11 Days In Depth China Tour to Ancient Capital Cities

Upon arrival at Airport, you will be greeted by our guide and transferred to the hotel. Continue to visit the Bund, a popular promenade along the Huangpu River, where the old meets the modern in Shanghai.  

This morning, you will visit the Synagogue, and the Shanghai Museum, a large museum of ancient Chinese art. The exterior design of the round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven and a square land. After lunch, you will also tour the Old Town with its winding alleyways, lined with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and to the elegant and tranquil Yu Garden.

After breakfast at the hotel, this morning is free to have the chance for shopping or to explore this booming city at your own pace. You will visit the Jade Buddha Temple with its fine collection of carved jade statues in the afternoon. Take an overnight soft sleeper train to Kaifeng.

After arrival, the tour guide will meet you at the station. Your adventure begins at Kaifeng Museum to see its well-documented exhibit on Jewish history, the Qingming Riverside Scene Park to see the Kaifeng Judaic Exhibition, a local Jewish family and the former Jewish quarter, the cemetery of Jin (Gilbert), another Jewish family, you will also tour Iron Pagoda. Drive to Luoyang and transferred to the hotel.

Your adventure begins at the Chariot and Horse Pits, then you will move on to the White Horse Temple. After lunch and short break, continue to visit the Shaolin Temple, founded in AD 496 during the Northern Wei dynasty, the Shaolin Temple was built in honor of an Indian monk called Bodhidharma, founder of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism or more popularly known as Chinese Chan Buddhism. This temple is therefore regarded as the birthplace of Chinese Buddhism.

Today's adventure begins at Longmen Caves. The Longmen Caves was first constructed in the Emperor Taihe's Reign of the Northern Wei Dynasty (488 AD), from north to south where there are over 2,300 holes and niches, 2,800 steles, 1,300 caves and 100,000 statues. Most of them are the works of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Lots of historical materials concerning art, music, religion, architecture, medicine, costume and calligraphy, are kept in Longmen Caves. Board the soft seat train to Xian and transfer to the hotel.

Today you will visit what for many is the high point of their trip to China - the excavation site of the Terra-Cotta Warriors, you will have plenty of time to explore the site, get a good look at the warriors from various vantage points and visit the excellent museum. After lunch, go on visiting the Big Goose Pagoda, built in 652 AD to house Buddhist scriptures from India.

Your adventure begins at Provincial History Museum, where you will see artifacts from the Paleolithic period, priceless Tang Dynasty bronzes and treasures from the Silk Road caravans. After lunch and a short break, continue to visit the City Wall, the Great Mosque, a best-preserved Islamic mosque in China and focus for the 30,000 Chinese Muslims of XiAn.

Fly to Beijing, The tour guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to the hotel. Today's adventure begins at Tian'anmen Square, the largest public space on earth. Passing through the Heavenly Peace Gate and walking into the Forbidden City, you will step back in time and home to the Imperial Courts of Ming and Qing Dynasties for more than 500 years. After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven, one of China's most photographed attractions, where the Chinese Emperors were known, worshipped the gods and prayed for good harvests.

Leave the bustle and traffic of Beijing behind and journey through the countryside to see one of the Wonders of the World – The Great Wall. Along the way, you will stop at a jade carving factory where you can watch artisans at work. After lunch you will visit the massive tomb complex of the Ming Emperors where you will walk along the "Sacred Way" passing between pairs of huge stone sculptures.

You will visit the Summer Palace, the best preserved of all imperial palace gardens if time permits. See you off by transferring to the Airport.