14 Days China Yangtze River Cruise With Hong Kong Tour

This spectacular China Tour was specially crafted by Access China Travel to ensure your trip to China is truly unforgettable. This tour features China’s greatest destinations along with a cruise down the stunning Yangtze River. The sites visited and the shore excursions are very special and were carefully chosen to ensure that your tour will be absolutely unforgettable.

Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrival/ Hong Kong

Upon your arrival in Hong Kong, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax, or explore the city.

Hotels: Choose to suit your budget and preference. (2 nights in Hong Kong)

Day 2 Hong Kong

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel

Sites Visited: Victoria Peak, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Wong Tai Sin Temple, Jade Market

In the morning after having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you and you will be driven to Central for your tram ride up to Victoria Peak, which will give you a fantastic bird’s eye view of Hong Kong. You will then be driven to Aberdeen where you will see an entire community based on small houseboats as they have for centuries. After Aberdeen, you will be driven to Repulse Bay, the most luxurious section of Hong Kong, is famous for its architecture, boutiques, and golden beaches. You will then be driven to Kowloon where you will visit the Wong Tai Sin Temple. The Taoist temple is the most famous shrine in Hong Kong. After visiting the temple, you will visit Kowloon’s Jade Market and see for yourself why this remarkable stone has held such a fascination for the Chinese people for millennia.

Day 3 Hong Kong/ Guilin 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel

After have breakfast in your hotel you will be free to explore this city until the time your tour guide come to pick you to the airport for your flight to Guilin. Upon your arrival in Guilin, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to your hotel.

Hotels: Choose to suit your budget and preference. (2 nights in Guilin)

Day 4 Guilin/ Yangshuo/ Guilin

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant and special dinner for Li River Beer Fish

Sites Visited: Li River Cruise, West Street

In the morning after having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you and you will be driven to the Zhujiang Pier (40 minutes), where you will begin your Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. The scenery along the Li River is often referred to as the most beautiful under heaven. Upon docking in Yangshuo, your guide will escort you to your hotel. After checking in, you will be taken down Yangshuo’s famous West Street, known for its shops, bars, and eateries. In the evening you will dine on Yangshuo’s amazing Li River Beer Fish. After dinner you will be transfer back to Guilin Hotel for rest.

Optional: In the evening you are free to choose to witness the spectacle of Impressions of Liusanjie (Third Sister Liu) performance. The Performance, created by Zhang Yimou, China’s premiere movie director and director of the Beijing Olympics’ Opening Ceremony, is made up of hundreds of people and is performed on the Li River with the mountains as the backdrop. It is an unforgettable experience.

Day 5 Guilin/ Chongqing 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant

Sites Visited: Fubo Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill

After breakfast in your hotel, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to Fubo Hill. Located on the Li River, the beautiful karst rock hill is the centerpiece of a small park. For lunch you will have a traditional meal with Guilin’s famous Rice Noodles. After lunch you will be driven to Reed Flute Cave. The cave’s many bizarre stalagmites and stalactites make visitors feel like they have stepped into another world. You will then be driven to Elephant Trunk Hill, the symbol of Guilin, which offers commanding views of Guilin City and the Li River. In the evening you will be driven to the airport for your flight to Chong Qing. Upon your arrival in Chongqing, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to your hotel.

Hotels: Choose to suit your budget and preference. (1 night in Chongqing)

Day 6 Chongqing/Yangtze River Cruise

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant

Sites Visited: Dazu Grottoes

After having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you and you will be driven to visit Dazu Grottoes. Located in Dazu County, the Dazu Grottoes, are located 167 kilometers from Chongqing and are located in several different sites. Carving began in 650, in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The grottoes feature over 5,000 statues and over 100,000 characters. The grottoes have Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian carvings, with Buddhist carvings being the dominant type. In the evening when it is time to board your Yangtze River cruise ship, your guide will take you to the docks. After boarding on the boat you can have a good rest. 

Accommodation: 3 nights on the Yangtze River Cruise

Day 7 Yangtze River Cruise

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Yangtze River Cruise

Shore Excursions: Shibaozhai or the White Emperor City

In the morning after breakfast, your ship will dock for your shore excursion to Shibaozhai or the White Emperor City. The captain will choose based on the weather situation. After your shore excursion, you will board your Yangtze River cruise ship and continue on your cruise through the amazing Three Gorges.

Day 8 Yangtze River Cruise

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Yangtze River Cruise

Sites Visited: Lesser Three Gorges or Shennong Stream

In the morning you will board small vessels for your trip through either the Lesser Three Gorges or the Shennong Stream. Your captain will choose depending on weather situation.

Day 9 Yangtze River Cruise/Yichang/Shanghai 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch on Yangtze River Cruise

Sites Visited: Three Gorges Dam

In the morning after breakfast onboard ship, your Yangtze River Cruise ship will dock and you will have an excursion to the famed Three Gorges Dam, the larges hydro electric dam in the world. After lunch onboard ship, you will disembark your ship in the city of Yichang. Upon your arrival in Yichang, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arriving in Shanghai, your local guide will meet you and you will be driven to your hotel.

Hotels: Choose to suit your budget and preference. (2 nights in Shanghai)

Day 10 Shanghai

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant

Sites Visited: Yu Garden, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, World Financial Center, The Bund

In the morning after having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you and you will be driven to the Yu Garden, the only ancient traditional Chinese garden left in Shanghai. You will then stroll through the streets lined with traditional styled architecture of the Yuyuan Market located outside the garden and get a glimpse into the local’s lifestyle. Then go to visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall is an amazing display of the progress and future of Shanghai. After take a quick visit to a charming silk workshop then visit the World Financial Center to get a bird’s eye view of Shanghai from within its unique architectural orbs. After visiting the tower, you will stroll along The Bund, known as a museum of Western architecture, and the nearby Nanjing Road, the No.1 shopping street in China.

Day 11 Shanghai/ Beijing  

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant

Sites Visited: Summer Palace

After breakfast in your hotel your tour will meet you and escort you to the airport for your morning flight to Beijing. After you arrived in Beijing you local guide will meet you and you will be driven to the exquisite Summer Palace, where you will marvel at the opulence of this imperial summer getaway. Then you will take a boat to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this charming place and see the dragon boat.

Hotels: Choose to suit your budget and preference. (3 nights in Beijing)

Day 12 Beijing

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant

Sites Visited: Tian’anmen Square, Hutongs, The Forbidden City

After having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you. The first store is the Tian’anmen Square. you will be taken on a rickshaw ride through the ancient lanes and alleyways of Beijing’s Hutongs. After seeing how local Beijingers have been living for centuries. Also Visit a local man’s pearl workshop & store and learn how to spot a fake. After lunch, you will be driven to visit the incredible Forbidden City, home to China’s Emperors for over 500 years.  

Optional: in the evening you are free to choose enjoy the Chinese Acrobatic Show.

Day 13 Beijing

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel, lunch at local restaurant, Beijing Duck Banquet at Quanjude

Sites Visited: Temple of Heaven, The Great Wall (Mutianyu Section)

After having breakfast in your hotel, your guide will meet you and you will be driven to visit the majestic Temple of Heaven, which was where China’s Emperors prayed to heaven. After lunch go to visit the Great Wall (Mutianyu Section) with less crowded and more spectacular views. On the way back your hotel visit a shop named Shahe Cloisonne, seeing a lost of delicate cloisonne works.

Special cultural experience: In the evening you will be taken to enjoy a Peking (Beijing) Duck Banquet at the oldest and most famous Peking (Beijing) Duck restaurant in China.

Day 14 Beijing/ Departure

Meals: Western buffet breakfast at hotel

You will be free on this day until your guide meets you and escorts you to the airport for your flight home.

Price includes:

• Hotel Accommodations for 13 nights in twin rooms with private bath
• 27 meals: 13 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 4 Dinners
• Transfers between airports, sites, and hotels in a private air conditioned vehicle with experienced licensed drivers
• English speaking tour guides
• Entrance fees listed in the itinerary
• China Travel Accident Insurance
• Government taxes and service charges

Price Excludes:

• All domestic China flights listed in the itinerary including airport tax
• Round trip international airfare or train tickets
• International Travel Insurance
• All tips to guides and drivers
• Excess luggage charges
• Personal expenses
• Visa fees

Meals:

Meal codes are B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

Breakfasts: Served in your hotel, breakfasts will have the option of Chinese or Western dishes

Lunches: Served in local restaurants carefully chosen by Access China Travel for their quality and service, your lunches will be ordered by your guide according to your preferences. A complimentary beverage will be supplied with lunch.

Dinners: Unless specified in the itinerary, you will have dinner on your own. Feel free to ask your local guide for suggestions and locations of local restaurants.