Classic China - 9 days

Drifters Price: £680.00
RRP: £715.00

Trip Code: INTCC9
Local Payment: USD$200.00

Days 1-2 Shanghai

Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to our joining-point hotel. Cosmopolitan Shanghai has a mesmerising array of old and new architecture. For those who arrive early, walking around is a great way to explore the streets and get a feel for this enormous city. There are no arranged activities on Day 1, but we will have a group meeting in the evening followed by dinner - your leader will contact you to arrange this.

Note that your group leader will collect your local payment (USD200) at the group meeting on Day 1. Please bring new USD notes/bills in large denominations.

There are so many activities to choose from in this cosmopolitan city; stroll along the Bund with its spectacular array of art deco-style buildings, or cross the river and take in the sights of Pudong - one of China's 'special economic zones' - with its amazing skyscrapers. A visit to the Shanghai Museum, which houses one of the best collections of Chinese bronze and artwork, is included in our itinerary. We also visit Yuyuan Gardens in the old city section of Shanghai and catch a performance by the famous Shanghai Acrobats.

Day 3 Wuzhen

The picturesque canal town of Wuzhen (approximately 1 hour each way from Shanghai by bus) has a history stretching back over 1200 years. This small town, with its black-tiled, oil-painted timber framework houses with sharply contrasting white-washed walls, brings to mind a Chinese ink and wash painting. There are some well-preserved Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings and we spend the day here observing life and visiting some of the ancient villas and gardens of the town.

We'll return to Shanghai on the night of Day 3 and spend the morning of Day 4 in Shanghai to allow time for some last minute shopping.

Days 4-6 Xi'an

We take a flight from Shanghai to Xi'an on the afternoon of Day 4 (approximately 2 hours).

Xi'an itself is full of things to explore and we'll do a walking orientation around town including the Great Mosque, the Bell and Drum Towers and the vibrant Muslim Quarter. The centre of Xi'an is enclosed by an enormous wall, and is a great place to view the sun setting over the city or watch the locals do their daily ballroom dance and tai chi in the mornings.

In the evening we will try a local dumpling banquet. The next day we will visit the Terracotta Warriors, situated a short drive out of town. The warriors were discovered in 1974, having been buried for over 2000 years, and are all facing east in battle formation, complete with horses and chariots. We will also visit the 'Big Wild Goose Pagoda', originally built to house Buddhist scriptures. You can even climb to the top for a great view over Xi'an.

On the afternoon of Day 6, we take an overnight train (approximately 13 hours), bound for the capital, Beijing.

Days 7-9 Beijing

We arrive in Beijing on the morning of Day 7. There's just so much to do in this vibrant city and we take time to visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City with an expert local guide. There is free time to shop in the various markets scattered across the city, take a tour of the ancient alleyways (hutongs) in Beijing's Old city or visit the Lama Temple.

On Day 8 we spend the morning exploring the Temple of Heaven and a full afternoon at the Great Wall. An incredible piece of engineering, it stretches 6000km westwards from the mountain ridges north of Beijing. It was originally constructed to protect the Chinese empires from the Mongolian 'barbarians' of the north.

We plan to have a delicious Beijing Duck dinner for our final evening meal together.

You are free to depart anytime on Day 9 as there are no activities planned.