Note: The itineraries presented are subject to modification due to water levels, closures because of public holidays or other uncontrollable factors. Every effort will be made to operate programs as planned, but changes may still be necessary throughout the cruise. This day-to-day schedule is subject to change. Your final day-to-day schedule will be provided onboard on the first day of your cruise.
DAY 1: Beijing
Arrive at the Beijing Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the opulent Ritz-Carlton Beijing.
Note: For Arrival, Departure and Transfer details, please visit Uniworld.com/transfers. For Port Location details, please visit Uniworld.com/ports.
DAY 2: Beijing
The political and cultural capital of China and home to more than 20 million people, Beijing exemplifies everything visitors find most intoxicating about China. Ancient monuments contrast with modern high-rises, and traditional crafts flourish alongside international businesses. Exquisite art, stunning UNESCO sites, serene parks and teeming streets all contribute to the unique flavor of this astonishing city.
Featured Excursion:
The Imperial heritage of China’s capital—Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Peking Duck lunch with afternoon Temple of Heaven visit and Tai Chi class
DAY 3: Beijing
Certain images immediately spring to mind when you think of China. Pandas. The Great Wall. Believe it or not, both of these are on today’s agenda. The pandas are on view at the Beijing Zoo—you’ll also experience a traditional teahouse and a rickshaw ride through the city’s ancient hutongs, where you’ll enjoy lunch.
Featured Excursion:
Culture, history and intrigue: hutongs, teahouse and the Great Wall
DAY 4: Beijing, Fly to Xi’an
Leave dynamic Beijing behind today and head north to the lush lakeside Summer Palace, home to one of China’s most beautiful classical gardens. From there, plunge into the past in China’s first capital, where you’ll celebrate your first night in Xi’an with a traditional dumpling banquet.
Featured Excursion:
Grace and art—Beijing’s Summer Palace and Xi’an’s traditional dumpling banquet
DAY 5: Xi’an
Xi’an’s famous Terracotta Army has been called the 8th Wonder of the World, and it’s certainly the most extraordinary archeological find of the 20th century. You’ll also enjoy a traditional Tang Dynasty dinner show.
Featured Excursion:
China’s first capital—Terra-cotta Army and Tang Dynasty dinner show
DAY 6: Xi’an, Fly to Hangzhou
Intrepid explorer Marco Polo called Hangzhou the greatest city he’d ever seen, but don’t take his word for it—judge for yourself as you get your first glimpse of this ancient Chinese capital today, celebrated throughout the centuries for its extraordinary natural beauty.
Featured Excursion:
Jade Factory visit
DAY 7: Hangzhou
China’s classically designed gardens and landscapes are a cultural treasure revered around the world, and you’ll see one of the best examples today at Hangzhou’s idyllic West Lake. Another highlight: Lingyin Temple, one of the country’s oldest Buddhist sites, providing an intriguing glimpse of the serenity of the 5,000-year-old Middle Kingdom. There, you’ll see an “Enduring Memories of Hangzhou” show.
Featured Excursion:
Poetic vision—Lingyin Temple and Enduring Memories of Hangzhou show
DAY 8: Shanghai
Today you’ll head to Shanghai, China’s largest city. An international economic hub, it has drawn entrepreneurs from all over the world for 150 years. While Shanghai may be the “city of the future,” you can still find remnants of its history in Old Town and the area known as the Concessions, which was controlled by European interests in the 19th century.
Featured Excursion:
Glamour, skyscrapers, art deco gems and famous dim sum
DAY 9: Shanghai
Today you have the luxury of an entire day to explore Shanghai however you wish. Then, in the evening, experience yet another cultural highlight of your journey—a thrilling performance by the dazzling and gravity-defying Shanghai Acrobats.
Featured Excursion:
Spectacular Shanghai Acrobatic Show
DAY 10: Shanghai, Fly to Yichang (Embark)
From Shanghai, you’ll fly to Yichang. When you arrive in Yichang, you’ll enjoy an up-close look at one of the three locks of the Gezhouba Dam and a visit to the Gezhouba Central Vegetable Market, providing you with an intimate look at local people’s lives. Make your way to the Yichang Urban Planning Museum, which will introduce you to the past, present and future of Yichang. After, you’ll stroll through the Riverside Park, a picturesque spot on the northern side of the Yangtze River. Here, you’ll be able to marvel at the 400-year-old Tianran Pagoda.
Featured Excursion:
The Balance of Yichang: Modern technologies and ancient pagodas
DAY 11: Cruising the Yangtze River
The Three Gorges Dam was an expensive and controversial undertaking, a project that involved relocating entire villages threatened by the rising waters of the Yangtze. The dam itself is an engineering marvel that you can see from a breathtakingly up-close perspective today.
Featured Excursion:
Powering China’s future—Three Gorges Dam
You are invited to a Captain’s Welcome Reception before dinner.
DAY 12: Cruising the Yangtze River, Shennong Stream
Today is destined to be a highlight of your journey—a full day cruising the Yangtze River’s mystical, beautiful and completely mesmerizing Three Gorges and Shennong Stream.
Featured Excursion:
The magical Shennong Stream
DAY 13: Cruising the Yangtze River
Near Fuling, you’ll be offered the extraordinary chance to visit the 816 Underground Project, a giant nuclear installation which the military started constructing in the mountains in the 1960s. It boasts 18 man-made caves, more than 130 roads and tunnels, and an almost 80-meter-high cave where the nuclear reactor was placed. The project was abandoned in a nearly finished state in 1984 before the manufacturing of plutonium-239 began.
Featured Excursion:
Fuling—816 Underground Project
This evening enjoy a Farewell Dinner onboard.
DAY 14: Cruising the Yangtze River, Chongqing (Disembark), Train to Chengdu
Disembark in the port of Chongqing and jump on a bullet train to Chengdu, where you’ll be transferred to the Ritz-Carlton Chengdu. Enjoy lunch at the hotel before a visit to People’s Park.
Featured Excursion:
People's Park and Kuanzhai Alley
DAY 15: Chengdu
Chengdu, or “Panda City” as it’s affectionately known, is a beguiling blend of centuries-old traditions and bustling city life. Nestled among sleek skyscrapers sit preserved streets, temples and historic sites. Today, you’ll venture to the Sanxingdui Museum, an archaeological museum teeming with cultural relics.
Featured Excursion:
Panda Breeding Research Base and Sanxingdui Museum
DAY 16: Chengdu, Fly to Hong Kong
Check out of your hotel and head to the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport for your flight to Hong Kong.
DAY 17: Hong Kong
Hong Kong presents a dizzying juxtaposition of East and West, ancient and modern. This bustling, glittering, multicultural city, which you’ll explore today, is famous for its soaring skyscrapers, fabulous shopping, Star Ferries crisscrossing Victoria Harbour and the lingering traces of its British colonial past.
Featured Excursion:
“Pearl of the Orient"—Hong Kong’s highlights
DAY 18: Depart Hong Kong
Today, you will be transferred to the Hong Kong International Airport for your flight home.