Day 1 - Beijing
Your tour starts with your Tour Director escorting you to a local restaurant for lunch, and then the start of a sightseeing extravaganza. First on the agenda is a visit to Beijing Zoo, after which you are taken to the Summer Palace to gaze at its exotic buildings, stroll through its magnificent grounds and cross the Bridge of Seventeen Arches over Lake Kumming.
Hotel: CTS Plaza (or Similar) Meals: LD

Day 2 - Beijing
An eye-opening tour this morning takes in the vast expanse of Tiananmen (Heavenly Peace) Square - with its obelisk Monument to the Heroes of the Nation, and the lavish opulence of the Forbidden City - from golden lions guarding its gates to grand staircases and glorious interiors. We'll break for lunch at a local restaurant before resuming the tour with an afternoon visit to the Temple of Heaven - where the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a photogenic centrepiece. Meals: BL

Day 3 - Beijing
An unforgettable day begins with a visit to a section of China's Great Wall at the Badaling mountain pass. Wear stout shoes to climb to magnificent views of the surrounding slopes, or opt for a gentler souvenir hunt at the many stalls nearby. After a local lunch we continue our journey to visit the Ming Tombs of Changling. The tombs of 13 Ming emperors are approached along the Sacred Way (or Soul Path) where great stone statues of people, animals and mythical creatures form a guard of honour. We celebrate our last night in Beijing with a special Peking Duck dinner. Meals: BLD

Day 4 - Beijing / Xi'an
We leave Beijing on a morning flight for a two-night stay in Xi'an - the capital of China for 11 dynasties and regarded, in its 7th century heyday, as one of the world's most magnificent cities. After lunch in a city restaurant, our afternoon sightseeing tour of its landmarks includes the 8-mile Ming dynasty walls, the imposing Bell Tower and the 240ft tall Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Hotel: Diamond International (or Similar) Meals: BLD

Day 5 - Xi'an
A very full day begins with a viewing of the world-famous Terracotta Warriors. The 6,000-strong army of life-size statues accompanied the first Chinese emperor on his final journey. Varied visits this afternoon include Xi'an's multihalled Great Mosque and the intriguing Shaanxi History Museum. A fabulous Tang Dynasty dinner and show rounds off the day with a memorable evening. Meals: BLD

Day 6 - Xi'an / Chongqing
After breakfast this morning we take to the air again - bound for the river-port town of Chongqing. We arrive in time for lunch at a local restaurant, then take you on a tour of the old city (Ciqikou) and Elgin Park - an introduction to its steep streets and stairways. We then board your Yangtze River cruiser for a three night sail.
Yangtze Cruise Boat - 3 nights Full Board Meals: BLD

Day 7 - Yangtze Cruise
Your floating hotel is the MS Fortune (or similar) - modernised to include an attractive restaurant and bar, shops and a Chinese Massage room, a spacious sundeck, and 74 cabins; each with panoramic windows, en suite bath and wc. After lunch on board, we come ashore for a visit to Fengdu. Known as Ghost City, its numerous Mingshan Mountain temples are intriguingly bedecked with statues of demons and devils. We will visit the temples before returning to the cruiser for a special Captain's Dinner and a lively evening of song and dance performances. Meals: BLD

Day 8 - Yangtze Cruise
Our journey today is spectacularly scenic, cruising through the Yangtze's Three Gorges - which form a 120-mile stretch of the river. The first is the narrow Qutang (Bellows) Gorge, its walls rising sheer from the water where the river narrows to a swirling rush just 300 feet wide. Next is the 25-mile Wu Xia (Witches Gorge), steeped in myth and mystery and overlooked by Fairy Peak - the tallest of twelve sister-peaks said to protect the river's travellers. There's an afternoon shore excursion to the Shennong Stream, then we rejoin the vessel for the last and longest of the gorges. The 48-mile Xiling is a group of several small gorges, including the Blue Cliff and Shadow Play - the names say it all.. Meals: BLD

Day 9 - Yangtze Cruise / Shanghai
Your riverboat cruises past the famous four rockface silhouettes - a monk, a Buddhist master, the pig Zhu Bajie and the ape king Sun Wukong - before arriving at the mammoth Three Gorges Dam. A morning visit is included, and we return to the ship to pass through the locks and enter the eastern sector of the Xiling Gorge, arriving in Yichang around noon, where we disembark and enjoy lunch ashore. This afternoon we fly to Shanghai for a three-night stay, and this evening we'll dine at a local restaurant and take you on a night tour of the busy Bund and Nanjing Road shopping streets.
Hotel: Days Hotel (or Similar) Meals: BLD

Day 10 - Shanghai
This morning we visit to the serenely gorgeous Yuyuan (Joy) Gardens, continuing, after lunch at a local restaurant, to the Shanghai Museum - your chance to drool at an exquisite exhibition of Chinese ceramic art and a fine collection of historic bronzes. This evening, after dinner, there's an acrobatic show to add a final memory to a fabulous tour. Meals: BLD

Day 11 - Shanghai
We leave directly to the airport this morning for your return flight to the UK. Meals: B