Beijing Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Shanghai 12 Day Tour

Arrival in Beijing, met and transferred to your hotel ( booked by us ) in Beijing. In the afternoon, visit Temple of Heaven , the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for peace and harvest. You are at your leisure to take a good rest or explore the city for the remainer of the day.

Meal: No

Starting the day with a visit to Tiananmen Square , the world largest square of this kind. You will be given the details of all the buildings in and around the square including Mao's mausaleum, the National Museum, the Parliament Building. Then go through an underground tunnel to the imperial palace, also known as the " Forbidden City ", the complex of imperial palace, which was home to the Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties for over 500 years.

After lunch, continue to visit Summer Palace , the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden. It is regarded as a museum of gardens in China. Then visit a Tea market where you can taste the famous Chinese tea and see Chinese tea ceremony in a big Chinese tea market and buy the local Chinese teas.

After breakfast, you are picked up at your hotel around 8:00am. Drive to the Ming Tombs ( Dingling, one of the 13 Ming Dynasty Tombs complex ). From the Yongle Emperor onwards, 13 Ming Dynasty Emperors were buried in this area. You will visit Dingling, the tomb of the Wanli Emperor, which is the only one of the Ming Dynasty Tombs to have been excavated. Visited the Jade Factory where they explained the difference types of jade and how jade can be carved in a great variety of shapes.

After Chinese lunch, head to Mutianyu Great Wall to start your highlight of your Beijing tour, hiking the Great Wall of China, a massive military defense works which was left from the Ming dynasty. It is a very spectacular view. You will take lots of pictures. Back to your hotel.

Today take flight from Beijing to Lhasa. Upon arrival, transferred to your Hotel in Lhasa. Rest of the day is free for you to get accustomed to the Tibetan climate and altitude. Stay at your hotel in Lhasa.

Meal: Hotel breakfast and dinner

Today's sightseeing: The Potala Palace, The Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street

• The Potala Palace : Potala Palace is perched on the 130m-high Marpo Ri ( Red Hill ) with 13 storeys and more than 1000roms in the middle of Beijing Road, the heart of Lhasa City. It was once the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. The first recorded use of the site dates back to the 7th century AD when King Songtsen Gampo built a palace here. The present construction began during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama 1645. It takes at least 2-hour to visit those rooms, halls and chapels.

• The Jokhang Temple : The 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple is now the spiritual center of Tibet. From earliest dawn to last light, daily worshippers and once-in-a-lifetime pilgrims make the inner circumambulation (kora) of the Jokhang to earn religious merit. Some of them prostrate outside circuiting the temple. The Jokhang Temple is best visited in the early morning. It now houses the life-sized statue of the twelve year-old Sakyamuni brought by Songtsan Gampo's Chinese wife - Princess Wencheng.

• Barkhor Street : The Barkhor is the oldest street in Lhasa as well as the center of old Lhasa and remains very traditional. It is a place where Tibetan culture, economy, religion and arts are assembled. Walking around the Jokhang Temple is said that it can bring prosperity and peace to one's whole life. The street is lined with huge numbers of shops selling various kinds of tourist stuff with Tibetan style - skybeads and much more.

Today's Sightseeing: Norbulingka, Tibet Museum, The Carpet Factory, Sera Monastery

• Norbulingka : It is located in the western suburbs of Lhasa city. "Norbu" in Tibetan language means " treasure". "Lingka" means a park with beautiful trees and flowers. It once served as the summer palace for dalai lamas from 7th Dalai Lama who first built the palace. Then come out to visit the 14th Dalai Lama's palace through another gate. The 14th Dalai Lama went to India in 1959. People visit the rooms in the palace one by one. When he left Tibet in 1959, he was only 25 years old. From the picture hanging on the wall of the assembly room, he was once a handsome man.

• Tibet Museum : It is located to the south-east of Norbulingka. It is a Tibetan structure museum. It has three exhibition floors. It has abundant historical relics and treasures including prehistoric culture, united culture, culture and art, customs. They offer the audio guide service. You can use the audio to get a better understanding of the some important history and relics. It is a must for those who is interested in Tibetan history.

• Sera Monastery : Located 5km north of Lhasa, this monastery was the first Gelugpa monastery in Lhasa and has remained the main seat of this major Buddhist order ever since. About 600 monks are now in residence here. Debating takes place from 3:30pm to 5pm in a garden next to the assembly hall in the center of the monastery. There is a fine kora path around the monastery.

It takes you about 1.5 hrs to drive from Lhasa to Kambala Pass[4794m high], visit Yamdrok Lake there, which is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet.

Mt Nojin Kangsang stands tall with an elevation of 7,191 m (23,592 ft) between Gyantze County and Nagarzê County, with several snow-capped mountains over 6,000 m (19,685 ft) surrounding it. Mount Nojin Kangsang is the most accessible glacier site on the Tibetan Plateau. The famous Kharola Glacier (elevation 5,560 m or 18,241 ft) is below the south ridge of Nojin Kangsang.

Palkhor Monastery lies about 230 kilometers south of Lhasa and 100 kilometers east of the Shigatse Prefecture, at the foot of Dzong Hill. It is well-known for its Kumbum, which has 108 chapels in its four floors. The multi-storied Kumbum Stupa was crowned with a golden dome and umbrella, surrounded with more chapels filled with unique religious statues and murals. Overnight in Shigatse.

Drive to Shigatse and check in the local hotel.

• Tashilunpo Monastery : Tashilhunpo Monastery is one of the 6 big monasteries of Gelugpa (or often called Yellow Hat Sect) in Tibet. The temple lies at the foot of Drolmari (Tara's Mountain), Shigatse. First built the First Dailai Lama in 1447, the temple's structure was repaired and expanded a by the Fourth and successive Panchen Lamas. There are now nearly 800 lamas. Overnight at Shigatse.

Take a private car or jeep to Lhasa and check in Lhasa Hotel. Dinner at hotel.

Free till your transfer to the airport for Shanghai. Met and transfer to your hotel in Shanghai. Free for rest of the day.

After breakfast, Pick up from your hotel in Shanghai. First come to People's Square in the city center, covering 140,000 square meters, surrounded by the municipal government office building, the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai City Planning Exhibition Hall and the Grand Theatre. Then walk to the Nanjing Pedestrian Road. It is regarded as the first commercial street in Shanghai. It was first built in 1851. Now Nanjing Road has turned into the number one site for shopping in the city. Then move on to the Bund , one of the most noted waterfront and architectural symbols of Shanghai.

After lunch, go to Shanghai's new zone- Pudong ( east of Huangpu River) and ascend Jinmao Tower to have an eye-bird's view of Shanghai city. Then move to Yu Garden, a classical Qing Dynasty garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds, Yu Market. Finally take one hour cruising on Huang Pu River . Back to your hotel.

Transfer to airport for departure or free on your own and end your pleasant China trip.