Know Before You Go
• Xian Museum is closed on Tuesday tours.
• There is no tour guide for arrival & departure transfers.
• Keep your passport on you constantly. It might be needed to buy entrance tickets.
• Meals (lunch & dinner) are not included. Please feel free to ask your guide for recommendations.
• Add us on WeChat (+86-18309280878) or WhatsApp (+86-18309280878) to reach GGC service staff at anytime.
• Before getting to Zhengzhou you will receive driver's contact information by WhatsApp, Wechat or email.
• You will be greeted by driver holding GGC welcome sign with your name at the airport or train station arrival hall.
Day 1 Arrival in Zhengzhou, Airport/Train Station Pick-up
Meet your driver at Zhengzhou airport or train station and transfer to your hotel in a comfortable private vehicle. After getting settled at the hotel, you may explore the downtown area on your own. Zhengzhou is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Zhengzhou is also known as "iPhone City," for the large Foxconn factory that employed as many as 350,000 people and made half of the world's iPhones.
Meals Included: No meals
Hotel: 4-star Hotel Zhengzhou or similar
Day 2 Bullet train to Xian, Terracotta Warriors, Great Mosque, Muslim Quarter
Take bullet train to Xian (about 2 hours). Visit Terracotta Warriors upon arrival. Considered one of the foremost archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, the 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army was discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well. The 8,000-plus life-sized warriors are arranged in vaults to guard the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, a major architect of the Great Wall and unifier of China. Then you will visit the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang which was constructed over 38 years, from 246 to 208 BC, and is situated underneath a 76-meter-tall tomb mound shaped like a truncated pyramid. Next, visit the Great Mosque and Muslim Quarter. Being the starting point of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking China with the Middle East and Europe, Xian is deeply influenced by Islamic culture which is best observed in the Muslim Quarter. Xian Muslim Quarter covers several blocks with an estimated 60,000 Muslims in the region. There are about seven ancient mosques in the area, among which the Great Mosque is the most famous and popular among all. At Xian's Muslim Quarter you will find a seemingly endless labyrinth of street food, restaurants and bustling local life.
Meals Included: Western buffet breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Grand Dynasty Culture Hotel Xian or similar
Day 3 Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Museum, City Wall, Bullet Train to Luoyang
Visit Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xian Museum in the morning. With a history of more than 1,300 years, Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built to store the Buddhist scriptures delivered from ancient India. It is a perfect example of the multi-eaved square brick pagodas built in ancient China. Currently there are 13 storeys left as the top two storeys were destroyed in earthquakes. Next, visit Xian Museum. Xian Museum boasts nearly 130,000 relics that all relate to the history of Ancient China and Xian specifically. Afterwards visit Xian City Wall. The City Wall of Xian is one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in the world. Walking atop the Wall, you will get the panorama of Xian skyline. Take bullet train to Luoyang (about 90 minutes). Luoyang was once the very centre of the Chinese universe and the capital city of many ancient Chinese dynasties including Eastern Zhou, Eastern Han dynasties.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Hotel Luoyang or similar
Day 4 Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, Drive to Kaifeng
Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Longmen Grottoes in the morning. Longmen Grottoes are Buddhist cave complex consisting of more than 2300 caves and niches carved into the steep limestone cliffs over a 1km long stretch. These contain almost 110,000 Buddhist stone statues, more than 60 stupas and 2800 inscriptions carved on steles. Created over the course of approximately five centuries beginning in the year 493, these grottoes, along with the statues and inscriptions carved within, provide a window into the political, cultural, and artistic circumstances of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties. Contine with a visit to the Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple is the origin temple of Chan Buddhism and cradle of Chinese Kungfu. First built in 495 AD, this temple was a royal temple built to accommodate Indian Buddhist monk Master Batuo. Later it became the center of Buddhism in China, where holy monks gathered, emperors and high-ranking officials came to visit and pay homage, and poets and scholars came to admire the beauty of this scenic place. Shaolin Kungfu is one of the ways that monks of Shaolin Temple study Chan Buddhism. Being the single most outstanding representative of ancient Chinese martial arts culture, Shaolin Kungfu is a vivid legend in the history of the human being’s civilization. Drive to Kaifeng (196km, about 2 & half hours driving).
Meals Included: No meals
Hotel: 4-star Hotel Kaifeng or similar
Day 5 Prime Minster Temple, Iron Pagoda, Dragon Pavilion, Imperial Street of Song Dynasty, Drive to Zhengzhou
Kaifeng was China's Northern Song Dynasty capital from the 10th to 12th centuries. Visit the Prime Minster Temple in the morning. Considered as the top ten famous temple in China, the Prime Minster Temple was first founded in AD 555. During the Northern Song Dynasty when Kaifeng was the Capital city, the temple covered a massive 34 hectares and housed over 10,000 monks. This temple was rebuilt during Qing dynasty and it is noted for a 7m-high bodhisattva statue with approximately 1,000 hands. Next, visit the Iron Pagoda, a 55m-tall octagonal structure built in 1049 considered to be a masterpiece of Song dynasty architecture. Continue with a visit to the Dragon Pavillion, the only surviving structure of the many buildings of the former Song Dynasty imperal Palace. Afterwards, wander along the Imperial Street of Song Dynasty, a restored street made to look like the scene on the painting of Along the River During Qingming Festival. Drive to Zhengzhou late in the afternoon (65km, about 1 hour driving).
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Hotel in Zhengzhou or similar
Day 6 Departure from Zhengzhou, Transfer to Zhengzhou Airport or Train Stations
Private transfer (without guide) to Zhengzhou airport or railway stations for your departure flight/train. Wish you a pleasant journey and thank you for traveling with GoGrandChina.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Friendly Tips
• Please feel free to contact your GGC service staff if you want to book discount flight & train tickets.