China, Tibet & the Yangtze (2021)

14 days
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5/5 Excellent
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USTOA

River Cruise
Designed for travelers seeking a soul-enriching and spiritually enlightening journey, this itinerary encompasses China as well as the mysterious and remote region of Tibet.
17%
$9,347
From$7,799
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Overview

Trip type
River Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

What's this trip about?

    Designed for travelers seeking a soul-enriching and spiritually enlightening journey, this itinerary encompasses China as well as the mysterious and remote region of Tibet.

Compare to similar trips

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeOperator does not provide
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityBeijing
End CityShanghai

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural
  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

  • Asia
  • China

Attractions

  • Beijing
  • Lhasa
  • Shanghai
  • Three Gorges
  • Tibet

Activities

  • Culture
  • Historic sightseeing
  • River cruise

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Itinerary

Travel Map
2019 version

Beijing to Shanghai

Day 1 - Beijing
Port - Beijing Arrive at the Beijing Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the opulent Ritz-Carlton Beijing. This stunning hotel is located in the heart of the city, where modernity, exemplary service and rich Chinese tradition seamlessly blend together.

Day 2 - Beijing
Port - Beijing The political and cultural capital of China and home to more than 20 million people, Beijing exemplifies everything visitors find most intoxicating about China. Spectacular ancient monuments contrast with ambitious modern high-rises, and traditional crafts flourish alongside booming international businesses—which you’ll discover today.

Excursion(s)
- The imperial heritage of China’s capital – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Peking Duck lunch with afternoon Temple of Heaven visit and Tai Chi class Excursion Price - $70

Delve into the mystique and majesty of China’s imperial legacy today, beginning in Tia...

Day 3 - Beijing
Port - Beijing Today is a bucket list kind of day, as you stand at last atop China’s most iconic site—the Great Wall. You’ll also have tea at a traditional teahouse and take a rickshaw ride through the city’s ancient hutongs, where you’ll enjoy lunch.

Excursion(s)
- Culture, history and intrigue: hutongs, teahouse and the Great Wall Excursion Price - $70

Expand your experience of Beijing’s amazing culture with a visit to the hutongs, the historic residential neighborhoods that developed around the Forbidden City during the 15th...

Day 4 - Beijing, Fly to Xi’an
Port - Xi’an Leave dynamic Beijing behind today and head north to the lush lakeside Summer Palace, home to one of China’s most beautiful classical gardens. From there, plunge into the past in China’s first capital, where you’ll celebrate your first night in Xi’an with a traditional dumpling banquet.

Excursion(s)
- Grace and art—Beijing’s Summer Palace and Xi’an’s traditional dumpling banquet Excursion Price - $70

Even emperors suffered in Beijing’s summer heat, so they built a lake just north of the city and then added a series of palaces and pavilions on the banks of that la...

Day 5 - Xi’an
Port - Xi’an Xi’an’s Terracotta Army has been called the 8th Wonder of the World, and it’s certainly the most extraordinary archeological find of the 20th century. You’ll also enjoy a traditional Tang Dynasty dinner show with fabulous food, music and vibrant costumes.

Excursion(s)
- China’s first capital—Terra-cotta Army and Tang Dynasty dinner show Excursion Price - $70

In 1974 a farmer digging a well stumbled upon one of the 20th century’s most astonishing archaeological finds: a massive army of terra-cotta figures that stand guard over the t...

Day 6 - Xi’an, Fly to Lhasa
Port - Lhasa Today you’ll fly to Lhasa, the ancient cultural and religious epicenter of Tibet, where the majestic Himalayan peaks will make you feel like you’re on top of the world—figuratively and literally—in the world’s highest capital city.

Day 7 - Lhasa
Port - Lhasa Enter the hushed inner sanctum of the spiritual heart of the city, the Jokhang Temple, where you will have a rare opportunity to gaze upon the most sacred icon of Tibetan Buddhism—an ancient statue of the Buddha that legions of devout pilgrims journey vast distances to see in person.

Excursion(s)
- Otherworldly Jokhang Temple and Tibet Museum Excursion Price - $70

Gold-domed Jokhang Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the holiest temple in the holy city, contains the most revered icon of Tibetan Buddhism, a seventh-century statue of Buddha known as the Jo...

Day 8 - Lhasa
Port - Lhasa The enormous hilltop Potala Palace is the first thing visitors see in Lhasa, and today you’ll have a chance to venture inside this vast and well-preserved site. It is said to contain a thousand rooms, including the private rooms where the Dalai Lama himself once resided.

Excursion(s)
- Place of the Gods—Potala Palace and Sera Monastery Excursion Price - $70

Tibetan Buddhism is inextricably associated with Lhasa; the temporal head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism—the Dalai Lama—governed Tibet for 300 years. Potala’s two palaces, the Red and ...

Day 9 - Lhasa, Fly to Chongqing (Embark), Cruising the Yangtze River
Port - Chongqing Check out of your hotel and fly to Chongqing, the booming capital of western China, where you’ll board the Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer.

Day 10 - Cruising the Yangtze River, Shibaozhai
Port - Shibaozhai Near Fuling, you’ll be offered the extraordinary chance to visit the 816 Underground Project, a giant nuclear installation, which the military started constructing in the mountains in the 1960s. It boasts 18 man-made caves, more than 130 roads and tunn...
Excursion(s)
- Fuling—816 Underground Project Excursion Price - $70

Venture to the site of the 816 Underground Project—a giant nuclear installation that the military started constructing in the mountains in the 1960s as the world’s superpowers set off on a nuclear arms race. For y...

Day 11 - Cruising the Yangtze River, Shennong Stream
Port - Shibaozhai Today will be a highlight of your journey—a full day cruising the Yangtze River’s mystical, beautiful and completely mesmerizing Three Gorges and Shennong Stream.

Excursion(s)
- The magical Shennong Stream Excursion Price - $70

This morning, early-bird tea and coffee are available in the Explorer Bar. Before today’s activities, you can partake in traditional Chinese exercises before savoring an international breakfast buffet. After, climb a...

Day 12 - Cruising the Yangtze River, Yichang (Disembark), Fly to Shanghai
Port - Yichang The Three Gorges Dam was a project that involved relocating villages and submerged a number of cultural treasures behind the rising waters of the Yangtze. The dam itself is an engineering marvel you can see from an up-close perspective today.

Excursion(s)
- Powering China’s future—Three Gorges Dam Excursion Price - $70

Get an up-close view of a contemporary man-made wonder as your ship navigates the five-stage locks of the massive Three Gorges Dam, located in Yichang. Known the world over, the dam harnesses the power o...

Day 13 - Shanghai
Port - Shanghai An international economic hub, Shanghai has drawn entrepreneurs from all over the world for 150 years. But while Shanghai may be the “city of the future,” you can still find remnants of its history in Old Town and the area known as the Concessions, which you’ll discover today.

Excursion(s)
- Spectacular skyscrapers, famous dim sum and acrobats Excursion Price - $70

Call it the once and future boomtown. Shanghai, China’s one-time window to the West, is once again its commercial capital, and this morning’s tour will take you to some of this engaging city’...

Day 14 - Depart Shanghai
Port - Shanghai Check out of your hotel and transfer to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport for your flight home, or extend your trip with a memorable optional extension to Hong Kong.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $7,799
Price per day$557
Last Updated: 7/13/2023

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Uniworld.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Uniworld Reviews & Ratings

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Other Uniworld Reviews

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Bradley Acuff

Jan 2023

Provided byUniworld

Personnel were all very polite and happy to serve.

Personnel were all very polite and happy to serve. Service was timely and ...

M

Marie Rossiter

Jan 2023

Provided byUniworld

The staff is most efficient and kind.

The staff is most efficient and kind.

L

Leslie Gleiser

Jan 2023

Provided byUniworld

The service on the Tosca was OUTSTANDING.

The service on the Tosca was OUTSTANDING. The crew was very attentive, concerned always that we had what we needed and wanted. They could not be more helpful! It was...

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Tour Operator

Uniworld

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Award-winning Uniworld—the world's ONLY authentic boutique cruise line™—offers itineraries in spectacular destinations throughout Europe, Russia, and Asia. The company’s European fleet features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 130 guests, the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry, enticing shore excursions, world-class gourmet cuisine, impeccable hospitality, and numerous other all-inclusive benefits.

In 2004, Uniworld was acquired by The Travel Corporation (TTC), a highly successful international travel group founded by Stanley Tollman. TTC has more than 30 top brands, including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, and Contiki, as well as Red Carnation Hotels, a renowned collection of four- and five-star luxury properties.

TTC has made major investments in Uniworld's ships, crew, and staff, with an eye towards providing guests with all the elements of an unforgettable Six-Star Experience: Expertise; Service; Luxurious Ships, Uniquely Designed; Culinary; Choice; and Truly All-Inclusive. Combining the tour planning and hotel management expertise of TTC’s sister companies with Uniworld’s decades of superior nautical experience has created an entirely new category of luxury river cruising.

In partnership with its sister company, Red Carnation Hotels, Uniworld takes pride in its long-lasting relationships with guests, for whom there is “No request too large, no detail too small.” Uniworld employs a professionally trained, dedicated, English-speaking staff, so guests never have to worry about communication.

What they’re known for
Posh all-inclusive river cruises with fascinating shore excursions in destinations across Europe and Asia.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Ship & cabin information
Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer
Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information
Trip ID
Uniworld-177

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