Fly overnight from London to Shanghai

Welcome to Shanghai, China’s largest city and one of the world’s most important ports. Upon arrival we will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Here, you can see the modern metropolis of the financial district juxtaposed with the older sections of the city.

This morning, tour Old Shanghai and travel along the Bund, the city’s elegant river front promenade. After lunch in a local restaurant, tour a silk carpet workshop for demonstrations of this ancient art form. Then visit the Shanghai Museum, featuring displays of ceramics, bronzes and paintings. Enjoy dinner in a local restaurant and a Chinese acrobatic show.

Take morning free time to further explore Shanghai. After lunch in a local restaurant, fly to Wuhan. Visit the Wuhan Museum, then transfer to your cruise ship, docked close to Wuhan’s historic waterfront.

Today, visit a junior school sponsored by Viking River Cruises in this rural village. You’ll be greeted by the children and enjoy a special performance. Return to your ship for meals and scenic cruising.

Cruise through the morning and enjoy lunch as you sail along Xiling Gorge, the longest of the Three Gorges. Then you tour the Three Gorges Dam where you learn about this immense engineering masterpiece and what it means for the Chinese people and the Yangtze. Return to your ship and sail through the 5-stage locks of the Three Gorges Dam. Cruise through the night.

For the next 150 miles, you’ll travel the most scenic stretch of the Yangtze as it forces its way through a spectacular series of limestone ridges known as the Three Gorges. During breakfast, cruise through Wu (Witches) Gorge, renowned for its magnificent scenery. Then, board a smaller boat for an excursion through the Lesser Three Gorges. Sail through these remarkable canyons flanked by towering cliffs. Along the way you see ancient sites including the hanging coffins of the Ba people and the ancient plank road carved into the cliffside. Enjoy lunch at a scenic stop overlooking the gorges. After, return to your ship and sail through Qutang Gorge, the shortest, narrowest and most spectacular of the three large gorges. Dinner is served aboard.

After breakfast, tour the 12-storey Shibaozhai Temple, a red pavilion built in 1650. Experience breathtaking views of the river valley. Return to your ship and dine as you cruise through the night.

After breakfast, disembark and enjoy a brief tour of Chongqing, the largest city in western China and an important inland port. Visit the Chongqing Zoo to see the giant pandas and other exotic species.† After lunch in a local restaurant, fly to Xian, key city of the Tang Dynasty. From 618 to 907 A.D., this dynasty presided over one of China’s most glorious cultural periods, spreading its influence throughout Asia into Europe and Africa. This evening, you may choose to dine surrounded by the song and dance of this colorful era, or dine and relax at your hotel.†Chongqing zoo visit is only available in the Shanghai to Beijing direction, time permitting.

After breakfast, tour the mausoleum where Emperor Qin Shi Huang was laid to rest over 2,000 years ago. See the more than 6,000 life-sized terracotta warriors, archers and infantrymen that were buried with him from the walkways that provide a bird’s-eye view. Each man and horse is moulded with their own distinct features. After lunch fly to Beijing, China’s former imperial capital whose rich history dates back more than 1,000 years before Christ. Check into your hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast travel to the Badaling Hills to see one of the most impressive and best preserved sections of the Great Wall of China. Walk along its winding pathways and marvel at the excellent views. After lunch in a local restaurant, visit the Sacred Way, a tree-lined avenue guarded by massive sculptures of elephants, lions and camels. Tonight, taste some local specialities at dinner.

This morning visit the enormous Tiananmen Square, which can accommodate over 1,000,000 people. Then, tour Beijing’s Forbidden City. Nearly 800 buildings and 9,999 rooms make up this amazing site. As you walk around its grounds, marvel at the elegant palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens within its walls. After lunch at a local restaurant, you visit the Summer Palace, a 700-acre complex of gardens and elegant buildings. Its Chinese name means Garden of Nurtured Harmony, and it was frequented by the Imperial Court to escape the bustle of Beijing. Walk its landscaped grounds, considered among the finest Chinese architectural gardens. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and transfer to Beijing Airport for the return flight to London.