9 Days East China Tour by High-Speed Train

Day 1

Welcome to Shanghai! Pick you up at the exit of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, you will be greeted by our local guide with a welcome signage "China Private Tour", then you will be escorted to your hotel in Shanghai. The rest of the day will be on your own to adjust your jet lag.

Day 2

After breakfast, first drive to People's Square to visit Shanghai Museum. The museum has the selection of over 112,000 Chinese cultural relics from the Old Stone Age to modern times, which includes bronzeware, calligraphy, paintings, pottery, porcelain, jadeware, stone carvings, Jiaguwen imperial seals, ancient coins, silk embroidery, dyed fabrics, ivory sculptures, ethnic crafts etc. 

Then walk to the Nanjing Pedestrian Road. It is regarded as the first commercial street in Shanghai. It was first built in 1851. Now Nanjing Road has turned into the number one site for shopping in the city.

After lunch, visit the new development zone in Pudong - Lujiazui, which is teemed with the futuristic, avant-garde buildings - Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin Mao Building, Bank of China Tower. Taking the elevator to the 88 storeys Observation Deck of Jinmao Tower to have a bird's eye view of Huangpu River. Back to your hotel

Continue to visit the Longtangs in Jingan District. Longtangs in Shanghai are just like Hutongs in Beijing, the lanes lined with houses where people have more chances to communicate with each other. In the Longtangs, people meet together, are closely associated, thus bringing forth a strong sense of localism, safety and family-likeness. 

Afterwards, drive you back to your hotel.

Day 3

After breakfast, move on to Shanghai Bazaar and Yu Yuan Garden. Yuyuan is the most famous garden in Shanghai. It is located in the heart of Shanghai's Old City (Shanghai bazaar), one of the few existent old tourist places in Shanghai. Shanghai bazaar is teemed with a great number of small streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to the tourists and local people.

Next visit Old French Concession: A former foreign concession in Shanghai during the period of 1849 to 1946, including the area of Luwan and Xuhui District, dubbed as Shanghai's most charming district. This area is quiet, tree-lined and teeming with boutiques, bars and restaurants for Shanghai's hedonists. Visit of the Former Residences of Celebrities.

After enjoy your lunch at localfamous restaurant, continue your tour to Tianzifang Street: Tianzifang is an artsy area that has developed from a renovated residential area (old Shanghai shikumen buildings) in the French Concession area of Shanghai. Now it houses bars, cafes, crafts shops, design studios, galleries and boutiques. Many local residents still live in the narrow lanes. Just be mindful and respect their privacy.

The last stop is Xintiandi Bar Street & End the tour: You are arranged to immerse yourself into the dazzling nightlife in "Xintiandi". Shanghai Xintiandi is situated at Lane No.181 of Taicang Road Shanghai. It occupies an area of about 30,000 square meters. It was a former old Shikumen which has been given restoration. Now it serves as book stores, cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls.

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

Day 4

In the Morning: pick up from your hotel lobby and take you to train station for your train to Suzhou. Our local guide in Suzhou will meet you at the exit of the train station with a welcome signage"Suzhou Private Tour" and your tour in Suzhou start.

Your first stop is 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 visit 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.

Afterwards, drive you back to your hotel in Suzhou.

Day 5

In the morning, pick up from your hotel lobby, drive you to Zhouzhuang Water Town. 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 your trip ends, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Day 6

In the morning, our tour guide will meet you at your hotel lobby and drive you to Nanjing. One day tour in Nanjing including the following activities:

You will start your tour in Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum: Dr. Sun Yat-sen is considered to be the rather of the Republic of China and forerunner of the Chinese Revolution. The Mausoleum were built on the central axis, along which the mausoleum rises gradually and squarely: marble dolmen, the pavilion, sacrificial hall and coffin chamber will come into view one by one, and perfectly demonstrate traditional Chinese architectural styles.

Have a lunch at a local Chinese restaurant

After lucnch, visit Linggu Temple, which was built in 514 during the Southern Dynasty as a burial site of the famous monk, Baozhi. It was described as’ the best Buddhist temple in the world’, now surrounded by a large park.

Continue your visit to Confucius Temple: It was originally constructed in the year of 1034 in the Song Dynasty and was a place to worship and consecrate Confucius. The area around the temple consists of a series of tourist shops, snack bars, restaurants and tea cafes. They all appear to be in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing style. A variety of snacks encompassing eight of the most famous flavors are available for purchase at here.

Afterwards, our guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in Suzhou.

Day 7

In the morning, you will be taken to train station by our driver for your train to Hangzhou. Our guide in Hangzhou will meet you at the exit with a welcome signage"Hangzhou Private Tour" and today your tour in Hangzhou including the following activities:

Firstly you will go to 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.

Next, visit 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 continue the tour to 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.

Have lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. There are some popular local restaurants known by local people, such as Grandma's Kitchen, Green Tea Restaurants...And also fancy ones as well, 28 Hubin Road(Top 50 Best in Asia, Jinsha Restaurant in Four Seasons Hotel. We are the local, we are the sources. We know many excellent restaurants even not listed on Lonely Planet and some other travel guides.

Then 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.

Day 8

In the morning, pick you up 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, visit 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.

For your lunch, it will be arranged at a local tea famoer's house: We can organize tea farmers teach you how to prepare and cook local delicacies if you are interested in it. You can learn how to cook Beger's Chicken, Westlake carp fish in vinegar source (Do not be scared, no bones!!! Aha), Lotus root, bamboo shoot...and many other tasty vegetables. If you don’t want to cook, just enjoy the local delicacies.  (Note: the rooms in tea famer's house all with air-conditioing.)

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 train station for your train to Shanghai. You will be escorted to your hotel directly once you arrived in Shanghai.

Day 9

Free on your own until your our guide pick you up from your hotel and take you to Shanghai International Airport and you fly to home. Then your 9 days tour finished. Hopy you have a pleasant 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.