ESCORTED GROUP ADVENTURES IN CHINA – THE MAJESTIC TOUR
12 dayS/10 nIGHTS
The Majestic Tour – China
Beijing • Xi’an • Guilin • Shanghai
Terracotta Warriors
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
• VIP access to a private palace in the Forbidden City
• A private banquet on the Great Wall
• Hands-on dumpling and noodle-making lesson
• Personalised bamboo raft-ride along Guilin’s Li River
• Observe rural China in a remote Guilin village
• View Shanghai’s Colonial architecture, escorted by
a member of the Shanghai Historical Society
• Priority seats at the Shanghai Acrobatic Show
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ESCORTED GROUP ADVENTURES IN CHINA – THE MAJESTIC TOUR
The Majestic Tour – China
Beijing • Xi’an • Guilin • Shanghai
Beijing
China
Yangzi River
Xi’an
Shanghai
Guilin
The Forbidden City, Beijing
Temple of Heaven
YOUR ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
The Bund, Shanghai
12 days/10 nights
Dates:
11 to 22 April 2012 • 9 to 20 May 2012
Day
Destination
Hotel
Highlights
Day 1
Fly to Beijing
Day 2
Beijing
Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing Arrive China
– CWSW Executive Room
Day 3
Beijing
Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City &
– CWSW Executive Room
Chonghuagong Access, Hutong Tour
Day 4
Beijing
Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing Great Wall
– CWSW Executive Room
Day 5
Beijing
Shangri-La China World Summit Wing, Beijing Panjiayuan Market, Summer Palace
– CWSW Executive Room
Day 6
Beijing to Xi’an
Hilton Xi’an Hotel
– King Hilton Guest Room
Temple of Heaven, fly to Xi’an,
Dumpling-making Lesson
Day 7
Xi’an to Guilin
Hotel of Modern Art
– Deluxe Room
Terracotta Warriors, fly to Guilin
Day 8
Guilin
Hotel of Modern Art
– Deluxe Room
Bamboo Raft Ride, Village Visit
Day 9
Guilin to Shanghai The Peninsula Shanghai
– Deluxe Riverview Room
Day 10
Shanghai
The Peninsula Shanghai
– Deluxe Riverview Room
Colonial Architecture Tour, French
Concession, Acrobatics Show
Day 11
Shanghai
The Peninsula Shanghai
– Deluxe Riverview Room
Shanghai Museum, Yu Gardens
Day 12
Shanghai
Overnight flight from London
Fly to Shanghai
Depart China
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ESCORTED GROUP ADVENTURES IN CHINA – THE MAJESTIC TOUR
The Majestic Tour – China
Beijing • Xi’an • Guilin • Shanghai
2012 TOUR DATES – APRIL AND MAY DEPARTURES
11 to 22 April 2012
9 to 20 May 2012
• Both tours are guaranteed departures
• Tour group limited to 16 people
• Each tour can include an extra two-day extension to Hangzhou on a private basis
from £1,450 per person. Please enquire at the time of booking
2012 MAJESTIC TOUR PRICING INFORMATION
• Double Occupancy from £5,595 per person
• Single Traveller Supplement (for anyone requiring a Single Occupancy room) from £1,425
• Suite Upgrades (Double Occupancy) from £1,610 per person
• Domestic Air Upgrade to First Class from £535 per person
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE PRICE...
• International economy airfare to and from China with British Airways
• 10 nights accommodation in hotels – room category as specified
• 10 breakfasts, 9 lunches & 5 dinners at China’s finest restaurants (soft drinks and local beer included)
• Services of a Western bilingual China Host* and local Tour Guides (*for groups of 6 persons or more only)
• All internal flights in Economy Class (Beijing to Xi’an, Xi’an to Guilin and Guilin to Shanghai)
• All land transportation (as listed)
• Entrance fees to all tourist sites (as listed)
• Baggage handling, service charges, Guide and Driver gratuities, hotel and domestic airport taxes
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE...
• Visa processing fees and travel insurance
• Personal expenses such as alcoholic beverages, excess luggage fees, telephone charges, room service
and laundry charges
• Gratuities to the China Host
• Tours can be extended with an option to visit other destinations such as Chengdu, Dunhuang, Hong Kong, Macau,
Hangzhou, Lhasa, Lijiang, Sanya, Shangri-La and Suzhou. Please enquire at time of booking
Please note that all itinerary details and prices are subject to change without prior notice.
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ESCORTED GROUP ADVENTURES IN CHINA – THE MAJESTIC TOUR
The Majestic Tour – China
Beijing • Xi’an • Guilin • Shanghai
YOUR ITINERARY IN DETAIL
Day One I To Beijing
Overnight flight from London to Beijing with either
British Airways or Virgin Atlantic.
Day Two I Beijing
Upon arrival, you will be met at the gate of Beijing
International Airport by airport VIP staff who will
lead you through immigration, baggage claim and
customs. Upon transferring to the hotel, you will
have the remainder of the day at leisure.
Day Three I Beijing
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
China’s government has been located in Beijing
for over six-hundred years. Today, you will walk
back in time as you stroll across Tian’anmen
Square, passing the Monument to the People’s
Heroes (dedicated to the hundred-year Opium
War) before entering the magnificent Forbidden
City. Previously, you would have been denied
access to this magnificent building but today’s
tour includes exclusive entry to Chonghuagong,
normally closed to the general public. Please
note: If the weather is particularly humid or rainy,
access may be denied to protect the antiques
which are housed here. In the afternoon, a tour of
Beijing’s Old Quarter allows you to view the
contrasting poetic expanses of Imperial life (which
you witnessed this morning) with the intimacy of
the historic alleyways (or Hutong). If you wish, you
may like to visit the home of a Chinese family and
ask them about their way of life. Dinner tonight will
be served at one of the city’s chicest restaurants.
Day Four I Beijing
(Breakfast & Lunch)
Today, you will visit the Great Wall, which has
fascinated generations of travellers. Genghis Khan
contemplated it as a military obstacle but Richard
Nixon saw it as one of humankind’s greatest
achievements. Spanning from the Gobi Desert in
the west to the Bohai Gulf in the east, it reaches
as far back in time as the seventh century BCE
and was projected as one of China’s proudest
symbols for the 2008 Olympics. While the utility
and meaning of this defence mechanism has
been contested by centuries of diplomats and
invaders, its unprecedented scale will astonish
you and its unexpected beauty will inspire you.
After lunch you will be given some time for a stroll
along this most magnificent site.
Summer Palace, Beijing
Day Five I Beijing
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
A shoppers’ paradise, Beijing’s largest open-air
market allows you to mingle with Beijingers,
overseas and local art dealers, and farmers
importing their goods from the countryside.
Cultural objects can be picked up for a fraction of
the cost charged by local shops. For nonshoppers, this market can be thought of as
China’s largest museum of modern cultural life,
where you can see, talk to and photograph a wide
range of local and regional Chinese conducting
business. In the afternoon, visit the delightful
Summer Palace, a retreat built exclusively for the
Empress Dowager Cixi; its ornate temples,
pavilions and covered corridors – set amidst a
graceful seven-hundred-acre landscape –
epitomise the decadence and refinement of this
powerful matriarch.
“”
“The Great Wall of China is
simply stunning. Imperial Tours
takes you to an area less
visited; this is definitely worth
the extra travel as there are
hardly any people there. The
banquet was wonderful and I
felt very privileged to be there.
A fabulous experience!”
Hayley Groves – Senior Travel Consultant
Elegant Resorts
Day Six I Beijing to Xi’an
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
This morning, visit one of ancient China’s most
sacred sites, the majestic Temple of Heaven,
used by the Emperor as a place to mediate affairs
between God and man. The morning is a
wonderful time to visit the Temple as you will see
local Beijingers performing their morning
exercises. In the afternoon, travel to Xi’an where
in the evening you will be treated to a private
dumpling-making and noodle-throwing lesson
by the hotel’s expert Chefs.
ll
The Great Wa
Day Seven I Xi’an to Guilin
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
This morning, visit Xi’an’s most stunning site, the
Terracotta Warriors. Dating from the second
century BCE, the thousands of moulded soldiers,
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officers, horses and wagons form a small
component of the underground army that was
buried to protect the legendary first Emperor of
China during his afterlife. During his reign, he
unified competing kingdoms, anticipating Xi’an’s
subsequent rise to global prominence as the
capital of mighty empires in both the Han
(206BCE-220CE) and Tang (618CE-907CE)
dynasties. China’s capital during the Han (206BC220AD) and Tang (618-907AD) dynasties, Xi’an
became home to motley communities of
Nestorian Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists,
Jews and Muslims – many of whom have left their
mark – and during the afternoon, you can observe
the enduring influence of Xi’an’s Muslim
community in its Great Mosque and foreverbustling Muslim Quarter. In the early evening,
you’ll take a flight to Guilin.
“”
“The Terracotta Warriors are
not to be missed. It’s amazing
to see how intact they are.”
Hayley Groves – Senior Travel Consultant
Elegant Resorts
Guilin
Day Eight I Guilin
(Breakfast & Lunch)
Guilin’s countryside is wondrous to behold:
craggy limestone towers feature caves that
appear like windows and overlook the lush plains
of rice fields and fruit orchards. The day begins
with a ride on a traditional bamboo raft along a
rarely visited stretch of the Li River where you’ll
see farmers raking the riverbeds in search of the
reeds which their wives will dry and weave and
fishermen clicking signals to their cormorants as
they hunt for fish in the river. In the afternoon,
experience rural life off-the-beaten-track by
visiting a local school*, wandering through the rice
fields and watching villagers preparing soy milk
and tofu. This is a wonderful place to relax and
experience rural China, deep in the countryside.
Please note: *We ask you not to bring presents
for the young children as the tour provider takes
care not to create a culture of dependency, but
instead donates equipment to the local school.
ESCORTED GROUP ADVENTURES IN CHINA – THE MAJESTIC TOUR
The Majestic Tour – China
Beijing • Xi’an • Guilin • Shanghai
Day Nine I Guilin to Shanghai
(Breakfast & Lunch)
Spend the morning at leisure. You might like to
rent a bike to further explore the area or see for
yourself your hotel’s internationally-acclaimed
contemporary art park. If you are feeling really
creative, why not visit the art workshop within the
park to try your hand at activities including
printing, pottery or painting? Alternatively, relax
with a good book or retreat to the hotel spa. After
lunch, fly to the breathtaking city of Shanghai.
Since the early 1980s, this city has grown like no
other; the Pudong waterfront an emblem of
economic prowess to rival Manhattan or Hong
Kong. Before dinner, take a walk or drive along
the Bund, observing some of the loveliest
buildings Shanghai has to offer.
YOUR ACCOMMODATION ALONG THE ROUTE
Shangri-La
China World Summit Wing
Offering fabulous views across the city, this
brand-new luxury hotel is located within the
tallest building in Beijing, the China World
Tower. It offers a diverse range of cuisine in
its four restaurants and boasts a spa with a
Hotel of Modern Art
The Hotel of Modern Art is one of Asia’s
most premier design hotels. Located in the
famous natural landscape of Guilin and
built inside Yuzi Paradise Art Park, the Hotel
Hotel of Modern Art
A CWSW Executive Room at
Shangri-La China World Summit Wing
e, Shanghai
Pudong Skylin
Day Ten I Shanghai
(Breakfast & Lunch)
This morning begins with a lecture/tour on
Colonial architecture in Shanghai, given by a
member of the Shanghai Historical Society. This
tour will take you into some of the most important
buildings along the Bund (including the former
Hong Kong Shanghai Bank) and the French
Concession (known as the ‘Paris of the Orient’,
where all of the art-based businesses, including
galleries, can be found). After lunch, you will have
the chance to discover some of Shanghai’s
greatest shopping treasures, which might include
a contemporary ceramics shop, the studio of a
lady who designs cashmere handbags for
Harrods or a Tibetan carpet shop. In the evening,
you’ll be taken to see some marvellous stunts at
the Shanghai Acrobatic Show.
gym, indoor swimming pool and wellness
facilities. The luxurious rooms and suites
offer floor-to-ceiling windows, fine Chineseinspired décor, L'Occitane toiletries and
wireless internet access.
of Modern Art is more than just a hotel, it is
an experience. From the structure’s
innovative architecture and rooms, each
featuring unique themes and décor, to the
devoted personalised VIP host service, a
truly unique journey awaits those who dare
to dream.
Hilton Xi’an Hotel
The Peninsula Shanghai
The brand-new Hilton Xi’an Hotel is ideally
placed, within walking distance of a wealth
of cultural landmarks and attractions,
including
shopping.
Combining
contemporary design with Tang Dynasty
artwork, the hotel boasts generously
proportioned guest rooms and suites four
restaurants and a bar, a fitness centre with
a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna and
steam room, and a luxury spa.
Inspired by the Art Deco period and Golden
Age when Shanghai was the ‘Paris of the
East’, this stylish new hotel provides a
glamorous
setting
together
with
breathtaking views of the Bund, Huangpu
River and Pudong.
A Deluxe River View Room at
The Peninsula Shanghai
Day Eleven I Shanghai
(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
After breakfast, your tour of Shanghai continues at
Shanghai Museum, one of the most modern in
China. Arranged by category, rather than
according to chronology, its collection introduces
and elucidates the gamut of Chinese arts, from
ceramics to jade, and ivory carvings to paintings.
In the afternoon, you will visit Yu Gardens, one of
the best examples of traditional Chinese garden
design in the country. Afterwards, you will have
time to stroll through Shanghai’s Old Quarter. A
farewell dinner will take place at a popular
Shanghai restaurant, boasting a magnificent view
over the Bund and Pudong waterfronts.
Day Twelve I Flight Home
(Breakfast)
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the
airport in time for your flight home with either
British Airways or Virgin Atlantic.
Hilton Xi’an Hotel
“”
“The Acrobat Show in
Shanghai is brilliant –
heart-racing and enjoyable.”
Hayley Groves – Senior Travel Consultant
Elegant Resorts
For more details or to
book this fantastic tour,
please call Hayley on
01244 897 555
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