8 Days Shanghai Suzhou Nanjing Hangzhou Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Shanghai Arrival

   Hello, welcome to this 8 days Yangtze Delta Tour from Shanghai! Upon your arrival, the private driver will pick you up with a welcome board “China Xian Tour” and send you to your downtown hotel for check-in. Feel free and easy on your arrangement for the rest of the day.

   China Xian Tour offers you optional activity to enhance your visit today which include watching an ERA acrobatic performance that shows dangerous chair balancing and aerial walking and other acts.

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   4-Star Hotel in Shanghai
2. Day 2: Shanghai Urban Exploration
   Explore Shanghai’s Iconic Skyline, Historic Bund, Vibrant Nanjing Road, Classical Yu Garden

   Meet your guide and visit Shanghai Museum East after hotel breakfast to enjoy exhibits of bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, painting and jade along with educational information about well-known pieces. The most remarkable is Da Ke Ding, featuring 290 characters which describe the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 771 B.C.).

   Learn about Jiangnan garden art at Yuyuan Garden which was originally built over 450 years ago. It is comprised of pavilions, rockeries, ponds, covered bridges and many different types of plants that produce flowers at various times of the year, such as the magnolia in spring, crabapple in spring, lotus in summer and osmanthus during autumn. The nearby Yuyuan Market sells many items such as delicious snacks and wonderful souvenirs that can be brought home for your friends and families.

   

   Jinmao Tower stands as a dominant Lujiazui skyscraper which reaches a height of 420.5 meters. The elevator takes you to the 88th floor sightseeing hall in 45 seconds and from there you can view the International Architecture Complex and the Huangpu River and entire Pudong area urban landscape.

   Stroll Nanjing Road to experience the thriving atmosphere in Shanghai. Nanjing Road has a history more than one hundred years as the "number one commercial street in China". The eastern section displays how First Food and First Department Store and modern shopping centers operate together to demonstrate the development of commercial activities in Shanghai.

   

   Keep heading to the Bund. Check out 52 classical revival buildings with their different looks while your guide tells you some stories about the area's history. If you want, take a night cruise on the Huangpu River for a bit extra - it's a great way to see the skyline all lit up.

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   4-Star Hotel in Shanghai
3. Day 3: Shanghai to Suzhou
   Discover Ancient Bridges, Canals, Mansions in Zhouzhuang

   After breakfast, your tour guide and driver will drive you for 1.5 hours to Zhouzhuang, China's "No.1 water town". With a history of over 1000 years, the town was built along a "井" shaped waterway and residents all lived by the river.

   Stroll along 14 ancient bridges such as Fu'an Bridge. These bridges were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and connect the courtyards and houses along the river. This is exactly the layout of the water town in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is well-preserved.

   

   The guide will take you to visit some large mansions such as Shen Hall and Zhang Hall to learn about the life and architectural art of the wealthy people in the water town. To have an immersive experience of the water town life, you can choose to take a hand-operated rowing boat to travel through the narrow waterways and listen to the Wu songs (optional). Don't miss the opportunity to taste local specialties such as Wan San Pig's Trotters and Grandma Tea.

   Other optional activity: Watch an authentic Kunqu performance.

   After the tour, drive to a hotel in Suzhou to stay and rest.

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   4-Star Hotel in Suzhou
4. Day 4: Suzhou to Nanjing by High-speed Train
   Admire Suzhou’s Classical Gardens, Tiger Hill Pagoda, Silk Heritage

   This morning, go to Tiger Hill which has existed for more than 25 centuries. Surprisingly, this hill was once a small island in the bay that appeared with the tide. The Yunyan Pagoda in the scenic area leaning at the peak of the structure reaches 48.2 meters in height and contains 7 levels. This UNESCO site known as the "Number One Scenic Spot in Wuzhong" includes attractive gardens and historical sites from ancient times.

   After that, head over to Suzhou Silk Museum. You can see where silk came from, how they weave it and all the cool stuff about its history. In ancient times, many royal silk fabrics were supplied by Suzhou. The museum's got everything from primitive looms to the big ones they used way back in the Ming and Qing times. Sometimes, you can even catch skilled artisans giving live weaving demonstrations. You can also see some ancient unearthed silk artifacts such as dragon robes as well as precious materials related to the Silk Road.

   

   When it comes to Suzhou, the first thing that comes to people's minds is gardens. Lingering Garden is one of China's four most famous gardens together with Beijing's Summer Palace and Chengde's Mountain Resort and Suzhou's Humble Administrator's Garden. The garden is ingeniously divided into 4 parts: the central landscape garden, the eastern architectural courtyard, the northern pastoral scenery and the western mountainous and wild scenery. The long corridors in the park wind and connect various places, featuring framed landscapes from different window patterns.

   Shantang Old Street - the last destination in Suzhou - functioned as a major commercial center during its peak time which lasted for more than 1100 years. The area still retains its prosperous atmosphere while displaying the traditional way of life that local people used to live.

   After the tour, take a high-speed train to Nanjing for the overnight stay.

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   4-Star Hotel in Nanjing
5. Day 5: Highlights of Nanjing
   Visit Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum & Ming Xiaoling Tomb, Experience Qinhuai River Night Scenery

   The Chinese revolution had Mr. Sun Yat-sen as its main leader. Today you will be guided to visit the Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen on Purple Mountain's southern slope. The major site is accessible to you after you ascend 392 steps. The steps hold deep meaning as they show the population of China during that period which amounted to 392 million people. The steps are a challenge because they require effort to walk up but you’ll discover beautiful blue glazed tiles buildings and scenic natural views along the way.

   

   Next to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, which is the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang who established the Ming Dynasty lasting from 1368 until 1644. It is one of China's largest and most intact imperial burial sites. All subsequent tombs were built following the layout and style of Ming Xiaoling. The Sacred Way is the highlight with 6 types of stone animals: lion, Xiezhi (a legendary beast in ancient times), camel, elephant, kylin and horse that lined up along the way as well as stone carvings of officials of different ranks.

   After completing your visit to the mausoleums, move to Confucius Temple. This Confucius Temple which exists today as the 4th most important Confucius temple in China was originally constructed during the Song Dynasty in 1034 and has since undergone multiple restorations. The ancient Chinese educational system together with its Confucianism-based relationship rules will be explained to you.

   

   Qinhuai River which flows next to the Confucius Temple provides you with an authentic experience of local culture. The river serves as a common subject in numerous poems. Wander around the river path with a complete view of the area which shines with vibrant light displays. You can choose to take a ride on a beautifully decorated boat on this river (optional). After the sightseeing, you will be taken back to your hotel to have a good rest.

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   4-Star Hotel in Nanjing
6. Day 6: Nanjing to Hangzhou by High-speed Train
   Explore Presidential Palace, Ancient City Wall, Scenic Xuanwu Lake

   In the morning, follow your guide to visit Presidential Palace which stands as the biggest and most complete architectural complex of modern Chinese buildings. The site has served as a backdrop for significant Chinese historical events which have emerged from its historical connections to the site. The courtyard displays different time periods which include Jiangnan gardens from the Qing Dynasty and Western architectural remains of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Palace and Republic of China gate towers existed from 1912 to 1949.

   After that, walk up the top of 25-kilometer-long Nanjing City Wall - built by the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the mid-to-late 14th century. Zhonghua Gate Fortress is the largest barbican with 27 caves of fighters garrison. During your visit, your guide will explain more about the construction behind it.

   

   Your final stop in Nanjing is Xuanwu Lake, which lies between the City Wall and Purple Mountain to its west and east respectively. As the largest urban park in the Jiangnan region, its history dates back to the pre-Qin period. The royal garden was an imperial garden during Nanjing's time as the capital for 6 different dynasties. The lake has five islands which display various floral themes. The scenery changes with each of four seasons. The scenic area provides you with optional boat rides on the lake (at an extra fee on site).

   After all visit, you will be transferred to the railway station for a high-speed train to Hangzhou. Upon arrival, the local driver will send you to your hotel for check-in.

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   4-Star Hotel in Hangzhou
7. Day 7: Hangzhou Essence
   Enjoy West Lake Scenery, Experience TCM Culture & AI Moxibustion, Visit Meijiawu Tea Village

   After breakfast, meet your guide and have a walk along the West Lake. The beautiful lake landscape in China which appears on the back of RMB 1 banknote demonstrates its status as one of China's most attractive natural sites. If interested, you can take an optional boat ride on the lake, which swings on the sparkling waves while birds fly through the air to create circular ripples. Willows along the shore move with the wind while the distant mountains display a dark green color that resembles jade, which creates the effect of an ink painting.

   

   Next is the highlighted experience in Hangzhou - visit a traditional Chinese Medicine Museum which how the historical development of Chinese medicine while you can practice identifying basic Chinese medicine ingredients and their medicinal properties. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Hall uses an AI system to create a health report from your facial features and tongue characteristics.

   Then you will learn to make moxa sticks by hand. Moxa sticks can drive away cold and are suitable for joint pain, cervical spondylosis, etc. Relax in robotic moxibustion - experience the fusion of ancient traditions and modern high technology.

   

   In the late afternoon, go to explore Meijiawu Tea Village, which boatsing a history of over 600 years where you will see large green tea plantation, witness the tea making process and you can optionally try some freshly made Longjing Tea.

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   4-Star Hotel in Hangzhou
8. Day 8: Hangzhou Departure
   Visit Buddhist Temples & Buddhist Stone Cave Statues

   After breakfast, visit Lingyin Temple, one of the earliest Buddhist temples in China facing Feilai Peak. Your guide will lead you to visit the core buildings such as the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Medicine Buddha Hall in sequence. Among them, there is a seated statue of Sakyamuni in the Mahavira Hall, 24.8 meters tall and made by joining 24 pieces of cypress wood. It looks solemn and magnificent.

   Then head to Feilai Peak. On the rock walls of the peak are over 340 Buddhist stone cave statues from the Five Dynasties to the Song and Yuan periods, which are rare precious treasures of stone cave art in southern China.

   

   After the visit, you will be taken to the airport or train station to leave in the afternoon. This is the end of your 8-day Shanghai Suzhou Nanjing Hangzhou tour. Safe travels. Thank you for choosing China Xian Tour!

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