IMPERIAL CITIES GOLD EXPERIENCE ITINERARY:
DAY 1 • Thursday • Depart San Francisco for Beijing, China
Fly transpacific.
CHINA
DAY 2 • Friday • Arrive Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, China's capital, you will be
escorted to check in to your FiveStarPlusSM hotel. Shangri-La
China World Hotel
DAY 3 • Saturday • Beijing
After breakfast and a welcome orientation, today's
sightseeing includes vast Tiananmen Square and the Imperial
Palace in the once Forbidden City, including the living
quarters, museum and jewelry sections. Tonight, your welcome
party includes cocktails before a Beijing Duck dinner.
MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Party
DAY 4 • Sunday • Beijing
Today highlights the amazing wonders of the Great Wall at
Mutianyu including a scenic round-trip cable car ride. Step back
into time as you walk along its ancient ramparts. After lunch,
continue on to visit a cloisonné factory where you may observe
the skilled artisans. This evening, enjoy a buffet dinner at the
hotel, then off to a performance of the energetic show “The
Legend of Kung Fu,” with seats in the front section.
MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Buffet Dinner
DAY 5 • Monday • Beijing
This morning, visit the exquisite Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO
World Heritage site. See the Imperial Ceiling of Heaven, its
Echo Wall and Nine-Dragon Cypress, more than 500 years old. This
afternoon, tour Beijing's old Hutong (“narrow lanes”) area. At
the Drum Tower, see a traditional drum performance. Then take an
old-fashioned pedicab to the picturesque Shichahai Lake area
with its 700-year-old Yuan Dynasty arched bridges and
courtyard-style homes known as Siheyuans. Tour one of the
ancient homes and visit with a local family. Stop at a Hutong
kindergarten (if school is open) and a vegetable market.
MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Party
DAY 6 • Tuesday • Beijing/Xi'an
Fly to historic Xi'an, China's ancient capital for eleven
dynasties, and check in to your hotel. Tonight, from your front
section seats, enjoy an entertaining dinner and show at the Tang
Dynasty Theatre. Sofitel on Renmin Square Xi'an
MEALS: American Breakfast, Dinner Show
DAY 7 • Wednesday • Xi'an
Visit the famed Terra-Cotta Museum and see the legion of
terra-cotta warriors, buried with the emperor for over 2,200
years, and the Bronze Chariot. The tour includes the Circle
Vision Movie. Enjoy a dumpling lunch at Defachang Restaurant.
Later, visit the Shaanxi Provincial Historical Museum with our
exclusive visit to the private artifact room where you may
white-glove handle some of the national treasures from the
museum's collection. Tonight, buffet dinner at the Sofitel.
MEALS: American Breakfast, Special Lunch, Buffet Dinner
DAY 8 • Thursday • Xi'an/Guilin
A morning visit to the exquisite Wild Goose Pagoda. Later,
fly to Guilin where spectacular scenery has inspired artists for
centuries. Check in to a riverside room at your deluxe hotel.
Enjoy dinner in the hotel tonight. Sheraton Guilin Hotel
(riverside room) MEALS: American Breakfast, Dinner in
Hotel
DAY 9 • Friday • Guilin
Today brings a delightful cruise on the upper deck of a
deluxe air-conditioned boat along the scenic Li River, while you
enjoy your lunch on board. Cruise past a breathtaking landscape
of dramatic peaks to the market town of Yangshuo, where you will
have time to browse. Then see dramatic rock formations at Reed
Flute Cave (if time permits). Dinner at the Sheraton this
evening. MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Buffet Dinner
DAY 10 • Saturday • Guilin/Shanghai
This morning, transfer to the airport where you are treated
to beverages in the lounge and first boarding privileges for
your flight to Shanghai. Check in to your luxury hotel, then
visit the Shanghai Museum, where an audio tour highlights the
museum's collections. Tonight after dinner, attend a performance
of the renowned Shanghai acrobats, where your reserved seats are
in the front section. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai
MEALS: American Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 11 • Sunday • Shanghai
This morning, an extraordinary day begins as an
international expert on Shanghai's history, art and architecture
leads you on a half-day walking tour through The Bund and the
former French Concession. The afternoon is free to explore on
your own, or enjoy one of our optional tours. For information on
optional tours in Shanghai, click here. MEALS: American
Breakfast
DAY 12 • Monday • Shanghai/Zhujiajiao/Shanghai
This morning drive to Zhujiajiao, the best preserved of the
four canal towns, known as Shanghai's Venice. Take a walking
tour and a short sampan cruise on the town's canals to enjoy the
numerous arched bridges built during the Ming and Qing
dynasties. Return to Shanghai for a visit to a Children's
Palace. Buffet dinner at the hotel.
MEALS: American Breakfast, Lunch, Buffet Dinner
DAY 13 • Tuesday • Shanghai/Hong Kong
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Hong Kong. Check
in to your hotel.
Hotel InterContinental Hong Kong (harbor view room)
MEALS: American Breakfast
DAY 14 • Wednesday • Hong Kong
A drive around Hong Kong Island includes Stanley Market and
fashionable Repulse Bay; then a sampan ride of the floating
community at Aberdeen. Drive up to Victoria Peak for wonderful
panoramic views. MEALS: American Breakfast
DAY 15 • Thursday • Hong Kong
Free day – consider an optional excursion to Lantau Island.
For information on optional tours in Hong Kong, click here.This
evening, join us for farewell dinner party.
MEALS: American Breakfast
DAY 16 • Friday • Depart Hong Kong for San Francisco
Fly home today on United Airlines.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Cruise accommodations are
based on double occupancy of twin-bedded stateroom with private
bath. Triple occupancy in cabins is only available in Deluxe or
Shangri-La suites. All Yangtze River cruise ships are People's
Republic of China registry.
Hotels are based on double occupancy. Single supplement is
indicated on the itineraries. On occasions when accommodations
must be assigned on a share basis due to insufficiency of single
rooms, an appropriate refund will be made after returning to the
U.S. Triple rooms are on request and subject to availability.
Hotels are subject to change; substitutions, if any, are similar
class to listed hotels. Tour accommodations are subject to
availability at time of booking.
MEALS: Meals are included, as specified in the
itineraries.
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