trips

Starting Point

Beijing Golden Palace Silver Street Hotel
Ganyu Alley No. 31
Dong Cheng
Beijing
China
Phone: +86 10 85110388
Fax: +86 10 65281028

Joining Point Instructions 

An arrival transfer from the airport is available if arranged at the time of booking. Transfers cannot be arranged on arrival. Please advise your flight arrival details at least 14 days prior to your departure. If you plan to arrive earlier, this arrival transfer can only be offered in conjunction with pre-tour accommodation booked through Intrepid.

Beijing Capital International Airport is located in northeast of Beijing 25km from the centre of Beijing city. One if the biggest airports in the world, it is relatively easy to navigate and many signs are written in English. Most international flights arrive at Terminal 3.

Beijing Airport Express trains leave from both terminal 2 and 3. Trains operate from 6:20am until 10:50pm. Alight at Dongzhimen Station and our hotel is a short taxi ride away (approx. 15 minutes and 15CNY).

You can take airport bus (16CNY) route 2 (alight at Dongzhimen) or route 3 (alight at Beijing Railway Station) and then it is a short taxi ride to our joining point hotel (approx 10 minutes, 15CNY).

By subway, take the airport express train (25CNY) to Dongzhimen station. From Dongzhimen transfer to metro line 2 and take it 1 station to Lama temple Station, then switch to Line5 go 4 stops to Dengshikou station. Use exit A turn right get into the Ganyu Hutong and walk 20 meters is the Hotel.

Metered taxis are available outside the airport terminal building. The taxi ride from the airport to our starting point hotels takes about 45 minutes and should cost around 80-100CNY (plus 10CNY for the airport expressway toll). Show the taxi driver the name and address of hotel in Chinese characters as shown below. Please AVOID taxi touts who tell you that they have a metered taxi parked outside the airport.

If you have pre-purchased an arrival transfer our local operator Ms. Qi (Ms. Chee) will have sent a driver to the airport who will be holding a sign with Intrepid logo and your name on it. If you are arrived at Terminal 2 of Beijing airport, please meet your driver at the entrance/exit #7 after you go through the baggage claim area. Please note that Beijing Airport is very crowded so please be patient. If you have any problems finding the driver go to the information desk at door #7 and ask them to call Ms.Qi on her mobile. If you are arrived at Terminal 3 of Beijing airport, please meet your driver in front of the white jade screen wall with the dragon pattern after you walk through Exit B. Exit B is the only international arrival gate in Terminal 3.If you have any problems finding the driver go to the information desk at the right side of Exit B, and ask them to call Ms. Qi on her mobile (+86) 13671299816

Check-in time is 12 midday

Our Joining Point Hotel 

Beijing Golden Palace Silver Street Hotel is located in the Wangfujing area, just a short walk from Beijing Sun Dong An Market and Beijing Oriental Plaza.

www.jfyjhotel.com

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Finishing Point

Nanjing Hotel
200 Shanxi South Road
Central Shanghai
China
Phone: 86 21 6322 2888
Fax: 86 21 6351 6520


Finishing Point Instructions

Shanghai has 2 main airports, Pudong and Hong Qiao. Most international flights depart from Pudong International Airport, located 30kms east of downtown Shanghai. Most domestic flights depart from Hong Qiao airport, located 13km southwest of Shanghai city centre. Please check which airport your flight departs from for correct transfer information. A short taxi ride from out hotel here are airport buses you can take to both Pudong and Hong Qiao airports, which are frequent and inexpensive. The best place to take the airport bus is from the CAAC office on Nanjing Xi Lu, beside Jing'an Temple (19CNY, operating hours 7:20am - 11:00pm). The best way to Pudong airport from our hotel is by the Maglev train, an attraction in itself, this train reaches up to 431 km/h (268 mph) and operates from 7:00am to 9:00pm. (50CNY and 20% off if you show your flight ticket). Take the subway or taxi to Longyang Road Metro Station and take the Maglev from here. A metered taxi ride from our hotel to either airport should cost around 200CNY. If you have booked a post trip airport transfer, please ask your leader to confirm with our local operator the time of departure and meeting place. If you have any problems you can also contact our local operator Mr Li Wei Min (+86) 1390 186 5219. Check-out time from the hotel is 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel.

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Group Size

Maximum of 12 travellers per group

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Physical Rating - Easy

You are required to carry your pack on and off trains and buses, up hotel steps, etc. Your itinerary may include easy paced walks or bike rides, but these are on mainly flat ground.

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Accommodation

Hotels (6 nts), overnight trains (2 nts)

We use hard sleeper class trains for most of our overnight train journeys. These are not as rough as they sound - compartments are open-plan, clean, with padded berths (6 to a compartment), sheets, a blanket and hot water available. Most trains have a dining carriage where meals or snacks are available.

Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multi share basis. Please note there may be times when you share a room with passengers travelling on different Intrepid trips than your own.

Single travellers share with people of the same sex for the duration of the trip, in accommodation ranging from twin to multi-share.

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Meals

While travelling with us you will experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Generally, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your group leader will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. Please check the 'meal inclusions' section below for details of meals included.

Allow USD $150 for meals not included.

Meal Inclusions

1 Lunch

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Local Payment

There are no local payments on this trip. 

Local Payment FAQ

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Single Supplement

For you own room it will cost £150 extra.

If you would like your own room please tick the ‘Single Supplement’ box within the booking process.

If you do not need your own room single travellers will be paired in twin or multi-share accommodation with someone of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
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Included

Informal Mandarin language lesson
Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City tour with local guide - Beijing
Acrobats performance - Beijing
Great Wall at Mutianyu - Beijing
Orientation walk - Xi'an
Terracotta Warriors tour with local guide - Xi'an
Visit Xian Huiling - Xi'an
Orientation walk - Suzhou
Master of the Nets performance - Suzhou (seasonal)
Shanghai museum - Shanghai
Orientation walk - Shanghai 

This is a list of included activities on this trip. All other activities are optional and at your own expense. For a list of optional activities and sightseeing available on this trip, see the optional activities section below. If you choose not to participate in the included activities on this itinerary, the cost will not be refunded.


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Not Included

International Flights

Optional Activities

Acrobats performance, Beijing - CNY100
Kungfu Show, Beijing - CNY100
Summer Palace, Beijing - CNY50
Beijing Opera, Beijing - CNY150
Bicycle Hutong Tour, Beijing - CNY100
Temple of Heaven, Beijing - CNY35
Peking Duck Dinner, Beijing - CNY80
Lama Temple, Beijing - CNY30
Underground City, Beijing - CNY25
Museums, Xi'an - CNY10-50
Walking the city wall, Xi'an - CNY40
Bicycle rental on city wall, Xi'an - CNY15/90 mins
Bell and Drum Towers, Xi'an - CNY25 each or 40 for both
Great Mosque, Xi'an - CNY20
Big or Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an - CNY25 each
Silk Museum, Suzhou - CNY20
Canal Tour, Suzhou - CNY80-100
Humble Administrators Garden, Suzhou - CNY80
Acrobats performance, Shanghai - CNY150
Oriental Pearl Tower Viewing Deck, Shanghai - CNY100
Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai - CNY40
Cruise on the Huangpu River, Shanghai - CNY45-100
Maglev train round trip, Shanghai - CNY100
Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Shanghai - CNY30
Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai - CNY10

We list the optional activities for your information. This is not an exhaustive list and should be used as a guide only.
They are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by the tour operator/agent nor included in price of this trip. If you do any of them, you do so at your own risk and it must be clearly understood that your participation is your own decision and does not form part of your contract with tour operator/agent.

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Transport

Overnight train, local bus, taxi, bicycle, walking

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What to Take

We recommend the use of a duffel bag or backpack (whichever you find easiest to carry). A good size daypack is also essential.

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Health & Safety

For vaccinations please visit the MDtravelhealth website. 

Sun:
It is very important that you wear sun block, even on a cloudy day when it feels cool as we are near the equator and the sun is very strong. A sunburn can turn a pleasant trip into a painful trip.

Hydration
Even when days are cool please be sure to drink a minimum of two litres of water and refrain from drinking to many diuretics, as while when travelling outdoors the breeze can dehydrate you quickly as well as the heat.

Diarrhoea:
It is normal for people travelling overseas to get an upset stomach due to a change of climate and food. Please make sure that you wash your hands and stay away from street food.You will be required to complete a participation form on day 1 of the trip. 

Participation Form

You may be required to complete a participation form on day 1 of the trip.

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Live to Xplore Country Guides

China Country Guide

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Weather & Climate

China Country Guide

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Important Info

Please note that during Chinas national holidays (please refer to the Country Information on China for dates) it is peak travel season for Chinese Nationals. Although these are fascinating and exciting times to travel in China, please be aware your group could experience transport delays, larger crowds at tourist attractions and our normal itineraries may change slightly. If clockwork organisation is important to you we advise to book outside of these weeks.

During the winter months (December to end of Feburary), on days 14-15 our homestay in Chaolong is closed, so we will stay an extra night in Shanghai and Yangshuo. 

Disclaimer | The information in this trip details document has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and tour operator/agent. The itinerary featured is correct at time of printing. It may differ slightly to the one in the brochure. Occasionally our itineraries change as we make improvements that stem from past travellers, comments and our own research. Sometimes it can be a small change like adding an extra meal along the itinerary. Sometimes the change may result in us altering the tour for the coming year. Ultimately, our goal is to provide you with the most rewarding experience. This tour is run by Intrepid Travel.

Travel insurance is compulsory in order to participate on any of our trips. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance has been sighted by your leader.

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