New Year’s in China: Ancient Wonders & Modern Marvels

• Arrive at the airport to meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers as they arrive.
• Transfer to your hotel to check into your accommodations.
• Get some rest so you can hit the ground running tomorrow.

• Dive into Beijing on a guided sightseeing tour of the city.
• Step into Tiananmen Square, one of the biggest public squares in the world and the stage for centuries of history, from imperial parades to modern protests that shaped Beijing and China.
• Tour the Forbidden City (named because only royals and certain VIP officials could enter) walking through the palace complex that housed 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Keep an eye out for some of the 50,000+ dragons that adorn the palace, less decoration and more power flex, guarding the emperors and reminding everyone who really ran the show.
• Ride a traditional rickshaw through Beijing’s traditional hutong neighborhoods, seeing how locals live in these historic alleyways. (Fun fact: the word “hutong” isn’t Chinese, it’s Mongolian!)
• Enjoy your Welcome Dinner with a local hutong family, digging into authentic, home-cooked Beijing plates and learning about daily life in the city. Then grab an included post-dinner drink at a bar in the super photogenic Houhai hutong area.

Ask your Tour Director

• How to say simple phrases like “hello” and “thank you” in Mandarin (the official language of China, although there are many regional dialects).
• About the symbolism and significance of the Forbidden City’s architecture and colors.
• Where to find the best, crispiest Peking duck in Beijing—it was invented here!
• About hutong life and how these neighborhoods are being preserved even with modernization.
• For recs on exploring Beijing after dark.
• About the history and construction of the Great Wall—it took over 2,000 years to build.
• About the city’s rapidly evolving art and culture scene.
• Where to experience authentic Beijing street food, like savory Jianbing pancakes, lamb skewers, and candied Tanghulu hawthorn berries.
• What souvenirs to be on the lookout for throughout the trip, like tea, jade or pearl jewelry, calligraphy, Sichuan peppercorns, and fine silk.

• Visit the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China, one of the best-preserved and most scenic parts of the wall.
• Hop on a cable car up the wall and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. You can almost hear Li Shang singing “Be a Man” in the distance.
• Walk along the ancient fortification and imagine what life was like for the soldiers who guarded it centuries ago.
• Enjoy free time in Beijing for the rest of the day or spend the evening at an optional immersive dinner performance.

798 Art District: Explore this trendy neighborhood filled with contemporary art galleries, cafes, and boutiques in a former industrial complex.

Zhongshan Park marriage market: Check out this famous and deeply cultural gathering where parents advertise their unmarried kids hoping to find them a partner. They post handwritten bios listing age, height, job, and salary—it’s equal parts matchmaking, tradition, and people-watching gold.

Traditional teahouse: Relax in a traditional Beijing teahouse, where tea is an artform. Try jasmine tea, a classic local favorite, oolong for rich, layered flavor, or pu’er for something bold and earthy.

• Experience one of the world’s most advanced rail systems aboard a high-speed bullet train from Beijing to Chongqing in China’s mountainous southwestern Sichuan region.
• Arrive in Chongqing, a dense, sprawling megacity of over 30 million people known for its dizzying, multilevel “8D” infrastructure and sizzling Sichuan food.
• Check into your hotel, then head out with a local guide to stroll through Chongqing’s labyrinth of streets.
• As the sun sets and the city lights up, catch the mega-viral Chongqing drone show, featuring hundreds of synchronized drones creating spectacular aerial displays.
• Ring in the new year Chongqing-style: watching fireworks, lasers, and skyscrapers reflected on the Yangtze and Jialing rivers below.

Ask your Tour Director

• About ordering food on the high-speed train—it’s surprisingly good!
• Why Chongqing is called the “Mountain City” and how it’s different from other megacities.
• About Chongqing’s spicy Sichuan food culture (and where you should go for hot pot, it’s super famous here).
• The difference between Sichuan peppercorns and regular spice.
• Why Chongqing has become so viral on social media.
• For tips on navigating Chongqing’s unique multi-level streets and transportation system.

• Head out with a local guide to see the monorail passing through the middle of a 19-story apartment building—one of Chongqing’s most viral attractions. If you’re wondering how the people who live there deal with the noise, they don’t—engineers designed the building so that the train doesn’t sound any louder than a dishwasher to the residents.
• Ride the Yangtze River cable car across the river for panoramic views of Chongqing’s mountains and skyline.
• Explore and grab lunch at Hongya Cave, an iconic 11-story, 2,300-year-old stilt house full of shops and restaurants that looks like a real-life bathhouse from Spirited Away.
• Enjoy a free afternoon and evening to explore Chongqing on your own or spend the night at an immersive mask-changing show and hot pot dinner.

Yangtze River night cruise: See Chongqing from a different perspective on an evening cruise along the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers. As you glide past the city’s dramatic skyline, you’ll get a front-row view of illuminated bridges, towering skyscrapers, and the steep hillsides.

Ciqikou Ancient Town: Take a breather from the Chongqing chaos as you stroll around this riverside maze of stone streets, teahouses, and old shops dating back centuries. Once a busy trading port, now it’s the perfect spot to slow down, grab souvenirs, and soak up the historic charm.

Jiefangbei Square: Chongqing’s main shopping and nightlife hub is packed with department stores, street food stalls, movie theaters, and restaurants. At its center stands the Liberation Monument, a nod to the city’s liberation by the Communist Party of China in 1949.

Eling Park: Stroll through tranquil gardens and temples, see the beautiful Stone Rope Bridge, and get panoramic views of the city from the Overlook Victory Tower.

• Take a scenic train ride from Chongqing to Chengdu through the Sichuan countryside.
• Learn about the history and culture of Chengdu from your Tour Director on the way from the station to your hotel.
• Check in and head out on a short orientation walk with your Tour Director before enjoying the rest of the day to shop, eat street snacks, maybe visit a teahouse? Chengdu is the perfect place to reset.

Wide and Narrow Alley: Explore the renovated pedestrian-only streets that date back to the Qing Dynasty: Kuan Alley (wide, historic, filled with teahouses), Zhai Alley (narrow and intimate, with cafes and bar), and Jing Alley (quiet, artsy, boutique shops). Together, they blend centuries of culture with modern local life.

Zhongshuge bookstore: The perfect bookstore doesn’t exi—oh wait. Wander through this magical, cathedral-like space of mirrored ceilings, winding staircases, and endless bookshelves, a paradise for book lovers and anyone chasing the perfect Instagram shot.

Traditional teahouse: Sip jasmine, pu’er, or green tea in a Chengdu teahouse, where steaming cups meet mahjong games, relaxed chatter, and centuries-old rituals. Perfect for slowing down and soaking up authentic local culture.

Ask your Tour Director

• About Chengdu’s famous tea culture, which teahouses to visit, and which customs and rituals to expect.
• Where to try more authentic Sichuan cuisine—the flavors are a bit more complex here than in Chongqing, where bolder is better.
• Other Sichuan food to try that’s not hot pot, like mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and kung pao chicken.
• Where to watch Chengdu locals play mahjong, a popular Chinese tile game, and where you can join in.
• For nightlife recs! Chengdu has a vibrant nightlife scene, with riverside bars, restaurants, and clubs. It’s also unofficially labeled China’s “queer capital,” widely considered one of the more inclusive and liberal cities in China.

• Visit the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for a Chengdu panda tour and see giant pandas and red pandas in their natural habitat, where you’ll learn about conservation efforts to protect these endangered animals and watch them eat, play, and nap.
• See adorable red pandas and other rare species at the research base.
• Wander Jinli Street, Chengdu’s bustling historic lane featuring Qing Dynasty-style architecture, colorful lanterns, handmade crafts, and spicy street snacks.
• Fly from Chengdu to Shanghai in the evening, ride the Maglev (one of the world’s fastest trains!) from the airport to the city, and check into your hotel.

• Start your day exploring Shanghai on a walking tour with your Tour Director.
• Explore Yu Garden, a stunning 400-year-old classical Chinese garden with winding paths, hidden courtyards, elaborate pavilions, koi ponds, and rockeries dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
• Stroll along Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s legendary pedestrian street filled with shops, malls, restaurants, street performers, and neon lights.
• Enjoy a local snack tasting featuring Shanghai specialties.

The Bund: Walk along Shanghai’s iconic waterfront on the Huangpu River, snap skyline pics, admire historic colonial buildings, and grab a drink at one of the rooftop bars—this promenade is perfect for sightseeing, dining, and people-watching.

Shanghai Tower: Ride the fastest elevator in the world (118 floors in under a minute, eek!) of the tallest building in China and the second tallest on Earth for panoramic city and river views.

Evening river cruise: Hop on a Huangpu River cruise to see over 50 historic buildings along the Bund, neon-lit skyscrapers in Pudong, and iconic bridges like Waibaidu.

Ask your Tour Director

• About Shanghai’s colonial history as a treaty port and international settlement.
• Where to find the best xiao long bao (soup dumplings) in the city—Shanghai is famous for them—and how to eat them. There’s a technique!
• Other tasty Shanghai treats to try, like scallion oil noodles, yellow crab shell (which is actually a sweet pastry), or wine dumplings.
• How to use the extensive and affordable Metro system to get around the city (fun fact, the Shanghai Metro system is the longest in the world).
• About Shanghai’s incredible skyline and the stories behind its most iconic buildings.
• For recs on experiencing Shanghai’s world-class nightlife and rooftop bars.
• About Shanghai’s cutting-edge technology and innovation scene.

Museums: Check out the Shanghai Museum if you’re into ancient art, artifacts, and calligraphy, or the China Art Museum for Chinese modern art and multimedia displays.

Calligraphy workshop: Ask your Tour Director where you can learn this ancient art form and create your own piece.

French Concession: This historic district was controlled by France from the mid-1800s to 1943, famous for tree-lined streets, colonial-era architecture, cafés, boutiques, and bars.