China Experience Tour (Ref: WW1)
China Experience Tour (Ref: WW1)

The quintessential experience, this introductory tour offers a glimpse of China’s glorious past, fascinating present and bright future with visits to the exceptional and contrasting cities of Xian, Beijing and Shanghai.

China Experience Tour
  • Shanghai - Marvel at this sparkling city on a Huangpu river cruise
  • Zhujlajlao - Soak up the old world charms of this sleepy water town
  • Xian - Come face to face with Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Warriors
  • The Great Wall - Walk along the awe-inspiring modern wonder that is China's most famous attraction.
China Experience Tour Itinerary

Days 1-2: Shanghai

Fly overnight to Shanghai. On arrival on day two you will be met at the airport by your local guide and/or National Escort from Wendy Wu Tours. Together with all other group members who may be arriving at a similar time, you will transfer approximately 1 hour to your hotel for your 3-night stay. 

Day 3: Shanghai

Today’s explorations include the peaceful Yu Garden and the atmospheric alleys of the old town. Admire the magnificent colonial architecture along the Huangpu River with a stroll along the Bund before visiting the Silk Factory. Sightseeing today involves a full day of touring around the centre of the city with 3-4 hours on foot. Later, cruise on the mighty Huangpu River for stunning night vistas.

Day 4: Zhujiajiao

Today, drive approximately 1 hour to Zhujiajiao, one of Shanghai’s sleepy water towns. Sightseeing here is leisurely and involves a couple of hours exploring on foot. Later, return to Shanghai and enjoy the ancient treasures of the Shanghai Museum before wandering around People’s Square. Dine tonight on traditional Shanghainese cuisine. 

Day 5: Shanghai – Xian

Fly 2 and a half hours to Xian for a 2-night stay. Visit the lovely Little Wild Goose Pagoda and take a stroll through the exotic Muslim Quarter.

Day 6: Xian

Spend the morning viewing the enigmatic ranks of the life-sized Terracotta Warriors. The Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses is located approximately a 1-hour drive outside of Xian. From the bus park to the museum entrance there is a 15- minute walk. There are electric carts offered by private vendors which can be organised at your own cost. There is no electric cart available for the return from the museum exit to the bus park. Within the museum area the warriors can be seen in three different ‘pits’, which are active archaeological digs. The site is large and will take about 2 and a half hours to explore. After this, visit the Xian Art Ceramics and Lacquer Exhibition Workshop to see smaller models of the warriors being made. Later, stroll on the beautifully preserved 14th century city walls that enclose Xian’s old town. The local guide will give you time to explore the ancient city walls at your own pace. There are options here to hire a bicycle or an electric cart to drive along the length of the wall. These are offered by private vendors and can be organised at your own expense. This evening, feast on traditional Shui Jiao dumplings and enjoy a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing. 

Day 7: Xian – Beijing

Fly 1 hour and 50 minutes to Beijing. On arrival, enjoy a rickshaw ride through the Hutongs and have dinner with a local family. In the evening there is an option to enjoy a Kung Fu Show. 

Day 8: Beijing

Walk across the lengths of Tiananmen Square and into the magnificent Forbidden City. Soak up the harmonious ambience of the Temple of Heaven where you can watch, or take part in, an outdoor dance class. You will spend approximately 6 hours sightseeing today, predominately on foot. This evening, enjoy a Chinese acrobatic show. Please note: The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays. If this day of touring falls on a Monday, your touring in Beijing will be switched around so that the Forbidden City is visited on an alternative day. 

Day 9: Beijing

Rise early this morning and drive approximately 2 hours northwest of the city to the Juyongguan Pass. Here you can take a walk on the Great Wall of China, appreciating the wall itself and the dramatic scenery. Your visit here involves walking from the bus to the first section. After your group has been given an introduction to the Great Wall’s unique history you will have free time to explore at your own pace. Later, visit the Jade Factory, and in the afternoon, drive approximately 1 and a half hours to wander around the Summer Palace. This evening, savour a delicious Peking duck dinner. 

Day 10: Depart Beijing

Any time before your flight is at leisure. You will be transferred from your hotel to the airport, according to the departure time of your international flight. 

Departure Dates & Prices

 

Call 01226 345381 to Book 

What's included?

▪ Return international economy flights, taxes and current fuel surcharges (unless a land only option is selected)

▪ All accommodation

▪ All meals

▪ All sightseeing and entrance fees

▪ All transportation and transfers

▪ English speaking National Escort (if your group is 10 or more passengers) and Local Guides

▪ Visa fees for UK passport holders

▪ Specialist advice from our experienced travel consultants

▪ Comprehensive travel guides

▪ Safe and secure with ABTA, ATOL and IATA

The only thing you may have to pay for are personal expenditure e.g. drinks, optional excursions or shows, insurance of any kind, tipping, early check in or late check out and other items not specified on the itinerary. 

China Touring Hotels 
China Touring Hotels 

Your accommodation is selected for convenience of location, comfort or character, and can range from a business hotel in one city to a family run guesthouse in a smaller town. In more remote areas, accommodation may be of a lower standard and may not have all western amenities. Hotels are generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note that there is no international classification system for hotels and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and China. All group tour hotels have private western bathroom facilities, air conditioning, TV and telephone. Plumbing and electricity supplies can be erratic and quite often the power in hotel rooms is turned off while guests are out of the room. If you experience any difficulty, please speak to your National Escort/Local Guide.

Contact Us
Further Information

Visas

A visa is required for entry into China. A standard visa processing service is included in your tour cost for UK passport holders. We will require your passport, completed visa application form, and 1 passport photo, taken within the last 6 months, to process your visa. We will require all this information 8 weeks prior to departure. As per our standard visa processing service, we will have your passport for at least 4 weeks. Any visa applications that require an express 2-week service, or that are received in our office less than 6 weeks prior to departure will incur a £60 per passport express fee. In rare cases, you may be required to provide further information or documentation to the Chinese embassy and/or be required to attend an interview at the embassy in London. If this is the case, we will notify you as soon as possible.

Insurance

It is a condition of booking with us that you take out suitable travel insurance. You must provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number when you book with us or as soon as possible thereafter. These details will be available to your National Escort should they be required. Wendy Wu Tours will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Eating in China

Chinese cuisine is one of the most influential, diverse and flavoursome culinary styles in the world with a legacy stretching back thousands of years. Often you’ll find that the local Chinese style is very different from what you’re used to at home. We welcome people on our tours with a wide variety of tastes and as such try to present an array of food to suit everyone in the group. Our schedule of meals is designed so that you can experience the local dishes, their individual flavours as well as the different ways they are prepared and cooked throughout China. All meals (excluding drinks) are included in our fully inclusive group tours from dinner on the day of the groups’ arrival until breakfast on the groups’ day of departure. Dishes served in restaurants on our group tours are varied. Some will be vegetable-based with meat mixed in, and a few will be meat-based. Traditionally, Chinese people cook with a lot of vegetables because meat used to be hard to come by. Dishes often come pre-seasoned with soy sauce or other sauces. Our restaurants are well aware of the western palate – there are plenty of non-spiced options. Most meals are served with plain rice on the side which is intended as an accompaniment to your meal. Unlike the western world, Chinese people do not normally pre-heat their plates and food can be presented at a variety of temperatures, which is a typical Chinese way of doing things. When eating meals on group tours, you will be seated around a circular table with other tour members. Dishes will be served in the traditional ‘family style’ on a lazy susan; meaning that various dishes will be laid out on a spinning turntable in the centre of the table top. These dishes are intended to be shared amongst the group – there is always more than enough to feed everybody. ‘Family style’ means that there is a pair of serving chopsticks for each dish which are used specifically to serve the food (please ask your server if you require a fork or spoon) and everybody will help themselves to all the dishes on the lazy susan. You will have an individual bowl, chopsticks and cup for your own use. Please be courteous and consider your fellow diners; if your favourite dish is on the other side of the table, it will make its way round to you soon! We find our customers really enjoy this sociable style of eating. 

Your National Escort will do their utmost to cater for any special requests such as gluten free or vegetarian meals, however, people on restricted diets should expect complications. Although most Asian countries are now quite developed, only quite recently have they started to widely accept Western guests. Western food requirements are quite far removed from Asian food requirements, and even medical reasons can be quite difficult to explain. While our ground partners will do everything they can to cater for a wide range of dietary requirements on tour, we ask kindly for your patience and understanding that they cannot always be delivered to the standard you will be used to at home. It is recommended that passengers with food intolerances bring snacks or additional food items with them, especially when travelling further from major cities as not all dietary requests will be met due to the limited foods available. Please read your travel guide which you will receive with your final documents for more information about eating in China. We recommend that when it comes to Chinese food, you stay open minded, try to be adventurous and always have a go with the chopsticks!

Transport

Coaches: Coaches with air conditioning are used on our group tours for city sightseeing, short excursions to the countryside and longer transfers where necessary. Roads in China have generally improved over recent years, but traffic and/or weather conditions may extend driving times. Road construction work usually covers an enormous section of road – not just 1-2 kilometres as you may be used to. For this reason, the timings listed in the itinerary are approximations only. There may be sections of road where the surface is comparatively bumpy but our drivers will do their utmost to lessen the impact. Planes: Internal flights are based on economy class with reputable airlines. Cruise ships: On this tour you will take a 4-night cruise up the Yangtze River. Your cabin on your Yangtze River cruise ship will have a private bathroom and balcony. Please note that the cruise ship and all shore excursions arranged by the cruise are on a shared basis. Trains: On this tour, you will take a high-speed train journey. You will travel in second-class soft seats with air conditioning. For train journeys you must ensure that you pack liquids, aerosols and gels/lotions in your hand luggage as per recent regulations. The National Escort will inform you of specific details prior to boarding. The train companies have implemented a policy which does not allow passengers to carry inflammable liquids including aerosols, styling gel, compressed air or insecticides; any explosives, magnetised material, knives, scissors or sharp items (medication is fine). Bag checks are conducted randomly and any of these items may be confiscated before boarding the train (in hand luggage or main luggage).

 

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