from Shanghai Bund to Potala Palace
Shanghai-Tibet
Impression Tour
Experience the best of
China, both old and new!
Highlights:
• Visit the “rooftop of the world”, and
experience why Tibet has captured the hearts and minds of
explorers and adventurers for centuries
• Discover Shanghai and attend the World Expo, the year’s
must-see event
• Tour the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, among other
sights, in Beijing, China’s cultural and political center
• See one of the world’s great wonders in the Terracotta
warriors, in Xi’an, China’s ancient capital
B=(Breakfast) L=(lunch) D=(dinner) DEPARTURE: Daily
Package Price
Price is based on the time of
travel and number of customers. Please inquire through the form
on the left side of the page, we'll quote the best price we can
get. As this tour package involves domestic transfers, the
package price will vary from time to time because of the
changing airfares and hotel rates. |
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TOUR ITINERARY |
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Tour
code:
EXSHTIBET |
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Day 1 Arrive in Shanghai
You will leave from your local home airport and fly
to Shanghai Pudong Airport. Upon arrival at the
airport in Shanghai, you will be met by your
English-speaking guide, who will take you to your
hotel in downtown Shanghai. Dinner and the rest of
the evening is up to you. |
Day 2 Shanghai
(B, L, D)
After breakfast, we will start our Shanghai
sightseeing at the Yuyuan Garden. Yuyuan Garden is a
famed classical garden. The garden may be small, but
it contains pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and
cloisters, and all have unique characteristics.
There are six main scenic areas in the garden:
Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing
Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area
features several scenic spots within its borders.
Then it is off to Shanghai Old Street. Shanghai Old
Street is an ideal place to discover what Shanghai
was like in the old days. Fangbin Road, aka.
"Shanghai Old Street" is adjacent to Yuyuan Garden.
It runs in an east-west direction from Zhonghua Road
to Henan South Road, with both ends marked by
decorated archways. On the street you will find
hundred-year-old stores: Tonghanchun, Laotongsheng,
Wuliangcai, Wanyouquan, Qiu Tianbao, Old Shanghai
Tea House, Deshun Western Food Restaurant, Chunfeng
Deyi Restaurant, Xishi Soya Beancurd Store,
Dingniangzi Cloth Store, Rongshun Restaurant and
Baoyintang. There is also a newly opened Danfeng Tea
House, a Clinic of renowned traditional Chinese
medical doctors and other new shops with traditional
characteristics.
Then we will walk along the Bund, which is
Shanghai’s most famed site. The Bund is a famous
waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai
for hundreds of years. It affords marvelous views
across the river of the Pudong district and its
numerous towers. The most famous and attractive
sight which is at the west side of the Bund are the
52 various buildings of different architectural
styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque,
Classicism and the Renaissance.
After lunch we’ll go to the Shanghai Museum. The
Shanghai Museum is a large museum of ancient Chinese
art. The museum style and presentation surround
visitors with artifacts demonstrating ancient wisdom
and philosophy. The exterior design of the round
dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea
of a round heaven and a square land. The museum is
divided into eleven galleries and three exhibition
halls. The eleven Galleries cover most of the major
categories of Chinese art: Ancient Bronze, Ancient
Ceramics, Paintings, Calligraphy, Ancient Sculpture,
Ancient Jade, Coins, Ming and Qing Furniture, Seals,
and Minority Nationalities. The museum is a
wonderful primer on ancient Chinese culture, and is
a must-see when coming to Shanghai.
For the night, you are free to explore this bustling
metropolis on your own, and we will also have a
special dinner of shanghai cuisine.
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Day 3 Shanghai-Lhasa (B, L, D)
You will then be taken to the airport where you will
take an early afternoon flight to Gonggar Airport at
Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous
Region. Your local Tibetan guide (he/she can speak
English), will take you to your hotel, the Four
Points by Sheraton where you will have a chance to
adjust to the altitude change. You are now on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Lhasa’s elevation is 3,650
meters (about 12,000 feet) above sea level. It takes
some time for most people to adjust to the thin and
dry air, so be sure to slow down, drink plenty of
water, and avoid exertion. |
Day 4 Lhasa (B, L, D)
We will begin our tour of the Rooftop of
the World at the Jokhang Temple. Located in the
center of old Lhasa city, Jokhang Monastery is the
prime seat of the Gelugpa (Yellow) Branch of Tibetan
Buddhism. It was originally built in 647 AD. It is
said the site was chosen personally by the wife of
King Songtsan Gampo, the Tang Princess Wen Cheng.
The princess perceived Wutang, a lake in Lhasa, to
be a “devil’s heart”, a source of evil, and had it
filled in and the temple built on the site to
counteract evil forces. It was built by craftsmen
from Tibet, China and Nepal and thus features
different architectural styles. Jokhang means "House
of Buddha".
Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center of Tibet and
the holiest destination for all Tibetan Buddhist
pilgrims.
A short walk from the Jokhang Temple is Barkhor
Street. The Barkhor (pilgrims’ circuit) is found in
the heart of Lhasa encircling the Jokhang Temple. It
is the earliest remaining street in Lhasa. It
bustles with activity and is always jam-packed with
traders and hawkers. It is a "must" for
souvenir-hunting tourists. Many people call the
Barkhor "the window of Tibet" as it exhibits a
typical Tibetan life. The old circumambulation
circuit is always crowded with pilgrims from
everywhere. Some are monks, and some are businessmen
from Kham, a region encompassing East Tibet and part
of Sichuan Province. Here you will find people from
all over Tibet. You can experience different styles
of dress and languages. Even the similar-looking
clothes of the monks vary depending on the different
branches of Buddhism they practice.
Then we will tour the Sera Monastery, Sera was the
last of the three principal Gelupka, or Yellow Hat,
Buddhist monasteries to be built in Lhasa. Sera has
been listed as one of the China's National Cultural
Relics since 1982. Sera comprises a great sutra
chanting hall, a college and 32 sections. It once
housed nearly 10,000 monks, and is proud of its
glorious history during the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644). Sera means hailstone in Tibetan, and
legend tells that it hailed during the foundation of
this famous monastery.
After dinner, you will be able to enjoy an authentic
Tibetan song and dance performance. The rest of your
night can be spent at your leisure. |
Day 5 Lhasa (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we will visit the most
famed landmark of Lhasa, the Potala Palace. The
world famous Potala Palace is located on Moburi
(Red) Mountain, to the west of old Lhasa. It is a
huge treasure house of materials and articles from
Tibetan history, religion, culture and art. The
palace is widely known for the precious sculptures,
murals, scriptures, Buddha statues, murals,
antiques, and religious jewelry housed within. They
are of great cultural and artistic value. In 1994,
the Potala Palace was declared a UNESCO World
Cultural Heritage Site. It was originally built in
the 640s, during the reign of King Songtsan Gampo of
Tibet. The Potala has been a sacred place for
hundreds of years. Thousands of pilgrims from Tibet,
other parts of China and abroad come every year to
pay homage. Their devotion is shown by the difficult
journeys they have to make to reach “the City of the
Gods".
In the afternoon, we will make an exciting outing to
the Drepung Monastery. Built in 1416, Drepung
Monastery is the first of the three principle
monasteries of the Gelugpa School of Buddhism.
Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat, Buddhism is the branch
followed by most Tibetans, and the most influential
figure in this faith is the Dalai Lama. Drepung
Monastery used to be the living quarters of Dalai
Lamas before the reconstruction of the Potala Palace
by the Fifth Dalai Lama between 1645 and 1694.
Drepung was listed as a national cultural relic in
1982.
We will then return to the hotel for dinner, and you
are free to explore the city and this winding streets
and markets for the night. The most famous night
market in Lhasa, is Tianhai Night Market on the west
suburb of city. The market features many stalls of
snacks, fruits, and handicrafts lining the street.
Each night, the street is crowded and illuminated.
Tianhai Night Market is known for its great variety
of goods and for being cheaper than the market on
the Barkhor Street. |
Day 6 Back to Shanghai
(B)
After breakfast, you will be driven to the airport,
and you will go back to Shanghai or go on to your next destination, ending
your tour with us. |
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Tour Inclusions：
1. Hotels with daily western
breakfasts;
2. Meals in accordance with
that listed on the itinerary.
3. professional local guide
& driver;
4. Private air-conditioned
car or van for transportation;
5. Admission of the first
gate.
6.Two bottles of mineral
water per day.
Tour exclusions：
1. Tip of the guide
2. Personal costs
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