Experience the highlights of China on this 16-day escorted
tour - taking in ancient wonders, modern
megacities and the breathtaking landscapes of the Yangtze
River.
Your journey begins in Beijing, where you'll explore Tiananmen
Square, the sprawling Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.
However, among the highlights is a visit to one of the world's most
remarkable feats of engineering - the Great Wall of China.
Wander through the serene gardens of the Summer Palace and savour a
traditional tea ceremony that brings centuries of local tradition
to life.
Travel by high-speed train to Xi'an to stand before the Terracotta
Army, then continue to Chengdu, home of the giant panda, where
you'll visit the Panda Research Centre and enjoy the relaxed
atmosphere of People's Park.
A three-night Yangtze river cruise awaits, on board a Victoria
Cruises ship. Sail through the dramatic Three Gorges, before your
tour concludes in ancient Suzhou and dynamic Shanghai, blending
traditional canals and gardens with vibrant urban life.
No journey through China would be complete without discovering its
extraordinary
cuisine. Savour the distinct flavours of each
region - from Beijing's classic dishes and delicate dumplings to
Xi'an's hearty, spice-infused specialities. In Chengdu, the home of
Sichuan cuisine, expect bold aromas and mouth-tingling tastes. On
this trip, the dining becomes an essential and memorable part of
your cultural experience.
Tick China off your bucket
list and look forward to iconic landmarks,
fascinating heritage and unforgettable experiences throughout.
Regional flights available - choose to fly from seven airports. Please call for details.
Accommodation
- Nights 2-4: Mercure Beijing Downtown, Beijing
- Nights 5-6: Xi'an Crystal Orange Yongningmen Hotel, Xi'an (2026 departures) or Grand Noble Hotel, Xi'an (2027-8 departures)
- Nights 7-8: Holiday Inn Express Gulou, Chengdu
- Nights 9-11: Victoria Cruises ship
- Night 12: Youngor Central Hotel, Suzhou
- Nights 13-14: Shanghai Metropark Jichen Hotel, Shanghai
Please note, this information is indicative and subject to change.
* From price is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room, subject to availability and based on 19 October 2026 departure date from London Gatwick. Regional airports available on request. Various departure dates are available, please call for details. Price and itinerary correct at time of print but may be subject to change. Single supplement applies. Deposit £445pp. Local charges such as tourist tax may apply. Offers are not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions. Travel insurance is not included and should be taken out at time of booking. Images used may not reflect your actual tour experience. This holiday may be sold through other selected brands. Tour is operated by and subject to the booking conditions of TS Travel Ltd and Newmarket Holidays ABTA V7812. ATOL protected 2325. ABTOT 5509.
Fly from your chosen airport on your overnight flight to Beijing. Upon arrival, be welcomed by your local tour manager and city guide, before heading to a local restaurant for a welcome dinner.
After breakfast, spend the morning in Beijing. Visit Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, before exploring the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties between 1420 and 1911. This magnificent palace encompasses 114 buildings, including an important imperial library, and showcases centuries of history and culture.
Continue to the striking Temple of Heaven, a complex of ritual buildings set amid gardens and ancient pine woods. Its design symbolises the harmony between earth and heaven, a concept central to Chinese cosmology.
At lunchtime, enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine at a local restaurant, followed later by a chance to sample Beijing's most famous dish, Peking roast duck, at the historic Quanjude restaurant, which has been serving this speciality for more than 150 years.
Spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring at your own pace.
After breakfast, today's highlight is a visit to the Great Wall of China, at Badaling. This remarkable fortification stretches over 1,500 miles across northern China and was originally constructed more than 2,000 years ago. You can choose to walk up to the wall or, if you'd prefer, take a cable car ride up (at your own expense), where the views from the top are breathtaking!
Returning to Beijing, your guide will take you to Qianmen Street. This pedestrian thoroughfare is lined with mock-period frontages. It was once part of the imperial route to the Temple of Heaven and later became one of the city's busiest commercial hubs. As you wander, observe the former craftsman workshops, theatres and warehouses.
After breakfast, visit the Summer Palace, the former summer retreat of China's emperors and their families. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is positioned around the vast Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, renowned for its landscaped gardens, ornate pavilions, pretty bridges and the famous marble boat.
Next, visit a traditional Chinese tea centre, where you'll take part in a tea ceremony experience. A skilled tea master will prepare three classic varieties, such as green, black and oolong, while explaining their origins, distinctive qualities, and traditional health benefits. You'll then have lunch at a local restaurant.
Later, board a high-speed train for the journey to Xi'an. On arrival, you'll be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. This evening's dinner features a speciality of Xi'an, a selection of delicious local dumplings, the region's signature dish.
After breakfast, experience another unforgettable excursion - a visit to the world-famous Terracotta Army. Buried over 2,000 years ago to guard the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor, this extraordinary site was unearthed in 1974 and revealed thousands of life-sized warriors, horses, and chariots, each uniquely detailed down to their armour and expressions. It remains one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
This afternoon, explore the Muslim Quarter, one of Xi'an's most well-known cultural and culinary districts. Your tour manager will introduce the area's history and food culture, including landmarks such as the Great Mosque. Before returning to your hotel, take some time to view the Bell Tower from the outside and capture some photos.
Enjoy dinner at your leisure and this evening, choose to witness the grandeur of ancient China with the Xi'an Tang Dynasty Show (not included). This spectacular performance brings to life the music, dance and culture of the Tang Dynasty.
After breakfast, travel to Xi'an City Wall, one of the oldest and largest city walls in China, originally built in the 14th century during the Ming Dynasty.
Next, visit the Small Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda constructed over 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, known for its slender brick design and historical significance as part of the Jianfu Temple complex.
After lunch, board a high-speed train to Chengdu. Upon arrival, meet your local guide and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
After breakfast, visit the Panda Research Centre, one of China's leading conservation facilities dedicated to the protection of the giant panda. Chengdu is known as the 'home of the panda', and this centre plays a vital role in breeding, research and education. Observe pandas in a carefully designed, natural environment (depending on the season, you may even see young cubs).
Later, explore People's Park, a green space popular with locals. Join the tradition of drinking tea in a classic teahouse and see the famous Marriage Corner - where parents gather to share details about their unmarried children in the hope of arranging a match.
Afterwards, discover Kuanzhai Alley - a quarter dating back to the Qing dynasty. The district combines traditional courtyard architecture with teahouses, restaurants and small shops.
This evening, experience a traditional Chinese hot pot dinner - a popular and social way of dining, where a simmering pot of broth is placed at the table, and a variety of meats, vegetables, and noodles are cooked together and shared.
After breakfast, head to the Wenshu Temple, one of Chengdu's best-preserved Buddhist monasteries and an active place of worship. Known as the spiritual heart of the city, the temple complex includes peaceful gardens, opulent halls, and surrounding markets.
Later, travel on another high-speed train to Chongqing, at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. On arrival, discover Chongqing's striking cityscape during a half-day tour. Travel into the heart of the city, Jiefang Bei (Liberation Monument). This monument is a major landmark and the central point of the downtown area. It was originally built in the 1940s to commemorate China's victory in World War II.
Take a short ride on the famous Liziba Monorail, where the track runs directly through a residential building before visiting Kuixing Pavilion, which offers views over the city and a close-up look at Chongqing's distinctive "8D architecture," with buildings connected on multiple levels.
This evening, have dinner at a local restaurant before a short panoramic drive through Chongqing to see the illuminated skyline. Later, board your Victoria Cruises ship for a three-night sailing along the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia.
After breakfast on board, sail downstream and observe daily life along the banks. A shore excursion will take you to Mount Shuanggui, near Fengdu. This site is known for its centuries-old temples, peaceful grounds, and literary connections.
Lunch will then be served back on board, and you can take advantage of the spacious viewing decks and enjoy the on board lectures. This evening, a Captain's welcome reception will be followed by a buffet dinner with the option to enjoy an additional shore excursion (not included).
After breakfast on board, your cruise takes you into the dramatic landscapes of the Three Gorges, one of China's most famous natural wonders. You'll sail through the Qutang Gorge, the narrowest and most remarkable stretch, bordered by sheer cliffs that rise from the water. Next comes the Wu Gorge, renowned for its forested peaks often covered in mist.
Later, you'll transfer to a smaller vessel for a leisurely excursion along the Goddess Stream, a tranquil tributary lined with steep cliffs and lush vegetation. Returning to your ship, you'll continue into the Xiling Gorge, the longest of the three, stretching for 41 miles, and the deepest, with towering limestone walls and dramatic bends in the river.
Enjoy a Captain's farewell dinner on your final evening.
After breakfast on board, disembark for a guided visit to the Three Gorges Dam, an extraordinary feat of modern engineering. Spanning the Yangtze River at Sandouping in the Xiling Gorge, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.
Later, transfer to Yichang station to board the high-speed train to Suzhou. A packed lunch will be provided for your journey. On arrival in Suzhou, travel to your centrally located hotel.
This evening, dinner is at your leisure, giving you the chance to relax and explore at your own pace.
After breakfast, visit the Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Suzhou's most celebrated classical gardens. You'll then cruise along Suzhou's ancient canals, gliding past whitewashed houses with black-tiled roofs and stone bridges, a setting that has earned the city its nickname, the 'Venice of the East'.
Today's visits also include a Silk Factory and Silk Museum, where you can learn about Suzhou's centuries-old silk production.
Have lunch at a local restaurant, featuring traditional Suzhou cuisine, before a short transfer to Shanghai. On arrival, check into your centrally located hotel, with dinner at leisure.
After breakfast, head on over to the Oriental Pearl Tower, a symbol of Shanghai's skyline. Travel up by lift to the observation deck, sitting at 259m to see the city from above and take photos. Head back down to the Shanghai Urban History Development Museum at the base, housing interactive displays and lifelike wax figures that depict the city's evolution from a small fishing village into a buzzing metropolis.
Next, stroll along the Bund, Shanghai's famous riverside promenade, where colonial-era buildings sit opposite the futuristic skyscrapers of Pudong. Later, enjoy some free time on East Nanjing Road, a pedestrian street and the most well known in China. Lunch is served at a local restaurant with traditional Chinese dishes.
This evening will be spent at leisure or you can experience the magic of Shanghai after dark with an evening cruise along the Huangpu River (not included). Glide past the futuristic skyscrapers of Pudong, including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower, while admiring the colonial-era architecture lining the Bund.
After a final breakfast this morning, continue sightseeing or enjoy some last-minute shopping at your leisure.
You can also choose to join an optional city tour of Shanghai (not included). Begin at Fuxing Park, and explore the Xintiandi district, a lively commercial and entertainment area developed from renovated Shikumen (Stone Gate) houses. Stroll through the narrow alleys, or Nongtang, which were once the heart of Shanghai's community life, before stopping for lunch to taste Shanghai Xiaolongbao (delicate soup-filled dumplings with thin wrappers and rich, flavourful broth).
Return to the hotel in the early evening for a farewell dinner of traditional Chinese cuisine, before transferring to the airport for your overnight return flight to the UK.
For general information, click here.
* From price is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room, subject to availability and based on 19 October 2026 departure date from London Gatwick. Regional airports available on request. Various departure dates are available, please call for details. Price and itinerary correct at time of print but may be subject to change. Single supplement applies. Deposit £445pp. Local charges such as tourist tax may apply. Offers are not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions. Travel insurance is not included and should be taken out at time of booking. Images used may not reflect your actual tour experience. This holiday may be sold through other selected brands. Tour is operated by and subject to the booking conditions of TS Travel Ltd and Newmarket Holidays ABTA V7812. ATOL protected 2325. ABTOT 5509.