China Tour For Seniors: 5 Days Suzhou & Hangzhou Tour Package

Summary

D1 Shanghai Arrival: Free on your own
D2 Shanghai-Hangzhou by Bullet Train: West Lake Boat Ride; Fish Viewing Park; Guo's Garden; Temple of Yue Fei; Leifeng Pagoda
D3 Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple;Meijiawu Tea Plantation; Hefang Street; Take train to Suzhou
D4 Suzhou-Shanghai by Bullet Train: The Lingering Garden; Suzhou No.1 Silk Mill; Tongli Water Town;
D5 Shanghai Departure: Yu Garden, Shanghai Bazaar/Shanghai Old Street, The Bund, Old French Concession

Day 1 Shangahai Arrival

Welcome to Shanghai! Upon on your arrival, your Shanghai tour guide will greet you at the exit of the airport, you'll find a welcome signage "China Private Tour". Your guide will escort you to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free on your own to recover the jet lag or explore the city.

Day 2 Shanghai-Hangzhou

After breakfast, your drive will pick you up at your hotel lobby and drive you to Shanghai train station for your bullet train to Hangzhou(around 1 hour). Your Hangzhou local guide will wait you at the Hangzhou train station with the same sign, it's very easy for you to find your guide. 

Your adventure will begin with the boat cruise along the famous Hangzhou West Lake.It's an enjoyable and relaxing way to appreciate the beautiful scenery with its islands, causeways, temples, pagodas and ornamental planting. Different from appreciating scenery on the bank of West Lake, you’ll enjoy the heavenly lake view in another angle, closer and closer. It is not surprised that you’ll become a part of this traditional Chinese painting.

Later, head to the Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond(Huagang Park), one of the top 10 views around the lake and famous for the view of red carp.This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Guo's Garden, it is the best existing traditional private residence in Hangzhou. It was 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.

Next, our guide will take you to visit the Temple of Yue Fei. A temple built in the memory of General Yue Fei, a well-known national hero of the 12th century;Yue Fei is a national hero from China's past, and for anyone with the slightest interest in Chinese history, his mausoleum is well worth a visit. 

The last stop for today is Leifeng Pagoda,this pagoda is relatively newly built over the remains of the existing one which has been well preserved. the 2nd floor exhibits the wooden carvings which are intricate and from the top most floor you get an amazing 360 degree view of the city.It's the site famous for the Chinese legend story-"The legend of White Snake Lady".

After the tour, drive you back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Optional Activity:
1) Impression West Lake Show- one of the “impression series” jointly created by the famous directors Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue.With the lake as a stage, using high-tech sound and light technology and a large number of actors are used to reproduce southern beauty and folklore. Spend a quiet night on the charming West Lake, and the beautiful sceneries and legends of the South will be etched in your memory.

2) The Romance of Song Dynasty- It is a large stereoscopic musical drama which was wholeheartedly made by Song Dynasty City. The drama adopted the old stories and legends in Hangzhou City.

Day 3 Hangzhou-Suzhou

After breakfast, you will visit the Lingyin Temple & Peak Flying From Afar,it is the oldest and largest buddhist temple in southeastern China.It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then.It also houses various Buddhist literature and treasures situated in front of the Temple, and is famous for its more than 470 stone carvings of Buddhist figures, which dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.

Later, move on to Dragon Well Green Tea Plantation, you will visit one of the five tea villages in Hangzhou-Meijiawu. Meijiawu Tea Village, just west of West Lake, is a top producer of Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, considered one of the finest teas in China and the world. Surrounded by mountains, valleys, and streams, Meijiawu Tea Village is a picturesque locale where visitors can learn all about the heritage, production, and benefits of Longjing tea.

Drive you back to Hangzhou downtown to visit the Qinghefang street, is a good place to experience the life of Old Hangzhou, because it is the epitome of historic Hangzhou. A great place for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. You can see the well-preserved old buildings, explore the interesting boutique stores, and choose your favourite souvenirs.

After the tour, drop off at Hangzhou train station to catch your train to Suzhou.Once arrival, our Suzhou local guide and driver will meet you at the exit of train station. Transfer to your hotel in Suzhou.

Day 4 Suzhou-Shanghai

After breakfast, you will visit Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the city's finest classical gardens. It has been listed as one of the four most famous national classic gardens together with the humble administrator's garden, the Summer Palace and Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde are called China's four largest gardens. Landscape architectural space processing is very exquisite, using a variety of artistic techniques, built a unique space system, becoming one of the world civilization examples of architectural space art processing. Wander through the trails and portals of this delicately-planned garden that carefully combines traditional Chinese architecture with natural beauty.A good place to let your mind and body rest.

Then, take a chance to visit the Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill. Suzhou has a long history of silk culture, including mulberry tree and silk worm cultivation and turning raw silk into beautiful fabric. 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.

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to explore the ancient water town-Tongli. It is one of the hidden gems around Shanghai and one of China’s most beautiful water towns.Tongli Water Town is home to peaceful classical gardens, bucolic canals littered with traditional rowboats and ancient bridges, and numerous historic buildings. Upon arrival, our guide will show you around the town and intrduce the culture and history the site. Taking a stroll along the shore of the grand canal and you will have a traditioanl boat experience in Tongli.

Drive you back to Suzhou city at a suitable time and drop off at Suzhou train sttaion to catch your train to Shanghai. You will be picked up from Shanghai train station and escorted to Shanghai hotel when you arrive.

Day 5 Shanghai Departure

After breakfast, starts your Shanghai tour with Yu Garden. It was a private garden of the Pan family in the Ming Dynasty. It was the largest and most prestigious of its era in Shanghai after it was completed. The garden is unique in its design. It perfectly blends decorative halls, elaborate pavilions, glittering pools, zigzag bridges, pagodas, archways, and impressive rockeries.

Near Yu Garden, there is a Shanghai Bazaar (also named Shanghai Old Street), which is a local market, is a rising tourist and shopping center. It's seemed with a great number of ancient streets and lanes where vendors sell their products and food stuffs to both tourists and local people.

Next, visit Old French Concession, a residential area of Shanghai once designated for the French, the French Concession is popular with tourists and expats, and appreciated for its cafes, tree-lined avenues, and tudor houses.If you want to get away from busy street in Shanghai, here is an ideal place to explore.

Continue your tour to the famous Bund Area, it is a nice place to appreciate the skyline of the city. You see some of the famous landmarks of shanghai such as the pearl tower, jinmao tower and the shanghai tower.For a century, the Bund has been one of the most recognizable symbols and the pride of Shanghai. The architecture along the Bund is a living museum of the colonial history of the 1800s.

After the tour ends, transfer you to Shanghai airport and your China tour from Shanghai to Hangzhou & Suzhou comes to the end.

Price Per Person in US Dollars