Tripology

Welcome to Beijing, China’s former imperial capital whose rich history dates back to more than 1,000 years B.C. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

Hotel

After check-in, you have free time to relax or explore.

Sightseeing

This morning visit the enormous Tiananmen Square, which can accommodate over 1,000,000 people.

Sightseeing

Then, tour Beijing’s Forbidden City. Nearly 800 buildings and 9,999 rooms make up this amazing site. As you walk its grounds, marvel at the elegant palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens within its walls.

Sightseeing

After lunch in a local restaurant, you visit the Summer Palace, a 700-acre complex of gardens and elegant buildings. Its Chinese name means Garden of Nurtured Harmony, and it was frequented by the Imperial Court to escape the bustle of Beijing. Walk its landscaped grounds which are considered among the finest of Chinese architectural gardens.

Performing Arts

This evening enjoy a traditional Peking duck dinner. Then you are treated to a performance of the Peking Opera, a fascinating cultural experience.

Sightseeing

After breakfast, travel to the Badaling Hills to see one of the most impressive and best-preserved sections of the fabled Great Wall of China. Walk along its winding pathways and marvel at the excellent views.

Food and Dining

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Sightseeing

After lunch visit the Sacred Way, a tree-lined avenue guarded by massive sculptures of elephants, lions and camels.

Food and Dining

Tonight, taste some local specialties at dinner. (B, L, D)

Sightseeing

Today tour Old Beijing’s hutongs (narrow alleys) via rickshaw (Rickshaw hutong tour only available on Beijing to Shanghai itinerary direction). Discover the sights and sounds of traditional Chinese life. Visit a silk carpet workshop for a demonstration of this ancient art.

Commercial Flight

After lunch, fly to Xian, key city of the Tang Dynasty.

Sightseeing

From 618 to 907 A.D. this dynasty presided over one of China’s most glorious cultural periods.

Food and Dining

Tonight, experience its grandeur as you dine surrounded by the historic song and dance of this colorful era. (B, L, D).

Sightseeing

After breakfast, tour the mausoleum where Emperor Qin Shi Huang was laid to rest over 2,000 years ago. See the more than 6,000 life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors, archers and infantrymen that were buried with him, from the walkways that provide a bird’s-eye view. Each man and horse is molded with his own distinct features.

Commercial Flight

After lunch fly to Chongqing, gateway to the Yangtze.

River or Barge Cruise

You are welcomed aboard the Viking Century Sky with a Western meal. Your ship sails this evening. (B, L, D)

Sightseeing

This morning, you visit Shibaozhai Temple, a 12-story pavilion built in 1650 and perched high above the Yangtze. Climb up to the top for breathtaking views of the river below.

River or Barge Cruise

Return to your ship and cruise through the night. (B, L, D)

River or Barge Cruise

For the next 150 miles, you travel the most scenic stretch of the Yangtze as it forces its way through a spectacular series of limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges. During breakfast, cruise through Qutang Gorge, the shortest, narrowest and most spectacular of the three large gorges.

Sightseeing

Then, board a smaller boat for an excursion through the Lesser Three Gorges. Sail through these remarkable canyons flanked by towering cliffs. Along the way you see ancient sites including the hanging coffins of the Ba people and the ancient plank road carved into the cliffside.

Food and Dining

Enjoy lunch at a scenic stop overlooking the gorges.

River or Barge Cruise

After, return to your ship and sail through Wu (Witches) Gorge, renowned for its magnificent scenery.

Food and Dining

Dinner is served aboard. (B, L, D)

Sightseeing

This morning, you disembark for a tour of the Three Gorges Dam. You learn all about this immense engineering masterpiece—first conceived by Sun Yat-Sen in 1919—and how it will affect the Chinese people and the Yangtze.

River or Barge Cruise

Then, you return to your ship and traverse the 5-stage locks of the Three Gorges Dam.

Food and Dining

Lunch and dinner are served aboard while you cruise through the night. (B, L, D)

River or Barge Cruise

This morning, cruise through Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges.

Performing Arts

You will be warmly greeted by the children and enjoy a performance.

Food and Dining

Return to your ship for meals and scenic cruising. (B, L, D)

Museums

After breakfast, disembark in Wuhan. Visit the Wuhan Museum.

Commercial Flight

Then, fly to Shanghai, China’s largest city and one of the world’s most important ports.

Sightseeing

Here, you can see the modern metropolis of the financial district juxtaposed with the other sections of the city.

Hotel

Check in to your hotel. (B, L, D)

Sightseeing

This morning, tour Old Shanghai and travel along the Bund, the city’s elegant riverfront promenade.

Food and Dining

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Sightseeing

After lunch, tour a silk carpet workshop for demonstrations of this ancient art form.

Museums

Then visit the Shanghai Museum, featuring displays of ceramics, bronzes and paintings.

Performing Arts

Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant and a Chinese acrobatic show. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and we will take you to the airport for your return flight.