Beijing and Shanghai

Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the remainder of the evening at your leisure. 

Begin your first day in Shanghai with a visit to the Yuyuan Gardens, a place of peace and comfort in the heart of the bustling city. Next, visit the French concession, a pleasant mix of wide tree-lined avenues and European-style architecture. The area contains many art deco and Tudor mansions and retains a very European feel. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant and then continue your tour with a visit to the Shanghai Museum followed by a walk along the famous Bund with its colonial architecture. (B,L) 

Today you will visit the town of Zhujiajiao with over 1,000 years of history. Explore this old town including Fangsheng Bridge, built during the mid-Qing Dynasty. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and continue with a walk down the fashionable pedestrian street of Xintiandi. Next, stroll down Tianzifang, once an unassuming factory lane, now transformed into the art district of Shanghai. Following your tour, return to your hotel for the remainder of the day at your leisure. (B,L) 

Enjoy a final breakfast in Shanghai before taking your private transfer to the train station to board your high-speed train to Beijing. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the remainder of the day at your leisure. (B) 

Beijing is a vast city with many significant sites, such as Tiananmen Square, which you will visit to begin your tour of the city. Next, explore the Forbidden City, the home of 24 emperors and over 10,000 residents from 1420 to 1924. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to the Temple of Heaven, a sequence of temples and alters in a park. Your next stop will be the Beijing Hutong lanes, formed by lines of Siheyuan, or a compound with houses around a courtyard. Take a man-powered rickshaw ride through the Hutong for a feel of traditional life in these complexes. Your rickshaw will take you into ancient Beijing to finish your tour. (B,L) 

In the morning, you will have the chance to visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, one of the great wonders of the world. After your cable car ride back down the wall, enjoy a traditional lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to the Summer Palace. Located Northwest of the city, the Summer Palace is one of the finest landmarks in all of Beijing. (B) 

Enjoy a final breakfast in Beijing before being transferred to the airport for your return flight home. (B)