Page Text Content
ADD-ON
Shanghai & Suzhou
3 nights from only £165
Why not stay on for three more nights on full board basis and enjoy even more of Shanghai? We also include a fabulous full day visit by train to nearby Suzhou, one of China's most delightful and historic cities, situated on the famous Grand Canal. Plus you'll have plenty of time in Shanghai for further sightseeing, shopping or simply enjoying the remarkable contrasts of old and new. YOUR ITINERARY DAY 1 - This is Day 13 of the main itinerary. Transfer to the railway station for the train ride to Suzhou, followed by full sightseeing. Beautiful Suzhou is famous for its landscaped gardens, narrow canals and traditional Chinese architecture. Many of the sites of the famous gardens of Suzhou, known as far back as the 10th century, are still intact, and some have been restored to their former glory. You will visit the Lingering Garden, Humble Minister's Garden, Lion Garden, and enjoy a boat ride on the canal. Evening return to Shanghai. DAYS 2 & 3 - Free in Shanghai with optional excursions and visits available. DAY 4 - Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK, with arrival later the same day.
appeal has not diminished over the centuries, especially that of the famous West Lake. DAY 7 - Today you will enjoy a full sightseeing programme in Hangzhou including Lingyin Temple, T Six Harmonies Pagoda, the Tea Garden and, of T course, a boat ride on the West Lake. DAY 8 - Morning drive from Hangzhou to Tunxi in T Anhui Province. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this region produced generations of successful merchants who travelled far and wide, then returned and used their wealth to build splendid houses in their home towns. These towns, clustered around the city of Tunxi, are still thriving, and are a World Heritage Site. They remain remarkably well preserved, with narrow streets, open courtyards, exquisite wooden carvings, opulent mansions and grandiose arches. There is nothing else like it in all China. En route to Tunxi, you will visit the Tangyue Arches and the township of T Chengkan, perhaps the most atmospheric of them all. You will stay in Tunxi for two nights. DAY 9 - Full day tour to three of the most picturesque of the Ming towns, starting with Hongcun, with its exquisite inner lake and historic merchant homes. Then continue to Xidi, where you will also be able to stroll through the farmland surrounding the ancient buildings. You then visit Nanping, with its remarkable ancestral temples, before returning to Tunxi. During the evening there will be a guided walking tour of the old quarters in Tunxi. DAY 10 - Depart Tunxi for the drive to the Yellow Y Mountains, which have been celebrated in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. The rock formations and the pine trees, which sprout so bewilderingly from the steep slopes, are legendary. It is indeed a surreal experience to be amidst such a landscape, which the Chinese revere as the most scenic place in China. You will travel by cable car up into the mountains for an overnight stay in a hotel situated amongst the romantic splendour of these extraordinary peaks. There will be guided walks to such viewing points as Dawn Pavilion and Beginning to Believe Peak.
DAY 11 - Morning free before descending by cable car and returning to Tunxi. You will have free time in T the city before an evening flight to Shanghai for a two night stay. DAY 12 - Shanghai has to be seen to be believed, and provides a vivid contrast to the predominantly rural China visited so far. As the fastest developing city in China, if not the world, this vibrant and exciting seaport is rapidly recovering its entrepreneurial prominence. At its heart is the Huangpu River, with its constant and extraordinary stream of water traffic. The Bund, the city's famous riverside boulevard, is lined with magnificent former colonial buildings which now stand as monuments to Shanghai's one-time notoriety. Yet across the river in Pudong District, a new `Manhattan' is rising from the former marshlands. Our included sightseeing programme offers the best of Shanghai. Highlights include the thronging shopping thoroughfare of Nanjing Road, the traditional old town, with its ancient Wu Xing Ting Teahouse, and T the Yu Yuan Gardens, a classic Chinese garden. You will also visit the beautiful Jade Buddha Temple and T have time to stroll along the Bund. This evening there is an included visit to an Acrobatic Show. DAY 13 - Transfer to the airport for the return flight to the UK. As you will be flying westwards your arrival is later the same day. A NOTE ON THE YELLOW MOUNTAINS There are plenty of marked paths leading to various vantage points and famous views. Although there are frequent steps, you can choose how much walking you do. Guided and unguided options are available. The hotel itself (situated at 6,000ft) is beautifully located, and the scenery can be enjoyed without walking very far at all, except for the necessity to walk from and to the cable car (approx. ½mile each way). Your overnight luggage will be carried by porters and even sedan chairs can be hired for approx. £25 each way.
SPECIAL DEPARTURE
Panda Sanctuary & Wolong Nature Reserve
15 days from only £2099
departures featuring everything in the `China Lakes, Mountains & Ming Townships' itinerary plus two days visiting Wolong. In the afternoon of Day 4 of your main itinerary you will drive to Wolong Nature Reserve for a two night stay. The next day you will enjoy an included visit to the Panda Sanctuary and Panda Museum. On Day 6 you will depart for Chengdu in the morning and rejoin the main tour as described from the afternoon of Day 4 onwards. Please ask our Holiday Advisors for further details. For departure dates and prices see page 155.
HOLIDAY REF: LCLMTP
To view dates & prices click here To book click here
17
|
inbro