11 Days Fabulous China Tour from Hong Kong

Hong Kong's tourism industry is very developed. Foreign travellers can explore Hong Kong independently and easily. Below is recommended Hong Kong day trip itinerary.

Firstly, you will climb to the highest point of Hong Kong - Victoria Peak(552m) via the famous Peak Tram which has operated for more than 112 years as one of the world oldest funicular railways. Walk through the verdant woods to explore hidden old buildings left by the old Hong Kong. Also ascend to the observation deck to sweep the magnificent Hong Kong skyline and tranquil harbor views. Get down from the peak, then go to visit Aberdeen Fishing Village where you will get an impressive insight of an old traditional fishing village to view the rows of old Junks and Sampans. 

Continue to take a trip to the Stanley Market. Browse fancy petty commodities in various little stores and enjoy the fun of bargaining, or just order a cup of coffee or beer at the seaside café or pub, a great way to spend time away from the maddening crowds. (If you are interested in the beautiful sand beach with long coastline, soft sand and clean water, you can visit Repulse Bay instead of Stanley Market.)

In this afternoon, pay a visit to Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple. This Taoist temple is dedicated to a deified healer named Wong Tai Sin and it is said that when he was 15 an immortal taught Wong how to make a herbal potion that could cure all illness. This temple is famed for the many prayers answered “What you request is what you get” via a practice called kau chim. Enjoy the sincere atmosphere of praying and kau chim for good fortune. Later, move your steps to Nan Lian Garden, an elegant Tang-style garden featuring a golden pagoda, a koi pond and a collection of bizarre rocks sourced from all over China. Enjoy your time in the beautiful Chi Lin Nunnery located close to the garden. Built in the style of Tang Dynasty, this Buddhist complex is a serene place with lotus ponds, bonsai tea plants, bougainvillea and silent nuns delivering offerings fruit and rice to Buddha or chanting behind intricately carved screens.

In the late evening, enjoy a light walk along Avenue of Stars situated on the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade right on the waterfront of Victoria Harbor. Admire stunning views of the Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong Island with its numerous skyscrapers. If time allows, catch the chance to watch “A Symphony of Lights” that is held every night at 20:00.

Today, you will leave Hong Kong for Guilin on your own. You can take a bullet train from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Guilin West, which takes only about 3 hours. Or, you can take a flight from Hong Kong International Airport to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, which is not available all year around.

Upon arrival at Guilin railway station/airport, your local tour guide and driver will meet you, and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to have fun on your own.

Transferring Notes: Since there are very few trains between Hong Kong and Guilin, you can also transfer first to Guangzhou South Station or Shenzhen North Station by Hong Kong bullet train and then travel to Guilin by another bullet train, which is relatively cheaper than flight travel, but takes about 3-3.5 hours to arrive in Guilin City.

Evening Ideas: You can take a leisure walk around the famous city water system - Two Rivers and Four Lakes for the amazing night views.

In this morning, you’ll be driven about 80 kilometers (about 1.5 hours) to witness one of the most beautiful rice terraces in China - Longji Rice Terrace, an amazing feat of farm engineering rising up to 1000m high in Longsheng County. There are several featured Zhuang and Yao minority villages along the road and you’ll take a visit to the special Huangluo Yao Village, the First Village of Long Hair in the World, where you can see women in red ethnic clothes with very long hairs (the longest can reach up to 1.7 meters).

Later, continue your drive to a beautiful 600-year-old Zhuang Village - Ping’an. After some rest, start to explore the breathtaking views. The rice terrace is layer upon layer, like the changing ladder created by nature leading to the blue sky, forming a majestic painting between heaven and earth. From Ping’an, you can hike on the cobbled paths built among terraces to catch the best landscape. Climb up to the great lookouts at Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers from which you can get superlative views of terraces and villages. Hike half day around, then back to Guilin for accommodation. 

Good to Know:

1. Best time to visit: Longji Rice Terrace can be visited all year round. Go mid-April to late June for mirror-like irrigated terrace and rice transplanting scene; go July to mid-September for green terraces; go late September to early-November for golden and harvest scene; or go late December to early February for silvery terraces.

2. Walking: When arriving at Ping’an Village, you can only be dropped at Ping’an Village Tourist Center parking lot that you need to walk about 900 steps to your hotel. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended!

3. Luggage carrying: For the aged or travelers who are lack of physical strength, you’d better hire a local porter to help carry your heavy luggage to the hotel (pay extra expense on your own).

As the declaration in Chinese textbook "Guilin's landscape is the best under heaven", today you will explore this best landscape starting with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. Along the 84-kilometer cruise, dazzling scenery overwhelms your eyes like a vast endless Chinese painting of winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, amazing scene of A Painting of Nine Horses, and notable view printed on the back of the 20 RMB note. (Please note: Lunch is served by the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine. And you can take some snacks when getting on board.)

After about 4 hours's cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check into your hotel.

After a short break, start your impressive exploration of the best charming sightseeing and ideal countryside ease at Yulong River. Let all the refreshing scenes please your eyes and souls to the utmost. Just enjoy every moment with the Karst hills dotted around, chatting stream, rippling mountain reflection, swaying floras, patches of vivid crops, comfortable breeze... There are diverse kinds of ways for your enjoyment of the fun and beauty, including biking, hiking, bamboo rafting and driving. You can easily choose and combine your ideal way(s) and part of Yulong River. (Please tell your likes to your travel consultants before booking the tour, as the final prices will differ by activities you choose).

Biking (some physically demanding & sightseeing by the river) - Ride to enjoy the river view and the real fields (route: Yangshuo - Jima - Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge - West Street; for 1.5-2 hours).

Bamboo Rafting (relaxing and interesting & sightseeing on the river) - have fun with the classic bamboo rafting (Route A: Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 40-50 minutes; Route B: Jima Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 1.5 hours) to see the more serene view like pieces of traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings.

Driving (most leisurable and comfortable & sightseeing on the road) - drive and travel from Jima to Gongnong Bridge to appreciate the lovely countryside view (about 0.5 hour). You can get off and on anywhere on the middle way to explore more about your interested place.

After that, walk leisurely on the ancient West Street to witness how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you get it here.

Note: according to the regulations of Yulong River Tourism, children less than 1 meter high and elders over 70 years old are not allowed to take the bamboo rafting.

Optional evening activity:

Watch the splendid evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which was directed by famous director - Zhang Yimou (usually performs for an hour between around 19:45 and 22:20).

Today you will drive about 2 hours to Guilin Airport to catch your flight to Chengdu. You will arrive at Chengdu's airport after 2 hours' flying, and then be picked by your tour guide and transferred to your downtown hotel. The rest time is free for you to explore this City of Panda!

Optional Evening Activity: 1) enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine at a local restaurant; 2) watch a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment (usually performs at 20:00~21:30).

Optional Guilin-Chengdu transfer: you can also take a high speed train to Chengdu instead. Compared with flight, the high speed trains cost about 7 hours but provide more flexible schedules.

This morning you will make a memorable visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.  This facility is not only the most important panda scientific research center in the world, but also the home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. You will walk at leisure through the bamboo-framed paths and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, and climbing trees. Be sure to not miss the chance to watch female pandas nursing their cubs in the nursery rooms! There is also a very informative Panda Museum where you can learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas. Following the visit to this Panda base, you will be taken to a hidden spiritual Buddhist temple in hustling downtown Chengdu, Wenshu Temple, where you will marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architecture, soak in the reverent atmosphere, and wander on the temple’s peaceful paths. 

Chengdu is famous throughout China for its relaxing and leisurely pace and lifestyle, which will be demonstrated by a visit to the City’s Renmin Park. Sit down, order a pot of Chinese tea, have a casual chat with your friends and watch locals indulging themselves in different kinds of folk entertainment – napping, playing mahjong, disco dancing, and giving neck massages! Next will be an impressive visit to the famous Jinli Old Street. Time will steal away as you quietly walk on the lively streets full of delicious local snacks, delicate artifacts, interesting folk shows, and other activities.

Optional activity: In the evening, watch a wonderful performance at the Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment. (usually starts at 8pm and last 1.5 hours)

After breakfast, take a meaningful visit to Jinsha Site Museum. Constructed on the Jinsha ruin site which reveals the unique bronze civilization of the mysterious ancient Shu Kingdom (approximately 2900 – 3200 years ago), Jinsha Site Museum conserves the original expansive site for sacrifice as well as numerous ivory tusks and gold artifacts, including the symbol of China Culture Heritage – the Gold Sun and Immortal Bird.

After the tour, you’ll be escorted to Chengdu East Railway Station for a high speed train to Xian (about 3.5~4 hours). Upon arrival at Xian North Railway Station, you will be met by local guide and then transferred to your hotel in Xian downtown. The rest of today is free on your own to explore this ancient capital of China.

After breakfast, drive about 40 km to discover one of the greatest man-made wonders in the world - the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife. Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses and chariots, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until uncovered by a local farmer in 1974, form an ancient military army with complete battle units of infantry, cavalry, etc. Standing in front of these figures, one can’t help being amazed not only by the ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang but also by the fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans. (Before the Terracotta Warriors Museum visit, you will have a rare opportunity to make a miniature Terracotta Warrior on your own under the instruction of a local potter.)

After lunch, return to Xian to visit Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. The pagoda, rising to a height of 64.5 meters, was built by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve classic scriptures he bought back from India during the early Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang was the prototype character for Tang Seng in the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. (Note: It costs an extra 30 RMB if you want to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda). After (or before) visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will be provided an interesting experience of trying on the Hanfu which is the solemn costume of the emperors and their families, the ministers and the noble in the ancient dynasties of China. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory!

This evening you will be offered an interesting visit to Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City which is a great place to walk, enjoy amazing nightscape and recall the prosperity and glory of the mighty Tang Dynasty most importantly. Seeing this area at night is totally different than during the day as the lighting is marvelous yet tastefully done.

Optional activity: Enjoy a wonderful Tang Palace Dance Show (usually from 8pm to 9pm) after (or without) a hearty dumpling dinner.

After breakfast, start today's tour with an educational visit to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi’an Museum to learn a lot about the history and culture about the ancient city of Xi’an. They are together located in a clean and beautiful park. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is rather smaller and 55 years younger than its “sister” - the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Built during 707 to 709 AD, the pagoda is 43.4 meters tall with 13 tiers (originally 15 tiers), looking like a very tall rectangular pyramid. An interesting fact about the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is that the pagoda has survived nearly 70 earthquakes, and now still standing firm and sturdy. You can walk around to appreciate the beautiful design and take photos of the pagoda. Then you will go to visit Xi’an Museum which is only several minutes’ walking from the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. This museum has more than 130,000 pieces of jade relics, seals, paintings, porcelains, Buddhist statues, stone carvings and many other precious relics.

Later, go to spend a leisure time on the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Just like the merchants and envoys on the Silk Road thousands of years ago, you will enter the interior of the city walls through the Hanguang Gate. There you will visit a mini museum to see the real Tang Dynasty city wall ruins from over 1400 years ago, including gateways, cross-sections of the wall, and the remains of water channels. After the museum visit, get up to the city wall to enjoy a leisure stroll and pleasant panoramic views of modern Xian. Rent a bike (extra cost: 45RMB) to enjoy a relaxing cycling on the Wall is strongly recommended. The cycling routes and duration are flexible. Feel free to discuss with your tour guide. Leave the City Wall, then go to wander leisurely around the bustling and lively Muslim Quarter, a place where you can try different local snacks and explore Muslim culture.

The rest of today is free for you until get escorted to catch a high speed train to Beijing (about 5hrs), the iconic city and capital of China! You will be met by local tour guide at the Beijing West Railway Station and escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to relax.

After breakfast, start to explore the historical face of Beijing with a brief visit to Tiananmen Square, now the largest city plaza in the world. Tiananmen Gate on the northern side of the square was the site where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Stepping into the Tiananmen, you will see one of the world’s five most important palaces – the Forbidden City, a huge palace complex of more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lived. Pass through various doorways in this magnificent structure to admire the beautiful and well preserved buildings decorated with yellow-glazed tile roofs, white marble bases and splendid colorful paintings.

Leave the city, drive about 70km to witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Wall. Visit the Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. It will more than live up to all of your expectations! You’ll take a cable car to ascend the Great Wall, then hike the most beautiful and interesting part of Mutianyu. It's a wonderful experience to climb up its rising towers to enjoy scenic views and take brag-worthy photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. After the exciting time, descend Mutianyu Great Wall by cable car. (Note: If energy permits, you can hike up or down which takes about 40 minutes to climb steps. Please tell your likes to your travel consultant.)

Optional activities: 1) You can watch a wonderful Kungfu Show in the Red Theater (Hong Ju Chang) which usually starts at 19:30; 2) Enjoy the classic Chinese art performance of Beijing Opera at Liyuan Theater between 19:30-21:00. 

After breakfast, drive to the imperial site of the Temple of Heaven. Originally a site used to pay homage to Heaven and pray for good harvests, it is now a bustling place where locals take part in traditional activities such as Tai Chi, dancing, kite flying, water calligraphy, and others.

Then get back to the central city to hop on a rickshaw to experience the Beijing Hutongs – small alleys made by neighboring quadrangle dwellings. Shuttle among different Hutongs to get a feel of the old Beijing life style, visit various antique shops and small boutiques, and truly feel the historical changes of Beijing, also pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs. After the Hutong visit, go to enjoy a farewell lunch of the most authentic Peking Roast Duck at Quanjude Restaurant.

Your China tour is now about to end. Drive to the airport to catch your flight to your next destination or back home.