Sample Itinerary

Morning

Arrive in Shanghai.

Transfer to Boutique Hotel accommodation at JIA Shanghai.

Meet your guide, translator and driver.

Afternoon

Choose from two options: take a gentle stroll down the Bund, with an architecture and history expert, or enjoy a traditional Shanghainese reflexology massage or spa treatment.

Evening

Shanghainese dinner in a beautiful villa in the French Concession. A tea ceremony shall be performed prior to dinner.

Morning

Take a morning stroll though Shanghai’s French Concession. Then join a cooking course at the Whampao Club (Fusion Chinese), followed by a degustation lunch and tea tasting with a tea sommelier.

Afternoon

Brief visit of the old town (Yu Gardens), neighbouring markets, and enjoy tea-time street nibbles. Optional: visit to Fabric Market.

Evening

Traditional Hot Pot evening.

Morning

Day outing to Suzhou via high-speed train.

Visit the contemporary Suzhou Museum, designed by IM Pei, and then enjoy a Suzhounese lunch.

Afternoon

Return to Shanghai.

Evening

Seafood Palace experience: a Cantonese restaurant, where guests choose their seafood from aquariums. A local and off-the-beaten track experience.

Morning

A morning outing to Shanghai’s Wet Markets to choose what you would like to eat in the evening. This is followed by a brief walk of Xintiandi, followed by a Dim Sum lunch, providing another take on Cantonese cuisine.

Afternoon

An introduction to Chinese Contemporary Art, with a visit to Moganshan Lu Artist Colony and other stand-alone galleries around town.

Evening

Dinner in the intimate and private lobby restaurant of a boutique villa in the French Concession. Prior to dinner, enjoy a wine tasting of China’s most renowned label.

Morning

Day visit to Moganshan, 40 minutes away from Hangzhou, to experience China’s authentic countryside and scenery.

Afternoon

Experience Moganshan mountain cuisine: cook and eat with the village inhabitants. After lunch, take a short walk around the West Lake in Hangzhou before returning back to the city.

Evening

Dinner at the French-Asian Jade on 36

Morning

Visit the Shanghai Museum and Urban Planning Showcase. Then enjoy lunch in a small, authentic Shanghainese restaurant, run by 2 brothers, one of whom is an artist (and has several of his works on the walls). Experience Shanghainese home cooking at its best.

Afternoon

At your leisure, or suggested shopping itineraries, or a ‘fashion’ tour (optional).

Evening

Catch the ERA acrobatics show before a French fusion degustation dinner at Sens & Bund, by the Pourcel Brothers. Enjoy breathtaking views of Pudong. This will be followed by drinks on the terrace of Shanghai’s notorious Bar Rouge.

Morning

Depart for Beijing.

Transfer to Boutique Hotel accommodation at Cote Cour SL.

Afternoon

Guided visit of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

Evening

Enjoy a Sichuanese degustation dinner in a beautifully designed and refined courtyard style restaurant, down one of the capital’s Hutongs (alleyways).

Morning

Visit 798 Dashanzi Art District, and the newly established Ullens Center with an art expert. Then meet a senior local food expert, who will be offering an introduction to northern Chinese cuisine in a traditional courtyard setting, and will cook while guests watch and then eat together (participation is optional).

Afternoon

Visits to traditional tea houses in the city.

Evening

The night and food market followed by a Fusion Chinese dinner in the Green T House, with a menu based on tea.

Morning

Visit the Great Wall and the Commune by the Great Wall (Kempinsky Hotel). You will be introduced by an expert to The Commune’s architectural attractions.

Afternoon

Lunch at The Commune will be followed by a visit to a private section of the Great Wall.

Evening

A traditional Beijing Duck dinner

Departure day