DESTINATIONS CHINA ESCORTED TOURS
REASONS TO BOOK A TOUR Tours appeal
to active, well-
travelled clients interested in culture and
history, seeking a stress-free experience.
English is not widely
spoken outside large hotels and tourist attractions, making China a challenging destination for independent travellers.
Tourists need a pass to visit Tiananmen Square, which is organised in advance by
tour operators, but can take hours to obtain by unescorted visitors.
China is vast –
it’s an 800-mile six-hour bullet train ride from Xi’an to Beijing – and tours include travel arrangements.
A tour director will escort
clients and help with problems, assisted by expert local guides.
City, the 15th-century palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties that was closed to the outside world for five centuries. The magnificent Summer Palace, with its vast lake where you can take a dragon boat ride, is an oasis of calm just outside the city. Other Beijing highlights include the
Ming Tombs, the final resting place of emperors, where the Sacred Way is lined with imposing animal statues. No visit would be complete without a Peking duck dinner (chopsticks optional) where the chefs carve the bird into an impressive 120 pieces, and a visit to a gravity-defying Chinese acrobatic show. Haggle for cut-price souvenirs and presents at Pearl Market, a three-storey indoor shopping emporium packed with fashion, jewellery, toys and electronics. Where to stay? The five-star Grand Gongda Jianguo Hotel has 227 large rooms and a comfortable lobby bar. Agent verdict: “It was so much cleaner than I expected. Everywhere we went, there were people cleaning the streets and keeping tourist
attractions spotless.” Katey Webb, Cruise118
w GREAT WALL Why go? The world’s largest man- made construction is an awe-inspiring and surprisingly accessible sight. What to do? Although it’s a myth that it can be seen from the Moon, the
RIGHT: Beijing
BELOW: Great Wall of China
Any pictures you see beforehand of the Great Wall of China simply don’t do it justice
Great Wall of China is extraordinary. Once measuring an estimated 13,170 miles, it was built to repel invaders between the 14th and 17th centuries. It now stretches 3,750 miles, and tours take visitors to one of several points near Beijing. The most popular, just an hour outside the city, is in the Badaling Hills, where there are options to stroll
along either a steep or gentler section. Farther away and less crowded is the Mutianyu stretch of wall, accessed by cable car, where 22 watch towers are situated close together. The wall follows a winding path as, according to Chinese mythology, demons and evil spirits can travel only in straight lines. Excursions usually include a stop at a jade, silk-painting or carpet factory to watch craftsmen, giving customers the chance to buy quality souvenirs. Agent verdict: “The Great Wall was the highlight. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world. Any pictures you see beforehand
simply don’t do it justice.” Jordan Luxton,
Cruise.co.uk
54
travelweekly.co.uk 15 June 2017
PICTURES: COSMOS/CHUYU; ISPYFRIEND; DIBROVA
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