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| VANTAGE DELUXE WORLD TRAVEL |
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| Detailed Day by Day Itinerary |
| Extraordinary Wonders of China & the Yangtze River |
| Itinerary at a Glance |
| View Days: [1-5] [6-10] [11-15] [16-20] [21-21] |
print friendly version |
| Day |
Schedules and Accommodations |
1-2
[top] |
Depart home / Fly Overnight / Beijing, China
Depart on your transpacific flight from one of four U.S. gateways. When you arrive in China’s political and cultural capital you’ll be greeted at the airport and transferred to your Superior First-Class hotel in downtown Beijing.
Enjoy a night to rest up before touring.
Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall  |
3-5
[top] |
Beijing
Begin with a tour of vast Tian’anmen Square. Then, following lunch in a local restaurant, you’ll tour the Forbidden
City. Cultural Connection: In the evening, you’ll join your fellow
travellers at a local restaurant for a traditional Peking Duck Banquet.
On Day 4, set out for a full-day tour to the Great Wall, and the Ming
Tombs. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. Your evening is at
leisure.
Cultural Connection: On Day 5, you’ll ride a trishaw (bicycle-powered
rickshaw) through the narrow lanes of a hutong, a traditional
neighborhood. Here, you’ll join a local family for tea and later deepen
your understanding of everyday life as the guest in another home for
lunch. This afternoon, visit the Summer Palace, and later the Peking
Zoo, home of the famous giant pandas. Your evening is at leisure or
join an optional Beijing Evening Show with dinner.
Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall (3B,3L,1D) |
6-7
[top] |
Xi'an
Fly today to ancient Xi’an, once the largest and richest city in Asia.
Cultural Connection: In the evening, get a taste for Xi’an’s past glory
as you attend a Tang Dynasty banquet with entertainment. The next day,
you’ll tour the city’s Ming Dynasty walls and Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Cultural Connection: For lunch savor jiaozi, sculpted dumplings thought
to bring good luck. Then, marvel at the 2,200-year-old Terra Cotta Army
— more than 7,000 life-size ceramic horses and warriors in full regalia.
Hyatt Regency Xian Hotel  (2B,1L,1D) |
8
[top] |
Xi’an / Hangzhou
After a morning at leisure in Xi’an, you’ll take a short flight to
Hangzhou, located in the heart of one of China’s most fertile tea
regions. The city curves along lovely West Lake, with graceful pagodas
dotting the shore and small islands. A buffet dinner is served at your
hotel this evening.
Landison Plaza Hotel Hangzhou (B,D) |
9
[top] |
Hangzhou
Explore Hangzhou in depth on a full-day tour, beginning with a cruise
on tranquil West Lake and a stroll among lakeside pagodas and gardens.
This “earthly paradise” is the perfect spot to take cherished photos.
Cultural Connection: You’ll then go on a fascinating visit to a tea
village just outside the city, where you’ll be a guest at a local
farmer’s house for lunch. Hangzhou is known as the “home of tea”
because the hillsides around the city have nurtured some of China’s
earliest tea plantations. You’ll have the opportunity to go into the
tea plantations to help harvest tea leaves with local farmers.
Cultural Connection: You’ll then see how the tea is dried, prepared for
market, and served in a formal tea ceremony.
Later visit the 4th-century Lingyin Temple, a Buddhist monastery that
houses a 60-foot camphorwood statue of the Buddha. Opposite the temple
is the Feilaifeng (Peak Flying From Afar), a hill with inscriptions and
reliefs carved into the rock dating from the 10th to the 14th
centuries, the most important such site in south China.
Landison Plaza Hotel Hangzhou (B,L) |
10-12
[top] |
Shanghai
Cultural Connection: On the morning of Day 10 in Hangzhou, you’ll visit
the Huqingyutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum, a fascinating
repository of hundreds of odd historic objects related to traditional
Chinese remedies. During your visit, you’ll learn about the
characteristics of China’s traditional medicine, many of which are
still widely adhered to today. A lecture about traditional Chinese
medicine by a traditional Chinese doctor is followed by a walking tour
of a street where many of these potions are sold.
Then, after lunch in a local restaurant, enjoy a scenic journey via
First-Class train to Shanghai, the most “Western” of mainland Chinese
cities. That evening, relax at your hotel or join an optional excursion
to see the world-famous Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, where you might see
a performer balancing glasses and bowls or a tightly choreographed show
with hula hoops or umbrellas.
On Day 11’s full-day tour of Shanghai, you’ll explore the Bund, a sweep
of grand European-style architecture on the riverfront, most of it
built in the early 20th century. The Bund is a symbol of Shanghai’s
modern history and its international, “outward-facing” attitude. Your
tour also encompasses the Shanghai Museum; the 400-year-old Yu Yuan
Garden; and Old Shanghai.
Cultural Connection: At a Children’s Palace, you’ll see how the youth
of Shanghai are schooled in the traditional arts. You’ll meet some
delightful children and get to observe their after school practices and
performances. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant today.
On Day 12, you’re free to explore Shanghai on your own or join an
optional Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town Tour. Zhujiajiao, a
photographer’s dream, also known as “Pearl Stream,” is famous for its
Venice-like canals and distinctive old bridges in different shapes and
styles. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Longemont Hotel Shanghai (3B,2L,1D) |
13
[top] |
Four-night Yangtze River Cruise
Shanghai / Yichang /Embark Ship
Today, you’ll fly to Yichang to board your comfortable Victoria Cruises
ship. For the next four nights, the panorama of the Yangtze and its
magnificent gorges unrolls before you. You’ll be able to take in the
view right from your outside cabin with private balcony!
Cultural Connection: As you cruise, immerse yourself in Chinese culture
by taking part in many activities while on board ship. Hear a lecture
on Chinese history; see a fashion show featuring some of China’s most
elaborate fashions dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD); or
practice Tai Chi exercises.
Victoria Anna, Katarina and Star (B,D) |
14-16
[top] |
Yantze River Cruise
On day 14, you’ll tour the massive Three Gorges Dam project today, then cruise
upstream through the dam’s locks into the Three Gorges themselves,
beginning with Xiling Gorge. The three gorges, Qutang, Wu, and Xiling
are all beautiful and distinctive in their own way. Xiling Gorge, which
you’ll see today, is the longest, at 41 miles, and the deepest. It is
actually comprised of seven smaller gorges, whose varied names are all
based upon ancient legends. The Three Gorges Dam project, scheduled for
completion in 2009, will be the world’s largest water storage
reservoir. By the time the reservoir is filled it will have submerged
570,000 acres of farmland, 13 cities, 140 towns, 1,352 villages, and
657 factories, causing 1.5 million people to be relocated. The water
has already begun rising, so this will be your last chance to witness
many treasures of this astonishing landscape before they vanish forever.
On day 15, you’ll go on a scenic motorboat trip up one of the tributaries of the Yangtze — either among the “little gorges” of
the Da Ning River or the forests and cliffs of Shennong Stream. Along
the way, view local farms and people who work along the river.
Afterwards, cruise between the twelve mist-shrouded peaks of dramatic Wu Gorge (Witches
Gorge) which measures 25 miles long. You’ll also cruise beneath the
over-hanging cliffs of Qutang Gorge. Its two mountains, Chijia Shan (Red Passage Mountain) and Baiyan Shan (White Salt Mountain), guard the entrance like giant sentries.
On day 16, enjoy your final day of river cruising, with a stop at a small Yangtze
River town where you can stroll and visit with the locals. Stop and
admire the many fruit and nut stands, and the vendors selling woven
baskets.
Victoria Anna, Katarina and Star (3B,3L,3D) |
17
[top] |
Disembark / Chongqing / Guilin
You’ll disembark your Yangtze cruise in Chongqing, where you’ll visit
the General Joseph Stilwell Museum. The museum is dedicated to the
American general who helped the Chinese resist Japanese soldiers in
World War II. In the afternoon, you’ll fly to Guilin, a green, scenic
city. This evening enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel (B,D) |
18
[top] |
Guilin
Discover a classic Chinese landscape of villages, bamboo groves, and
limestone crags as you embark for a scenic motorboat cruise down the
serene Li River. Guilin is famous for its scenery, and has been
eulogized in countless literary works, paintings and inscriptions.
Lunch is served during your river cruise as you view the scenery.
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel (B,L) |
19
[top] |
Guilin / Hong Kong
After an included lunch, you’ll explore Guilin’s Reed Flute Cave, where
multicolored lighting and fantastic stalactites and stalagmites
resemble a set from a science fiction movie. The entrance to the cave
was once distinguished by clumps of reeds used by locals to make
musical instruments — the origin of the cave’s name.
Cultural Connection: For your final stop in Guilin, you’ll visit a
local school, on opportunity to see a typical classroom and meet local
children and their teacher.
Afterwards, fly to dynamic Hong Kong and settle into your hotel in the
fashionable Kowloon District, located near some of the city’s best
shopping emporiums.
Hotel Nikko Hong Kong (B,L) |
20
[top] |
Hong Kong
Tour Hong Kong Island today, with views of historic Repulse Bay, a
drive to the top of Victoria Peak for the incredible panoramic view,
dominated by Hong Kong’s impressive and modern skyline. You’ll also
take a sampan ride through Aberdeen floating village — originally a
community of fishing families who lived on their boats, but now
primarily an area of shops and restaurants. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner
this evening.
Hotel Nikko Hong Kong (B,D) |
21
[top] |
Return Home
Or, begin optional 2-night Hong Kong Extension.
(B) |
Please Note: The riverboat portion of this trip involves extensive stair climbing. Passengers will encounter several flights of stairs when disembarking the ship for day tours and when re-embarking in the evenings.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This day-by-day itinerary is preliminary and subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you will be notified in writing by Vantage. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Program Manager or local representatives. In addition, should there be an extreme change in water levels, Vantage will do everything possible to provide either the included excursion or an alternate excursion at Vantage’s discretion. |
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Vantage's ratings come from Travel Weekly's
Hotel & Travel Index, the industry's standard.
Deluxe / Moderate Deluxe 
Outstandng accommodations, offering superior service,
facilities, and location.
Superior First-Class 
Above average, with many special amenities, including
more restaurants, shops, and often a fitness center.
First Class / Moderate First-Class 
Comfortable, well-equipped standard rooms with private
bath and attractive public areas and amenities.
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