16 Days Lijiang Chengdu Lhasa Xian Beijing and Shanghai Tour

As you arrive in Lijiang, a historic city home to Naxi and other ethnic minority groups in northwest of Yunnan Province, our local guide will be expecting you at the airport. Later, the guide will escort you to your hotel.

In the afternoon, we will visit one of the must-see attractions in Lijiang, namely Lijiang Ancient Town. The hot pedestrianized town features plenty of lovely little canals and bridges, traffic free streets and overhanging willow trees. Numerous small cafes and bars, and street artists, tasty local snacks, etc. can also be found. Afterwards, climbing to Wangu Tower of the Lion Hill where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the entire old town and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain afar.

Stay overnight in Lijiang

• charming and peaceful ancient town with vibrant willow and small canals
• Lion Hill

In the morning, the tour will take you to climb Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the picturesque mountain overlooking the Lijiang. Get down jacket since the temperature can get pretty cold. You may choose to visit incredible Glacier Peak or enchanting yak meadows.

After that, we head to spectacular Black Dragon Pool, built in Qing Dynasty. The lovely park gives you a break from touristy ancient town. You can stroll on the colorful cobbled path and enjoy the gorgeous Moon-Embracing Pavilion with crystal-clear lake below reflecting the enchanting Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We can also stop by Dongba Culture Museum inside the park

Stay overnight in Lijiang

• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
• Moon-Embracing Pavilion

Take the morning flight from Lijiang to Chengdu. Upon your arrival in Chengdu, you will be escorted to the hotels. In the afternoon, tourists will tour Wide and Narrow Alley in downtown Chengdu. The lively and vibrant alley showcases the old life style and houses of Chengdu. You can enjoy the tea and tasty local snacks and buy interesting souvenirs as you tour this pedestrianized area.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

• Wide and Narrow Alley
• Wide and Narrow Alley

Chengdu is the major overland gateway to Tibet and home to giant pandas. In the morning, we will drive about half an hour to Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, where you will catch pandas' feeding time, they are at their most active, both Adults and Babies. There's a wealth of information and a panda museum in this 230-hectare park 10 km (6 miles) north of Chengdu. It takes about 2.5 hours to visit this site.

In the afternoon, we will move back to downtown Chengdu to visit Jin Li Street, a vivid replica of the old commercial street of Qin, Han, and Three Kingdom dynasties. You can take a leisurely stroll along the street and buy some souvenirs. After that, we can tour the famous Wuhou Shrine, where tourists can learn more of the celebrated warriors of Three Kingdoms and many more Chinese poetry and calligraphy, etc. can also be seen.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

• Closely see the cute giant pandas at Chengdu Panda Base.
• You can take a leisurely stroll along the historic Jinli Street

In the morning, you may do some shopping around the hotels. After lunch, we are about to head to Chengdu Railway Station and you will spend the rest of the day on the train to Lhasa. It is quite a long journey of taking a train from Chengdu to Lhasa. It will take 43:07 hours, two days and two nights in the Train. On the first day you will pass through two important provincial capital cities in northwest China, Lanzhou and Xining. Xining is known as the beginning of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Travelling along the rail line, you could see the scenery of countryside and cities in northwest China.

Stay overnight in the train

Today, you will enjoy the most beautiful scenery of Qinghai-Tibet Railway, spectacular land of snows, boundless desert, vast grassland, and grand snow-capped mountains, beautiful lakes that will continually appear and strongly attract your heart. You will arrive in Lhasa at about 09:55. Your tour guide will hold a welcome sign with your name on it to greet you at the exit of the train station and escort you from the train station to your reserved hotel in Lhasa. The rest of the day is for you to get acclimatized to the altitude of Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Qinghai-Tibet Railway
• Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Today's tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace which is the winter palace of the Dalai lama. It was put to use since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.

Then after lunch, tourists head to Jokhang Temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century, in order to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, perhaps the only most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. Around the temple is Barkhor street where you can do kora (a religious circle of a building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals, in the meantime you can buy souvenirs.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Amazing Potala Palace at twilight
• Holy Jokhang Temple

In the morning ,you are going to visit Drepung Monastery which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. Ganden palace used to be Dalai lama’s palace in the Drepung before he moved to the Potala palace.

In the Afternoon, Tourists will visit Sera Monastery which is another one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1419 by Jamchen Chojey, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. The hot attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 - 5 in the afternoon.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Monks chat happily before the assembly hall of Drepung monastery.
• Dramatic monk debate in Sera Monastery

The guide will transfer you to the airport and help you board the plane bound for Xi’an. After around 3 hours’ flight, you will land in Xi’an. The local guide will escort you to your hotels. And the rest of the day is for you to have a rest.

Stay overnight in Xi’an

In the morning, we are about to visit the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. You will not only be attracted by the life-sized warrior figures and horses, each of which has distinct facial expressions and positions, but also be astonished by various kinds of ancient weapons which reflect the highly advanced technology in weapon-making 2,200 years ago.

Afterwards, we will head to tour another must-see attraction in Xi’an Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Originally built in 652 during the Tang dynasty, the Pagoda is known for keeping the Buddhist scriptures and figurines of the Buddha brought by Xuanzang, one of the most renowned Chinese monks. The whole place is one of the most visited destinations by international tourists in Xi’an.

Stay overnight in Xi’an

• Life-size Terracotta Warriors modeled after real ancient soldiers
• Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a landmark building in the ancient capital of Xi'an

Take the morning flight (around 2 hours) from Xi’an to Beijing first. Later the guide will get you transferred to hotels. In the afternoon, we will visit the Tiananmen Square. The tremendous and impressive square is skirted by Chairman Mao's Mausoleum, Great Hall of the People and National Museum of China.

• Tourists are having great fun,imitating the way in which Chinese soliders march in front of Tiananmen Square.
• Lovely setting, interesting history, great atmosphere, peaceful after bustle of Beijing.

In the morning, tourists are supposed to visit the majestic Great Wall (Badaling section). You will be taken on a group tour to the Great Wall, the most famous symbol of China and one of the world’s most remarkable architectural wonders. This section was first built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

After lunch, we will tour magnificent Forbidden City. It is the most complete imperial palace in China and used to serve as home of emperors of different dynasties. It’s a live encyclopedia of Chinese history, art, architecture, culture, etc.

Stay overnight in Beijing

• Come and witness one of the seven wonders of the world ---- Great Wall
• The iconic architectural style and legendary history of Forbidden City are fun to explore.

In the morning, tourists will visit Ming Tombs, the burial site of the emperor Wangli, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620.

While in the afternoon, you will marvel at the incredible Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. The Temple of Heaven is a royal sacred site, where prayer for good harvests, prosperity and harmonious life are offered.

Stay overnight in Beijing

• The Temple of Heaven - the largest existing ancient sacrificial building complex in China
• Hutong is a lane or alley formed by traditional courtyard compounds lining both sides.

Take the morning flight from Beijing to Shanghai. Upon your arrival in Shanghai, you will be escorted to the hotels.

In the evening, we will visit the most iconic building of Shanghai, i.e. Oriental Pearl TV Tower. You can enjoy the amazing panorama of the skyline of Shanghai at night. And as you stroll along the Bund, you will get amazed at the spectacular Huangpu River and dazzling light from buildings of Pudong.

Stay overnight in Shanghai

• Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the most iconic architecture of Shanghai.
• Roaming over The Bund at night is definitely an amazing experience in Shanghai.

Today we are about to visit some of the highlights of highlights of Shanghai Tour. Starting with fascinating Shanghai Museum, the magnificent 4-story building houses an incredible collection of bronzes, sculptures, ceramics, coins, paintings, calligraphy, costumes and other exhibits in different dynasties. It’s the perfect place for fans of Chinese history and art.

In the afternoon, we are about to visit Yu Garden. Built in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty, the Yu Garden used to be the private residence of a senior Government administrator in the Ming Dynasty. For passionate photographer, never miss the chance to photograph Old Street of Yu Garden.

Stay overnight in Shanghai

• Shanghai Museum
• Yu Garden

The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you get on board. The tour ends.