Great Wall, Pandas And Harbour Lights – 13 Days

Begin at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, surrounded by monumental buildings and overlooked by the Gate of Heavenly Peace. From here, walk north into the Forbidden City, the walled palace of the Ming and Qing emperors and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Make your way through the great courtyards, marble terraces and throne halls to the quieter inner palace, where the emperors and their households lived. Your guide fills in the history as you go, then you stop for lunch at a local restaurant.

Climb the hill in Jingshan Park, just behind the palace, for a sweeping view over a sea of golden-tiled roofs. On a clear day, the modern city spreads out to the horizon beyond the old imperial axis.

Start at the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors came to pray for good harvests. Its park fills early with residents doing tai chi, dancing and playing cards, and the round, triple-roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is one of Beijing’s great sights. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Drive north into the hills for lunch at a local restaurant near Mutianyu.

Ride the cable car up to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and walk along its restored ramparts between watchtowers. The wall rises and dips along the ridge, with wooded hills falling away on both sides. Take your time before your driver returns you to Beijing.

Your driver takes you to the station for the train to Xi’an. Watch the farmland of the northern plains roll past the window as you travel towards the former capital of thirteen dynasties.

Your guide in Xi’an meets you and takes you up onto the City Wall, one of the best preserved city walls in China. Walk a stretch of its broad top and look down over the gates, towers and streets of the old centre.

Wander into the Muslim Quarter, home to Xi’an’s Hui community for centuries, where lanes are lined with stalls selling hand-pulled noodles, roasted lamb skewers, flatbread soaked in mutton broth and sweet persimmon cakes. Then check in at your hotel in Xi’an.

Drive out to the Terracotta Army, the thousands of life-size clay soldiers buried to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unite China. Discovered by farmers in 1974 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the warriors stand in rows in vast pits, each with its own face, hairstyle and armour.

Have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the city.

Stroll Great Tang All Day Mall, a long pedestrian boulevard that recreates the splendour of the Tang dynasty, when Xi’an, then called Chang’an, was one of the great cities of the world. After dark it glows with lanterns and lit-up buildings, and street performers in historical costume bring the scene to life.

Meet a local family in Xi’an and go with them to their neighbourhood market to choose ingredients. Back in their home, help prepare a home-cooked meal and learn a few of the everyday dishes of northern China. Your hosts show you how they fold dumplings or knead dough for noodles, and the kitchen soon fills with chatter and steam.

Sit down together to share lunch and chat about life in the city, with your guide helping the conversation along.

Board the train to Chengdu, crossing the Qinling Mountains into the Sichuan Basin. Your guide meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel in Chengdu.

Arrive at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding while the pandas are busiest, feeding, climbing and rolling around their bamboo-filled enclosures. The base focuses on breeding and conservation of this much-loved species.

Visit Wenshu Monastery, an active Buddhist temple where incense smoke drifts over peaceful courtyards, and stop for a tea tasting to learn how Sichuan people brew and sip their tea. Lunch is at a local restaurant.

Wander Jinli Street, a lively lane of traditional-style buildings, red lanterns, snack stalls and craft shops beside the Wuhou Shrine. Pick up a sweet treat or a bowl of spicy noodles as you go, and look out for the stalls selling paper cuts, shadow puppets and embroidered goods.

Take the high-speed train to Guilin, travelling south-east through the hills of Guizhou.

Your guide meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel in Guilin. As you approach the city, the first steep limestone peaks appear above the rooftops and rivers.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure in downtown Guilin. Walk along the riverbanks and lakes in the city centre, where locals stroll in the evening, and choose a local restaurant for a bowl of Guilin rice noodles.

Join a cruise along the Li River, shared with other guests, from near Guilin to Yangshuo. For several hours the boat glides between steep karst peaks, bamboo groves and small villages, with fishermen and water buffalo along the banks. It is the landscape that appears on the twenty yuan note and in countless Chinese paintings.

Lunch is served on board as the scenery slides past.

In Yangshuo, explore the countryside by bicycle or by car, as you prefer, following quiet lanes through rice fields and villages beneath the peaks. Then stroll West Street, Yangshuo’s busy old main street, before your driver takes you back to your hotel in Guilin, about an hour and a half away.

Take the high-speed train from Guilin to Hong Kong, a journey of about three and a half hours that ends at West Kowloon, close to the harbour.

Your guide in Hong Kong meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel in Hong Kong.

The rest of the day is at leisure. Walk along the harbourfront, explore the shopping streets of Tsim Sha Tsui or Central, or simply relax after a full journey across mainland China.

Ride the Peak Tram up the steep slope to Victoria Peak for a view over the skyscrapers of Central and across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon. Back down in the city, visit Man Mo Temple, a nineteenth-century temple dedicated to the gods of literature and war, filled with the scent of hanging incense coils.

Ride the Central Mid-Levels Escalator, a long chain of covered escalators climbing through the hillside streets, and look in on the Central Market. Then explore Tai Kwun, the former Central Police Station compound, now restored as a centre for heritage and the arts. Hop on a Ding Ding tram, as the city’s old double-decker trams are known, and enjoy the street life from the top deck.

Cross the harbour on the Star Ferry, a Hong Kong institution, and walk along the Avenue of Stars on the Kowloon waterfront as the skyline lights up across the water.

Today is at leisure. You might take a ferry to one of the outlying islands, browse the street markets of Mong Kok, hunt for dim sum in a busy local restaurant or spend time in the city’s museums and galleries. Your consultant is happy to suggest ideas or arrange extra guiding if you would like company.

Enjoy a last breakfast at your hotel. Your guide and driver take you to Hong Kong airport for your onward flight.