Tours

• Special
• China & Beyond 2011/12
• Letter from the General Manager
• Why Choose CTS
• China Group Tours
• Golden China (Tourcode: EA)
• China Highlights (Tourcode:EB)
• China Spectacular (Tourcode: EC)
• China Experience (Tour Code: ED)
• Majestic Yangtze (Tourcode:EE)
• China Panorama (Tourcode:EF)
• Grand China (Tourcode: EG)
• China UNESCO World Heritage (Tourcode: EH)
• Tibet Train Expedition (Tourcode: EO)
• Tibet Express (Tourcode: EJ)
• Silk Road Discovery (Tourcode:EK)
• Colourful Minority Cultures (Tourcode: EL)
• Ancient China & Martial Arts (Tourcode:EM)
• Splendors of Southern & Western China (Tourcode:EN)
• Indochina Group Tours
• Local Packages
• City Stopovers
• Special Interest Tours
• Booking Infromation
• Optional Tours in Major cities of China
• Transfer in Major Cities of China

China Highlights (Tourcode:EB)

A true “best of” 13 nights, 14 days tour to Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Longsheng, Yangshuo, Wuzhen, Hangzhou and Shanghai,land only price NZ$NZ$2960

Day 01 Arrival Beijing

Arrival Beijing, the dynamic capital of the People’s Republic of China. Once the imperial city of Mongol, Ming and Manchu emperors, Beijing today is still extraordinarily rich in historical sites and cultural relics. After clearing airport formalities, meet your CTS guide and transfer to your hotel.

Day 02 Beijing (B/L/D)

Tour the Tian’anmen Square, the biggest public square in the world. You will also be able to have a photo stop at The National Centre for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the National Grand Theatre, and colloquially described as The Egg. The Centre, an ellipsoid dome of titanium and glass surrounded by an artificial lake, seats 6,500 people in the three halls and is 200,000 m2 in size. Afterwards, visit Forbidden City,the vast complex of palaces,which was home to successive Emperors for more than 500 years. Included is admission to the living quarters,museum and jewelry sections. Tonight you will experience the famous Beijing Duck banquet for your welcome dinner.

Day 03 Beijing (B/L/D)

Morning tour to the Great Wall at Juyongguan section, stretching almost 4,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the sands of Central Asia and befittingly crowned one of the ten wonders of the world. Along the way, you will stopover at China National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) and China National Aquatics Centre (Water Cube) for taking photos, then stop at a jade carving factory where you can watch artisans at work. Continue to the Summer Palace, the largest and the best preserved of all imperial palace gardens, which boasts such delights as the famous Marble Boat and the ornately painted ‘Long Corridor’, and take a boat ride on its Lake Kunming if the weather permits. After dinner, you will witness the amazing Beijing Acrobatic Show.

Day 04 Beijing (B)

A free day at leisure for your to further explore this historical city on your own path or visit a local market.

Day 05 Beijing/Xi’an (B/D)

Morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Xi’an. Upon arrival, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Today you will sample the Xi’an dumpling dinner. Afterwards, you will see the Tang Dynasty Show.

Day 06 Xi’an (B/L/D)

Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, more than 2,000 year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Included are the Circle Vision Movie and Bronze Chariot. On the way to the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, we visit Xi’an Art Ceramic and Lacquer Ware Factory, which focus on the reproductions of terra-cotta warriors and horses and lacquer ware products. The craftsman in the factory, with professional knowledge, have made the replica of terra-cotta warriors and horses that popularly accepted as souvenirs and gifts by both Chinese and foreign visitors. In the afternoon, we walk through the lively Muslim Quarter and market,
visit to the Great Mosque, a best-preserved Islamic mosque in China and focus for the 30,000 Chinese Muslims of Xi’an.

Day 07 Xi’an/Guilin (B)

You are free to further explore this historical city on own path until your transfer to the airport for your flight to Guilin. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel.

Day 08 Guilin-Longshen-Guilin (B/L)

Today, we take a full day excursion to Longsheng, located in the mountainous region on the northeastern part of Guilin. The natural beauty and the colorful ethnic Chinese cultures and customs attract people from all over the world. After 2.5 hours drive (115KM beautiful mountain road) you will get to the Longji area, Heping Township of Longsheng County. Visit Zhuang and Yao minority tribes’ villages and some families. You will see the beautiful terraced rice fields after arriving at the summit of Longji (Dragon’s backbone). The terraced rice fields were first built in the Yuan Dynasty (about 800 years ago) and completed in the Qing dynasty. The terraced fields are built along the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountaintop, which looks like a giant snail from afar. On the way back to hotel, we visit to Reed Flute Cave, a site of wonderful limestone caves, showcasing a dazzling variety of stalactite and stalagmite stone formations. If time permits, we will visit Guangxi Normal University Art Gallery to see Guilin landscape paintings and also to have a short lecture on Chinese Art.

Day 09 Guilin-Yangshuo (B/L)

The Highlight of the trip to Guilin is a spectacular cruise down the meandering and picturesque Li River. The scenery is breathtaking as jagged mist-covered mountains; quaint villages dot the riverbanks, drift past humped limestone peaks,fishermen aboard bamboo rafts and grazing water buffalo. You will also have a chance to roam Yangshuo’s local market in the evening.The well-known West Street in Yangshuo also called Foreigner Street, which the history has 1400 years.

Day 10 Yangshuo-Guilin/Shanghai-Wuzhen (B/L)

Morning will be free at leisure. You may rent a bike to further explore the stunning karst landscapes of Yangshuo on your own pace. Fly to Shanghai in the early evening, then transfer to the famous water-town Wuzhen.

Day 11 Wuzhen-Hangzhou (B/L/D)

In the morning tour Wuzhen, a well known ancient water town. Wuzhen displays its twothousand-year history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. Also, setting it apart from other towns, it gives a unique experience through its profound cultural background. Afterwards, ride to Hangzhou that is a wellknown tourist, historical, and cultural city and one of the six ancient capitals in China.

Day 12 Hangzhou-Shanghai (B/L/D)

Visit the Hua Gang Park and West Lake. You will surely appreciate the fabled scenery such as ‘Broken Bridge’, ‘Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake’ and ‘ Three Pools mirroring the Moon’. You will take a short cruise tour on the West Lake, and then visit Lingyin Temple, which is among the ten most famous Buddhist temples in China and has a history of over 1000 years.Hangzhou is famous for Longjing Green Tea;you will visit a tea plantation to taste its famous tea as well as learning about the ancient tea making process. Late in the afternoon, we will travel by coach to metropolitan Shanghai.

Day 13 Shanghai (B/L)

In the morning tour we will visit the Bund, a popular promenade along the Huangpu River,where the old meets the modern in Shanghai.You may see the local people performing Tai Chi during your stroll along the Bund. Afterwards, we will visit the Old Town with its winding alleyways, lined with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and then to the elegant and tranquil Yu Garden. Then, visit Silk Spinning Mill. In the late afternoon we will visit Shanghai Xintiandi, which is a new tourist attraction in downtown Shanghai, featuring the city’s unique “Shikumen” houses and a maze of narrow alleys, which have been converted into cafes, restaurants, bars, art retail shops. Dinner will be on your own arrangement.

Day 14 Shanghai Departure (B)

Today you are free for some last minute shopping before being transferred to the airport for your flight back home.

Tour Price (based on minium 2 passengers)

Inclusions

• International and China domestic economy class airfare; Airport tax and fuel surcharges
• 4-star hotel accommodation or similar on twin-shared basis
• All road transport by modern airconditioned vehicles from arrival until end of the tour in China
• Meals, sightseeing and entrance fees as specified in the itinerary
• English-Speaking local guides
• English-Speaking national guide (only for 10+ group size)
• Travel wallet and CTS backpack

Exclusions

• Personal travel insurance
• Tipping:please refer to "Booking Information"
• Tour extension
• Personal expenses
• China visa fee

All tour prices are subject to the fluctuation of exchange rates;

airlines fuel charges or any other tax occurred.

Departures

Departure date with "*" mark, High Season Surcharge will be applyed.