Beijing · Xi'an · Chongqing · a 4-night Yangtze cruise · Yichang. Two imperial capitals and the river that made Chinese painting.
The Three Gorges have been the subject of Chinese landscape painting for a thousand years, and the only way to understand why is to travel through them slowly. This itinerary pairs two imperial capitals with a four-night river cruise from Chongqing to Yichang.
It's a gentler trip than most — the cruise days are unhurried, the cabins are yours, and the scenery arrives without anyone having to pack a bag. Beijing and Xi'an before it give you the history the river is flowing through.
Mutianyu at opening time, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, then the hutongs and a Peking duck dinner carved at the table.
High-speed rail to Xi'an. The Terracotta Army in the late-afternoon quiet, the Ming wall by bike, the Muslim Quarter and its food streets after dark.
Rail to Chongqing — a vertical, neon-lit city of hotpot restaurants and bridges stacked five deep. Hongya Cave at night, a ride on the Yangtze cable car, and the People's Liberation Monument.
Board at Chongqing and sail east. Qutang, Wu and Xiling gorges, the Shennong Stream by sampan, the White Emperor City and the Three Gorges Dam. Shore excursions are included; the rest of the time the river does the work.
Disembark at Yichang, visit the Three Gorges Dam, then fly to Shanghai for your international flight home.
Best time to travel: March–May and September–November. The river is mistiest — and most beautiful — in spring and autumn.
Every included item is itemized in your itinerary before you pay anything. No hidden fees on arrival.
From $599 per person
From $399 per person
From $529 per person
Emperors, hutongs and the Great Wall
Where China began
Spicy, vertical, neon-lit
Gorges, cliffs and slow water
The future on the Huangpu
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