IMPERIAL CHINA
DEPARTURE DATES: November 24, 2001 , February 25, 2002 and March 1, 2002
***ALL 2001 DATES ARE SOLD OUT! PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR DATES IN 2002***
China - ancient and modern side by side. Join us for a journey into the past as we explore this mysterious and beautiful country.
This exciting offer
includes: round trip air from LAX, 21 meals
(including in-flight meals), fantastic hotels, fascinating sight seeing,
local expert English speaking guides, a full time Signature Tours escort, all
transfers, baggage handling (one piece) and admission fees.
IMPERIAL CHINA DAILY ITINERARY
Day 1. DEPART NORTH AMERICA Board the wide-bodied jumbo jet to China. Relax and enjoy your flight to the Orient with complimentary headsets, movies, beverages and meal service. As you cross the International dateline and move your watch ahead 16 hours, you temporarily "lose" this day. You will gain it back on your return. (IFM)
Day 2. BEIJING, CHINA Arrive in in Beijing and transfer to your hotel*for the next 4 nights. (IFM)
Day 3. THE FORBIDDEN CITY /
TIAN’ANMEN SQUARE / THE SUMMER PALACE
Today we take a full-day sightseeing tour of Beijing. We will visit Tian’anmen Square to see the raising of the flag at the
famous site where Chairman Mao declared the birth of the People’s Republic,
occupying more than 100 acres in the heart of Beijing. From there we enter the
vast exotic Forbidden City, originally built in 1420 to house the emperor’s
family and the royal court. We will also visit the Summer Palace. (B, L, D)
Day 4. THE GREAT WALL / MING DYNASTY TOMBS The highlight of our full day tour is a visit to the Great Wall. This 2,000 year old landmark is the longest man-made object in the world. Later we visit the Ming Tombs, the impressive burial grounds of 13 Ming Dynasty Emperors. (B, L, D)
Day 5. BEIJING A day at leisure in Beijing to explore on your own, to do some shopping or to persue your own interests. Your tour guide will be available to assist with your plans and will sugest optional sightseeing. (B)
Day 6. FLY TO SHANGHAI /
YU YUAN GARDEN / NANJING ROAD / OLD STREET / THE BUND / JADE CARVING FACTORY
This
morning, we fly to Shanghai, China's largest metropolis, and transfer to your
hotel* for the next 4 nights. After a visit to the Jade Factory and a Mongolian BBQ lunch, you
will enjoy a sightseeing tour of Shanghai that includes the waterfront Bund,
with its neo-classic colonial business houses and Gothic towers, the pool-sized
lakes, the rockery mountain and the meditation pavilions of the Yu Yuan Garden, Old
Town, and Nanjing Road. (B, L, D))
Day 7. TOUR TO HANGZHOU / BOAT CRUISE ON WEST LAKE / SIX HARMONIES PAGODA / TEA VILLAGE This morning we travel to Hangzhou where we will take a boat cruise on the West Lake, will visit the Six Harmonies pagoda and a Tea Village. (B, L, D)
Day 8. TOUR TO SUZHOU / HUMBLE ADMINISTRATOR’S GARDEN / SILK FACTORY This morning we travel to Suzhou, China's answer to Venice, where you will experience the golden age of traditional Chinese gardens. Built around a network of canals, it is home to a variety of unique and picturesque landscapes. We will visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Later, we visit a Silk Factory, where the ancient art of Silk embroidery is as thriving as during the time of Marco Polo’s visit. We will also visit the Hanshan Temple. (B, L, D)
Day 9. SHANGHAI A
day at leisure for some shopping or to pursue your own interests. Your tour
director will be on hand to assist you with your plans. (B)
Day 10. JOURNEY HOME Today, we return to Shanghai and transfer to the airport for our flight home arriving in the U.S. the same day ("gaining" back the day we "lost"), filled with wonderful memories of our exotic vacation in Imperial China. (B, plus 2 IFM)
*HOTELS - You will stay at 4* or 5* - star hotels such as the following or similar: Beijing - Capital (4*) , Swissotel (5*), King Wing (5*), Kunlun (5*), Jade Palace (5*), Shangri-La (5*) Oriental Plaza (5*). Shanghai - JC Madarin (5*), Huating (5*), Jin Jiang (5*).
Travel Agent's price $799.00*
*plus taxes and fees (currently $154.00 plus $55.00 for visa to China). Companions are allowed, based on availability, at a cost of $899.00 each plus taxes and fees. Single supplement $299.00
Upgrade to Business Class for only $820.00 for the trans-pacific flights!
READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS HERE!