Fly overnight from London to Beijing

Welcome to Beijing, China’s former imperial capital with many noted monuments and historic sites. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. After check-in, you have free time to relax.

After breakfast, visit Tiananmen Square, which spans 100 acres, and the Forbidden City, with its elegant palaces, pavilions and landscaped gardens. Stroll through its expansive courtyard, once open only to nobility. After lunch in a local restaurant, tour the 700-acre Summer Palace. Enjoy its breathtaking landscaped grounds and then take a dragon boat ride across the lake. Tonight you will dine on local specialties. On the 2009 itinerary, you will then marvel at artistry of the famed Peking Opera.

After breakfast, take a coach to the Great Wall of China and walk along its famous ramparts. A local lunch is followed by a visit to the Sacred Way, where you walk among the huge animal sculptures that flank the tree-lined avenue to the Ming Tombs. Tonight you will dine on local specialties. On the 2010 itinerary, you can then marvel at artistry of the famed Peking Opera, or simply relax at your hotel.

See traditional Chinese life during your rickshaw tour along Beijing’s hutongs, narrow alleyways. Then visit a silk carpet workshop and see this time-honoured art in person. After lunch, fly to Xian, China’s legendary home of the Tang Dynasty from 618-907 A.D. Tonight, experience the glory of this cultural period at a banquet with traditional song and dance.

Today you tour Xian’s archaeological wonder of 6,000 life-sized terracotta warriors buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Get a bird’s-eye view of the army, each soldier and horse moulded in incredible detail. Then, tour the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a majestic 7-storey square tower and a holy place for Buddhists. After a local dinner, visit the marketplace for a night time tour.

Morning free time in Xian. After lunch, fly to Lhasa, economic, spiritual and cultural centre of Tibet. Experience Tibetan culture with a family-hosted tea followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Today visit the 1,300-year-old Jokhang Temple, with its Buddhist worshippers. After a local lunch, explore the maze-like Barkhor Market in old Lhasa and tour the Tibetan Museum to learn about local history and culture. Tonight, enjoy a traditional Tibetan dinner.

This morning, you tour the extraordinary 13-storey Potala Palace, winter home of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century. Later, visit the Sera Monastery, an active temple with three colleges for monks in training. Lunch and dinner are in a local restaurant.

After breakfast, fly to the mountain city of Chongqing to embark your cruise ship.

This morning cruise the Yangtze, and after lunch visit Shibaozhai Temple. Built into the cliffside, this red pavilion is a gem of Chinese architecture from the Qing Dynasty. Climb up high to see amazing river views below. Dinner is served aboard; cruise through the night.

During breakfast, sail through the spectacular scenery of Qutang Gorge, the shortest and narrowest of the three large gorges. See an ancient plank road carved into the mountains and the mysterious hanging coffins of the Ba people. You then board a smaller boat for an excursion through the picturesque canyons and mountains of the Lesser Three Gorges. Stop for a barbecue lunch and take in the natural beauty. Return to your ship and cruise through the most scenic area of the Yangtze - the Three Gorges. This afternoon, sail through Wu (Witches) Gorge, renowned for its 12 cloud-covered towering peaks. Dinner is served aboard as you sail through the 5-stage locks of this engineering marvel.

After breakfast, disembark and tour the monumental Three Gorges Dam, scheduled for completion in 2009. The afternoon is highlighted by the Xiling Gorge, the longest of the gorges with the best scenery. Cruise through the night.

After breakfast, travel to this rural village’s junior school, sponsored by Viking River Cruises. The children will warmly welcome you and love to share stories and photos. Return to your ship for meals and scenic cruising.

Disembark and tour the Wuhan Museum before your flight to Shanghai, China’s largest city and a modern metropolis. After checking in to your hotel, the rest of your day is at leisure.

Explore Shanghai today from Old Shanghai to the more modern river front Bund district. A local lunch is followed by a visit to the Shanghai Museum; see its ancient ceramics, bronzes and other artifacts. Dine in a local restaurant then be amazed by the dexterity of Chinese acrobats at tonight’s performance.

After breakfast, check-out of your hotel and transfer to Shanghai airport for your return flight. Or, add to your China experience with one of our fully-escorted land packages. Explore bustling Hong Kong and mystical Guilin. Or, encounter the scenery and people of Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.