13-Day Selected China Tour with Tibet & Beijing

Upon your arrival in Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city, your personal guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax or step out into this amazing city for an adventure on your own.

Today's sightseeing will start from the Bund, followed by Yu Garden, the Yuyuan Market and a silk workshop. Later, your private guide will show you the local's daily life through a walking tour. You can see how the locals enjoy their leisure time in Fuxing Park, the architectural style of traditional Shanghai dwellings in Bugaoli and try some popular dim sum at a food market.

Optional: A recommendation for you is the famous acrobatics show that will bring you a memorable night in Shanghai.

Enjoy the free day until you are escorted to the airport for flight to Chengdu. On arrival, be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

This morning, drive out of the city to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to meet the lovely pandas; then go back to Chengdu city and visit the Wenshu Temple, at the back of the complex is the Teahouses, a great place to relax you and do some people watching.

Walking along the Jinli Old Street, fully appreciate Sichuan's customs and folk arts and touch the history and local life of Chengdu people.

Optional: A high recommendation to you tonight is Sichuan Opera with face changing performance as entertainment if you're interested.

You will be free to explore the city on your own until being escorted to the airport for your flight to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. When you arrive, your local guide will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel (around 1.5 hours' drive). After check-in, you are advised to rest at your hotel to acclimatize to the high altitude.

Your Tibet tour begins with the overwhelming Potala Palace. As an emblem of Tibet, it was the winter palace of Dalai Lama (Tibet's commensurate pope) and the actual religious center of the region. Every day many pilgrims from all over Tibet trek months and miles to worship their gods and pray for their blessing here. Brilliant religious architectures, sculptures, and paintings can be fully-admired here.

In the afternoon, you will visit the centuries-old Jokhang Temple, the holy spiritual center of Tibetans, and walk the circular pilgrim route with local followers at Barkhor Street.

Today you'll tour the enchanting Norbulingka Park, which is known as Tibet's Summer Palace, see the training place of Dalai Lama at the historic Drepung Monastery, and then proceed to the Sera Monastery to appreciate the unique Buddhism scripture debating culture. You will see the daily life of the devoted monks and discover how they enjoy their simple life in these ancient monasteries.

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to Xi'an. Upon arrival, your local guide will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel.

After a short break, you will be escorted to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and take a calligraphy class there.

Note: The Small Wild Goose Pagoda and calligraphy class are closed on Tuesdays.

You will visit the incredible life-size Terracotta Warriors. Here you'll see over 8,000 life-size Qin Dynasty-era terracotta soldiers, chariots and horses, an army designed to protect Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor, in the afterlife.

After lunch, you will visit the jade gallery and then cycle along the top of the Ancient City Wall (1-2 hours). On the wall, you will be impressed by the view of the old city contained within its walls on one side and the modern city that lies without the other side.

After that, have a relaxing stroll through Muslim Street and get some general idea about Chinese Muslim's daily life.

Optional: At night, the Tang Dynasty Show is recommended for you. It is a dancing performance based on Tang Dynasty background.

In the morning, you will pay a visit to a local family to learn how to make dumplings, stretch noodles, and homely dishes. If time permits, you will have a chance to buy cooking materials at the local market following the host.

At noon, enjoy your works as lunch and then go to the railway station for your high-speed train to Beijing. On arrival, be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

On this day you will first visit Tiananmen Square, once the largest plaza on earth. Passing through the iconic Tiananmen Gate, then you will enter the splendid Forbidden City, China's No.1 palace complex famous for its grand royal buildings, exquisite ornaments and priceless treasures.

Continue to the Summer Palace afterward, and enjoy a 15-minute boat ride on Kunming Lake. Your tour concludes with a stop at a pearl store.

Optional: if you're interested, take in a thrilling Chinese Kung Fu Show as your entertainment tonight.

After breakfast, you will tour the spectacular Temple of Heaven, where you can play Taichi with local residents. It is a nice chance for you to chat with them, and even learn some native exercises from them.

After that, drive about 1.5 hours to visit the magnificent Great Wall (Mutianyu section with round trip cable car). Walking on the venerable ramparts, you will amaze at the unbelievable constructions and appealing landscape surrounding it.

Have your own free time before being escorted to the airport for your departure flight. Hope you travel with Odynovo again!