China, Tibet and Yangtze River Tour, 15 Days from Istanbul

We meet our tour leader at Istanbul Airport's international departures terminal at 23:00 and complete ticket and passport formalities. Our flight departs after midnight, at 02:10, aboard the scheduled Turkish Airlines flight TK 20, flying direct to Beijing, the capital of China. Flight details: Turkish Airlines TK 20, Istanbul (IST), Beijing (PEK), 02:10, 16:15, direct, approximately 9 hours 5 minutes. We land in Beijing at 16:15 local time. After passport control with our pre-obtained visa, we are met at the airport and transferred to the hotel by private vehicle. Following a short rest, dinner is at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Beijing Guangxi Hotel, 4-star or similar. Meals: Dinner included.

After breakfast at the hotel, we begin a full-day panoramic tour of Beijing. Tiananmen Square, where the founding of the People's Republic of China was announced, is one of the largest city squares in the world, home to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and the Monument to the People's Heroes. We then visit the Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 72-hectare palace complex was the seat of the Chinese Empire for nearly 500 years, home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its name comes from being the city ordinary people could not enter. Lunch is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we continue to the Temple of Heaven, also a UNESCO site. Built during the Ming Dynasty, this elegant structure is where emperors once prayed to the heavens, its circular and square geometry symbolizing the relationship between heaven and earth. We make a short stop at a local handicraft store in Beijing before dinner at a local restaurant, featuring traditional Peking duck. Accommodation: Beijing Guangxi Hotel, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

After breakfast at the hotel, we set off for China's most iconic structure, the Great Wall. A UNESCO World Heritage Site stretching 21,196 kilometers from east to west, the Great Wall is one of the greatest engineering projects in human history and counted among the new seven wonders of the world. We enter one of the well-preserved sections open to visitors today, Badaling or Mutianyu, and walk along the wall with breathtaking views. Lunch is at a local Chinese restaurant. On the way back we make a shopping stop at a center showcasing traditional Chinese handicrafts and local products. The evening is free after returning to the hotel, or guests may join an optional experience featuring a traditional Chinese duck menu. Accommodation: Beijing Guangxi Hotel, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

Early in the morning we leave the hotel with our luggage and transfer to Beijing West railway station. Train details: High-speed train G87, Beijing, Xian North, 07:00, 11:35, approximately 5 hours at speeds over 300 km/h. On arrival in Xian we are met by private vehicle for a half-day panoramic city tour, taking in the Ancient City Walls, dating to the 14th century and among the best preserved in the world, and the Bell Tower and Drum Tower at the traditional center of the city. The tour ends in the Muslim Quarter, home to the Hui Muslim community of China, where we explore Chinese Islamic architecture and traditional street food on a short guided walk. Accommodation: Mercure on Renmin Square Xian, 4-star or similar. Meals: Breakfast included.

After breakfast at the hotel we visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, one of China's most significant archaeological discoveries and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the 3rd century BC to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, this vast underground army consists of thousands of life-sized soldiers, officers, horses and chariots, each with an individually crafted face. It was discovered by chance by a farmer in 1974. Our guide shares the history of the period and the extraordinary process behind its construction. Lunch is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we return to central Xian, with free time to explore the city walls or the Muslim Quarter. Accommodation: Mercure on Renmin Square Xian, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

After an early breakfast we depart Xian North railway station for Chengdu at 08:45. Train details: High-speed train, Xian, Chengdu East, 08:45, 12:40, approximately 3 hours 55 minutes. We visit the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, home to the giant pandas that have become a symbol of China. We see the pandas' habitats, learn about their diet and life cycle, and walk through bamboo gardens, with a chance to see the baby panda nursery, season and luck permitting. In the evening, dinner at a local restaurant in central Chengdu introduces us to Sichuan cuisine, China's spiciest region, with dishes such as mapo tofu and kung pao chicken. Accommodation: Mercure Chengdu Chunxi Road Hotel, 4-star or similar. Meals: Breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast we check out and transfer to Chengdu Tianfu Airport. Flight details: Air China domestic flight, Chengdu, Lhasa (Gonggar), 14:30, 17:05, approximately 2 hours 35 minutes. Entry into Tibet requires a mandatory check of the Tibet Travel Permit, included in the package. We land in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at an altitude of 3,600 meters. Altitude sickness, with symptoms such as headache, fatigue, shortness of breath or nausea, is possible on arrival. We recommend drinking 3 to 4 liters of water a day, trying butter tea as a local remedy, and avoiding strenuous activity for the first 24 to 48 hours. Diamox (acetazolamide) may be taken on a doctor's advice, and guests with chronic heart or lung conditions should obtain medical clearance before travel. Our local guide meets us for the transfer to the hotel. Dinner is at a Tibetan restaurant, featuring tsampa, butter cheese and momo dumplings. Accommodation: Thangka Hotel Lhasa, 4-star or similar. Meals: Breakfast and dinner included.

After breakfast we spend the full day exploring Tibet. The Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, is the great symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. Rising 13 stories on the hillside at 3,700 meters, it is among the highest palaces in the world, holding thousands of religious artifacts, frescoes, Buddha statues and sacred manuscripts, expanded to its present form since the 7th century. After lunch we continue to the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, called "the heart of Tibet" by the Dalai Lama, where thousands of Tibetan pilgrims perform prostration prayer walks each day. The day ends on Barkhor Street, a traditional Tibetan market where locals perform their kora prayer walks and handmade Tibetan souvenirs such as prayer wheels, mandalas, Buddha statues and carpets are for sale. Accommodation: Thangka Hotel Lhasa, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

After an early breakfast we check out of the hotel. Flight details: Air China domestic flight, Lhasa, Chongqing, 09:40, 12:00, approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. On arrival in Chongqing our local guide leads a short panoramic tour of the city center and the port area, before we check in for the Yangtze River cruise. The ship departs at 21:00, with dinner served on board. The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world at 6,300 kilometers, and the longest and most vital in China, celebrated in Mao Zedong's 1956 poem "Swimming in the Yangtze." Accommodation: Yangtze River cruise ship, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast and dinner included.

We cruise along the Yangtze, China's longest river, taking in the views over a buffet breakfast on board. We take a shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City, an ancient site built on Taoist beliefs about the afterlife, its temples, deities and demon statues evoking the underworld of Chinese mythology. Guests may also visit the Shibaozhai Pagoda, a 12-story wooden pagoda built into a steep cliff, as an optional extra. Onboard activities include a morning tai chi session, a Chinese tea ceremony and short presentations on Chinese culture, followed in the evening by the Captain's Welcome Cocktail and a dinner program with live music. All meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, are served on board today. Accommodation: Yangtze River cruise ship, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included, full board.

Today we take in the most striking natural scenery along the Yangtze. Qutang Gorge, the shortest but most dramatic of the three, is one of the most photogenic spots in China, with its narrow passage and steep cliffs. Wu Gorge offers a calmer, more graceful view, its misty peaks and winding currents a favorite among Chinese poets. Xiling Gorge, the longest of the three, is known for its turbulent waters and sheer rock faces. We take a shore excursion by small boat along Shennv Stream, the Goddess Stream, threading through narrow valleys and high mountains. Along the way we learn about the Tujia people, whose centuries-old burial tradition placed coffins in cliff faces, and see their traditional rituals, music and dance. In the evening the Captain's Farewell Party brings the ship's passengers together over Chinese cuisine. Accommodation: Yangtze River cruise ship, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

In the morning the ship docks at Maoping Port. After breakfast we disembark and complete exit formalities. We visit the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 22,500 megawatts. Controlling the flow of the Yangtze and a source of engineering pride for China, the dam supplied energy for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We tour its observation terrace, museum and information center, with an optional extra to see the ship lift that raises vessels 113 meters. After the visit we transfer to central Yichang and on to Yichang Sanxia Airport. Flight details: China Eastern Airlines MU 2688, Yichang, Shanghai, 18:30, 20:30, direct, 2 hours. On arrival in Shanghai we transfer to the hotel. Accommodation: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund, 4-star or similar. Meals: Breakfast included.

After breakfast at the hotel we explore Shanghai, one of China's most modern and populous cities, where traditional Chinese culture meets a western pace of life. The tour opens at the Jade Buddha Temple, known for its seated and reclining Buddha statues carved from jade. We then visit a silk workshop to see the traditional production process, with time for shopping. Lunch at a local restaurant introduces Shanghai cuisine, including xiaolongbao soup dumplings and sweet and sour fish. At Yuyuan Garden, built in 1559, we walk among its ponds, stone bridges, dragon-carved walls and Ming dynasty architecture. An authentic tea house then offers a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, with our guide explaining the finer points of Chinese tea culture. We finish on Nanjing Road, Shanghai's best known shopping street, and along the Bund, where modern skyscrapers face historic European architecture across the Huangpu River, with views of the Pudong skyline: the Oriental Pearl Tower, the 632-meter Shanghai Tower and the Jin Mao Tower. The rest of the time is free for photographs and shopping. Accommodation: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund, 4-star. Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

After breakfast at the hotel, much of the day is free for last-minute shopping or exploring the streets of Shanghai. In the evening we check out of the hotel and transfer to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Flight details: Turkish Airlines TK 27, Shanghai (PVG), Istanbul (IST), 22:50, 06:05 the following day, direct, approximately 12 hours 15 minutes. We spend the night on board the flight. Accommodation: Overnight on the plane.

We land at Istanbul Airport at 06:05 local time. From the Forbidden City in Beijing to the vast scale of the Great Wall, from the Terracotta Army in Xian to the pandas of Chengdu, from the Potala Palace in Lhasa to the Three Gorges of the Yangtze and the Bund skyline of Shanghai, our 15-day journey through China and Tibet comes to a close here.