Tour Code: 8CN4VN3CBCL1
Dates: 15 Days / 14 Nights
Tour Route: Beijing - Xi'an- Shanghai - Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) - Seam Reap - Phnom Penh
Itinerary Details:
Day 1: Arrival Beijing
Upon your arrival at the Beijing airport, your local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to relax and recover from jetlag.
Day 2 Beijing (B, L)
On this day you will first visit Tiananmen Square followed by the magnificent Forbidden City. In the afternoon you will marvel at the incredible Temple of Heaven.
- The Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) Square: the largest city square in the world and the spiritual heart of China, where the national flag is raised exactly at sunrise everyday.
- The Forbidden City: located in the center of Beijing, used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a history of around 600 years, it is the grandest integral palace complex still remaining in China.
- The Temple of Heaven: the place which was visited yearly by the emperors who performed intricate rituals to insure a good harvest for the whole nation at ancient times.
Day 3 Beijing (B, L)
You will visit to the magnificent Great Wall (Mutianyu section), followed by a visit to the Dingling Tomb at the Ming Tombs and a stroll down the Sacred road. On your way back from the Great Wall, you will drive around the architecture of the main Olympic venues, the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were hold, and the National Aquatics with the nickname of"the Water Cube" for its unique design. Feel free to take some beautiful picture of those stadiums after 2008 Olympic Game.
- The Great Wall: the most famous symbol of China and one of the world's most remarkable architectural wonders, it was built over 2,000 years ago and stretching about 6,700km.
- The Great Wall at Mutianyu: The views from this section were amazing! The wall has been beautifully restored and maintained.
- The Ding Tomb: the burial site of the emperor Wanli, the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who ruled for 48 years until his death in 1620, it is the only underground tomb of the thirteen Ming tombs of the emperors ever excavated.
- The Sacred Road: the path lined with stone statues of animals, mystical beasts and officials who serve the emperor in his afterlife, through which the sitting emperors would go to perform memorial rituals for the ancestors once a year.
Day 4 Beijing (B, D)
After breakfast, you are free until your guide pick up you to visit Summer Palace and then take overnight train to Xian after dinner.
- The Summer Palace: Located on the northwestern outskirts of the city, it was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty. With its perfect layout, magnificent buildings and enchanting landscape, it is the most splendid classical garden in China.
Day 5 Xian (B, L)
Arrive at Xian in the morning, transfer to hotel for breakfast and then visit the incredible life-size TerraIOTta Warriors in the morning. After lunch, you will visit the Ancient City Walls.
- TerraIOTta Warriors: discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, the warriors were one of the most significant archeological finds of the 20th century. The over 6,000 life-size painted terraIOTta warriors and horses individually sculpted from real-life models and arranged in battle formation have been protecting the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history, Emperor Qin Shihuang, for over 2,200 years.
- The Ancient City Walls: built during the 14th century on Tang dynasty foundations, date to the Ming Dynasty, the walls are the largest and best-preserved ancient fortress in the world. There is a gate in each of the four sides, the gate towers built over each gate look lofty and magnificent and form a tight defense engineering system.
Day 6 Xian-Shanghai (B)
After breakfast, you will tour the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Hanyang Tomb before your guide escorts you to the airport your flight to your next destination.
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda: regarded by many as a symbol of the city, the pagoda was built in 652 A.D in Tang Dynasty to house the sutras brought back from India by the famous monk Xuan-zang.
- - The Hanyang Tombs: the tombs of Emperor Jing and his wife in Han Dynasty, so far archaeologists have found more than 80 burial pits and 5000 subordinate tombs under the ground of this mausoleum,which is called as "underground treasure- house of cultural relics".
Day 7 Shanghai (B, L)
Today, your tour of incredible Shanghai will include: Shanghai Museum, the Nanjing Road, Yu Garden and Yuyuan Market.
- Shanghai Museum: often ranked as China's best museum, it is the biggest museum in China with a fine collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts.
- Nanjing Road: known as "China's No.1 Shopping Street"with a huge of merchandise on sale.
- Yu Garden: located in the Old Town of Shanghai and laid out in 1559 AD by a powerful Ming official, Yu Garden recreates a beautiful landscape of pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees and precious flowers.
- Yuyuan Market: Outside the Yu Garden, a bustling market with different snacks and trinkets.
Day 8 Shanghai-Hochiminh (B)
You are free in the morning and after lunch at your own, you will pay a visit to the Zhujiajiao old town.At Zhujiajiao, walking through Fangsheng Bridge, Beida Street, Xi's Residence etc, it seems that you walk back to the old days. After your arrival in Suzhou, be free for the rest of the day. Drive back to Shanghai and take your international flight to Hochiminh City. Upon your arrival, your guide will pick up you to your hotel.
- Zhujiajiao old town: a well-preserved and fan-shaped old town with hundreds of years of history around the shore of vast Dingshan Lake, one of the largest commercial centers on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911AD), where you can see thousands of buildings in Ming and Qing style standing along the river, 36 old stone bridges connecting nine streets in the old town to form a unique and beautiful waterscapes.
- Fangsheng Bridge: fangsheng means freeing captive animals, the bridge looks like a rainbow over the peaceful, flowing river.
- Beida Street: 1 kilometer long, with over 400-year-old history, it is the best preserved street of Ming and Qing Dynasties in Shanghai area, where there are lots of old shops and old residences.
- Xi's Residence: built by a celebrity in Ming Dynasty, it is the typical residence in Ming style, its exquisitely carved bricks and window frames are simple yet elegant with pretty high artistic value.
Day 9 Hochiminh (B, L)
Day trip: colonial center, Reunification Palace, War Museum, Jade Emperor Pagoda, Notre Dame Cathedral, Binh Tay Market, Thien Hau Pagoda
You will have city tour to visit a nice colonial center with broad promenades, squares, French influence buildings, temples and pagodas that should not be missed. Our stops are inclusive of Reunification Palace, War Museum, Jade Emperor Pagoda, Notre Dame Cathedral, Binh Tay Market, Thien Hau Pagoda. On the way back, stop to visit Ben Thanh Market. More information of Saigon.
Day 10-11 Hochiminh (B, L)
D10: Start the tour at 8:00 from you hotel and drive to Mytho. Upon arrival, take a private boat to see Floating Fish Market. Then continue cruising along small creek to Mekong River estuary, to Phoenix Island and stop at a garden restaurant at a local house for Vietnamese lunch. The boat cruises along natural creeks and quiet village in Ben Tre Province. Visit orchards, bee - keeping farm, taste natural honey and honey wine, enjoy tropical fruit, traditional music, see round a distillery, explore the local coconut candy production process, taste candy & coconut pulp, then, transfer to Can Tho. Diner and Homestay.
D11: After breakfast, cruise along the small and picturesque tributaries by rowing boat to visit Cai Rang - Phong Dien floating market. Take part in the beautiful scenery and the daily activities of the locals who lives along the Mekong canals and roam through the village to a rice husking mill and a rice noodles making shop. A nice chance to discover the daily life of Vietnamese people in Mekong Delta. Have lunch at local restaurant before coming back to Hochiminh City, end tour.
Day 12 Hochiminh-Siem Reap (B, D)
Visit grand circuit: Preah Khan, Neak Paon, Mebon oriental and Pre Rup and admire sunset tours, dinner local restaurant and over night at hotel.
Day 13 Angkor Ruins (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, in the morning departure to visit the city of Angkor Thom, South gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon temple, Baphoun, Phimeanakas, Terrace of Leper King and Elephants, lunch local restaurant, afternoon continue to visit the famous of Angkor Wat The largest component of this complex is known as Angkor Wat.
Day 14 Siem Reap-Phnom Penh (B, L)
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to airport for morning flight to Phnom Penh where you have a chance to try Khmer cooking. Learning to cook Khmer food is a great way to introduce your Cambodia experience to your friends. Recreate the real recipes back home and invite them to a mouth-watering meal.
Cooking lesson at restaurant:
This is a typical schedule of a 1-day course at our Cooking School in Phnom Penh. Of course we can adjust this schedule to your needs. Just let us know at the time of booking.
---Programs:
1. We then go to the local Kandal Market where our instructor will tell and show you Cambodian fruits, vegetables and spices.
2. Time to take a tuk-tuk ride to the Cambodia Cooking Class, which is located on a cool open-air rooftop terrace, very near to frizz restaurant.
3. Arrival at the Cooking School where a refreshing lemon juice drink and towel is waiting for you.
4. Theory Class. Here the instructor will present a cookery demonstration of the dishes that you are going to prepare! Each student will receive a booklet with the recipes of the course.
5. Time to put your hands on the cooking utensils. The open-air roofed cooking school
provides for a cool breeze, while you are cooking. Each student has his own cooking station and wok. Assisted by our instructor you will learn and experience the culinary technique of Cambodian cuisine. For lunch, two not too difficult dishes are waiting to be prepared by you!
6. Now you can taste and enjoy your own culinary creation.
7. Time to put your hands on the cooking utensils again. In the afternoon we teach you how to make dishes that take some more time to prepare, plus a dessert.
8. While the dessert is cooling down, we give you a demonstration of basic fruit and vegetable carving for decoration.
9. Time to taste and enjoy your own culinary creation and relax while again enjoying the view from our terrace.
10. End of class.
Day 15 Phnom Penh-departure (B)
You are free until your drive escorts you to airport for your flight back home.
Option tour in Siem Reap:
Day 1: Arrival Siem Reap
Upon arrival Siem Reap airport, welcome by English speaking guide and transfer to check-in hotel, and then departure to visit the Grand circuit: Neak Paon, Preah Khan, Ta Som, Mebon Oriental and Pre Rup, dinner local restaurant and over night at hotel.
Day 2: Angkor Ruins
Breakfast at hotel, in the morning departure to visit the city of Angkor Thom, South gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon temple, Baphoun, Terrace of Leper King and Elephants, lunch local restaurant, afternoon continuation to visiting the Banteay Srey "the city of women", and continue to visit the Banteay Samré and Prasat Kravan, dinner local restaurant and over night at hotel.
Day 3: Angkor Ruins
Breakfast at hotel, departure to visit Phnom Bakheng and continue visit the famous of Angkor Wat, lunch local restaurant, afternoon visit the small circuit: Ta Keo, Ta Prhom, Banteay Kdei, Thommanon, Chau seytevoda and Srah Srang, dinner local restaurant and over night at hotel.
Day 4: Siem Reap – departure
Breakfast at hotel, free time and transfer to International airport for departure …
