8 Days Suzhou Hangzhou Huangshan Essence Tour by Train

Day 1

In the morning, our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby with a welcome signage "Suzhou Private Tour".

Our Suzhou Pick Up Sign "Suzhou Private Tour"

You will start the tour with the famous classical garden-The Master of Nets Garden. The Garden is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet it is the most impressive because of its use of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. The garden is divided into three sections: a residential section, the central main garden and an inner garden. The garden is especially fancied by overseas visitors and is praised as the most ornate and intact private gardens in Suzhou. Some tourists even offer a huge amount of money to buy it.

Afterwards, you will visit Hanshan Temple (Cold Mountain Temple), is a Buddhist temple and monastery in Suzhou. Traditionally, Hanshan Temple is believed to have been founded during the Tianjian era (502–519) of the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties period.More than thousand years ago, a poet had described the midnight bell rings of Cold Mountain Temple. The temple is famous for its bell rings at night. The temple can be traced back to 6th century, and it was destroyed and repaired for times in history.A sitting statue of Buddha is in the main hall of the Hanshan Temple. On each side of the statue there are nine gold-plated Arhat statues, each with a different facial expression. If you come to visit them, you will definitely be touched by their life-like designs.

In the Afternoon: After lunch, you will visit the Panmen Gate. Panmen Gate is part of the ancient city wall built in 514 BCE that surrounded and protected Suzhou. It is so famous for its complex of both land and water city gates that many times, people directly refer to it as the "Land and Water Gate". In order to attract more tourists, in recent years, the city of Suzhou has renovated the old wall and built many other attractions around the original gate in the Pan Gate Scenic Area. 

Then continue the tour to the Suzhou Silk Factory. Suzhou is not only a garden city, but also a city with a long history of silk culture. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Suzhou is the silk cente. The No.1 Silk Factory was built in Suzhou in 1926. It is divided into three parts: the exhibition hall which shows the history of Suzhou silk and some ancient collections; the working spot, where you can see how the silk is made and the product exhibition hall, exhibiting the main products of this factory, the silk wadding quilts. The factory gains a good reputation in the silk industry for its complete technical process of silkworm raising, cocoon sorting, cocoon boiling, and silk reeling, rewinding and packing. Suzhou first silk mill provides magic silk production and fashion show the whole process, so as to prove the Chinese silk glorious history. At the same time,it also describes the history of the development of Chinese silk response which further profound Chinese culture.In this factory you can not only see how the silk is processed from worm to the final product, but also learn some histories of silk in China.

Drive you back to your hotel after the tour ends.

Day 2

In the morning, pick you up at your hotel lobby, drive you to Zhouzhuang Water Town(1 hour). Full-day private sightseeing tour of Zhouzhuang water town, with round-trip transport included.

Take in the tranquil and scenic landscapes surrounding Zhouzhuang water town which is a hub of cultural history and well-preserved ancient architecture. 

Visit the Twin Bridges and the Old Drama Stage of Zhouzhuang. Walk through the old street and savor lunch at a local restaurant. Fascinating to see the local life along the water’s edge by the canal cruise. Wander around Zhang House and Shen House and take in the beautiful surroundings at Fuan Bridge. Hear informative commentary from a private guide who tailors the tour to your interests.

After, drive you to your hotel.

Day 3

After breakfast, drive you to the Suzhou train station for your train to Hangzhou. Once you arrived, our local Hangzhou tour guide will meet you at the exit with a welcome signage "Hangzhou Private Tour". And you will start your tour directly.

Our Hangzhou Pick Up Sign "Hangzhou Private Tour"

Firstly you will visit the West Lake, it is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake. West Lake has influenced poets and painters throughout Chinese history for its natural beauty and historic relics, and it has also been among the most important sources of inspiration for Chinese garden designers. Traditionally, there are ten best-known scenic spots on the West Lake, boat ride on West Lake to tour around the lake and you have a chance to see some of the top ten views of the lake, Viewing fish at the flower pond, this area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

Continue your tour to Fish watching tour at the Flower Pond, this area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for fish watching.

Then visit Guo’s Villa, also refer to Guo Classic Gaeden, is located in Hangzhou Xishan Road, Wolong bridge, adjacent to breeze-ruffled Lotuses Beside which is one of the top Ten Views of the West Lake .This beautiful classic garden was built in the 1851 by a rich merchant nearby the lake, the whole garden covers an area of nearly 10000 square meters and you will have a further understanding about the local people's life in this garden.

Next to Leifeng Pagoda, Leifeng Pagoda is located on the shores of the southeast side of the lake and originally built in the year 977, the view of the city skyline is one of the best from Leifeng Pagoda. 

The last stop is China National Tea Museum, is the only one in the country with the tea theme. It has no external walls but is enclosed by vegetation giving the unique impression that the halls and the tea plants inside depend upon each other. Additionally, one hundred distinctive Chinese characters relating to tea are enchased in the road to add color to your trip.

Drive you back to your hotel in Hangzhou and you can have a rest for your next day trip.

Day 4

In the morning, meet you at your hotel lobby, our guide will take you to visit Lingyin temple, one of the top ten most famous ancient Buddhist monasteries in China, and contains numerous pagodas and Buddhist grottoes. It is really a tourist attraction that can offer you appealing places of historic interest, cultural relics as well as agreeable natural scenery with woods, flowers, springs, etc.

Next to Longjing Green Tea plantation & village (Meijiawu), it also called Dragon Well Tea Plantation & Village, which is the original place for the most famous green tea - Longjing in china with beautiful natural scenery. There are many tea houses in the village, and you will have a chance to test the local tea. Sit in Meijiawu village farmhouse, brew a cup of tea, chat with your family (or your friends), it will be enjoyable and relaxing.

Then continue your tour to Bamboo lined path at Yunqi, which is one of the new top ten West Lake sceneries. It is an Ideal quiet place to get away from the crowds to enjoy a nice gentle stroll and seeing through the bamboo forest.

Next stop is Six Harmonies Pagoda, is a multi-story Chinese pagoda. Visitors can get a wide and beautiful view by boarding the pagoda. Looking out from the top of the pagoda, sightseers can see as far as the misty horizon, enjoying the unforgettable, breathtaking scenery. One can catch an overlook a view of Qiantang River, the pagoda presents a quiet image of age-old majesty.

The last stop is Qinghefang Old Street, the street is the only historic street in Hangzhou city, is a good place to experience the life of Old Hangzhou, because it is the epitome of historic Hangzhou. It is a place for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. You can see the well-preserved old buildings, explore the interesting stores, and buy some souvenirs, there are also many traditional food stalls, such as green cypress package, stinky tofu, crisp cake, etc.

After that, you will be taken back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Day 5

In the morning, pick up from your hotel lobby, drive you to Wuzhen water town (1 hour), which is one of the six famous water towns in China.

Today you will visit the Jiangnan Hundred Beds Museum: the first museum in China to collect and exhibit ancient beds of the Jiangnan region. It holds dozens of examples of finely crafted beds from the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times. With exquisite design and workmanship, these are more than items of furniture, but excellently-preserved examples of Chinese folk art. 

Next, visit the Folk Custom Show Room. This museum displays artifacts used in festivals and celebrations by local people over the centuries. 

Then move on to Sanbai Wine Workshop. This is one of the area most famous breweries, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Here you will have a chance to learn about – and taste – one of the world’s finest rice wines. 

After a Chinese lunch at a local restaurant, you can explore other attractions of the village: the Foliage Dyeing Workshop, Woodcarving Museum... 

Free on your own for a while at the water town.  Drive you back to Hangzhou.

Day 6

Transfer you to the train station for your train to Huangshan. Our local Huangshan tour guide will pick you up at the exit of the Huangshan train station with a welcome signage "Huangshan Private Tour". 

Our Huangshan Pick Up Sign "Huangshan Private Tour"

Then you will go for a relaxing stroll on the 900-year-old Tunxi Ancient Street to appreciate authentic old Huizhou-style architectures. Next comes an interesting visit to Hu Kaiwen Ink-stick Factory to find out how ancient Chinese people produce ink sticks (major item used to write and paint in ancient time). 

Drive you to your hotel in Huangshan downtown.

Day 7

Pick you up at your hotel lobby, drive you up to the foot of Mt. Huang. Then take cable car up Mt. Huang(UNESCO), enjoys a reputation as "Number One Mountain under Heaven", most notably the famous strangely-shaped pines, absurd stones, cloud sea and hot springs.

You will tour the Beihai Senic Area. Beihai (North Sea) Scenic Area is just a few kilometers away from Xiao Scenic Area. The main body of the scenic area is the peak, various rocks, jar, shipyard and pines, combining to form a marvelous sight. The pine trees in the area Form a sea of green. You will be immersed in the beautiful surroundings the moment that you arrive at this wonderful scenic area. In the Dawn Pavilion in front of guesthouse, you may have a sight of the beautiful scenery of Shixin Peak as well as the Stalagmite Bridge. All of those can glut your eyes, I think. At the Dawn Pavilion in front of the hotel, you may enjoy the beautiful scenery of Beginning-to-believe and Goddess Peaks as well as the Stalagmite Bridge. To the right of the hotel is a flower house that overlooks the Sunken Flower Valley stalagmites. Then, setting foot on the terrace and Lion Peak, you will appreciate the Unicom Pine. What's more, from Lion Peak, you can see a natural set of stones in Pingding valley that looks like a monkey gazing over the sea

Take you back to your hotel on the top of the Mt. Huang.

Day 8

Get up early in the morning to watch sunrise if weather permits. Here, it is one of the most beautiful sunrises on earth to emerge with nature.

Xihai (West Sea) Scenic Area: After breakfast, tour the Xihai scenic area. Xihai (West Sea) Scenic Area is one of the two most famous scenic areas of Yellow Mountain. From the top of Bright Top, you can see the mystical Stone Flow From Afar. Grand Canyon of Xihai (West Sea) is newly opened scenic area in Yellow Mountain on May, 2001. Within its 25 square kilometers, there are many unique rock formations. For example, Upside-down Boot, Lady Playing Piano, Dog Watching Sky, Immortal Walking on Stilts and so on.

Afterwards, you will take the cable car down and drive to Huangshan train station for the train to Hangzhou or Shanghai.

After 8 days trip, your memorable tour ends. Enjoy your trip!

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.