Highlights plus Tibet

A tour of the 'must-see' attractions in China, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army, together with the lure of a visit to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

An escorted tour with your own local English-speaking guides and car and driver, using 5-star hotels, with most meals included.

Day 1 Depart UK.
Day 2 Arrive Beijing. Transfer to 5-star hotel. Rest of the day free.
Day 3 Morning tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, the centre of power for China's rulers for over 500 years. After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven, where emperors performed rituals to guarantee a good harvest. Acrobatic show after a Peking duck dinner. (B + L + D)
Day 4 Full day excursion, stopping first at the Great Wall at Badaling. After lunch, visit the tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors. Also visit a jade-carving factory. (B + L)
Day 5 Morning tour to Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. Then take a tour among the 'hutongs' or traditional residential areas, near the Shishahai Lakes. Visit a 'siheyuan', or traditional single-storey courtyard house, a local primary school and the Bell Tower, built to house a bell that sounded the time. Lunch at a typical Beijing family's home. After lunch, visit the Summer Palace, and a short visit to the pearl market. Transfer to airport to take the two-hour evening flight to Xi'an, a former capital of China and starting point of the Silk Road. Transfer to 5-star hotel. (B + L)
Day 6 In the morning, visit the famous Terracotta Army, created to guard the tomb of China's first emperor. Return to Xi'an city to visit the impressive Shaanxi Historical Museum, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, built in the 8th century AD. (B + L)
Day 7 After breakfast, visit the old Bell and Drum Towers and the ancient cultural street. After typical Chinese lunch, explore Xi'an's medieval city walls that ring the town, and the Grand Mosque, one of China's largest and oldest, in the Muslim Quarter. (B + L)
Day 8 Transfer to airport for flight to Lhasa. Met on arrival and transfer to 4-star hotel. Rest of the day free to acclimatise to high altitude. (B)
Day 9 Morning tour of the imposing Potala Palace, the traditional seat of power of the Dalai Lamas. Then visit Barkhor Street thronged with visitors and pilgrims. After Chinese-style lunch, visit the Jokhang Temple, Tibetan Buddhism's most sacred shrine, and the Tibet Museum. (B + L)
Day 10 After breakfast, excursion to Sera Monastery, on the outskirts of Lhasa, one of the largest monasteries of the Yellow Hat sect to which both Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama belong. After lunch, visit the Norbulinka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas. (B + L)
Day 11 Transfer to airport for flights to Shanghai. Transfer to your 5-star hotel and the rest of the day free to explore this vibrant city. (B)
Day 12 One day city tour of Shanghai, to include the Yu Garden and old city bazaar area, the Jade Buddha Temple, Pudong and the famous Bund, or waterfront. Visit the pearl village before lunch. In the afternoon, tour the former French concession area, the ultra-modern Shanghai Museum, housing one of the best collections of Chinese art and antiques, and the surrounding People's Square. (B + L)
Day 13 Transfer to airport for flight back to UK, arriving later the same day. (B)