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Travel from Beijing to Shanghai to discover China's highlights
The group flights are scheduled to arrive into Beijing this afternoon. Free transfers are included for any flight as long as you have provided Exodus with your arrival details in advance (please specify if you arrive into PEK airport of the new airport, PKX – Daxing). You will be met upon arrival and transferred to our hotel. There will be a welcome briefing at approximately 6pm where you will meet your tour leader and the rest of the group (please see the noticeboard in the hotel reception for further details). *Dong Fang Hotel / *Traditional View Hotel *or similar*
We’ll head straight to Tiananmen Square (approx. 30 minutes by public bus/metro), one of the largest squares in the world, able to hold over a million people. The square is named after the 'Tiananmen' meaning 'Gate of Heavenly Peace' located at its north, which leads to the Forbidden City. Continuing on foot, we spend a few hours exploring the innumerable courtyards and temples the Forbidden City. Exiting via the north gate of the complex, we walk directly to Jingshan Park and climb up to the top of the hill for a different vantage point. After lunch, we go on a walking tour of some of Beijing’s traditional 'hutongs' (narrow alleys of the old town) where we'll visit a local's house and try and master the art of paper-cutting, a traditional Chinese craft. Afterwards, we’ll meander our way through the hutongs and back to the hotel. *Dong Fang Hotel / Traditional View Hotel or similar*
We leave the capital and head into the countryside to visit one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall, at Mutianyu (approx. 2 hours’ drive). It is an impressive sight, snaking across mountains and valleys into the distance. We take the shuttle bus to the ticket office and from there it’s about a 40-minute uphill walk to the top of the Great Wall (anyone not wanting to walk can pay to take the cable car, which takes about 8 minutes). We spend the next couple of hours or so walking along the top of the wall. There are some steep steps to navigate and anyone who suffers from vertigo may find it difficult. This section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. The wall here stands up to 8.5 metres high and 5 metres wide, and there are 22 watchtowers along its 2,250m stretch. We’ll leave the wall behind and drive a short way to our lunch stop in a local village and then drive directly to the train station in Beijing, arriving in the late afternoon/early evening in time to catch our overnight train to Xi’an (approx. 12 hours) which is scheduled to depart at 20:40 (the schedule may be subject to change throughout the year) - please see the 'Accommodation' section for more details. We recommend purchasing food beforehand as there is a limited selection on board. *Overnight train*
The train is scheduled to arrive into Xi’an at about 8:30am (again, this may be subject to change). We take a short transfer to the hotel, drop off the luggage, and freshen up in the lobby bathroom (the rooms won’t be available for check-in until later). Xi'an is one of China's former capitals and one of the few cities in China to have retained its city walls, probably because they are so massive that no revolutionary was willing to tackle the huge task of removing them. Today, after an opportunity to try some local Chinese breakfast, we will embark on a walking tour, passing the Bell and Drum Plaza and exploring the spice markets of the vibrant Muslim quarter where we visit Gao’s family mansion and enjoy a shadow puppetry show (depending on the show time). We’ll return to the hotel to check-in at about 2pm, and the rest of afternoon is free. *Bell Tower Hotel or similar*
Today we visit the famous Terracotta Warriors of Emperor Qin (the transfer is approx. 2 hours each way). Originally four armies were planned, at each point of the compass, life-size and lifelike. Three have been found and it is assumed the Emperor's successors decided enough was enough before the fourth was begun. The first pit excavated had an estimated 6,000 figures in its one army. The third pit has been opened to the public, which contains the 'command post' for the entire operation. This is one of China's great tourist attractions, and some people may find the sheer numbers of visitors overpowering. After our visit we will take our lunch at a local farmer's restaurant nearby before driving back to Xi’an. *Bell Tower Hotel or similar*
There are no planned activities today but your leader will provide information on what is available to do and help you to arrange it. Perhaps you might like to walk along or hire bikes and cycle along the city walls to appreciate the sheer scale of these constructions. For a full day excursion, you might like to visit Mount Huashan for some walks with magnificent views (please note that we strongly advise against the plank trail due to safety concerns and anyone wanting to do this will be asked to sign a form releasing them from the tour as Exodus accepts no responsibility for this activity). *Bell Tower Hotel or similar*
Take a short transfer to the train station and board a late morning bullet train to Chengdu (approx. 4 hours), the capital of Sichuan province, arriving in the early afternoon. This region is recognised throughout China as being 'the spicy province', and major flavour combinations include garlic, star anise, chili peppers, and the ever-present Sichuanese peppercorn (hua jiao). We recommend having a ‘hotpot’ dinner during your stay here (spicy or mild broths are available). In the late afternoon we set off on foot for a walking tour, passing through the city centre square (Tianfu Square) and visiting the People’s Park where, weather permitting, we can see and have a go at Chinese water calligraphy. *Chengdu City Garden Hotel or similar *
We leave early today to spend the morning visiting the Giant Panda Breeding & Research Base located 10km out of the city. These furry animals once roamed over large expanses of Asia but the last survey estimated the world’s population of wild Giant Pandas at only 1,864. Giant Pandas eat for up to fourteen hours a day and so hopefully we will witness these highly endangered animals feeding, as this is when they're most active. Otherwise we will have the opportunity to watch the Pandas indulge in their next favourite past time - sleeping! Afterwards we drive back to Chengdu and the afternoon is free to explore at your own pace. *Chengdu City Garden Hotel or similar *
We catch an early flight to Shanghai so we’ll take a simple box breakfast with us from the hotel. The flight duration is approx. 2.5 hours: we should land by late morning and arrive at our hotel by lunchtime. With a population of around twelve million, Shanghai is a cosmopolitan coastal hub with a futuristic skyline. This afternoon we take the public bus (metro) to visit the Shanghai Museum, which has 11 galleries housing some of China's most beautiful and best preserved cultural relics - some over 5,000 years old! *Shanghai Kingtown Plaza Hotel or similar *
After breakfast we’ll set off to discover some of the highlights of Shanghai on foot, starting with the famous Bund waterfront area to see the iconic buildings, before moving on to explore Nanjing Road (Shanghai's equivalent to London’s 'Oxford Street') and the French Concession with its tree lined avenues, cafes and Tudor mansions. The afternoon is at your leisure. *Shanghai Kingtown Plaza Hotel or similar *
* 11 days land only/12 flight inclusive
* Travel by bullet train, sleeper train, domestic flight, metro/public bus
and private coach
* 9 nights hotels and 1 night sleeper train
* All breakfasts and 1 lunch included
* Optional single supplement, available on request (excludes sleeper train)
* Group normally 5 to 16, plus leader. Min age 16 yrs
* Premium departures available: 10 nights upgraded accommodation (no sleeper
train), upgraded transport and 2 dinners in 'Michelin' class restaurants
included
All breakfasts and 1 lunch included.
One of the major draws of China is its exciting and varied cuisine. On this
trip, you will be able to try many different dishes that will be carefully
selected with your leader's help and based on the group's dietary
requirements and preferences. Meals generally consist of shared dishes, which
is the best way to experience as many different ingredients as possible and
try things you might not usually choose. Examples of popular dishes include
Ma Po Tofu, a delicious tofu dish made with beef, chillies and onion, Gong
Bao chicken, a very popular dish with chilli and peanuts, the iconic Peking
Duck, served with hoisin sauce and pancakes, and dumplings in many shapes and
sizes. Chengdu in Sichuan province is known for its spicy hotpots but you can
request mild options too. There are many different dishes to try and your
leader will always try and accommodate tastes, but if you do tire of Chinese
food there are always opportunities to eat Western-style dishes in the cities
you visit. For vegetarians or those with dietary requirements, many of the
traditional dishes can be amended to omit the meat products.
* 11 days land only/12 flight inclusive
* Travel by bullet train, sleeper train, domestic flight, metro/public bus
and private coach
* 9 nights hotels and 1 night sleeper train
* All breakfasts and 1 lunch included
* Optional single supplement, available on request (excludes sleeper train)
* Group normally 5 to 16, plus leader. Min age 16 yrs
* Premium departures available: 10 nights upgraded accommodation (no sleeper
train), upgraded transport and 2 dinners in 'Michelin' class restaurants
included
This is an ideal introduction to China for anyone visiting for the first time
who wants to experience the best of the country's many iconic sites: Beijing
and the Great Wall, Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors, Chengdu and the Giant
Panda's, and the bright lights of Shanghai. Premium departures are also
available.
This holiday is graded Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate). Despite the grading,
this is still an adventure holiday and you should come armed for an
experience: China can be hard work and the summer heat and the bustle of some
of the cities can be a little overwhelming. That said, there are places where
you can find peace and quiet and we try to fit these into the itinerary at
regular intervals. You should have a reasonable level of fitness and be
prepared to be on your feet sightseeing for a few hours at a time. For the
Great Wall visit, the walk up and down from the wall is quite steep but for
anyone not wanting to do this, there is the option to pay to take a cable
car.
Some of the activities are weather dependent (such as water calligraphy in
Chengdu's People Park) or are subject to local schedules.
Although the distances in China are massive, this tour has been carefully
designed to keep travelling time to a minimum by utilising an overnight
train, a bullet train and a domestic flight. With two-night stays in every
location and a free day in Xi'an, the pace should not be too tiring but there
will be some early starts and long days. On days 8 and 9 in particular, early
starts are required to view the pandas and to catch our morning flight to
Shanghai.
Hotels & Train
9 nights hotels and 1 night sleeper train.
In all the cities, we stay in good, tourist class hotels with twin rooms and
private facilities. Nearly all the hotels are locally rated as at least
3-star and wherever possible located as near to local attractions as
possible.
There is one overnight sleeper train, from Beijing to Xi'an (journey time
approx. 12 hours). For this, we book 'soft-sleeper' class where you will be
accommodated in comfortable 4-berth (bunk bed style) cabins. Please note
that whilst every attempt will be made to place passengers together in the
same/nearby cabins this is not always possible due to availability and you
may find yourself sharing a cabin with other (non-Exodus) train passengers.
However, we will never place a solo traveller in a cabin by themselves (they
will always be either with another passenger on the trip or with the leader).
Clean bedding is provided and there are shared washrooms on board but you may
choose to bring your own sheet. The train itself is of a good standard,
although please note that facilities such as washrooms and toilets are shared
with other passengers and the cleanliness can never be guaranteed.
The hotels usually used are named in the detailed itinerary, however, these
may be subject to change by departure date, depending on
availability. Chinese government officials occasionally take over hotels at
short notice and so there can sometimes be last minute hotel changes which
are beyond Exodus' control - in this event, we will book an alternative of
the same local rating but we cannot guarantee that the facilities will be the
same.
A limited number of single supplements are available on a
first-come-first-served basis, excluding the overnight train. Please request
this at the time of booking.
Shanghai Kingtown 
All breakfasts and 1 lunch included.
One of the major draws of China is its exciting and varied cuisine. On this
trip, you will be able to try many different dishes that will be carefully
selected with your leader's help and based on the group's dietary
requirements and preferences. Meals generally consist of shared dishes, which
is the best way to experience as many different ingredients as possible and
try things you might not usually choose. Examples of popular dishes include
Ma Po Tofu, a delicious tofu dish made with beef, chillies and onion, Gong
Bao chicken, a very popular dish with chilli and peanuts, the iconic Peking
Duck, served with hoisin sauce and pancakes, and dumplings in many shapes and
sizes. Chengdu in Sichuan province is known for its spicy hotpots but you can
request mild options too. There are many different dishes to try and your
leader will always try and accommodate tastes, but if you do tire of Chinese
food there are always opportunities to eat Western-style dishes in the cities
you visit. For vegetarians or those with dietary requirements, many of the
traditional dishes can be amended to omit the meat products.
Much of the sightseeing is on foot.
The main road journeys such as to the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Giant
Panda Centre, and other main transfers are by private coach/minibus
(depending on group size). In Beijing and Shanghai, we also use public
transport (bus/metro) for short journeys where it is the most convenient way
to get around.
We take a high-speed bullet train from Xi'an to Chengdu (journey time approx.
4 hours) in second class seating. There is also one overnight sleeper train,
from Beijing to Xi'an (journey time approx. 12 hours) - please see the
accommodation section for further details.
There is one domestic flight from Chengdu to Shanghai which will be in
economy class with a local airline, typically China Eastern Airlines.
*Travelling flight inclusive from London: 12 days*
The group flight from London is an overnight flight departing the day before
Day 1 of the itinerary.
*Flights from London*
We normally use the scheduled services of Air China (depending on
availability). As flight timings and schedules change regularly we recommend
you call one of our specialist sales staff or your agent to confirm
up‐to‐date timings. Please note timings may change at a later date and
cannot be confirmed until approximately two weeks before departure.
Internal flights during the trip are with a local airline.
**
*Travelling land only: 11 days starting in Beijing and ending in Shanghai*
Your trip normally starts at our accommodation in Beijing in the afternoon
of Day 1 of the itinerary. Details of how to reach the start point are
provided in the Final Joining Instructions ‐ sent approximately two weeks
before departure.
*Free Transfers*
Exodus offers FREE airport arrival transfers for any flight arriving into
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) for this trip, for both Land Only
and Flight Inclusive clients. Please note that free transfers are not offered
from/to the new Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). A free departure
transfer is also offered in Shanghai but only on the day the tour
ends. Unless specified otherwise, the transfer will be to the Exodus start
(or pre-tour) hotel and from the end hotel and will be on the date on which
the tour starts/ends; transfers to other hotels in the same city and/or on
different dates may attract an extra charge. Transfers may be shared with
other Exodus customers on the same flight, or on a flight with similar
arrival times. All those taking advantage of the free airport transfers must
provide full flight details for both arrival and departure in advance.
*Beijing & Xi'an:* The north of China has warm (25ºC+), quite humid
summers, and cold dry winters. If you travel between June and August, it will
be hot more or less everywhere, except in the mountains (around the Great
Wall). Some rain must be expected, possibly heavy. If you travel in
September/October, you will probably get less rain and the temperatures will
be fairly warm (around 20ºC) everywhere. November is starting to get cooler
(3-13ºC) and can therefore sometimes feel chilly. The Great Wall region will
be colder than the cities due to the mountainous terrain.
*Shanghai:* The south of China is subtropical with hot (30ºC), wet summers
(May to September), and warm, relatively dry (November to March) winters,
though rain is possible at almost any time of year.
The winter months in China are cold (+3ºC), so if travelling in
November/March be prepared for temperatures to drop to below freezing at
night in the North, but with almost guaranteed dry sightseeing. The weather
is milder in the south.
As you will be moving from point-to-point, we ask that you pack light and
only bring one main suitcase with you, weighing no more than 20kg maximum.
On the trains, there are limitations on the quantities of certain items which
are allowed, including aerosol sprays (up to 120ml), nail polish, hair dye
(up to 20ml). The overnight trains are generally very clean, but as
standards vary, you may feel more comfortable bringing a sleeping bag liner
or similar to sleep in. You may also wish to take earplugs just in case there
are louder sleepers in the berth!
Light casual cotton clothing is recommended in general, however, due to the
distances covered, the climate can vary significantly from one place to
another and so we recommend packing layers so that you can adjust these to be
comfortable in warmer or cooler conditions.
Daypack/rucksack - to carry personal items such as clothing layers, water,
your camera etc. for the day
Comfortable practical shoes - for sightseeing on foot.
Trainers or walking shoes/boots are required for the walk on the Great Wall.
Lightweight waterproof jacket and/or an umbrella.
Refillable water bottle.
Sun hat, sunglasses and sun cream.
Warm jumper/fleece, hat, gloves and a wind-proof or down jacket (November to
March/April departures).
Allow about CNY3000-3470 (GBP350-400 / USD425-480 / CAD565-645) spending
money per person for optional activities and meals not included (assuming you
may do two or three optional activities in total). This does not include
tips, shopping or alcoholic beverages.
Meals in good standard local restaurants will typically cost in the region of
CNY80 per person for lunch and CNY120 per person for dinner. If you drink
alcoholic drinks on top, you will spend more than the suggested spending
amount.
*Please note: *Some hotels in China require a refundable deposit of between
CNY200-400 per room, to be paid upon check-in, to cover items from the
minibar etc. This can usually be paid in cash or on credit card and will be
refunded in full upon departure providing no items have been consumed.
*Optional Excursions *
There are a number of optional activities, which if you wish, your leader
can arrange for you. The below examples provide an indication of what is
available and approximate costs but prices are subject to change throughout
the season and may be dependent on the number of people taking part. They are
subject to schedules and availability; your leader will let you know what is
available and the actual local costs.
*Beijing*
Opera Front Zone (incl. public transport): CNY300
Acrobat Show (incl. public transport): CNY290
Kungfu Show (incl. public transport): CNY280
Cable car at Great Wall: CNY91 one way, CNY116 return
*Xian*
Bell and Drum Tower entry CNY50, city wall entry CNY54, Bike rental on the
city walls in Xian (90min) CNY45
Tang Dynasty Show and dumpling banquet (min. 5 pax): CNY290
Mount Huashan Full day Excursion: CNY970 (based on 4 people - prices will be
higher for smaller groups and less for larger groups)
*Chengdu*
Sichuan Opera (incl, private transfer): CNY280
*Shanghai*
Acrobat Show (incl. public transport): CNY280
Huangpu River Cruise at Night (incl. public transport): CNY120
It is not compulsory to join any of these optional activities and your leader
can recommend many more options. It is also possible to arrange many of these
activities independently if you prefer.
This is entirely at your own discretion however in China, with the increase
in tourism, tipping has become customary and if you have received good
service, a tip would be appreciated by local staff. In order to take the
hassle out of this, your tour leader will usually suggest each member
contributes approx. CNY200 per person towards a group tipping kitty on
arrival - this will be used to tip local guides, drivers, restaurant staff,
hotel porters and so on as a group rather than individually. Your leader will
keep a record of how the kitty is spent and will be happy to share this with
you at any time during the trip. If you do not wish to contribute to a
central pool for tips you are of course free to opt out and tip as an
individual.
If you feel that your leader has performed well over the course of your
holiday and you would like to show your appreciation of their service, a tip
would be appreciated. The sum you choose to give is entirely personal, but
as a guide, CNY35-50 per person per day would be a reasonable starting point.
We suggest sending an envelope around the group to collect tips anonymously;
this can then be presented to the leader by a volunteer spokesperson on the
final night.
The 'tipping kitty' explained above is entirely separate from any
contribution to the tour leader.
* Travel insurance
* Single accommodation, excluding sleeper train (available on request)
* Vaccinations
* Chinese Visa - GBP201 with Travcour or GBP151 plus GBP18 special delivery
direct with embassy
Ved skriftlig aksept av vårt tilbud bekrefter du/dere at våre betingelser er både lest og forstått og at evt kansellerings gebyrer kan tilkomme ved en evt. avbestilling av reisen.
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