• Beijing: city tours (3 nights)
• The Great Wall & Forbidden City
• Xian: city tour (2 nights)
• Terracotta Warriors
• Shanghai: City tour (1 night)
• Hanoi full day tour (2 nights)
• Halong Bay - overnight on luxury junk
• Saigon full day tour (3 nights)
• Mekong River cruise
• Floating market at Cai Be
• Mekong Delta - Binh Hoa Phuoc Island
• Cu Chi tunnel system

View Itinerary

Price & Departure dates

Day 1
Depart from Heathrow or your preferred airport on scheduled flights to Beijing. Meals on board.

Day 2 Beijing
Upon arrival in Beijing, you will be greeted at the airport by our English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel by private transport. The rest of the day is at your leisure to recover from jet lag and get ready for the adventures awaiting you! (China is 8 hours ahead of UK GMT)

Day 3 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Today, enjoy a full day city tour to soak up the atmosphere of Beijing. This includes visiting must-see historical sites such as the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Our welcome evening dinner in the evening provides an opportunity to sample a delightful selection of Beijing style dishes, including Peking Duck.

Optional Evening entertainment * Acrobatic show.

Day 4 Beijing (Breakfast, Lunch)
The highlight of today's tour is a walk on the Great Wall of China. We visit the Mutianyu Section of the wall, which is quieter and less touristy, compare with many other access points. This section is also equipped with a cable car for those who prefer an easier way up (fee payable at local ticket office, approx £5). We allow plenty of time for you to walk along the wall and enjoy the unforgettable views.

Our memorable day continues with a trip to see the 2008 Bird's Nest Olympics Stadium and enjoy great photo opportunities. Time permitting, we will have a stroll in the large Olympic square and see the Water Cube (exteriors only).

After a full day visiting the many highlights of Beijing, enjoy a relaxing evening with free time for dinner on your own. This will give you a better opportunity to sample various dishes to your own liking. Our guide will be happy to make recommendations according to your requirement. A good dinner of your choice (with a beer/drink) should be no more than £10 per person.

Day 5 Beijing to Xian (Breakfast, Lunch)
After breakfast, we visit the stunning 12th century Summer Palace, Kunming Lake and the Garden of Harmony. Next we take the ferry alongside the famous Marble Boat and enjoy a fascinating Rickshaw ride through the 'Hutong' traditional residential area of Beijing. For a great place to experience shopping in China and purchase some unique souvenirs, we can take you to the popular Xiushui Silk Market and shopping mall.

In the evening, we take a flight to Xian, the former capital of China and starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

Day 6 Xian (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
An exciting day awaits, as we head to the Terracotta Warriors Archaeological Museum, home to over 6,000 life-size Terracotta Warriors and their horses. The warriors are meant to be the after life protectors of the first emperor Qinshihuang, who united China (221BC-206BC).

Enjoy a selection of Xian's speciality dishes for lunch and afterwards we visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built as a Buddhist Monastery during the Tang Dynasty. We enjoy the jovial atmosphere around the beautiful Pagoda and picturesque boulevards, where Xian residents come to socialise & relax.

Evening entertainment includes: a re-enactment of the royal arts performance of a 7th century Tang Dynasty Show, with a special dinner of dumplings included.

Day 7 Shanghai (Breakfast, Lunch)
Today, we take a flight to Shanghai and meet our local guide upon arrival. After checking into our hotel and having a short rest, we start our city tour of Shanghai. Our tour includes visiting Yu Garden, famous for its rock gardens, pavilions, halls and ponds. We then explore the famous promenade and marvel at the futuristic landscape of magnificent towers and building situated along the Huangpu River, the Bund and Nanjing Road. Finally our tour takes us to the historic districts of Shanghai and we visit the former colonial French quarters, known locally as 'Heaven on Earth'.

Optional Evening entertainment *Optional:Martial art show, dance show etc.

Day 8 Shanghai to Hanoi (Breakfast)
Today, you will be taken by private transport to the Maglev train station in Shanghai. Our local guide will assist you to board the futuristic and super fast Maglev train with a top speed of 267mph. The train will take you to the airport in time for your flight to Vietnam. Upon arrival in Hanoi, meet our local guide and transfer to your hotel.

Shanghai extensions can be arranged at time of booking, either as a free day or we can arrange a guided tour extension. See details below.

Optional tours & extensions in, or from Shanghai

Option 1. Zhujiajiao Water Village: 'the Venice of China', unspoiled for hundreds of years. Tour departs from Shanghai (overnight stay in Shanghai is required).

Option 2. Suzhou, Hangzhou or both: For travellers who are interested in seeing famous Chinese gardens. Tour departs from Shanghai (overnight stay required).

Day 9 Hanoi (Breakfast)
Today's full day tour includes Ho Chi Minh Memorial complex, taking in his mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and his idyllic wooden home built on stilts. Next we continue to the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, and become acquainted with Vietnam's two major religions, Buddhism and Confucianism. In the afternoon we visit the fascinating museum of Ethnology, which includes full size replicas of amazing ethnic minority tribal buildings found across Vietnam.

Later we explore downtown Hanoi including Ngoc Son Pagoda on Hoan Kiem lake and Ma May Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter to see a classic example of late 19th-century architecture. Afterwards we proceed to West Lake to see the beautiful Tao Sach Pagoda and enjoy coffee on a floating café. Free time in the evening allows you to walk along the historic French colonial Old Quarter of Hanoi. The Old Quarter provides a wonderful shopping experience and has a choice of many excellent restaurants.

(Optional evening tour to see the famed water puppet theatre, a traditional art form created by village farmers around the Red River Delta region. Ask for prices & details at time of booking).

Day 10 Hanoi-Halong (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
After breakfast we journey east to Vietnam's greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay. We board our beautiful traditional wooden junk and spend a full day and night cruising the bay's 3000 magnificent limestone islets. In the evening when the boat is anchored in the middle of the stunning lagoon, we enjoy a wonderful seafood meal and later there is opportunity for an evening swim from the side of the boat. Kayaks are also available if specified at time of booking. Overnight on luxurious boat.

Day 11 Halong - Saigon (Brunch)

Wake up to fresh coffee and take a small boat to a nearby sandy cove beach for an opportunity to relax and have a morning swim. For a great photo opportunity it is well worth walking up to the hill top pagoda which overlooks the entire Halong bay. Afterwards we return for a wholesome breakfast before cruising back to Halong City. En route the junk weaves through strange-shaped rock formations that invite comparisons from fighting cocks to mystical dragons!

Disembark and drive to airport for flight to Saigon (about 2.5 hours drive). on the way, we will visit some interesting handcraft places such as ceramic village to break up the journey. Upon arrival you will receive warm welcome from your local English speaking guide and transfer to the Hotel.

Day 12 Saigon (Breakfast)

Our tour today includes visiting the legendary network of underground combat tunnels in Cu Chi, where our guide will explain how the Vietcong survived and fought during the Vietnam war. Later we visit the Saigon colonial Post Office, Reunification Palace and the Notre Dame Cathedral - the best of Saigon's architectural landmarks. Overnight in Saigon.

Day 13: Saigon-Mekong Delta (Breakfast, Lunch)

This morning we drive to Saigon's China Town where we visit Thien Hau pagoda. Afterwards we continue our journey to the prosperous town of Vinh Long in the heart of the Mekong Delta, a world that lives and works on the water. We'll have an exciting boat trip to experience the floating market of Cai Be. Next we continue by sampan along small canals and narrow side arms of the Mekong River to observe the daily life along the river banks, visiting fascinating workshops where villages produce coconut sweets and rice crackers.

Our final destination is the beautiful Binh Hoa Phuoc Island. On the island we visit orchards of tropical fruits and for lunch we sample delicacies of the region, such as Elephant Ear fish. After lunch we return to Vinh Long Town for our transfer back to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon.

Day 14 Saigon - UK (Breakfast) Transfer to the airport for your flight home. Extension in Saigon can be arranged.

China & Vietnam Holidays 2013 Departure Dates & Price

from £1800 per person (£)

Price Includes (The prices shown are 'per person')

• All flights within China and Vietnam including airport tax.
• All airport/hotel transfers where specified (private transfer).
• Selections of superior/deluxe hotel accommodation in well furnished rooms with private facilities.
• Sightseeing tours including entrance fee by professional English-speaking tour guide.
• Meals as specified in the itinerary.

Price Does Not Include

• International flight to Beijing, Shanghai - Hanoi and back from Saigon. We can arrange various airline carriers and from your local airport departure. Please enquire at the time of your booking.
• Visa fee (please go to Visa Service for details).
• Tips for drivers and guides etc
• Travel Insurance.

Accommodation for this tour: Carefully selected good 4 star hotels in China and good 3 star in Vietnam. Upgrad is available. For details of our hotel collection, please visit 'Accommodation' page.

Other operation fact: Our tour is arranged on a small group basis average 8 people per group, as we feel this gives our travellers more flexibility and enjoyment. By reducing the group size our experienced local guides are able to get to know you all individually and show you the true beauty of China & Indochina.

Our itineraries are designed at a sensible pace with a combination of escorted sightseeing, special activities and some free time. We Believe this give you the best combination to experience the real China & Vietnam and meet local people.

Your Meals We include all breakfasts (mixture of western & Far East cuisine) at your hotel and most local style lunches and dinners, which are all pre-booked as shown in your itinerary. Each lunch and dinner menu is selected to ensure you can try a wide variety of tasty traditional dishes whilst in the country. We feel it is also an important part of your holiday experience to try buying a few meals by yourself whilst you're in these countries and for your convenience the hotels we select provide a good choices of local cuisine with English menu. Alternatively there are plenty of restaurants to choose from around the main sightseeing area in most cities. A good meal (dinner) in a restaurant should cost about £8 per person.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of flights and cruises sailing schedules available, although occasionally the sequence in which cities are visited and duration of time spent in each city can change due to local conditions which are out of our control. The above itinerary highlights the main attractions that are to be visited each day. Further places of interest may be visited during your stay, which will provide unique ethnic and cultural handcraft shopping opportunities. We reserve the right to change, amend or alter the itinerary, although we will act in your best interests to handle any amendments. Please refer to the booking form for detailed terms & conditions.