Ancient China Route Tour

Meeting at Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal, after ticket, luggage, and boarding procedures, we depart for Shanghai with Turkish Airlines' scheduled flight. We will spend the night on the plane.

Following our arrival in Shanghai in the early hours of the morning, we will meet our private vehicle waiting for us, have breakfast at a local restaurant, and transfer to our hotel. Afterwards, free time (Hotel will be reached at an early hour, hotel check-in time is 14:00, those who do not want to wait for check-in time can leave their luggage and explore the city). Guests who wish can join the Optional Shanghai Tour with Lunch (100 USD) organized by our guide. Our first stop is Yu Garden. Yu Garden, a traditional Chinese garden remaining from the Ming Dynasty, reflects traditional Chinese architecture with its ponds, stone bridges, and pavilions inside. After touring Yu Garden, we leave this wonderful garden and will participate in a Tea Ceremony where we will delve deep into Chinese culture. Our next stop will be Cheng Huang Miao (Shanghai City God Temple) located in Shanghai's historic old town district. According to Chinese belief, it was built in honor of Cheng Huang, the "City God" and protector of the city. Cheng Huang is believed to be the protector of city residents and is accepted as the patron of justice and peace. The next stop on our tour is The Bund District, located on the banks of the Huangpu River, which turns into a veritable light show in the evening hours. Afterwards, free time in Xintiandi, which combines modern and traditional textures, and Nanjing Road, Shanghai's most famous shopping street. We will have our lunch at a local restaurant during the tour. After our tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, free time. Guests who wish can join the Optional Water Town Zhujiajiao Tour with Lunch (100 USD) to be organized optionally by our guide. In this ancient town that has managed to preserve its traditional architecture up to the present day, we walk among the streets and canals dating back 1700 years. Feeling the peaceful atmosphere of Old China, we discover stone bridges, historical houses, and local market areas. We will have our lunch at a local restaurant during the tour. After our fascinating boat tour on the canals, transfer to our Hangzhou hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel in the morning, we will take a pleasant boat tour on West Lake, which has become a symbol of love and loyalty with its scenery and legends like a love story lived thousands of years ago. After our tour, we visit the Longjing Tea Plantations, where one of China's most famous green teas is grown. We will get information about the tea making process and observe the lush green plantations. Then we will go to Hefang Cultural Street. Free time in the area where our guests can buy various handicraft products. Afterwards, we transfer to the airport for our scheduled domestic flight to Xi'an. With our arrival, transfer to the hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, free time. Guests who wish can join the Terra Cotta Museum & Muslim Quarter with Lunch (100 USD) tour to be organized optionally by our guide. We will visit the museum known as the Terra Cotta Warriors, which is one of the most important archaeological excavations uncovered in the 20th century, built to protect the tomb of Shi Huang, China's first emperor. Discovered by chance by a farmer in 1974, this army is home to 8,000 "Terra Cotta" i.e., "Baked Earth" soldiers, each with a different facial expression and posture. These statues were prepared as a "spirit army" believing that they would protect the emperor even after his death. During our visit, we will have the opportunity to see the Emperor's power and the level of craftsmanship he possessed in that period. After our tour, we return to Xi'An. Before transferring to our hotel, we will visit the Muslim Quarter, established by Muslim merchants according to their own traditions and customs. We observe cultural fusion and differentiation with its bustling bazaar, local shops, and restaurants. At the end of the tour, we transfer to our hotel to rest. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel in the morning, we transfer to Xi'an train station and transfer to Luoyang by High-Speed Train. With our arrival in Luoyang, we start the Ancient Shaolin Temple Tour. Located near Dengfeng city in Henan, at the foothills of the Sacred Song Mountain, this world-famous temple was built in 495 and is accepted as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. The temple, which has been one of China's most important cultural centers since the Silk Road period, is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. After our temple tour, we will have dinner at a local restaurant and transfer to our hotel, followed by free time. Overnight at our hotel.

** Depending on availability, the train journey can be made by plane.

After breakfast at our hotel in the morning, we depart for the Longmen Grottoes Tour. Longmen Grottoes, a magnificent archaeological complex consisting of thousands of Buddha statues, niches, and temples carved into the rocks along the Yi River, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The construction of this structure started in the 5th century and reached its peak during the Tang dynasty. As a result of this giant project lasting for 1,400 years, more than 100,000 Buddha statues, more than 2,000 niches, more than 60 Pagodas, and 2,800 inscriptions were created. After our visit, we transfer to Luoyang Train Station and set off for Beijing by high-speed train. With our arrival, transfer to the hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel.

** Depending on availability, the train journey can be made by plane.

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, free time. Our guests who wish can join the Optional Great Wall of China & Summer Palace Tour with Lunch (110 USD) to be organized by our guide. The first stop of our tour is the Great Wall of China, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and whose construction started in 220 BC to prevent the invasions of Central Asian Turks from the north. After visiting the wall, we will have our lunch and visit the Magnificent Summer Palace located on the shores of Kunming Lake. The Summer Palace is China's best-preserved imperial garden and palace complex, located in the northwest of Beijing. The history of the palace dates back to the Jin Dynasty in the 12th Century, but its current form was shaped by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in the 18th Century. The Emperor had this place built to escape the busy atmosphere of the main palace and rest intertwined with nature. The palace was damaged during the second opium war in 1860, and then restored by Cixi with funds allocated from the state's naval budget. Although it is known as a controversial anecdote, the elegance of the palace today is the work of the detailed restorations made during that period. Afterwards, we will see the Beijing Olympic Stadium, which is likened to a bird's nest, from the outside. We will have our lunch at a local restaurant during the tours. Afterwards, transfer to the hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel in the morning, free time. Our guests who wish can join the Optional Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven Tour with Lunch (140 USD) to be organized by our guide. Our first stop is Tiananmen Square, one of the largest city squares in the world and one of China's most important symbolic areas historically and politically; the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, a monumental structure located in the square where the body of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, is exhibited; the Great Hall of the People, the monumental state building hosting the meetings of the National People's Congress of China; and the National Museum of China, one of the largest museums in the world located on the east side of Tiananmen Square displaying China's thousands of years of history, are among the places we will see panoramically. Afterwards, the Forbidden City, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and was used as the palace of Chinese emperors for about 500 years during the Ming and Qing dynasties, is one of the largest and best-preserved palace complexes in the world. Surrounded by high red walls and golden roofs, this massive complex became the center of the imperial period and was called the "Forbidden City" because it remained closed to the entrance of ordinary people for centuries. We will have the opportunity to visit this structure, which contains hundreds of palace halls, courtyards, and an imperial garden. After our visit to the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the most important religious complexes where emperors prayed for good harvests and heavenly abundance during past dynasties. The temple is considered one of the most elegant examples of Chinese architecture. Surrounded by a wide park area and ceremonial structures, this sacred area has been one of the most important centers where Chinese imperial rituals were performed. After our tour, transfer to the hotel. Accommodation at the Beijing hotel.

After the packed breakfast we will receive at the hotel in the morning, we transfer to Beijing airport for our Istanbul flight. After baggage, ticket and customs procedures, our flight to Istanbul takes place with Turkish Airlines scheduled flight and our services end.