famous waterfront area on the western bank of the Huangpu River. Originally a tow path for dragging rice barges into port, it slowly grew into the world financial center today. Your guide will take you into historical buildings and tell you stories about their past.

Optional night show:
The ERA Acrobatic Show is a fascinating show that tells a story from ancient times till present day. This show includes surprising feats, live music, complete plots and other spectacular features.

Day 11 Shanghai → Suzhou → Shanghai by private vehicle (B, L)

Highlights today: Garden of the Net Master, Panmen Gate, Grand Canal

Full day excursion to Suzhou – a water city noted for its ancient private gardens, pagodas, old temples, and silk. In Suzhou you will first visit the Garden of Net Master, it's the smallest among the four most famous classic gardens in Suzhou, yet it is the most impressive, thanks to the architect who used its limited space smartly to create the illusion of a much larger area.

After lunch, transfer to visit the only remaining ancient city gate in China with both a lower water entrance and an upper land entrance - Pan Gate. It was built at a time when a canal moat surrounded Suzhou.
Have a leisure walk along the Grand Canal, which is also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the earliest and the longest artificial river in the world. And take a small boat in Pingjiang River. Passing old houses and bridges, seeing local people washing clothes at the dock and enjoy sunshine by the river.

Transfer back to Shanghai in late afternoon.

Day12 Shanghai Departure (B)

Your guide and driver will escort you to airport and help you with the check-in procedures. Fly back home safely.

Services End