Relaxing Tour of Both Ancient & Modern Flavor
17-Day Beijing, Xian, Lhasa, Shigatse, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangshuo and Hong Kong Tour
Every day has highlights show you: the marvelous sights in Beijing and Xi'an, holy land on the roof of the world – Tibet, nature and unique landscape scenery in Guilin, and finally Hong Kong, "the Pearl of the Orient".
Suggested Itinerary
Your guide will be waiting for you at the airport, ready to take you to the hotel in a private car.
Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square have been at the center of historical events throughout centuries; they have an air of grandeur and larger than human scale proportions to impress even though emperors no longer rule the land.
Temple of Heaven was in its time just as important a place; the sacrifices for good harvest were performed here in ceremonies which no ordinary person was allowed to see. Now the surrounding park is free to locals who come here to do their morning exercises.
The Great Wall is an exciting experience, and on the Mutianyu section you can enjoy it in peace, as it is much less crowded than Badaling. This area was strategically very important and therefore has the most watchtowers. A cable car to the top can be followed by a toboggan ride down, or if you wish you can go back on a chair lift.
Tasting the world famous Beijing Roast Duck is one of essential experiences, so we have booked you a table in one of the best restaurants Hepingmen Quanjude Restaurant, known for their outstanding quality.
The Beijing Hutongs are known for their old world charm: the courtyard houses lining the tree lined alleyways and communities going back centuries. We take you to visit a local family, to hear about their life here.
The Beijing Olympic Stadiums, affectionately known as Bird's Nest and Water Cube, are the new additions to grand architecture. The surrounding park as well as the exterior of these marvelous creations is quite the end to time in Beijing.
In the afternoon your guide will take you to the airport to catch a plane to Xi'an.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses must be one the most famous sights in the world, and for good reason: these intricately detailed statues are a rich insight into life and warfare over two thousand years ago.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a charming 7th century structure added to along the years but maintaining its status as the landmark of old Xi'an.
Shaanxi History Museum has a comprehensive collection of artifacts explaining how this cradle of culture developed throughout centuries. Muslim Quarters gives an insight into the inheritance of the ancient Silk Road, bringing influences from afar. One of the ancient remains is a bluestone pavement, worn by countless footsteps.
Xi'an City Wall offers a chance to sightsee on a bicycle in comfort; the wall is so smooth and wide that it is a pleasure to do the whole 14km round trip. Shadow Theater in Gao's Courtyard, a former residence of an eminent Ming-Dynasty official, is an enchanting experience of a traditional art form combined with ancient surroundings.
Your guide will take you to the airport and makes sure everything goes smoothly on your transfer to Lhasa.
Potala Palace dominates the cityscape in Lhasa, the white and red palace buildings towering at the end of the famous pilgrim steps. Each visit has to be finished within an hour to give all the pilgrims a chance to get in.
Jokhang Temple is also a center of pilgrimage, and the surrounding Barkhor Street is used as a path to walk along while spinning the prayer wheels, as well as being a place to buy offerings and incense among other more earthly goods. It is a wonderful place to people watch; locals in their colorful traditional outfits are fascinating to see.
This is where having your own driver and guide really comes to its own: this morning you will travel to see the Yomdrok Lake, a stunning alpine lake surrounded by snow capped mountains, and you can stop the journey at any point to enjoy the views.
The Palgor Chorten, or Palcho Monastery, clings to the mountainside as if to protect its greatest structure, an exceptional quality Stupa, a holy circular structure designed to hold relics. By the evening you will arrive in Shigatse, a center of Buddhism.
Tashilunpo Monastery is the seat of the Panchen Lama, second highest in the ranking after Dalai Lama. The buildings painted white and red in the style of Potala Palace are filled with grand statues and murals.
In the afternoon your driver tales you back to Lhasa.
Today is dedicated to flight to Chengdu, home of the Pandas.
Panda Breeding and Research Center is where these delightful creatures are protected, and successfully nurtured little pandas fill the nursery.There is a donation program which allows you take pictures with holding a panda one minute by donating RMB 2,000 Yuan (for reference only). Only 20 tourists are allowed to hold pandas a day. If you want to hold a panda, please tell your travel advisor or tour guide in advance because you must book it at least one week in advance.This program is subject to the availability of pandas on that day. Please bring enough RMB cash as payment by credit card is not accepted there.
Wu Hou Temple is more than a temple: it has charming gardens filled with ancient cypresses shading the winding pathways.
Du Fu Thatched Cottage is famous because China's greatest poet lived there in ancient times; it has a lovely shady garden with ponds and lilies. Jinli Old Street gives you a chance to look at some of the local handcrafts in ancient surroundings before heading to the airport with your guide to fly to Guilin.
Li River and its magnificent mountain landscape has been the inspiration for generations of artists, and it is just as enchanting as they portray it, with water buffaloes wading in the water and farmers following close behind. Yangshuo is the final destination; you will have an evening in this lively little town.
After returning to Guilin you will see some of the natural wonders it has to offer, all created by the limestone mountains: Reed Flute Cave, Fubo Hill, and Elephant Trunk Hill. Your guide will then take you to the airport for your flight onwards to Hong Kong.
Guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you to see the best Hong Kong Island has to offer, starting with Victoria Peak, the best vantage point of the harbor. Peak Tram is a charming way to get up the hillside, it is over hundred year old transport system but still very effective. Aberdeen Harbor on the south side of the island is a haven of old fishing junks where many people live full time, accessible with a sampan (water taxi). Repulse Bay ends the half day tour; this beach is by some very exclusive residential areas, but accessible for all.
Price includes:
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
|
Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
|
Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
|
Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
|
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
|
Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
|
This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
|
Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
|
Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
|
Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
|
Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
|
Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
|
Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
|
Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
|
Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
|
Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
|
Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
|
Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
|
Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
|
Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
|
HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
|
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.