Grand China and the Yangtze (2021)

18 days
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USTOA

River Cruise
Our longest itinerary in the Middle Kingdom compresses many centuries of history into a comprehensive and in-depth tour of China, including Xi’an, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong.
35%
$13,529
From$8,799
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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?

    Our longest itinerary in the Middle Kingdom compresses many centuries of history into a comprehensive and in-depth tour of China, including Xi’an, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong.

Details

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

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural
  • Small Ship Cruise

Destinations

  • Asia
  • China
  • Hong Kong

Attractions

  • Beijing
  • Chengdu
  • Hong Kong
  • Shanghai
  • Yichang

Activities

  • Culture
  • Historic sightseeing
  • River cruise

Popular Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map
2019 version

Beijing to Hong Kong

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.

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. Ancient monuments contrast with modern high-rises, and traditional crafts flourish alongside i...
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 Tiana...

Day 3 - Beijing
Port - Beijing Certain images immediately spring to mind when you think of China; looming largest is, of course, the Great Wall, which you will visit today. You’ll also experience a traditional teahouse and 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 famous 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.

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 Hangzhou
Port - Hangzhou Intrepid explorer Marco Polo called Hangzhou the greatest city he’d ever seen, but don’t take his word for it—judge for yourself as you get your first glimpse of this ancient Chinese capital today, celebrated throughout the centuries for its extraordinary natural beauty.

Excursion(s)
- Jade Factory visit Excursion Price - $70

Before you catch your flight to Hangzhou, you have one more expedition: a visit to the Jade Carving Center, or Jade Factory, as it’s also known. Jade has been cherished in China for 10,000 years; it is valued for its intrinsi...

Day 7 - Hangzhou
Port - Hangzhou China’s classically designed gardens and landscapes are a cultural treasure revered around the world, and you’ll see one of the best examples today at Hangzhou’s idyllic West Lake. Another highlight: Lingyin Temple, one of the country’s oldest Buddhist s...
Excursion(s)
- Poetic vision—Lingyin Temple and Enduring Memories of Hangzhou show Excursion Price - $70

A millennium of landscape design has created one of China’s most idyllic visions—West Lake, where wooded hills, colorful pagodas and placid waters lure you to breathe in its se...

Day 8 - Shanghai
Port - Shanghai Today you’ll head to Shanghai, China’s largest city. An international economic hub, it has drawn entrepreneurs from all over the world for 150 years. 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 was controlled by European interests in the 19th century.

Excursion(s)
- Glamour, skyscrapers, art deco gems and famous dim sum 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 cit...

Day 9 - Shanghai
Port - Shanghai Today you have the luxury of an entire day to explore Shanghai however you wish. Then, in the evening, experience yet another cultural highlight of your journey—a thrilling performance by the dazzling and gravity-defying Shanghai Acrobats.

Excursion(s)
- Spectacular Shanghai Acrobatic Show Excursion Price - $70

After dinner on your own, experience spinning plates, flying knives and whirling hula-hoops as agile acrobats dance across swaying tightropes and perform death-defying leaps. You’ll be truly dazzled as the famous Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe performs their astonishing, gravity-defying routines.

Day 10 - Shanghai, Fly to Yichang (Embark)
Port - Yichang From Shanghai, you’ll fly to Yichang. When you arrive in Yichang, you’ll enjoy an up-close look at one of the three locks of the Gezhouba Dam and a visit to the Gezhouba Central Vegetable Market, providing you with an intimate look at local people’s lives...
Excursion(s)
- The Balance of Yichang: Modern technologies and ancient pagodas Excursion Price - $70

Day 11 - Cruising the Yangtze River
Port - Yichang The Three Gorges Dam was an expensive and controversial undertaking, a project that involved relocating entire villages threatened by the rising waters of the Yangtze. The dam itself is an engineering marvel that you can see from a breathtakingly up-close perspective today. You are invited to a Captain’s Welcome Reception before dinner.

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 12 - Cruising the Yangtze River, Shennong Stream
Port - Yichang Today is destined to 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 13 - Cruising the Yangtze River
Port - Fuling 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 tunnels, ...
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 14 - Cruising the Yangtze River, Chongqing (Disembark), Train to Chengdu
Port - Chongqing Disembark in the port of Chongqing and jump on a bullet train to Chengdu, where you’ll be transferred to the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu. Enjoy lunch at the hotel before a visit to People’s Park.

Excursion(s)
- People's Park and Kuanzhai Alley Excursion Price - $70

Take in the tranquility and charming landscape of Chengdu’s People’s Park, which combines cultural relics, entertainment and lush green spaces. Wander through any of the park’s famous scenic spots, such as the G...

Day 15 - Chengdu
Port - Chengdu Chengdu, or “Panda City” as it’s affectionately known, is a beguiling blend of centuries-old traditions and bustling city life. Nestled among sleek skyscrapers sit preserved streets, temples and historic sites. Today, you’ll venture to the Sanxingdui Museum, an archaeological museum teeming with cultural relics.

Excursion(s)
- Panda Breeding Research Base and Sanxingdui Museum Excursion Price - $70

Chengdu’s Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is a sight to behold, as it’s home to the city’s most famous residents—giant pandas. This nonprofit research and breeding facility has replicated gi...

Day 16 - Chengdu, Fly to Hong Kong
Port - Hong Kong Check out of your hotel and head to the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport for your flight to Hong Kong.

Day 17 - Hong Kong
Port - Hong Kong Hong Kong presents a dizzying juxtaposition of East and West, ancient and modern. This bustling, glittering, multicultural city, which you’ll explore today, is famous for its soaring skyscrapers, fabulous shopping, Star Ferries crisscrossing Victoria Harbour and the lingering traces of its British colonial past.

Excursion(s)
- “Pearl of the Orient"—Hong Kong’s highlights Excursion Price - $70

Reunited with China in 1997 after years of British rule, dynamic Hong Kong reinvents itself constantly. A commercial center that attracts entrepreneurs from all over the world, a shopping mecca offer...

Day 18 - Depart Hong Kong
Port - Hong Kong Today, you will be transferred to the Hong Kong International Airport for your flight home.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $8,799
Price per day$489
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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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 ...

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Marie Rossiter

Jan 2023

Provided byUniworld

The staff is most efficient and kind.

The staff is most efficient and kind.

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Leslie Gleiser

Jan 2023

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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.

Why we love this operator
They have the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry and a reputation for excellent service.
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

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
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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
Trip ID
Uniworld-189

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