ESSENTIALS (GOS/80301-Y90121026)

Day 1 
Destination: Entrance City to Beijing
Travel: Flight No. TBA (Your arrangements)
Accommodation: in Beijing
Services & Highlights: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing), Summer Palace with boat Cruise & The Garden of Virtue and Harmony, Lama Temple (Yonghe gong)
Meals: Chinese Lunch

--Summer Palace with boat Cruise & The Garden of Virtue and Harmony: The palace is positioned in the west suburb of Beijing, about 12 kilometers northwest of the city center. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called 'Yiheyuan'(Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. It is up to now the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China. You may regret it if you come to Beijing without visiting this grand imperial garden. In the palace, you can also cruise on the lake. It will take 10 minutes by the ferry boat. Besides this, you can also visit The Garden of Virtue and Harmony; it was built as a theater for the Empress Dowager. Its construction began in the 17th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1891) and lasted for five years. 
--Lama Temple(Yonghe gong): The colourful Yonghe Lamasery is the largest and most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. It's still very active, and the beautiful halls and courtyards are thronged with devotees come to worship or seek good luck.You can see the world's largest wooden statue (the Matreiya Buddha) and Tibetan exhibitions.

Day 2 
Destination: Beijing
Accommodation: in Beijing
Services & Highlights: Cloisonne Factory, Mutianyu Cable Car(round trip), Great Wall at Mutianyu, Sacred Way
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Xing Shuang Quan Restaurant(Lunch)

--Cloisonne Factory: Cloisonne is an intricate and detailed process, dating back over 700 years, to produce fine enamel on a copper base. You can watch the workers at all stages of the process to see how these beautiful objects are produced. There’s a showroom attached for those who would like a souvenir of the visit, big or small, and all objects are guaranteed.
--Mutianyu Cable Car (round trip): It is a challenging climb up to the Mutianyu Great Wall for it is much steeper than Badaling section. Here you have the option of taking the Cable car to the highest point or down to the foot in a few minutes instead of climbing more than 1,400 steps, while you can also have a bird view of the wall.
--Xing Shuang Quan Restaurant: Xin Shuang Quan is located nearby Great Wall of Mutianyu, which can seat up 1500 diners at a time. This garden-looking restaurant serves farmhouse dishes. With natural material and good taste it leaves a good memory to customers while travelling.
--Great Wall at Mutianyu: This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a pleasant drive 90km NE of Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
--Sacred Way : An attractive tree-lined walk which leads to the Ming Tombs, this is bordered by 12 sets each of animal and human statues, and includes the attractive Great Red Gate, housing a stele on the back of a tortoise, and marble memorial archway. 

Day 3 
Destination: Beijing
Accommodation: in Beijing
Services & Highlights: Helitang pearl store, The Forbidden City, Hall of Clocks and Watches, Tian'anmen Square, the Temple of Heaven
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Jing Mian Da Wang Restaurant (Chong Wen Men Branch)

--Helitang pearl store: this store is s state-run enterprise. The general company has arranged a comprehensive system including cultivation processing and sales necklace well-designed earring and all sorts of brooch pendant of pearls are provided here.
--The Forbidden City: The Imperial Palace, home to 24 Emperors between 1420 and 1911. Great squares, halls and gates contrast with the intricate networks of side halls, gardens, courtyards and quarters for those who lived in this 'city within a city'. The exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, are also absolutely fascinating. Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours, wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather. 
--Hall of Clocks and Watches: It sits in the northeast of the Forbidden City, there are more than 200 clocks and watches belonged to the 18 century on display. Mostly made in Switzerland, England, France, the U.S and Japan, those clocks and watches have been working over 200 years, but they are still working quite well. They are stylish, sophisticated best represents the technical standard at that time. Some Chinese made timepieces are on display as well.
--Tian'anmen Square: The world's largest city square and enduring symbol of China's national pride, surrounded by many imposing buildings including the Heavenly Gate (entry to the Forbidden City), Museums, government buildings and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum. 
--the Temple of Heaven: Situated in the southern part of the city, the temple of heaven covers the total area of 2,700,000 square meters. The temple was built in 1420A.D. It is the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would offer sacrifice to heaven and pray for good harvests. The main buildings of the temple including the Circular Mound Altar, Imperial Vault of Heaven and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.The surrounding gardens are full of interesting activities, particularly weekend mornings.
Note: Early morning is the best time to visit The Temple of Heaven. You will have an interesting experience watching local people doing morning exercises, like dancing, walking, practicing tai chi or playing games, as you walk to the temple. Some local people may try to sell you something, maybe a tai chi ball. If you are interested, remember to bargain; if not, just walk away.
--Jing Mian Da Wang Restaurant(Chong Wen Men Branch): Jing Mian Da Wang specializes in its traditional decoration of old city with archaistic red lanterns & bridal sedan chair, it mainly caters wheaten food to diners from local and different regions, creating a cozy atmosphere of of festival and household.

Day 4
Destination: Beijing to Xi'an
Travel: Air China CA1209 (Beijing Capital Airport - Xi'an Xianyang Airport) Dep 10:50AM - Arr 12:45PM (Economy class)
Accommodation: in Xi'an
Services & Highlights: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xi'an), City Walls, Shaanxi Historical Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Qianzhou Restaurant (Xiao Yanta Branch)

--Qianzhou Restaurant (Xiao Yanta Branch): Qianzhou Restaurant is well-known for its local flavors and ingredients originate from Qian County, its refreshment which is so-called Qianzhou Four Treasures were considered to be famous food nationwide. The specialties are of ancient origin with Tang Dynasty and local culture, leaving good memory to customers.
--City Wall: Xi'an City Wall is major landmark of this ancient city which was built in Ming Dynasty and stands 12 meters high. It is 12- 14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom and 13.7 kilometers in length. It is divided into several important parts such as the rampart, the gate tower, the suspension bridge, the watch tower, the moat and so on. The Ming Dynasty City Wall formed a complex and well-organized system of defense. The city wall itself is a true display of the ability and wisdom of the working people in ancient times. It provides invaluable and substantial material for the study of the history, military science, and architecture of the Ming Dynasty. Bikes are available for rent on the wall, to make it easier to explore and see this great city. 
You can have other options on the City Wall as following: 
Biking with RMB20/bike;rickshaw riding with RMB30/person for round trip of South Gate/less South Gate, 2 people occupy; Golf Cart with RMB10/person for round trip of South Gate/less South Gate, RMB50/person for whole circular tour. 
--Shaanxi Historical Museum: The history of Shaanxi is said to be the history of China, and this museum is quite simply one of the nation's best. Four major galleries in large, Tang-style buildings house a vast and impressive collection, beautifully displayed. Most of the item labels are in English, although some other information on the exhibitions is not, but your guide can help here. Wear comfortable walking shoes. 

Day 5
Destination: Xi'an to Guilin
Travel: Air China CA1225 Dep 6:25PM - Arr 8:10PM (Economy class)
Accommodation: in Guilin
Services & Highlights: Chongde Handmade Pottery Factory, Terracotta Warriors, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarters of Xi'an, Hotel to airport Transfer (Xi'an), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Guilin)
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at A Wa Shan Zhai Restaurant (Qinling Branch)

--Chongde Handmade Pottery Factory: Chongde Handmade Pottery Factory was built in 1985, it mainly manufactures the copy of terra-cotta warriors and Jing De porcelain. The replicas of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are based on the reals in the museum. There are Armor-Clad General, Kneeling Archer, Emperor Qingshihuang and chariots.
--A Wa Shan Zhai Restaurant(Qinling Branch): A Wa was established in 2004, mainly specializes in Hunan and Sichuan cuisine. A Wa provides delicacy by using the material from xancin, obtaining a nationwide reputation from customers. It would be a nice choice to dine while traveling some famous resorts such as terracotta warrior and Huaqing Hot Spring which are nearby.
--Terracotta Warriors: Discovered accidentally in 1974, this incredible army of over 7000 soldiers, archers, horses and chariots in full battle array has guarded Emperor Qin's tomb since 210BC. Each figure is unique, and the painstaking repair and excavation continues in 3 pits which are protected inside huge hangars. 1.5 hours from Xian, there is also an excellent museum and film about the history of the vaults. Photos (no flash) are allowed. Wear comfortable walking shoes. 

Day 6 
Destination: Guilin to Yangshuo
Accommodation: in Guilin
Services & Highlights: Li River Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

--Li River Cruise: A cruise along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is an unforgettable experience. As you take in the stunning scenery there's something interesting to see at almost every bend in the river. Between spectacular limestone peaks you'll see graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffaloes pulling carts or cooling off in the river. You may see fishermen gliding along on their narrow bamboo rafts, and if you're very lucky you might see one of the famous fishing cormorants. Boats depart from various wharves, according to the height of the river at different times of the year. 

Day 7 
Destination: Guilin to Shanghai
Travel: Shanghai Airlines FM9334 ( Guilin Liangjiang Airport - Shanghai Pudong Airport )  Dep 18:15 - Arr 20:25
Accommodation: in Shanghai
Flight tickets, accommodation as listed above, Hotel to airport Transfer (Guilin), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai), Reed Flute Cave, Elephant Trunk Hill, Seven Star Park, Fubo(Whirlpool) Hill, Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Taste Made Restaurant(A La Carte )

--Reed Flute Cave: Located 5 kilometers northwest of Guilin city, the Reed Flute Cave gets the name from the reeds used for making flutes and pipes that grow at its entrance. The cave is regarded as the largest and most impressive cave in Guilin. It is 240 meters long, and the length of the tour is about 550 meters offering a magic land of stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, stone curtains, birds, plants and animals in fantastic shapes and colors.
Note: The tour lasts for 40 minutes and there is a lot of climbing of steps. Watch your step as it is dark inside.
--Elephant Trunk Hill: At the confluence of Li River and Peach Blossom River in the southwest of Guilin city. 
It is a national 4A scenery spot. The Water Moon Cave is close to the river. The water flows through it and the cave looks like a moon floating in the water. The stone drooped into the water like an elephant drinking the water of the Li River.
--Taste Made Restaurant(A La Carte): Taste Made Restaurant is an avant-courier of creating a new concept of cuisine in Guilin. Located at riverside, it is demonstrated in modern style, preparing the meals that are as pleasing the palate as the eye. It customizes for customers' taste by uniting Chinese and Western cookery, which will leave you a fantastic memory of dining.
--Seven Star Park: Situated on the eastern side of the Li River, it is biggest park inside Guilin city. Its takes its name from Seven Star Hill which consists of seven peaks which are said to resemble the star pattern of the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) constellation. Attractions in the park include Flowers Bridge, Camel Hill and much more. The Panda House features a number of beautiful pandas.
--Fubo(Whirlpool) Hill: It is located in the city proper. Fubo Hill is a 4A scenic spot of national grade. It is cliffy, propping up from the ground, famous for the Pearl-Returning Cave (nearly 350 steps to enjoy the view).
Note: For safety reasons, you should not climb the hill if the weather is not suitable, for example in heavy rain or fog. Your guide will recommend you stay at the bottom of the hill or take you to an alternative location.

Day 8 
Destination: Shanghai
Accommodation: in Shanghai
Services & Highlights: Shanghai Tian Hou Silk, Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, Yuyuan Market, Shikumen
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Xin Lu Bo Lang Restaurant (Set Menu)

--Shanghai Tian Hou Silk: See how silk is produced from the cocoons of silk worms, and turned into the beautiful fabric we all know and love. Silk filled duvets are excellent value, and the showroom offers everything from small souvenirs to larger items. The beauty of real silk is that it's so light, and packs really easily!
--Xin Lu Bo Lang Restaurant (Set Menu): Shanghai-style food, Shanghai-style snacks, shark's fin dishes and crab feasts. English Menu available. Reservation recommended. 
It is known for its 4 distinguished food sets: Shanghai-style food, Shanghai-style snacks, shark's fin dishes and crab feasts. The restaurant has hosted heads of state from more than 40 foreign countries, such as President Clinton.
--Yuyuan Garden: Located at a very busy marketplace in a complex of traditional-style buildings, backing onto Yu Gardens, you can find everything there from popular local snacks and food, crafts, antiques and souvenirs to Starbucks, teahouses and some great restaurants. There is a small (reconstructed) Temple (Chenghuang: Temple of the City Gods) in there as well. 
--Jade Buddha Temple: An active Buddhist temple, and one of the richest in Shanghai. The main treasures are two statues of Buddha, carved from rare single blocks of white jade adorned with precious stones. The temple is a hive of activity with monks, worshippers and visitors, and photos of the Buddhas are forbidden. 
--Yuyuan Market : Located at a very busy marketplace in a complex of traditional-style buildings, backing onto Yuyuan Gardens.You can find everything there from popular local snacks and food, crafts, antiques and souvenirs to Starbucks, tea-houses and some great restaurants. There is a small (reconstructed) Temple (Chenhuang: Temple of the City Gods) in there as well. 

Day  9
Destination: Shanghai
Accommodation: in Shanghai
Services & Highlights: The Bund, Shanghai Museum, Pujiang Cruise (from South bund to Yangpu Bridge), The Shanghai World Financial Center
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch at Home's Restaurant (Set Menu)

--The Bund: Once the home of the foreign traders and major banks, the embankment has taken on a new vitality; lovely old European-style buildings mix with futuristic developments, chic restaurants, top end shops and bars offer plenty to see and do – and by night it's magic! 
Note: Mornings in the Bund are foggy. The best time to visit the Bund is in the afternoon or evening. Lights will be turned off at 22:00.
--Home's Restaurant (Set Menu): Home's Resraurant is a idiomatic restaurant of Shanghai style, which can share with you the home cooking in local flavors and ingredients.
--Shanghai Museum: The biggest, and many think the best museum in China. The galleries in this outstanding building display stunning collections of bronzes, sculptures, ceramics and porcelain, paintings, calligraphy, seals, jade, coins, furniture, ethnic artefacts from minority groups, temporary travelling exhibitions from places like the Guggenheim, and so much more ... give yourself time to enjoy it.
--Pujiang Cruise (from South bund to Yangpu Bridge): A Huangpu River Cruise is one of the best ways to see both old and new Shanghai.
Note: Raining days will be a little foggy so some of the scenery on the Bund may be obscured.
--The Shanghai World Financial Center : The Shanghai World Financial Center is a super tall skyscraper. It is a mixed use skyscraper, which will consist of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the lower floors. The hotel component has 175 rooms and suites and goes by the name: The Park Hyatt, Shanghai. On September 14, 2007, the skyscraper reached 492.3 meters (1,615.2 ft) and became the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building (including unfinished ones), after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101. 

Day 10
Destination: Shanghai to Departure City
Travel: Flight No. TBA (Your arrangements)
Services & Highlights: Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast 

Servizi:
- Come da programma

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L'itinerario sopra riportato può essere personalizzato su richiesta. E' possibile apportare variazioni sulla lunghezza del viaggio e quindi diminuire o aumentare il numero di località da visitare, diminuire il numero di servizi.
Servizi minimi: pernottamenti e trasferimenti tra località oppure i soli pernottamenti nel caso di soggiorno in una sola località.