Day 1 - Fly overnight from London Heathrow to
Beijing
Day 2 - Arrive in Beijing - 5 nights at Raffles
Hotel
Beijing has a host of historical sites in and around the city
including Tiananmen Square (one of the largest squares of the
modern era), the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of
Heaven and the Summer Palace. Alternatively, why not take in one of
the local open air markets for the real flavour of Beijing?
Day 9 - Xi'an to Guilin - 2 nights at Hotel
of Modern Art
Welcome to an area with a subtropical climate and sublime
landscapes, where local farmers rake the riverbed for reeds to give
to their wives to dry out and weave and fishermen click signals to
their cormorants as they hunt the river bottom for fish.
Day 11 - Guilin to Hangzhou - 2 nights at Hyatt
Regency Hangzhou
Hangzhou's wealth and splendour flabbergasted the urbane Marco
Polo in his visit to China. Gold-plated floor tiles and colour-dyed
pets supported the claim that, "In heaven there is paradise, on
earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou". Hangzhou also has one of
China's most famous temples, Lingyin Temple. Carved into the "Cliff
That Flew From Afar" are over 300 beautiful Buddhist sculptures,
carved between the 10th and 14th Centuries.
Day 7 - Beijing to Xi'an - 2 nights at Sofitel
Hotel
It was China's capital during the Han (206BC-220AD) and Tang
(618-907AD) dynasties and with periods of increasing international
exposure, Xi'an became home to motley communities of Nestorian
Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jews & Muslims - many of
whom have left their mark.
Day 13 - Hangzhou to Shanghai - 3 nights
at Park Hyatt
Shanghai will take your breath away. Since the early '80s this
city has been growing like no other, the Pudong Waterfront becoming
as emblematic of economic prowess as that of Manhattan or Hong
Kong. Why not walk or drive along the Bund taking in some of the
loveliest buildings in the city, or visit the French Concession or
traditional Chinese Yu Gardens?
Day 16 - Shanghai to London Heathrow