Discover China: A Journey Through Time & Wonder

From the Ming emperors' Beijing to yurts on the Ulanqab grasslands, then south through Suzhou and Wuxi to Hangzhou, and on to Shanghai.

13 Days • from US$2,249 per person (USD) • land package, flights available on request

Tour Highlights

  • Six stops in one trip: Beijing and Ulanqab, then Suzhou and Wuxi, then Hangzhou, then Shanghai
  • Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial plaza at the middle of the capital and the stage for its biggest public events
  • The Forbidden City, UNESCO World Heritage listed, with Temple of Heaven as the fallback when the day's tickets have gone
  • Climb the Great Wall where it crosses Juyong Pass, a stretch much quieter than the famous ones
  • Lunch on roast Peking duck, the dish the capital is known for
  • Two days out on the Ulanqab grasslands in Inner Mongolia, well past the last of the city traffic
  • Two nights in your own yurt, private and with a bathroom inside
  • A boat ride on West Lake, the UNESCO-listed water that defines Hangzhou

Itinerary at a Glance

  1. Day 1: Depart Australia or NZ for Beijing — An overnight flight out of Australia or NZ lands you in Beijing, with a transfer from the arrivals hall to your hotel already arranged.
  2. Day 2: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (Temple of Heaven fallback) — Work on the Forbidden City began in 1406 and finished in 1420, under the Ming emperor Zhu Di, and the complex he left behind still forms the middle of modern Beijing; today it is officially titled Imp
  3. Day 3: Great Wall at Juyong Pass and a Hutong pedicab ride — Three things anchor this day: a jade workshop, the Great Wall where it crosses Juyong Pass, and an afternoon among the hutong lanes. Jade comes first, with a look at how the stone has been carved and
  4. Day 4: North to Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia — The day opens at a health centre of the traditional kind, where Chinese medicine is explained in everyday terms. The coach then turns north for four to five hours, and the built-up edges of Beijing gi
  5. Day 5: Free day on the Ulanqab grasslands — Nothing on the schedule today. Walk out into the grass, sit with the quiet, or stay put in the yurt: the hours are yours. The appeal of this place is how little there is beyond grass and sky. If you w
  6. Day 6: Ulanqab to Suzhou via Beijing — A morning drive gets you to Beijing's airport for the flight down to Shanghai, then it is a short transfer to Suzhou and your hotel, leaving the evening free. The internal leg sometimes runs on high-s
  7. Day 7: Suzhou to Wuxi: garden and canal — The day turns on Suzhou's two specialities: garden design and canal life. Lingering Garden, UNESCO World Heritage listed, fits water, rock and pavilion into a small space with real precision. Next a s
  8. Day 8: Pearls, then the road to Hangzhou — The morning goes to pearls: a workshop where freshwater pearls are farmed, sorted and graded, a tradition that goes back as far as the Han Dynasty. Afternoon brings the drive of roughly 200 kilometres
  9. Day 9: Hangzhou to Shanghai: tea, lake and the Bund — Longjing leaf is the theme of the morning: at Meijiawu, one of the villages where this tea began, a tea house visit covers how it is picked and roasted, all within the green belt around West Lake Park
  10. Day 10: Shanghai History Museum, then the old city — Shanghai History Museum fills the morning with the city's longer story, then the afternoon is spent outdoors: Yu Garden, thought to have been laid out more than four centuries ago, followed by Xintian
  11. Day 11: Free day in Shanghai — A day with nothing scheduled, and the city is open to you however you like to spend it. Alternatively, the optional Shanghai Disneyland trip covers entry tickets and return transfers.
  12. Day 12: Shanghai to Australia or NZ — A transfer to Shanghai's airport and then the flight home to Australia or NZ.
  13. Day 13: Home to Australia or NZ — Home again, with thirteen days of China behind you.

What's Included

  • Return international flights with full-service airlines, economy class
  • One domestic flight: Beijing down to Shanghai
  • Nine nights in 4-star hotels
  • Yurt stay for two nights, private bathroom included
  • Beijing: the Ramada Beijing North, a 4-star property (or a comparable hotel)
  • Inner Mongolia: a traditional yurt with a private bathroom
  • Suzhou: the Snowy Sea Hotel, a 4-star property (or a comparable hotel)
  • Wuxi: the Mingdu Hotel, a 4-star property (or a comparable hotel)
  • Hangzhou: the Fubang International Hotel, a 4-star property (or a comparable hotel)
  • Shanghai: the Novotel Shanghai Qingpu Excellence, a 4-star property (or a comparable hotel)
  • Eleven breakfasts
  • One lunch featuring Beijing's classic Peking duck
  • One dinner cooked at a local home in the hutong
  • Air-conditioned private vehicles
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure