Treasure of China

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Beijing

  

  Arrival at Beijing airport. BEIJING is the political and cultural capital of CHINA. Welcome by your local French-speaking guide and your driver. Transfer to the city. Visit of the Temple of Heaven. Nestled in the immense Tiantan Gongyuan park, whose majestic triple-roofed rotunda is one of the finest achievements of Ming architecture. Meals are free for this day. Check-in at your hotel.

• day 2

  Beijing - The Great Wall

  

  Excursion day to the Great Wall (Mutianyu, 80 km from Beijing) with your guide and driver. The history of this wall, 6,700 km long, dates back to Antiquity: originally, it was a succession of ramparts, unified for the first time in the 2nd century BC by the 1st emperor of China to protect his empire from incursions by the nomadic peoples of the North. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk on the ramparts to individually appreciate the panorama offered to visitors from the top of the walls. Depending on one's physical condition, each person will go more or less far; comfortable shoes are essential for this excursion. Then, drive to the Summer Palace, the last whim of Empress Ci Xi. Visit the site with the magnificent Kunming Lake. Return to Beijing at the end of the day. Meals are not included for this day. Accommodation.

• day 3

  Free day in Beijing (The Forbidden City)

  

  Day of visit without driver or guide. We suggest you discover: - TIAN AN MEN Square, bordered by the Museum of History and the Revolution, the Great Hall of the People, and the MAO Mausoleum. - The FORBIDDEN CITY (ticket reserved in advance by our agency), the former imperial city located in the very center of the city and today transformed into a museum. - A walk on foot in a typical Hutong district (old Beijing) along Houhai Lake. The Hutongs, traditional alleys typical of Beijing, date back to the 13th century. Meals at your leisure. Accommodation.

• day 4

  Beijing - Xi'an - The Terracotta Army (by high-speed train)

  

  According to your train schedule, meet your driver at the hotel. Transfer to Beijing railway station to take the high-speed train to Xi'an. Arrival at Xi'an station around noon, welcome by your local French-speaking guide and driver. Departure to Lintong to visit Qing Bingmayong, where the Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974. You will discover the impressive spectacle of the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, composed of more than 8,000 cavalrymen and infantrymen. These are life-size clay statues. It is one of the most impressive discoveries of recent years. You will also admire, in an annex building, two superb chariots (carts and horses) in bronze (half-scale compared to the originals), surrounded by horses and soldiers. This recent discovery has made it possible to know what kind of chariot was used during inspections in the provinces. Meals not included. Overnight in Xi'an.

• day 5

  Free day in Xi'an (the city walls)

  

  Day of visit without driver or guide. We suggest you discover: Visits of Xi'an, an ancient site of Chinese civilization whose numerous archaeological remains cover the period from the Neolithic to the Tang dynasty. Stroll in the Su Yuan Men district, a very cultural street with ancient classical architecture. Walk on the ramparts of the old city, 13 km long, built during the Ming era in the 14th century. The Great Mosque, built during the Ming period and later restored several times. Its inner courtyards give it the surprising appearance, for a mosque, of a Chinese temple. Meals not included Accommodation

• day 6

  Xi'an - Guilin (By air)

  

  According to the flight schedule, meet your driver at the hotel, then transfer to the airport to take the flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, meet your driver and transfer to your hotel. Day of sightseeing without driver or guide. - Fubo Hill, from where you will have a superb panorama of the city. - The pedestrian street in the city center. Meals not included. Overnight in Guilin.

• day 7

  Guilin - Yangshuo (cruise on the Li River)

  

  Meet your driver and your French-speaking local guide at the hotel. Day of sightseeing with your French-speaking guide. The cruise on the Lijiang River from Guilin to Yangshuo, a region famous for the beauty of its landscapes with chaotic relief and strange shapes reflected in the river. Magnificent "sugar loaves" and bamboo groves follow one another along the bank. Lunch on board. End of the cruise at the village of Yangshuo, where you can do some shopping at the market offering fruits, vegetables, and local handicrafts. Transfer on foot to the hotel. Free time in the afternoon and a walk through the Yangshuo market, which offers fruits, vegetables, and local handicrafts. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight in Yangshuo.

• day 8

  Free day in Yangshuo (the villages - the rice fields)

  

  Free day without driver or guide in Yangshuo. We suggest you discover the villages of Yangshuo by bike, a wonderful experience! Meals are at your leisure. Overnight in Yangshuo.

• day 9

  Guilin - Shanghai (by flight)

  

  The morning is free in Yangshuo. Depending on your flight schedule, meet your driver at your hotel, then transfer to Guilin airport to take the flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai airport, you will be greeted by your driver. Transfer to your hotel in Shanghai. Meals are at your leisure. Overnight in Shanghai.

• day 10

  Shanghai - Zhujiajiao water village - Shanghai (1h drive)

  

  Day of sightseeing with a French-speaking local guide and a driver. An excursion to the water village of Zhu Jia Jiao in the morning, with a small boat ride on the canals. The small water village of Zhujiajiao is one of the most beautiful and picturesque water villages of the Yangtze River; this has earned it the nickname "Venice of Shanghai". Return to Shanghai around noon. Discovery of the old city of Shanghai with a visit to the Yu Garden. Meal at your leisure. Overnight in Shanghai.

• day 11

  Free day in Shanghai (Today's China)

  

  Day of sightseeing without driver or guide, we invite you to discover: Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world with 15 million inhabitants and the largest port in China. However, its rise is late compared to the history of China. Originally, it was a small fishing village known for its weaving workshops. In the mid-19th century, following the defeat of the Chinese Empire in the conflict with Westerners who wanted to set up trading posts with China, Shanghai became a flourishing trading port, thanks to its position at the mouth of the Yangtze River. In the 1930s, what was called "The Pearl of the Orient" became a hub of world trade. Put on hold in Communist China, the city has benefited from the recent policy of economic opening to resume its activities at a breathtaking pace: in six years, the fields of the Pudong district have seen the rise of a business district with 3,500 towers, including one of the tallest in the world. Day dedicated to visiting the city with: - A walking tour in the former French concession: The New Heaven and the New Earth (Xin Tian Di) - The Jade Buddha Temple - Walk on the Bund - A walk and shopping on Nanking Road Meals not included Accommodation

• day 12

  Free day in Shanghai - End of trip

  

  Free day and meals. Depending on your flight schedule, meet your driver at your hotel, then transfer to SHANGHAI airport for your return flight. Free meal. End of trip in China.