Day 1  Beijing    

Arrive in Beijing. You are greeted and transferred to your hotel.


Day 2  Beijing - Datong

Visit Forbidden City. (entrancee fee included) This complex, the largest imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with over 9,000 rooms, resplendent golden- glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Take night train to Datong (softsleeper).


Day3  Datong - Mt. Wutai

Hanging Monastery. It was originally built more than 1400 years ago. There are 40 halls and pavilions in all. They were built along the contours of the cliffs using the natural hollows and out crops for support. The buildings rest on timbers jutting out from the cliff, their weight further supported by vertical beams. And then you will tour the Wooden Pagoda of Yingxian County, the oldest and largest pagoda of China.

Day 4      Mt. Wutai - Taiyuan

Mt. Wutai is one of the sacred Buddhist mountains of China. It is actually a cluster of five peaks of which the northern peak, Yemenfeng, is just over 3000 meters high and is known as the roof of northern China. In the afternoon you will visit Yan Xishan's former residence. Drive to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province.
   

Day 5  Taiyuan

Suggestive tour: Qiao Family Court yard House, in the afternoon you can tour Jinci Temple. It has three most famous treasures: Zhou Cypress, the Sacred Lady and Forever Young Spring.


Day 6  Taiyuan - Pingyao - Linfen

Today we will drive to Linfen. On the way, we visit Ping Yao. Visit the well-known old bank, the city walls and the local government office in feudal China. PingYao, originally built in Xi Zhou Dynasty, is the one of the national financial centers. The streets, buildings, banks and temples are well protected. Next we tour Hong Tong Pagoda Tree Park, the ancient prison of Ming Dynasty.
   

Day7  Lingfen - Hukou

Drive to Hukou. On the way you can tour the Lesser West and Dong Yue Temple.


Day 8   Hukou - Yuncheng

After breakfast, tour Hukou Watefall. In the afeter noon, we drive to Yuncheng.    


Day 9  Yuncheng - Luoyang

Drive to Yong Le Palace which is famous for the mural paintings. Drive to Luoyang, the ancient capital of China. On the way you will pass Sanmenxia Gorge.


Day10  Luoyang

Suggestive tour: the Longmen Caves. In 494 AD the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital from Datong to Luoyang. At Datong the dynasty had built. The impressive Yungang Caves and now at Luoyang they began work on the Longmen Caves. Over the next 200 or so years, more than 100,000 images and statues of Buddha and his disciples were carved into the cliff Walls on the bands of the Yi River, 1 km south of city. The Huangcheng Park (royal town). Built on the ruins of the imperial palace. Visit the peony garden. General Guan's Mausoleum, the burial of general Guan Yu from Three Kingdoms Period. Visit the Folk Craft Museum. The White Horse Temple, the first temple constructed after Buddhism was introduced to China.

Day11  Luoyang - Songshan - Zhengzhou

After breakfast, we visit the Zongyue Temple at Songshan, and the Shaolin Temple, best known for its Martial Arts. The nearby Tower Forest will be visited as well. (entrance fee included) After an exciting martial arts performance, we drive to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.   

Day12  Zhengzhou
   
Suggested tour to Kaifeng- the ancient capital of China. Serving for 168 years as capital of the Northern Song some 900 years ago, Kaifeng was the most prosperous city in China. Our city tour will include visits to Kaifeng-Fu, Dragon Pavilion, Lord Bao’s Temple, the Iron Pagoda and Xiangguo Temple. Drive back to Zhengzhou in the afternoon.


Day13  Zhengzhou - Beijing

Suggestive tour in the morning: the Yellow River Scenic Spots, the ruins of the city of Shang Dynasty. You will enjoy a good collection of the antiques from Shang Dynasty. Dinner. Take night train to Beijing (softsleeper).

Day14   Beijing -

You will be transferred to airport and fly back home.