Take one part passion for cooking. Add a pinch of wanderlust. Stir well. Enjoy straight up.
Culinary travel is potent cocktail, combining the best of a destination's
history and culture with hands-on cooking classes and an insider's
knowledge of the kitchens and customs of a place.
Mix in local dining experiences and you've got a trip that will satisfy even the heartiest appetites.
Join Eat. Drink. Memory. for guided culinary tours designed to please the palate and delight the senses.
Mary MacRae Warren, Eat. Drink. Memory. founder, hosts 14 days in Beijing, X'ian, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai in Spring 2010. Reserve your spot now.
This especially designed small group tour (maximum 15) juxtaposes urban and rural landscapes, the ancient with the modern, and immerses participants in the culture and cuisine of this complex and beautiful country. Stay in extraordinary deluxe hotels and visit essential historic Chinese landmarks - the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven.
Experience an insider's tour of local markets, shopping for ingredients and preparing an authentic Chinese meal under the guidance of expert local chefs. Visit a traditional Chinese kitchen and learn the necessary ingredients for daily meals the Chinese way.
Enjoy the best of China's regional cuisines, teas and wines in five cities along the Golden Route.
Wander the Golden Route 14 days
Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin, and Shanghai
China is a land of history and refinement unparalleled in the world. Visitors are immersed in a sea of visual and cultural experiences unlike any other they may have had elsewhere. Each geographic area in China teems with its own identity as an energetic
variation on the great theme of Chinese civilization, each regions differing vastly yet expressing similar values and ideas.
This journey begins in Beijing with an exploration of the beauty of the Imperial City and meetings with urban Chinese residents. Discover the splendor of China’s glorious past: the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Great Wall. Witness the dynamic and ever-changing pace of life in today’s capital of China.
Flying on to X'ian ,once the largest city in the world, visit and explore the Terracotta Warriors Museum in homage to Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Considered China’s preeminent archaeological discovery, the site is known only to the world since 1974. Tour other important historic sites in the ancient Tang Dynasty capital.
The next stop of our tour is Chengdu, a place of color, spirit and fiery food. Ponder the marvelous findings at the Sanxingdui Archaeological
Site & Museum. Relax and sip a cup of fragrant tea in a local
teahouse.
Your itinerary also includes Guilin and Yangshuo,the south China region of picturesque karsts mountains rising from rice paddies. One of the most idyllic landscapes of China,a cruise down the Li River will reveal its beauties at each bend of the river.
The last stop of your tour is Shanghai,China’s most populous city and economic powerhouse, home in 2010 to the World Expo. The European Bund still retains the glamour of the colonial era while modern western pubs, bars and boutiques scatter the center of Shanghai. Visit traditional Yuyuan Garden and spend some time exploring Shanghai Museum, the best in China.
Fly home from Shanghai.
Itinerary Summary
Day 1 Depart from JFK, EWR (or your home airport) to Beijing, China
Day 2 Arrive in Beijing today; meet your guide at the airport and transfer to the best-located property, Grand Hotel Beijing (deluxe palace)
Evening Group Reception
Day 3 Beijing Visit Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City in the morning; have lunch at Xiaowangfu; afternoon take part in a Hutong Courtyard tour and meet an urban Chinese family; return to hotel for a rest; enjoy a Peking
Duck Dinner in the evening. <B-L-D>
Day 4 Beijing Tour Temple of Heaven and a produce and food market in the morning; visit a Culinary School to see cooking demonstration by notable chef in the afternoon; visit Summer Palace with a boat ride on Kunming Lake; enjoy an Imperial Cuisine
Dinner in one of the capital’s renowned restaurants.<B-L-D>
Day 5 Beijing Excursion to the Great Wall at Mutianyu
with cableways; Noodle Lunch at Xiaolumian Restaurant (see the chef making a bowl of delicious homemade noodle from flour powder); afternoon visit
Changyu Afip Winery at Miyuan with wine tasting. Return to Beijing late afternoon; in the evening have an insider’s visit to the kitchen of Grand Hotel’s Rongyuan Restaurant and enjoy a Special Dinner.<B-L-D>
Day 6 X'ian Transfer to airport and fly to Xi’an; stop by the 798 Art Complex on the
way; after refreshing at your hotel, visit City Wall and Shuyuanmen Market; Local Cuisine Dinner; Stay two nights in Sofitel on Renmin Square (deluxe room).<B-L-D>
Day 7 X'ian Excursion to the Terracotta Warriors Museum; return to city and visit a farmer’s market, Big Goose Pagoda and Xi’an History Museum; enjoy a Special Dinner and Tang Style Stage Show featuring traditional singing and dancing .<B-L-D>
Day 8 Chengdu Visit Yangling Archaeological Site & Museum on the way to airport; fly to Chengdu; visit
Qingyanggong Daoist Temple and then enjoy
Chinese tea in a local
teahouse; pay an insider's visit to a Chinese kitchen and enjoy a Sichuan Cuisine Dinner. Kempinski
Hotel (deluxe room) <B-D>
Day 9 Guilin Morning Sanxingdui Archaeological
Museum; lunch we will feast on
Sichuan “Xiaochi”delicacies, a great variety of food and flavors served in individual small plates. In the afternoon, visit a Sichuan food market – finding many exotic fruits,vegetables, meats and spices. Take
an evening flight to Guilin; met and transferred
to Sheraton
Guilin Hotel (deluxe room). Dinner is on your own. <B-L>
Day 10 Enjoy a breathtaking Li River Cruise; lunch
at Meiyou Restaurant; visit Yangshuo market and a family run produce farm; attend a cooking lesson in the afternoon: go shopping in the local market to buy food ingredients required by the chef, back to school to learn how to prepare one or two dishes yourself; return to Guilin by vehicle and enjoy a local cuisine dinner. <B-L-D>
Day 11 Shanghai Late morning flight to Shanghai and check in hotel to refresh; visit the Bund and Yuyuan Garden; enjoy the city’s signature dish – Shanghai steamed dumplings”in the old town; Portman
Ritz-Carlton Shanghai <B-D>
Day 12 Shanghai Visit Shanghai Museum, French Concession, and Fuxing Park; lunch at Xintiandi, a
chic and modern market place with a dozen or so good eateries; afternoon visit
an upscale teahouse and the Ohel Moshe Synagogue; evening is free. <B-L>
Day 13 Shanghai Free day for your own exploration; enjoy a Farewell Shanghai Cuisine Dinner followed by a stunning Acrobatic Show <B-D>
Day 14 Departure transfer to the airport and fly home <B>
Changes
to Itinerary: Access China Tours has
made all possible attempts to ensure the accuracy of tour
itineraries. Circumstances beyond our control may occur. We reserve
the right to change itineraries, sightseeing activities, and common
carriers, and to substitute hotels when necessary. Service of a
similar category and standard will be maintained if such changes are
made. The Service Voucher in your last pre-departure packet will
provide the operational itinerary summary, final transport and hotel
information.
Tour
Land Price Inclusions & Exclusions
Tour
Land Prices: $5310USD
per
person, double occupancy
Single
Supplement: $2080
USD
for single occupancy throughout the tour
or
$5010USD
per person, double occupancy if
using
Beijing
Park
Plaza Wangfujing, Xi’an Howard Johnson Ginwa Hotel, Crowne Plaza
Hotel, Guilin Bravo Hotel, and Shanghai The Bund Hotel
(good
4 & 5 star hotels)
$1000USD
for single occupancy throughout the tour
International
Air: approximately
$1480USD pp,
round trip on Air China or Continental
What's
Included in Tour Land Prices:
Deluxe
class hotel accommodations, double occupancy
Coach
class Chinese domestic air and ground transportation while on tour
All
tour related Chinese domestic taxes
Arrival
and departure transfers on tour dates
Transfers
and luggage (1 piece of 45 pounds per person) handling
Pre-departure
information packets
All
sightseeing, special activities, and cultural events listed in the
itinerary
All
meals specified in the itinerary
Service
of an English-speaking tour manager and local tour guides
Private,
clean, and newer vehicles with air-conditioning and professional
driver
What's
Not Included in Tour Land Prices:
International
air tickets
Chinese
visa processing (roughly $130)
Trip
cancellation, baggage, accident, and medical insurance (strongly recommended)
Gratuities
to guides and drivers (roughly $15 per day)
Items
not listed and/or specified as included in the itinerary
Cancellation
Policy:
All
cancellation notices must be received in writing and will become
effective as of the date of receipt by Access
China Tours.
We assess cancellation fees of all tours according to the following
schedule:
70
days or more prior to departure * $200 per person
69
to 50 days prior to departure * $400 per person
49
to 30 days prior to departure * $600 per person
29
to 15 days prior to departure * $800 per person
*
Plus any charges assessed by government agencies, land suppliers,
cruise companies and airlines.
Within
14 days of departure .............100% forfeiture of the tour price
per person
Access
China Tours will not
grant partial refunds for any unused trip arrangements after the trip
has commenced or any refunds to participants who do not complete any
portion of the itinerary. Any airline tickets issued are subject to
the carrier’s refund and cancellation policy. We
strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation/interruption
insurance to protect your travel investment.
Access China Tours
reserves the right to cancel any tour(s) due to insufficient booking
(fewer than 2 participants). In this case, we will try to find an
alternative tour for tour participants. If this is not acceptable,
all money paid will be refunded in full and this will constitute full
and final settlement for the client. Clients have the right to
cancel a tour without penalty when the group size (for published
packages) is less than 6 full-paying participants if clients had
informed Access China
Tours at the time of
signing up that he/she must travel in a escorted group. All eligible
payment will be refunded. However, Access
China Tours will not
be responsible for any expenses incurred by tour participants (e.g.,
non-refundable “advance purchase” air tickets, insurance &
medical expenses, passport and visa expenses, etc.).
If
a tour is forced to be cancelled due to government’s travel
warnings, declared or undeclared wars, hostilities, civil
disturbances, strike, riot, epidemic, and quarantines, Access
China Tours will
refund all participants’ payment less any irretrievable expenses
and loss (visa fees, airline penalties, communication cost, &
non-refundable booking cost, etc.)
