Summary

Itinerary Highlight
Day 1 Arrive in Shanghai
Day 2 Shanghai-Hangzhou: Boat Ride on West Lake,Viewing Fish at Flower Park,Meijiawu Tea Village,Eighteen Imperial Street,China National Tea Museum
Day 3 Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple,Bamboo Lined Path at Yunqi,Six Harmonies Pagoda,Qinghefang Street
Day 4 Hangzhou-Suzhou: Lingering Garden,Private Boat on Grand Canal,Panen Gate,Suzhou No.1 Silk Mill
Day 5 Suzhou-Tongli-Shanghai: Tongli water town

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival

Welcome to China! Upon on your arrival in Shanghai, your local Shanghai driver will pick you up at the exit of Shanghai Airport (based on your requirement) with a welcome signage "Shanghai Private Tour" and you will be escorted to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free on your own to recover the jetlag.

Our Shanghai Pick up Sign" Shanghai Private Tour"

Day 2 Shanghai-Hangzhou

In the morning, drive you to the train station for your train to Hangzhou (around 1 hour). Upon arrival, your guide will wait you at the exi of the train station with a welcome signage "Hangzhou Private Tour". 

Our Hangzhou Pick Up Sign "Hangzhou Private Tour"

Your tour will begin with a West lake boat cruise, your guide will take you to explore the famous Hangzhou West Lake-which is one of world UNESCO Sites. West Lake Cruise West Lake is just like an ancient traditional Chinese painting inviting you to step in. Cruising West Lake leisurely, not only enables you to enjoy the beautiful view of West Lake from a difference angle, but also help you fully sense the feelings of ancient Chinese and get a glimpse of modern Hangzhounese.

After that, visit the Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond(Huagang Park). This spot is located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clean stream flows from Huajia Hill to join West Lake here, and many flowers grow where the fresh water flows in, so it called "Flowery Harbor". This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

After that, you will visit the Guo's Villa (Guo Zhuang). It is the best existing traditional private residence in Hangzhou, built in late Qing Dynasty. With a mountain in the back and the west lake in the front, the garden is known as "Number One Garden of the West Lake" thanks to its tranquil environment, well-preserved buildings, and tasteful landscaping layout.

Lunch at local restaurant to try the local delicacies (Our local tour guide will give you the best recommendation)

After lunch, you can take a short walk in the tea village and taste a cup of real Longjing Green Tea. As an important and the largest production base of Longjing Tea in Hangzhou, Meijiawu Tea Village is the best place for sightseeing, combining farmhouses and tea culture for locals, it is features Quiet, relaxing and refreshing place, full of tea plantation.

Continue your tour to Longjing Imperial Tea Garden (Eighteen Imperial Tea Bushes).Longjing tea was granted the status of "Imperial Tea" in Qing Dynasty by Chinese Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Qianlong was also so impressed by the Longjing tea produced here that he conferred a special imperial status on those 18 tea bushes. The bushes continue producing premium Longjing tea and the tea they produce is auctioned annually for higher price per gram than gold.

Next, you will visit China National Tea Museum. It is the only national museum which regards tea and tea culture as a subject. It locates at the hometown of the Dragon Well Tea - Hangzhou.It is a modern museum which includes a lot of parts, such as culture revelation, science publicity, science research, academic communication, tea tasting, leisure, etc. 

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Day 3 Hangzhou

After breakfast, first visit the Lingyin Temple: Lingyin temple, commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat" is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China. Despite some damage inflicted by red guards during the Cultural Revolution, the temple and grounds escaped much of the wholesale destruction that other temples in China suffered because of the protection of Premier Zhou Enlai. Today the temple is thriving, though most of the thousands of visitors who come do so for sightseeing and not for religious reasons.

Later, move to Bamboo Lined-Path at Yunqi. Located in the southeast side of downtown Hangzhou, next to the Qiantang River. It is 4.5 km away from the West Lake Scenic Spot. The central area of the Hangzhou CBD (total area 3.29 km2) will serve as Hangzhou’s future business, political and cultural center. Overall development plans include 650m2 of Grade-A offices, hotels, shopping malls and luxury residences. This place will give you a different impression about Hangzhou and show you the future of Hangzhou.

Have your Lunch at the restaurant popular with the local people to stay away from the tourists' meals.(In china, do not go to the tourists's restaurants when you are on a tour. You shold go to the right place to have the meals, then you are in real china )

After lunch, you can take a short walk in the tea village and taste a cup of real Longjing Green Tea. As an important and the largest production base of Longjing Tea in Hangzhou, Meijiawu Tea Village is the best place for sightseeing, combining farmhouses and tea culture for locals, it is features Quiet, relaxing and refreshing place, full of tea plantation.

Next, visit the Six Harmonies Pagoda, a representative ancient pavilion-style tower in China, located on Yuelun Mountain to the south of the West Lake and facing Qiantang River. It is one of the three renowned pagodas in Hangzhou, together with another two around the West Lake, Baochu Pagoda and Leifeng Pagoda. Because of the height advantage and special location, Liuhe Pagoda is one of the best places to view the splendid Qiantang River Tide.

The last stop is The Song Dynasty Imperial Street: The historic Hefang Old Street, located at the southern end of Yan’an Road and the northern foot of Wu Shan Hill in Hang Zhou, A few hundred meters from the West Lake, you can find the  Qinghefang Ancient Street in a 13-hectare area. It is the last classical-style area in downtown Hangzhou, with its own distinct cultural features, including Chinese medicine, tea, local snacks, antiques, folk customs and cultural relics. Qinghefang Ancient Street is one of the oldest streets and is the only well persevered antique historic street in Hangzhou City. It derived from the Southern Song Dynasty and became prosperous in the Qing Dynasty.

Drive back to your hotel.

Day 4 Hangzhou-Suzhou

In the morning, drive you to the Hangzhou train station to catch your train train to Suzhou. Upon arrival, your local guide will meet you at the exit of the train station with a welcome signage "Suzhou Private Tour".

Our Suzhou Pick Up Sign "Suzhou Private Tour"

Your day tour starts with the Lingering Garden, Majestically beautiful Lingering Garden is one of the 4 renowned gardens in the immediate vicinity of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and in fact, one of the most famous gardens in all of China. In 1997, Suzhou's Lingering Garden, together with other classical gardens of Suzhou, was officially registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

After that, take a leisure walk along the Grand Canal, get close to real life of locals. Dancing or singing on the public parks or just have a comfortable talk with locals, know the local culture and history from our local tour guide. Then go to take a Boat Ride on Grand Canal (also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest canal or artificial river in the world and a famous tourist destination. Starting at Beijing, it passes through Tianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the city of Hangzhou, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The canal is a communication artery connecting north and south China, it is the oldest and longest artificial waterway in the world.

Next agenda is Panmen Gate. Pan Gate, Pan Men, or Panmen is a historical landmark in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. It is located on the south-west corner of the Main Canal or encircling canal of Suzhou. Originally built during the Spring and Autumn period in the state of Wu, historians estimate it to be around 2,500 years old. It is now part of the Pan Gate Scenic Area. It is known for the "three landmarks of Pan Gate". They are the Ruiguang Pagoda, the earliest pagoda in Suzhou built in 247, the Wu Gate Bridge, the entrance to the gate at that time over the water passage and the highest bridge in Suzhou at the time, and Pan Gate. The Ruigang Pagoda is constructed of brick with wooden platforms and has simple Buddhist carvings at its base.

The last stop is Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill has a long and rich history of silk culture, including mulberry tree and silk worm cultivation and turning raw silk into beautiful fabric. Suzhou's climate and soil are perfect for silk production, and the city has been a center of China's silk trade for many centuries. The Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill has been a proud steward of this heritage for over 80 years. It's more like a museum which shows you how the silk is made from cocoons from the beginning and the whole silk process. Not to be missed.

After the tour, you will be taken to your hotel in Suzhou.

Day 5 Suzhou-Tongli-Shanghai

After breakfast, our tour guide meet you at your hotel lobby and drive you to Tongli water town, it takes around 40 minutes for one way.

Residential House: Tongli Water Town deserves its name of a "museum of ancient architectures" as there are many homes and temples dating from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Designed along the riverside and embellished with carved windows, porcelain furniture, figured clay bricks, flying eaves, dapper gardens and tiny stairs leading all the way down to the water, these complexes named Tongli Water Town could be a shining pearl among the water townships south of Yangtze.

Retreat and Reflection Garden (Tuisi Garden): designed by the retired official Ren Lansheng throughout 1885 and 1887, is that the most spectacular in Tongli Water Town. Its name, Tuisi, suggests being meditative upon the previous faults when away from officialdom. The ingenious style for Tuisi Garden conforms to the native landforms and conditions and covers 700 square meters. Compact and harmonious, the garden is made from two parts. The garden within the east has verandas, ponds, waterside pavilions, Marble Boats, halls, kiosks, rockeries and bridges.

In conjunction with flourishing trees and colorful flowers the garden greets guests with its beauty and charm regardless of the season. The residential area to the west consists of an outer house and inner house together with the tea hall, the sedan hall, 2 buildings forming the particular dwelling and a main reception hall.

Ancient Bridge: Taiping Bridge was built in 1747 during the Qing dynasty. Changqing Bridge, also named Guangli Bridge, was rebuilt by Xiezhen in the Ming dynasty. Siben Bridge, built in the Southern Song dynasty, is the oldest bridge in Tongli town. Dubu Bridge, 5 feet in length and 3 feet in width, is the smallest bridge in the town.As a character of Tongli, these ancient bridges today is reputed as the witness of the history, telling the story of the past.

After finished Tongli Water Town, drive you to the Suzhou railway staiton to catch your train to Shanghai. When you arrive, your Shanghai driver will transfer you to Shanghai Airport (based on your requirement) for your next destination. Our service ends.

Price Per Person in US Dollars