Viking River Cruises

Imperial Jewels of China

Itinerary Overview

Discover China’s most renowned imperial treasures and travel along the legendary Yangtze River as we take you on this journey from Beijing to Shanghai. While you cruise the mighty river, you’ll marvel at the mystical scenery of Asia's most revered and dramatic natural attractions: the spectacular Qutang and Wu Gorges, and Three Gorges Dam. In Beijing, you’ll explore the site of pomp and pageantry at Tiananmen Square, and ponder the mysteries of the Forbidden City, historic home of the imperial family. Tour the elegant grounds of the Summer Palace and stroll the ramparts of the fabled Great Wall. Among China’s most unforgettable sights is Xian’s terra cotta army, an awe-inspiring group of over 6,000 life-size clay soldiers, chariots and armored horses, unearthed from their burial.

What's Included

• 3- or 4-night Yangtze River Cruise with balcony cabin onboard deluxe Viking Century Sky
• 5-star hotel accommodations: 2 nights Shanghai, 1 night Xian, 3 nights Beijing
• 12 tours with private English-speaking guides: Shanghai/Bund/Silk Carpet Workshop/Children’s Palace, Three Gorges Dam; Lesser Three Gorges; Fengdu/Snow Jade Cave; Xian/Terra Cotta Army; Beijing/Great Wall/Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs/Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City/Summer Palace
• 28 meals: 10 breakfasts, 9 lunches & 9 dinners with select meals at local Chinese restaurants
• Welcome Cocktail & Farewell Dinner
• Cultural Highlights: Chinese acrobatic performance; Tang Dynasty dinner show; Peking Opera; Peking Duck Dinner
• Fully escorted from airport arrival to departure
• All intra-China flights & appropriate hotel/airport/ship transfers
• All port charges included

Ship

Detailed Itinerary

Beijing dates back more than 1,000 years before Christ, and was a grand imperial capital from the tenth century A.D. until it became the capital of the new communist nation in 1949. In the center of the city you will find Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public square with the capacity to accommodate more than one million people. Opposite the square, step into the Forbidden City with its acres of elegant palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens.



Just outside Beijing lies the magnificent Summer Palace, a 700-acre garden and complex of buildings that was used by the Imperial Court to escape the summer heat of Beijing.



Also outside the city lies the sacred burial grounds the Ming emperors chose as their final resting place. Walk along the Sacred Way, a long avenue lined with massive sculptures of elephants, lions and camels leading to the tombs.



In the nearby Badaling Hills is one of the most impressive and best-preserved sections of the fabled Great Wall of China. See breathtaking views of the Chinese countryside as you walk along the wall.

Xian - Hotel check-in; Tang Dynasty dinner show

Xian reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty rule when it was the capital of the Middle Kingdom. During this time, the city’s position as the geographical beginning of China’s fabled Silk Road established it as one of the world’s biggest and richest cities. From 618 to 907, the Tang Dynasty presided over one of China’s most glorious cultural periods, spreading its influence throughout Asia and into Europe and Africa.



While in Xian, visit China’s greatest archaeological treasure, the Qin Mausoleum. More than 2,000 years ago, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried along with more than 6,000 life-sized terra cotta warriors, archers and infantrymen, together with their horses and chariots. In the early 1970s, farmers digging a well accidentally uncovered some of these soldiers. Walkways provide a bird’s-eye view of the stunning sight of an entire army molded in incredible detail (each man and horse with his own distinct personality).

Chongqing - Board your ship

Perched on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and its major tributary, the Jialing River, Chongqing is the gateway for Yangtze River cruises. This proud mountain city was the capital of China during World War II when the American Volunteer Air Group, the "Flying Tigers," was based here. Visit the Stilwell Museum dedicated to "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, commander of American forces in China, Burma and India during World War II. Today, Chongqing is China’s most important inland industrial city in China, and is particularly lively at night with its neon-lit Liberation Monument.

Called the "City of Ghosts" because of its temples filled with statues of demons, Fengdu boasts a population of 740,000 and features 70 temples, the oldest dating to the Tang dynasty, many climbing the Mingshan Hill above the city.

Three Gorges - Lesser Three Gorges excursion

Sandouping village is the site of the monumental Three Gorges Dam project, the most ambitious engineering project of its kind. Here you will learn about the immense construction project and its effects on the people and landscapes of China. This hydroelectric project is planned for completion in 2009 when the river will rise to a final 575 feet above sea level, displacing 1.25 million people, submerging 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,352 villages and flooding the narrow gorges of the Yangtze’s tributaries, creating a lake behind the dam and smoothing out the shoals and rapids in the river. China’s new dam promises to yield the equivalent power of 15 nuclear plants as well as control the centuries-old problem of devastating Yangtze floods. While the dam has changed certain aspects of this experience, the gorges remain an impressive natural phenomenon.

Disembark; Three Gorges Dam tour; Fly to Shanghai
Shanghai - Hotel check-in; Free time

The largest city in China and one of the world’s most important ports began as a tiny fishing village 5,000 years ago. Today, it is a modern metropolis, its skyline cluttered with twinkling skyscrapers. Travel along the famous Bund, the city’s elegant riverfront promenade containing many of Shanghai’s banks and trading houses, and tour Old Shanghai. The old section of Shanghai retains the narrow lanes, bustling street markets, sights and scents of times past. The renowned Shanghai Museum contains a wonderful collection of ancient Chinese art. Visit a silk carpet factory and the Shanghai Children’s Palace, housed in a grand, early 20th century building once known as the Marble House. Viking River Cruises passengers will be treated to a performance by China’s famous acrobats.

Cost of This Itinerary

The least expensive cabin costs:

$220 per person per night in low season and

$375 pp pn in high season

The most expensive stateroom costs:

$253 per person per night in low season and

$409 pp pn in high season