Start packing for that incredible China trip!
Quality escorted tours at sensible prices make pandas a possibility
CHINA. Just the mention of this intriguing country makes you want to start packing your suitcase ready to climb aboard a bullet train or take a Yangtze cruise.
In today’s welcoming China, ultramodern cities contrast with sublime landscapes interwoven with rich seams of antiquity.
Expect meandering sections of the Great Wall, hilltop temples, villages that time forgot, languid rivers and world-famous icons, from pandas to the Terracotta Warriors.
And as the 1.4 billion Chinese live to eat, there’s also much to tantalise your tastebuds, from Peking duck in Beijing to a delicious Sichuan hot pot.
An escorted tour is by far the easiest way to explore China, which is full of mystery and adventure and named by Lonely Planet as one of the top ten countries you need to see in 2018.
Itineraries are expertly crafted, with hand-picked accommodation and restaurants. And skilled local guides who speak English and are passionate about their homeland will accompany you all the way.
UNBEATABLE VALUE
THE excellent tours from Mercury Holidays offer unbeatable value for money, with prices hundreds of pounds cheaper than competitors.
Almost everything is included in the price, from flights to most meals. And there is often the option to extend a tour with three nights in Hong Kong or Chengdu, for example.
For those pushed for time, the China Discovery tour spans a very manageable ten days and eight nights.
It takes in the three major cities of Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing and gives you a chance to visit iconic sights including the Terracotta Army, Great Wall, Summer Palace and Forbidden City. You’ll also travel to the water village of Wuzhen to be transported back centuries to the intriguing world of traditional China.
Evenings on these tours are enlivened by meals out and such treats as a banquet with a colourful Tang Dynasty show, a Peking Duck dinner and a Chinese acrobatic show.
Want to explore further? Wonders Of China, Mercury’s most popular escorted tour, is a 16-day, 14-night journey that encompasses Shanghai and Beijing, a Yangtze cruise, the pandas at Chengdu, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army.
Kicking off in the shopping areas of Shanghai, it includes 14 excursions and entry to all sights.
Marvel at the breathtaking scenery of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze, stopping to visit temples, the dam and ship lock and Fengdu Ghost City.
In ancient Chengdu, stroll through the Narrow Alleys, now back to their former glory. See the giant stone-carved Buddha at Leshan, the restored old town of Huanglongxi — and, of course, those fabulously appealing pandas.
The stunning Terracotta Warriors at Xi’an are known as the Eighth Wonder of the World — and there are also markets, city walls and pagodas to see here.
You’ll arrive by bullet train in Beijing, to visit the unique Temple of Heaven, the royal park at the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall, constructed more than 2,000 years ago to guard against Mongol invaders.
Mercury thoughtfully includes a cable car trip to a viewing point to avoid the arduous steps. And day 15 of the tour will see you in Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest city centre square and gateway to the Forbidden City, which houses the wondrous Imperial Palace.
Looking to explore China’s rich history and culture in even more depth?
Grand Tour Of China is an extended 25-day tour that includes a Yangtze cruise and many of China’s great icons and cities, as mentioned above, as well as fascinating hidden treasures and glimpses of village life, including a visit to a local family of the Bai minority group at Dali.
Other stunning highlights include the remote and breathtaking ancient town of Lijiang, a cable car ride up Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the incredible limestone formations of the Kunming Stone Forest and the languorous Li River at picturesque Guilin.
Here you’ll see fairytale karst pinnacles and the Reed Flute Caves with their rock formations and inscriptions, before a boat ride up-river to explore a village and enjoy a theatrical performance portraying the life and culture of local people in Yangshou.
There’s so much to see in fascinating China that will give you incredible memories to treasure.
With a high quality Mercury Holidays tour to suit just about everyone, at a temptingly affordable price, the choice is yours. It’s time to start packing!