On arrival in Beijing, be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Blending tradition and modernity, Beijing offers a unique cultural experience with its traditional ancient architecture, culinary delights and vibrant art scene. This evening, savour a Welcome Dinner and meet your Great Rail Journey Tour Escort and fellow travellers.

Set off for a full day exploring this fascinating city. Explore Tiananmen Square, the site of the 1989 protests and home to the tomb of the founder of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong. Continue to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, a massive palace complex which served as the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties for over 500 years. Discover ornate grand halls, breathtaking architecture and beautiful gardens as you stroll through this wonderous site.

Later, marvel at the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Temple of Heaven, one of Beijing’s most popular attractions. Built in the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty, it served as a place of worship for emperors to pray for good harvests and today serves as a bustling meeting place for locals to engage in activities like tai chi and card games.

Begin today with your Insider Experience and en route back to your hotel visit a cloisonne factory, learning about this ancient technique to decorate metal objects. Tonight you will enjoy an Insider Experience for dinner.

Insider Experience - Banquet in Beijing

This evening, sample Beijing’s most iconic dish with a delicious banquet of Peking Duck at a local restaurant.

Insider Experience - Great Wall of China

Discover China’s greatest icon, the Great Wall of China. Take in breathtaking views during a cable car ride to the Mutianyu section, one of the best-preserved parts of the wall, before spending time for a walk along a section of the wall.

This morning embark on your Insider Experience. Arrive in Xi’an, the eastern point of the ancient Silk Road which played a crucial role in cultural exchange and trade between China and the other civilisations. The remainder of the day and evening is at your leisure.

Insider Experience - High-Speed Train

Board a high-speed train headed for Xi’an. Enjoy the comforts of First-Class modern carriages as you take in the views of Eastern China whilst travelling at speeds up to 186km per hour.

Known for its remarkable collection of Terracotta Warriors, a discovery of Xi’an awaits today. Admire the excavation pits that have housed the thousands of sculptures since around 210 BC. Every sculpture is unique, with distinct facial features, hairstyles, postures and clothing. Spend the afternoon on a guided tour of Xi’an, taking in some of its most famous sights, including the Great Mosque, featuring a blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture and the lively Muslim bazaar. Tonight, dinner is an Insider Experience.

Insider Experience - Chinese Banquet

Feast on a traditional Chinese dumpling banquet savouring a selection filled with delicious vegetables, meats, and seafood.

Following a relaxed morning take your Insider Experience. Be whisked through the countryside to Chengdu, recognised as UNESCO’s first city of Gastronomy. On arrival in Chengdu, be transferred to the hotel. Gather this evening to embrace the flavours of Sichuan as you enjoy a dinner of local specialities in the hotel restaurant.

Insider Experience - High-Speed Train

Embark on a high-speed train journey to Chengdu.

After your Insider Experience, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, then visit the Buddhist Wenshu Monastery and learn about the ancient structure. Finish your day with a visit to the charming Jinli Street where bright lanterns light up the path and traditional crafts, food vendors and market stalls provide a sensory treat of cultural delights.

Insider Experience - Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Spend time at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Get up close to the adorable pandas and hear all about how they are being protected.

Following breakfast at your hotel, enjoy your Insider Experience before travelling by train to Chongqing where you will savour dinner at a local restaurant before boarding your river ship. Kick back and begin your relaxing three-night cruise along the Yangtze River.

Insider Experience - Visit a teahouse in People’s Park

Visit a teahouse in People’s Park, surrounded by beautiful bonsai and landscaped gardens, and enjoy a cup of Chinese tea and experience an authentic slice of Chengdu life.

Early risers may like to join a tai chi class before breakfast. Soak up the scenery before enjoying a shore excursion to Shuanggui Hill National Forest Park. With birds chirping from the varied vegetation, stroll amongst ancient, ornate temples and pavilions before returning to our ship for lunch.

Afterwards, you may choose an optional excursion (additional expense) to Fengdu Ghost City, a famous tourist attraction located on the Ming Mountain near the Yangtze River. Known at the ‘City of Ghosts’ due to its rich history and folklore associated with the afterlife, explore various temples, shrines and statues depicting demons and spirits. Back on board the vessel, enjoy taking part in a variety of cultural activities before your first dinner tonight.

Immerse yourself in the region’s stunning gorges. For early risers, there is another opportunity to try out the ancient art of tai chi before breakfast. This morning’s optional excursion (payable locally) is to the White Emperor City, an ancient fortress and temple complex also known as the ‘City of Poems’. Either side of lunch, sail through the Qutang and Wu Gorges, two of the famous Three Gorges, both renowned for their picture-perfect scenery.

In the afternoon, join a sailing excursion along the Shennong Stream. Meander through emerald waters of this beautiful waterway, this picturesque tributary cuts through the ancestral lands of the Tujia people. Following the captain’s farewell banquet this evening, enjoy an on-board cabaret show.

Bid farewell to your river ship and disembark at Maoping Pier Spend the morning at the Three Gorges Dam Site and take in the colossal scale of the world’s largest hydropower project. After lunch, transfer to Yichang airport for your flight to Shanghai, the pulsating city bursting with skyscrapers and a window to modern China.

Journey to Suzhou this morning a city famous for its labyrinth of canals and bridges, as well as its gardens. Visit the Master of the Nets Garden, one of the finest classical gardens in China. The garden has a long and rich history and shares UNESCO World Heritage status with others in the area due to its beautiful design. After lunch, visit the city's 100-year-old Silk Mill and Garden of Cultivation, a wonderfully preserved example of a Ming Dynasty classical garden. End the day’s explorations with a transfer to Pingjiang Road for a scenic canal cruise before returning to Shanghai.

This morning, explore the beautiful scenery and artistic architecture of Yu Garden (Yuyuan), believed to have been built in the Ming Dynasty more than 400 years ago. Experience Shanghai’s bustling bazaar before visiting the historic Jade Buddha Temple, a working Buddhist monastery—one of the few in China. The star attractions of the Jade Buddha Temple are two figures brought to Shanghai from Singapore by a monk from Burma in the 19th century: a seated jade Buddha encrusted with semiprecious stones and a smaller white jade reclining Buddha. This evening is a special Insider Experience.

Insider Experience - Cruising the Huangpu River

Enjoy a Farewell Dinner while cruising the Huangpu River. Marvel at the incredible city skyline of contrasting architecture, with the western shore home to European style historic buildings, and the opposite bank featuring ultra-modern Pudong dominated by the futuristic Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Shanghai airport for your onward flight.