Tour Diary

Day 1: Saturday 15th march
Group 1 check in at Cork airport for flight to London. Transfer to terminal 3  for Air China flight to Beijing. Group 2 travel to Shannon for flight to London Heathrow, Overnight in London.

Day 2: Sunday 16th March
Group 3 check in at Cork airport for flight to London. Meet with group 2 and transfer to terminal 3  for Air China flight to Beijing. Group 1 afternoon arrival in Beijing. Transfer to the Grand View Garden Hotel.

Day 3: Monday 17th March
Remaining groups arrive in Beijing. Afternoon visit to the beautiful and serene Summer Palace followed by a short visit to a pearl market. Dinner and variety show. 

Day 4: Tuesday 18th March
Morning coach ride to Chengde, stopping at a Jade factory and at the Great Wall enroute, taking in some of the most breathtaking scenery of Northern China. Stay at the Qian Yang Hotel.

Day 5: Wednesday 19th March
Visit to the magnificent temples of Pule, Pulin and Putuozongshan, built in the style of the Potula palace Tibet. After lunch, we visit the picturesque Imperial mountain resort of the Qing Emperors. Time to walk around the frozen lake.

Day 6: Thursday 20th
Travel back to Beijing by coach. Heavy snowfall makes the journey a slow one but we are rewarded by some spectacular scenery. Evening flight from Beijing to Xian. Staying at the Jianguo Hotel.

Day 7: Friday 21st March
Morning visit to the ancient city wall of Xian (the starting point of the old Silk Road). Treated to a traditional welcome ceremony. Short stop at an art gallery before we visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Free time after lunch for shopping or a chance to hire a bicycle and journey along the city walls. Evening performance of Tang Dynasty music and dance.

Day 8: Saturday 22nd March
Morning visit to the remains of the Banpo neolithic village followed by time for shopping at a market specialising in Terracotta Warriors, hand painted tiles and furniture. Afternoon visit to the site of the Terracotta Warriors of Emperor Qing Shi Huang. Opportunity to see a film about the site, meet one of the farmers who discovered the warriors, visit all three pits and view the emperors chariots. 

Day 9: Sunday 23rd March
Morning flight to Beijing. After lunch we visit Tian Anmen Square, the Forbidden City and then travel by rickshaw to explore  Beijing's maze of old city lanes known as Hutongs. Staying at the Gloria Plaza Hotel.

Day 10: Monday 24th March
Day at leisure. A chance to do some shopping or to explore Beijing for yourself. Evening Peking Duck Banquet and show.

Day 11: Tuesday 25th March
After breakfast depart for the airport to begin our journey home.

The mainland of China covers an area of 9,506,960 sq km. It is home to a population of 1.2 billion people. The capital, Beijing, has a population of 12 million, 95% of these are Han Chinese. 93% of the population are Han Chinese the remainder are Mongol, Zhuang, Manchu and Uighur.

Climate: Beijing temperatures for March range from -1 to 11 degrees Celsius, with 8mm of rain.

Language: Mandarin

Time: GMT +8 hours.

Telephone: The direct dial code from Ireland to Beijing is 00 86 10 followed by the local number.

Currency: Yuan

Main sights: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Hutongs, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Tian Anmen Square, Beijing Zoo, Temples of Chengde, Terracotta Warriors and Beijing markets.