Complete Itinerary

Itinerary

Day 1 ( June 27, Wed. )Departure from LA, cross the international date line

Day 2 (June 28, Thur.) Arrival - Beijing, check in at Crowne Plaza (5-star)

Day 3 (June 29, Fri.) Breakfast at hotel. A magnificent day starts with the visit to Tiananmen Square, the heart of Beijing and the Forbidden City. After lunch, visit the Summer Palace, an imperial garden.
Evening: Sabbath dinner with Beijing Jewish community.

Day 4 (June 30, Sat.) Breakfast at hotel. Visit the fascinating Ming Tombs and the Great Wall, a wonder of the world.
Evening: Peking opera

Day 5 (July 1, Sun) Breakfast at hotel, Visit Temple of Heaven in the morning, and Lama Temple, a Tibetan style. Have a hutong walking tour through the historic neighborhoods surrounding the Lama temple. Afternoon flight to Harbin, a city with the Russian-styled art and architecture. Harbin as a city was first founded by Russian and settled by Russian Jews at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Walk on the Songhua riverfront if time permits.
Hotel: Shangri-La (5-star)

Day 6 (July 2, Mon.) Breakfast at hotel. Visit 100-year-old Harbin Jewish Cemetery. Here, many of Harbin's early Jewish residents were buried, their headstones inscribed in Hebrew and Russian. In the afternoon, visit the former Jewish Day School and former Old Synagogue, just a block apart, walk the bustling neighborhood streets with their Russian and European architecture, the beautiful downtown outdoor mall of this city and view its historic shopping district with its European-styled architecture. Evening flight to Zhengzhou, a city near to Kaifeng
Evening: Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou (5-star)

Day 7 (July 3, Tues.) Breakfast at hotel. Visit Zhengzhou Provincial Museum in the morning. After Lunch bus to Kaifeng, a special visit to Chinese capital of the Song Dynasty and home city for the Kaifeng Jewish community. Chinese culture mixed with Jewish colors. Visit to Guild Hall, walk on historical sites of synagogue and Jewish Quarter of the city, meeting and dinner with Kaifeng Jewish descendents.
Evening: Evening Market tour
Hotel: Yuxiang Hotel in Kaifeng (3-star, the best in the town)

Day 8 (July 4, Wed.) Breakfast at hotel, Riverside Park with exhibition of Kaifeng Jewish history (a theme park restoring Chinese life in the Song Dynasty, lots of local folk shows). Visit to the Center for Jewish Studies at Henan University and the Yellow River.
Evening train to Xi'n ?soft sleeper?

Day 9 (July 5, Th.) Arrival in Xi'an and breakfast at hotel. Visit Shaaxi Provincial Museum and learn more about Chinese history of the first 2,000 years. Visit Big Wide Goose Pagoda, and city wall.
Evening: Tang Dynasty show.
Hotel: Howard Johnson Plaza or similar (5-star)

Day 10 (July 6, Fri.) Breakfast at hotel, Visit the incredible terra-cotta warriors museum, touching ancient Chinese history. Afternoon flight to Chongqing and have a city tour if time permits. Dinner on the shore before embarking the cruise ship (M.S. Victoria or East King) at 8pm to begin your cruise

Day 11 (July 7, Sat.) Enjoy Yangtze River cruise. Have an excursion tour to visit Shibaozai. Marvel at the spectacular Qutang Gorges, the first gorge, in the afternoon. Reception on the boat at 7:00p.m.

Day 12 (July 8, Sun.) Continuing tour on the Three Gorges, take a sampan ride on the lesser three gorges. View the second and third gorges. Pass through the biggest boat lock in the world at about 6:00p.m. Farewell dinner on the ship.

Day 13 (July 9, Mon.) Arrive Yichang and visit the site of the Yangtze River dam this morning. Disembark after lunch onboard and fly to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Check in hotel. Free evening.
Hotel: Salvo Hotel (5-star)

Day 14 (July 10, Tues.) Breakfast at hotel. An interesting day to learn about the history of the Shanghai Jewish communities. Walking tour: Hongkuo Ghetto (where Jewish refugees lived and prayed). Visit the Yuyuan Garden dating from 1577 and beautifully restored and China Town in Shanghai with many shops. Vegetarian lunch at Jade Buddha Temple. Visit Shanghai Museum, a house of treasures.
Evening: Amazing acrobatic show

Day 15 (July 11, Wed.) Breakfast at hotel. Visit to Zhujiajiao, a traditional town with southern China style in suburbs of Shanghai. Visit Silk factory and learn how silk is made. Walking on pedestal Nanjing Road and the Bund.
Evening: Farewell banquet and boat ride on Huangpu River

Day 16 (July 12, Thur.) Breakfast at hotel, departure for home.

Total land cost USD 2,485/per person (single supplement: $765, on the cruise add additional $280 if single cabin is needed.), which including accommodations, transportation between cities, all meals, admission fee, entertainment, guide service, gratuities, and airport tax while in China.