ESSENTIAL CHINA

Day 1 Arrive Beijing

Arrive into Beijing from your international flight. On arrival, you will be met by a Red Savannah representative and transferred to your hotel to rest after your long journey. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. The Park Plaza Wangfujing is in an excellent spot with Dong Hua Men Night Market, The Forbidden City, the Great Hall of the People and the Olympic Park all on its doorstep. Enjoy exceptional service and the opportunity to wander out and explore the city alone.

Overnight: Park Plaza Wangfujing

Day 2 Explore Beijing

A full day to explore this magnificent city and visit the main imperial-era attractions. You will begin with the vast Tiananmen Square, which is home to China's parliament - The Great Hall of The People. With Mao's Mausoleum as its focal point, enjoy strolling amongst people flying colourful kites. Continue on to the Forbidden City (the Palace Museum) for exclusive access at the Chonghua Gong where Emperor Qianlong lived as a young man before his accession to the throne. Enjoy a delicious lunch with stunning views over Tiananmen Square before travelling out of town to the Imperial Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with spectacular lakes and gardens. You will be transferred back to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

Overnight: Park Plaza Wangfujing

Day 3 The Great Wall of China

After breakfast, you will meet your private guide for a full day at the Great Wall. Your guide will take you Mutianyu, which although a little further out of the city, is a part which remains beautifully preserved and is visited less frequently. Without the crowds you will be able to enjoy the beauty of the Great Wall and have time to stroll at your own pace and take in the surroundings. After a delicious picnic lunch and if you are feeling energetic and adventurous, it is possible to trek further along this part of the wall, which will give you a closer glimpse of everyday rural life. Return to the Park Plaza.

Option. See the Great Wall from above and board a 10 or 15 minute private helicopter for a birds eye view.

Overnight: Park Plaza Wangfujing

Day 4 Beijing to Xian

This morning before you leave Beijing, you will visit the magnificent Temple of Heaven, a sacred place where the emperors came to pray for a good harvest and where today, you will see many local residents come for morning exercises such as Tai Chi. After lunch, you will be transferred to the airport for your short flight to Xian where you will be met and privately transferred to your hotel for an evening at leisure. The Sofitel Xian has a great central location within the Old City walls near many historical sites including the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Great Mosque and Forest of Steles. The airport and Terracotta Warriors are both a 45-minute drive away. This very comfortable hotel has large elegant rooms, a Spa with indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and state-of-the-art fitness centre.

Option. Before you travel to the station, enjoy an exhilarating tour by a traditional pedicab to the Hutongs, the small lanes and the former courtyard houses of Old Beijing and the centre of the daily lives of local families.

Overnight: Sofitel on Renmin Square

Day 5 Explore Xian - The Terracotta Warriors

No trip to China is complete without time exploring such a wondrous discovery. The Army of Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an, referred to locally as the 'Eighth wonder of the ancient world' was found by accident in 1974, by a local farmer as he was digging a well. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses in three pits with more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalrymen, the majority of which are still buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. After a local lunch, visit the Shaanxi Museum, which vividly shows the history of over a million years from prehistoric times. Before you return to your hotel, your guide will stop at the Wild Goose Pagoda, a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Transfer back to the Sofitel in the evening.

Overnight: Sofitel on Renmin Square

Day 6 Xian to Shanghai

After breakfast, your private guide will meet you to explore the Old City of Xian. Enjoy a fun bicycle or buggy ride around the Islamic Quarter and the Great Mosque, which is a beautiful spot in the middle of perfectly manicured gardens and has served Xi'an's Muslim community for more than a millennium. After lunch you will be transferred back to the airport for your flight to Shanghai where you will be met and transferred to The Hyatt Hotel on the Bund. This vibrant twin-towered hotel is close to the river and stares down the main artery of the city. There is an impressive Yuan Spa, a 25-metre indoor pool and a couple of excellent options for dining, both of which are dearly loved by locals. In the evening, head up to the outdoor terrace for cocktails and spectacular views of the city's skyline.

Overnight: The Hyatt on the Bund

Day 7 Exploring Shanghai

Today you will visit the city's Bund, which is flanked by magnificent colonial-era buildings previously owned by the great trading houses and banks in the early 1900's. Continue on to the famous classical Yu Garden situated in the Old City before enjoying a traditional lunch of Shanghai food at Din Tai Feng Restaurant. In the afternoon, spend the rest of the day exploring alone or perhaps return to the hotel to relax.

Option. Enlist the help of a private historian and writer to accompany you and to explain the French Concession together with the city's rich and very colourful history.

Overnight: The Hyatt on the Bund

Day 8 Shanghai

This morning you will travel with your guide to the traditional water village of Zhouzhuang, with its 900 year old history where you will visit one of the town's old merchant houses. Zhouzhuang is renowned for being the Venice of China with it's many winding waterways and stone bridges. After lunch, explore Suzhou's remarkable classical Chinese style gardens which are on the United Nations' World Heritage list including the Gardens of the Master of the Nets, the smallest of the Suzhou gardens, yet also the most impressive due to the illusion it creates that it is much bigger than it really is. Return to Shanghai late afternoon.

Overnight: The Hyatt on the Bund

Day 9 Depart

Today your guide will meet and transfer you back to the airport for your flight home.

Option. Transfer to the Airport using the high-speed levitating MAGLEV Train (your luggage will be transferred by road) to check-in for you flight home.