7 days Beijing Shanghai sightseeing tour

Upon your arrival at Beijing Capital Airport or Beijing Train Station, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by your tour guide and driver in Beijing. You can have a good rest in the hotel or explore Beijing city freely for the rest of the day. Overnight in Beijing. B=breakfast

On your first day of Beijing sightseeing, you will have an excursion to Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world and an assembling place for celebrations of traditional Chinese festivals and other big events.

Walking along Tiananmen Square to its north end, you will reach the magnificent Forbidden City, an ancient architecture complex where you can walk the history and pretend to be one of the 24 ancient Chinese emperors who used to live and meet with their ministers for discussions of national affairs.

After lunch, you will be driven to visit Temple of Heaven, a holy place of the Chinese people where emperors of past Dynasties went to offer sacrifices to the God of Heaven and pray for an abundant harvest. Then go to Beijing Hongqiao Pearl Market to see the variety of pearls and jewelry; you may pick up some as souvenirs for your trip. You will enjoy Beijing Kungfu Culture Show in the evening. Overnight in Beijing. 

A fresh morning begins with a visit to Mutianyu, a less-crowded section of the Great Wall. It takes around 2.5 hours to drive from Beijing city to Mutianyu Great Wall. Cable cars are available to take you up to a good section and then down. Upon reaching the top, you can stroll freely along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy the panoramic view of the Great Wall winding its way across hills and mountains.

You will spend a relaxing afternoon visiting the chief tomb of a cluster of Ming Tombs. Walk through the Sacred Way in front of it which is believed to lead the emperor, the son of Heaven to the road up to Heaven to savor an important piece of history in the Ming Dynasty.

On your way back to downtown Beijing, you will have time to go to the 2008 Olympic Green to enjoy an outer view of the iconic architecture of China's Olympic Games: the Bird's Nest and Water Cube (If you elect to go inside of the stadiums, the entrance fee is on your own). Dinner includes Beijing roast duck (optional). Overnight in Beijing.

Morning drive to the old part of Beijing, first you will spend one hour touring around the 300-year old courtyard. Your English speaking tour guide will give you a detailed explanation of the old courtyard ( Siheyuan ) - its history, its layout, its Fengshui, and its traditional Chinese culture. 

Then you will have about 1.5 hour rickshaw tour driving through the narrow alleys (Hutong) to experience the real life of local Beijing residents. Two people share one rickshaw. Drop off at the Silver Ingot Bridge (Yinding Bridge) and walk along the 800-year old Yandai Xiejie (Tobacco Pipe Lean Street) to the Drum Tower. Visit the big drum tower and have a great view of the surrounding hutongs and traditional courtyards.

You will have enough time to hang out in bars and shop for some souvenirs for family and friends in this area. Also it's worthwhile to try some of the tasty local snacks. In the afternoon take bullet train at Beijing Train Station to Shanghai. This train ride takes about 5.5 hours. Your guide and driver in Shanghai will pick you up at Shanghai Train Station. Overnight in Shanghai. 

In the morning your guide will escort you to visit Yu Garden, one of the best known Suzhou style gardens where you will be able to appreciate its stunning garden view and the delicately designed architecture that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Then wander Shanghai old town to experience life of the local people.  Afterwards, head to the French Concession - Xin Tian Di which boasts large shopping malls and magnificent architecture with tradition and modernity of Shanghai blended .

After lunch, head to Shanghai Museum, considered the best museum of ancient Chinese art which houses more than 120,000 precious and rare works of art. Then move on to the Oriental Pearl Tower, a landmark of Shanghai to enjoy a panoramic view of  the whole city, especially the spectacular scenery along the Bund. In the evening, you can either choose to have a cruise trip on Huangpu River or watch acrobatic show (fee is on your own). Overnight in Shanghai. 

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel and drive together to one of the top water towns in China -- Zhouzhuang. Located in the middle between Shanghai and Suzhou city, Zhouzhuang Water Town has a history of more than 900 years with many houses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Surrounded by lakes on all four sides, the beauty of this ancient town can easily be seen through the interlaced rivers and stone bridges.

You can freely stroll on its ancient lanes and streets or sit down in one of the bars to slowly take in its unique houses with courtyards. What's unique about some of houses is that they have an arch gateway in front of them built by carved bricks.

Afternoon will be spent visiting one of the courtyard houses, the Shen's Residence which was built in 1742 during the Qing Dynasty by a man named Shen Benren, a descendant of a wealthy man in the late Yuan to early Ming Dynasty. With seven courtyards, five archways and more than 100 rooms of different sizes, it's a such large compound for you to wander in that you may even lose your way. Before you are driven back to downtown Shanghai, you will also have time to see the Milou tower in Zhouzhuang. It is believed to be the rallying place of ancient men of letters who were inspired by this charming water town and wrote many valuable literary works in praise of it. Overnight in Shanghai.

Shanghai is such a large city that it's impossible to include all it has to offer in several days. So today you will have a free day explore it; your guide can give you some suggestions on where to go and what to see. After that, you will be transferred to Shanghai Airport or Shanghai Train Station; say goodbye to your guide and driver. Ending your Beijing and Shanghai combined trip! WindhorseTour can help extend your trip to other tourist destinations in China. Our Travel Advisors are here to give you suggestions and would like to help create custom itinerary to suit your requirements and interests. Enjoy your trip in China!