Classic China & Yangtze cruise

This morning, you'll be collected from your hotel and driven to the charming Temple of Heaven complex for a private t'ai chi lesson, followed by a visit to the park and temple with your guide. Following this, you'll be transferred to the Forbidden City for a private tour showing you through the complex of over 950 buildings, originally built around 600 years ago as the Imperial Palace.

Take a full-day excursion with your private guide to the magnificent Great Wall, at its most dramatic on the less-visited Jinshanling section. Depending on how energetic you feel, you have the option of taking a gondola up to the wall, or a circular walk along the wall and returning to the entrance.

This morning you'll be taken to the station to take the high-speed train to Xian, a journey of around five and a half hours. On arrival, you'll be met at the station and driven to your hotel. Later this afternoon, your guide will collect you from your hotel to visit the bustling Muslim Quarter and Grand Mosque.

This morning, you'll be taken with your private guide to visit the iconic Terracotta Army. Only discovered in 1974, you'll be amazed by the number and scale of what has been excavated. In the afternoon, you'll have a private transfer to the airport for your flight to Guilin. Once landed, you'll be transferred to your hotel. You have the rest of the day at leisure. We'd suggest a visit to Elephant Hill, or the Sun and Moon Pagodas on Fir Lake.

This morning, travel down the Li River to the town of Yangshuo on a shared cruise for around 120 people (though still accompanied by your private guide). En route, you'll sail past towering karst peaks, bamboo groves, and rice fields. Upon arrival in Yangshuo, you'll be met by a private driver and taken to your hotel. You then have an afternoon to explore the area at leisure. We suggest taking a stroll through the local rice terraces.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel this morning for a guided bike ride through the local area. The more energetic can go further afield to Xingping village. In the afternoon, you'll have a Chinese cooking class, sampling the local dishes as part of a small group excursion.

Leaving Yangshuo behind this morning, you'll take a three-hour private transfer to the village of Longji. Cosseted among ancient rice terraces, a visit to Longji is a great way of getting a sense of rural China. Your private guide will lead you to various viewing platforms to admire this agricultural landscape.

This morning, you'll be collected from your hotel and after a short walk to the car park, driven by private transfer to Guilin Airport for your flight to Chongqing. Upon arrival in Chongqing, you'll be met by your guide and driven to a restaurant for a local dish — a Sichuanese hot pot. You'll then be driven to the dock to begin your Yangtze cruise.

Today, you'll take an onshore excursion in Shibaozhai, also known as "Pearl of the Yangtze," and visit its splendid pagoda. You also have the option to visit the ghost city of Fengdu.

This morning, you awake to your first sight of the dramatic Three Gorges. The ship stops at Wushan, allowing you to board a smaller boat that takes you through some narrow, imposing ravines toward the beautiful and impressive farmland that surrounds the river. The afternoon sees you sailing through both the second and third gorges, and in the evening, you reach the Three Gorges Dam and begin the traverse through the ship locks. This occurs once the sun has set, but it’s still possible to watch the procedures from the deck.

This morning, before you arrive in Yichang, you'll be taken to see the Three Gorges Dam project. Upon docking in Yichang, you'll have a private transfer to the airport for your flight to the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai. On arrival, you'll be met by your guide for the private transfer to your hotel.

Today, you'll have a private tour of some of the city's highlights, including the Bund, the Jade Buddha, and the Yuyuan Gardens. This evening you'll be going out to see the Shanghai acrobatics performance. You'll have a private transfer to and from the venue.

You'll have a full day at leisure in Shanghai. We'd suggest visiting the French Concession or the modern Pudong district opposite the Bund across the Huangpu River.

This morning, you'll be collected from your hotel for your private transfer to the airport for your return flight home.