Your itinerary

Day 1: UK - Shanghai.

Overnight flight to Shanghai.

Day 2: Shanghai.

On arrival in Shanghai, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to explore the sophisticated and exciting city, once known as the 'Paris of the Orient'.

Day 3: Shanghai.

Enjoy a full day tour of this cosmopolitan city today, taking in highlights such as the stunning Jade Buddha Temple, the atmospheric Old Town, the Museum of Urban Development, and the famous Yu Yuan Gardens. After a relaxing dinner this evening, marvel at the spectacular, included acrobatics show. (B) (L)

Day 4: Shanghai - Suzhou.

After breakfast, board a train to Suzhou, where you'll be transferred to your hotel for a one-night stay. This afternoon, experience one of China's most charming cities, famed for its silk industry and dubbed the Venice of the East due to its many ancient canals and arched bridges. Visit the scenic Garden of the Master of the Nets - a beautiful miniature garden set beside a small lake, and a traditional silk reeling factory before taking a leisurely canal boat ride along the Small Canal. (B)

Day 5: Suzhou - Hangzhou.

Continue exploring Suzhou's highlights this morning with visits to the exquisite Lingering Garden and the city's enchanting Panmen Gate. Later, journey by train to Hangzhou and enjoy lunch en route whilst admiring the passing, scenic views. Reaching Hangzhou, transfer to your hotel, close to the alluring West Lake, where the rest of the day is at leisure. (B) (L)

Day 6: Hangzhou.

Explore picturesque Hangzhou today. Renowned for it's natural beauty, this burgeoning city is set amid scenic hills dotted with lakeside parks, decorative teahouses, ornate temples and verdant tea plantations. Begin with a leisurely cruise on the famed West Lake to admire some of the classically beautiful 'Ten Scenes of West Lake' sites, before heading to the colourful Lingyin Temple, also known as the Temple of Souls' Retreat, to view some of the Feilai Feng Grottoes. Later, enjoy a visit to a fragrant tea plantation before taking a stroll along Hefang Old Street's traditional shopping area. (B) (L)

Day 7: Hangzhou - Wuhan.

Fly to Wuhan this morning where, after a short city tour if time allows, you'll visit the historic waterfront to board your cruise ship, Viking Century Sky, and embark on your exciting five night Yangtze River cruise. (B) (D)

Day 8: Viking River Cruises School, Yueyang.

Enjoy a stop in the rural village of Yueyang today to visit a junior school sponsored by Viking River Cruises. You'll be greeted by the children of the school and treated to a special performance of songs and stories. After time to mingle with the children and experience rural village school life, return to your ship for dinner and an evening of leisurely, scenic cruising. (B) (L) (D)

Day 9: Three Gorges Dam.

Spend this morning cruising upstream and admiring the dramatic panoramas before sailing through the serenely beautiful Xiling Gorge, the longest Yangtze gorge. Enjoy a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam where you can learn about the immense engineering project undertaken to build the world's largest dam and what its completion means to the Chinese people. Later, sail through the immense Three Gorges Dam Five Stage Ship Lock. (B) (L) (D)

Day 10: Three Gorges Dam and the Lesser Three Gorges.

Enjoy the most scenic stretch of the Yangtze as you pass through 150 miles of stunning limestone ridges. During the morning, cruise through the magnificent Wu Gorge before boarding a smaller boat to experience the swift, crystal waters of the Shennong Stream and the canyons of the Lesser Three Gorges. Impressive sights adorn the cliff-tops including the hanging coffins of the Ba people and the ancient carved plank road. Stop for lunch at a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the gorges before resuming your Yangtze Cruise and sailing though the shortest and narrowest of the Three Gorges - the Qutang Gorge. (B) (L) (D)

Day 11: Shibaozhai.

Today, enjoy a shore excursion to Shibaozhai - an ancient pagoda, known as 'the shining pearl on the Yangtze'. This 12-storey temple was constructed in 1650 and its hilltop position still affords breathtaking views of the river below. Take time to explore the bustling market that lines the path from the dock to the hill before returning to your ship for lunch. (B) (L) (D)

Day 12: Chongqing - Xian.

Disembark your cruise ship this morning and enjoy a brief city tour including Chongqing's atmospheric Old Town and the local zoo, home to some of China's famed Giant Pandas. Continue to the airport for your flight to Xian, where you'll be transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Xian, a former ancient capital and imperial city during the Tang Dynasty. (B) (L)

Day 13: Xian.

Enjoy a much-anticipated, full day tour discovering the highlights of Xian. Begin with a visit to the breathtaking Terracotta Warriors to witness 8,000 hand-carved, life-size clay warriors, chariots and horses, built in around 250 BC to guard an Imperial Tomb and buried alongside China's first emperor. Later, there is also time to meander along the city's ancient walls and pay a visit to the magnificent Big Mosque in the Muslim Quarter. This evening, enjoy an included dinner and show at the Tang Palace Theatre Restaurant, with historic songs and colourful dances performed in the grandiose style of the Tang Dynasty. (B) (L) (D)

Day 14: Xian - Beijing.

This morning, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Set in the Da Ci'en Buddhist Complex, this seven-tiered, revered Buddhist pagoda was built in 600AD and is surrounded by a small landscaped garden. After lunch, fly to Beijing for a two-night stay in this vibrant, historic city. The rest of the day is at leisure. (B) (L)

Day 15: Beijing.

Sure to be a highlight of your tour, experience one of the New Seven Wonders of the World today as you head to the awe-inspiring Great Wall of China. Stretching nearly 4,000 miles and dating back over 2,600 years to the Ming period, this startling edifice will stay etched in your memory forever. After time to walk along a section of the wall, continue on to the impressive Ming Tombs where you can follow in the footsteps of emperors as you walk along the Sacred Way and visit the imperial necropolis where 13 legendary rulers are interred. Later, return to Beijing where the rest of the day is at leisure. (B) (L)

Day 16: Beijing.

Beijing holds many wonders for the visitor and today's full day tour introduces you to some of the highlights. Begin with a visit to the vast Tiananmen Square, home to the imposing city museum, the Great Hall of the People, and the magnificent Forbidden City - a palace complex that housed successive emperors for over 500 years. Next head to the impressive Summer Palace, a park of lakeside pagodas, exquisite landscaped gardens and the marble boat made for Empress Dowager Ci Xi. This evening, complete your day with a traditional 'Peking Duck' dinner. (B) (L) (D)

Day 17: Beijing -Shanghai.

Before bidding farewell to bustling Beijing, enjoy a morning visit to the ornate Temple of Heaven, an excellent example of 15th century Chinese architecture and one of the most strictly protected and preserved cultural heritage sites in China. Built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, the temple symbolises the heavens and earth and spans a site covering over 2.7 million square metres. This afternoon, fly to Shanghai where you'll be transferred to your hotel for the final night of your tour. (B)

Day 18: Shanghai - UK.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK. (B)

Hotels On Tour

Shanghai: Le Royal Meridien (5*) or Okura Garden Hotel (5*); Suzhou: Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers (5*); Hangzhou: Shangri-la (5*); Xian: Sheraton (5*); Beijing: Intercontinental Financial Street (5*); Shanghai: Le Royal Meridien (5*) or Okura Garden (5*). Note: Tour hotels will be as specified or alternatives of a similar standard.

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