7 Days Shanghai – Tibet Classic Tour by Flight
Tour Overview
During this 7-day itinerary, you will experience the extreme prosperity and beauty of Chinese cities. Stroll the streets of Shanghai to admire the stunning skyscraper and challenge yourself to walk in the transparent glass corridor of Shanghai World Financial Center. Say goodbye to Shanghai and say hello to Lhasa! Potala Palace – the highest palace in the world, Jokhang Temple – an example of Tibetan religious architecture, and Yamdrok Lake – one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, are the three most important destinations of this trip.
Highlights:
1. Overlook the entire bustling Shanghai metropolis and the spectacular Huangpu River from the skyscraper.
2. Attend an entertaining Acrobatic Show or enjoy a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise.
3. Visit the world-famous Potala Palace, the highest palace in the world.
4. Witness the monks’ debate session in a monastery.
5. Capture the beautiful scenery of Yamdrok Lake.
Day-by-day Itinerary
- Day 1: Shanghai Arrival (no meal)
Upon your arrival at Shanghai airport / train station, our local driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to downtown hotel for checking-in. Free and easy on your arrangement for rest of the day.
- Day 2: ShanghaiShanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden, Yuyuan Market, Shanghai World Financial Center, Nanjing Road, the Bund (Breakfast, Lunch)
AM: Shanghai is an intoxicating hybrid of ancient China and a prosperous modern metropolis. Today, your exploration begins with the Shanghai Museum at People’s Square (closed on each Monday). Established in 1952, the Shanghai Museum has a collection of more than 120,00 rare cultural pieces from the Old Stone Age to modern times.
After that, move on to the beautiful Yuyuan Garden. Yuyuan Garden is a masterpiece of classical gardens and a must-visit place in Shanghai. There are over 40 scenic spots scattered in the garden. While you navigate the garden at the company of your tour guide, you will understand more about profound traditional Chinese culture fully embodied in every nook and cranny of the garden.
After visiting the pretty Yuyuan Garden, you will wander around the lively Yuyuan Market. You can get everything here from traditional Chinese crafts like chopsticks, fans, and pottery to local delicacies such as steamed buns, crab shell cake, and pork chop with rice cakes. Don’t forget to haggle for a better price.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
Yuyuan Garden PM: Later, you will go to tick off Shanghai World Financial Center, a tall skyscraper in Pudong New Area. It boasts a total of 104 floors with 3 floors under the ground and 101 floors above the ground, among which Floor 94, 97 and 100 serves as sightseeing halls. You will have chance to see for yourself and go up to the 100th floor to have a marvelous panoramic view of the Huangpu River. Walking on the 55-meter long transparent sightseeing corridor will be an exciting experience.
Nanjing Road is the earliest shopping street in Shanghai. Your tour guide will point out the four time-honored department stores, Yong’an Company, Xianshi Company, Xinxin Company and Daxin Company, from which you can get a bit history of this commercial street. If you want to try some delicious food, the street definitely will not disappoint you.
The last stop is the Bund, which is one of the most sought-after places in Shanghai because of its historic significance and impressive view. Some Chinese couples even choose the Bund to take their wedding photos. You will love walking along the waterfront, watching the ships passing, and appreciating the old colonial buildings.
Optional night activity:
Option A: Attend an entertaining Acrobatic Show, which one of the best theaters in China. You will definitely be amazed by the perfect balance and agility of the daring acrobats and wonder how they manage to control their body so well.
Option B: Take a relaxing Huangpu River night cruise to enjoy the spectacular scenery on the bank. Huangpu River separates Shanghai into two parts, Pudong and Puxi. Cruising on the river will give you an unparalleled view of the city’s skyline and an unforgettable traveling experience.
Accommodation: Hotel in Shanghai
the Bund - Day 3: Shanghai – Lhasa by Flight (no meal)
Our driver will pick you up from hotel lobby at confirmed time, transfer to the airport for flight to Lhasa (no guide service). Upon arrival, our local driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to local hotel for checking-in. Have a good rest for tomorrow (no guide service)!
- Day 4: LhasaPotala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street (Lunch)
AM:Meet your Lhasa tour guide at hotel lobby around 9am and then start your exploration on this land from the world famous Potala Palace, the highest palace in the world. The whole architectural complex includes two parts, the White Palace and the Red Palace. The White Palace is the place where the Dalai Lamas lived and handled political affairs, while the Red Palace mainly houses the stupas of the Dalai Lamas. Your tour guide will share a wealth of information with you to help you understand its history and Tibetan Buddhism.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
Potala Palace PM: Next your tour guide will lead you to explore the holy Jokhang Temple which has a history of over 1300 years. The temple is a mixture of Tibetan, Tang, Nepalese, and Indian architectural styles and has become an example of Tibetan religious architecture. The interior is so impressive with plenty of statues, colorful murals, and rows of butter lamps. It’s not allowed to take photos at most parts, but you will have opportunity to take some at the rooftop.
At last, you will finish the day off with the lively Barkhor Street surrounding the Jokhang Temple. You can join the pilgrims to stroll around the temple and totally immerse yourself in it. There are also many interesting shops selling various stuff including clothing, handicrafts, and jewels. You can shop for some souvenirs here.
Finish the sightseeing, transfer back to your hotel.
Jokhang Temple - Day 5: LhasaDrepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka (Lunch)
AM: Today you will go to explore more interesting place of Lhasa. After the same pick-up as yesterday, you will come to Drepung Monastery with tour guide firstly. It is one of the Six Great Monasteries of Gulug (Yellow Hat) in Tibet, and shares the fame of the Three Great Monasteries in Lhasa with Sera Monastery and Ganden Monastery. It is located at south side of Gebeiwoze Mountain, 10km east of west suburban of Lhasa city. The ordered architectures in white was built against the Gebeiwoze Mountain and fully occupied the hillside, seeming a huge rice dump, hence the name of “Drepung” which means collected rice in Tibetan language and represents the prosperity of Tibetan.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: The second site today you will visit is the famous Sera Monastery which is the second largest monastery in Tibet. Sera Monastery was built in the Ming Dynasty by the famous Sagya Yeshes who was one of the eight disciples of Zongkapa and given the title of the Great Mercy Dharma by Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty after he had an audience with the Emperor in 1409 and 1414. The debate about Buddhism of Sera Monastery earns its fame in the Tibetan region, which is always taken a necessary activity to see for travelers from the whole world.
Finally, you will go to Norbulingka was firstly built in 1740s, the time of the 7th Dalai Lama and experienced about 200 years’ construction until the time of 14th Dalai Lama. On the list National Relic Protection Units, the Norbulingka situated at the western suburban of Lhasa for over 200 years. It is a typical Tibetan style garden occupied 360,000 square meters, used as the place for the Dalai Lamas to live and deal with the daily political affairs. After visiting the sites, you will go back to your hotel.
Sera Monastery - Day 6: Lhasa - Yamdroktso Lake - Lhasa by CarYamdroktso Lake (Lunch)
AM: Meet your guide and driver in the morning and then drive to the famous Yamdroktso Lake. It is famed as “the Most Beautiful Lake in the World” with the literal meaning as “the above coral twig” and the holy moral in Tibetan’s heart as “the Scattered Kallaite Earrings of Fairy” as it couldn’t be gotten its full perspective by visitors on the ground. There are three other lakes creeping on the earth with Yamdorktso Lake, connecting each other together and consisting of an endless holy lake beyond our horizon—the beautiful body of the lake on this land is more than 130km long. When looking it from map or sky, you will be surprised to see the lake embedded in this land, glittering like an earring under the sunshine at different time.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: After having fun at the lake, you will pay a visit to local Tibetan family to experience the local culture and customs closely.
Yamdroktso Lake - Day 7: Lhasa Departure (no meal)
Please prepare your belongings in advance. Your guide and driver will meet you at appointed time and transfer you to airport for your departure flight (usually 4 hours in advance for international flight and 3 hours for domestic flight). Our service will end here. Wish you a pleasant journey!
