CRUISE:
Deluxe 4-night cruise from Yichang to Chongqing in an Executive Suite with two lower beds, private facilities, and balcony

SHANGHAI:
Sightseeing with a Local Guide including headsets, visit the Bund, Yu Yuan Gardens, the Children's Palace, the Shanghai Museum, and a silk factory; attend an acrobatic show; welcome dinner

YICHANG:
Begin your Yangtze cruise aboard the Victoria Jenna

THREE GORGES DAM:
Sightseeing of the impressive dam site with a Local Guide

SHENNONG STREAM OR DANING RIVER:
Enjoy a boat excursion down one of the Yangtze's lesser gorges

WANXIAN/SHIBAOZHAI/FENGDU:
View a wooden pagoda, an acrobatic show, or visit Ghost City Temple

CHONGQING:
Visit a local zoo to see pandas

LHASA:
Sightseeing with a Local Guide, visit the Summer Palace, a Tibetan's home, a Tibetan monastery, a Tibetan hospital, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and a local bazaar

XI'AN:
Enjoy "The Tang Dynasty" dinner show; sightseeing with a Local Guide including headsets, visit the Dayan Pagoda and Terracotta Warriors, lacquer workshop, noodle-making demonstration, and calligraphy class

BEIJING:
Sightseeing with a Local Guide including headsets; Hutong tour by rickshaw; visit the Forbidden City, Imperial Palace, Tian'anmen Square, Summer Palace, Great Wall, cloisonne workshop, and Sacred Way of the Ming Tombs; Peking Opera performance; Peking Duck farewell dinner

HONG KONG:
Sightseeing with a Local Guide; cable car ride up Victoria Peak; sampan ride on harbor; visit Stanley Market; Host service during your stay

ALL INTRA-TOUR FLIGHTS

Meals - (B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner

American breakfast daily (B), 11 lunches (L), 12 dinners (D), including a welcome dinner in Shanghai and a Peking Duck farewell dinner in Beijing. Hong Kong Extension: breakfast daily (B).

SHANGHAI Westin Shanghai (D), YANGTZE CRUISE Victoria Jenna, LHASA Four Points by Sheraton (F), XI'AN Golden Flower (SF), BEIJING Westin Beijing (D); HONG KONG Harbour Grand Kowloon (harbor-view room) (D)

Always Included
It's about you. You are the reason we've used our 80-plus years of travel expertise to design the very best river cruise experience. Inspired by you, we've taken everything special about river cruising and made it even better. Here are some of the features and amenities you'll experience with Avalon.

Day 1 Arrive in Hong Kong, China
(Fri.) Welcome to exciting Hong Kong! Hotel rooms are available for mid-afternoon check-in. (Breakfast)

Day 2 Hong Kong
(Sat.) This morning's sightseeing begins with a cable car ride up to VICTORIA PEAK for panoramic vistas of this one-of-a-kind port city. Drive by Repulse Bay, a popular beach area, then to the Aberdeen fishing village for a SAMPAN RIDE on the harbor. Next stop is STANLEY MARKET, a narrow street jammed with stalls offering clothing, arts, and crafts. Tonight, consider an optional sunset cruise on Hong Kong's magnificent harbor. (Breakfast)

Day 3 Hong Kong
(Sun.) Take advantage of a full free day to explore this exciting city. You may wish to join one of our optional excursions to view the giant Buddha on the island of Lantau or to learn about Hong Kong's history before the British colonized the area. Shopping is a highlight of Hong Kong with markets, malls, and shops to fit any taste and budget. Your Local Host will be happy to suggest ways to make the most of your day. Breakfast)

Day 4 Hong Kong-Shanghai
(Mon.) Fly to Shanghai. Welcome to China's most populous city and center of trade and industry. Hotel rooms are available for mid-afternoon check-in.

Day 5 Shanghai
(Tue.) Your sightseeing starts at the YU YUAN GARDENS, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Then, stroll along the Bund, the city's riverfront boulevard lined with historic buildings, housing, banks, and trade houses. After lunch in a local restaurant, visit the CHILDREN'S PALACE, where talented children study music, dance, and theatre after school. This evening, meet your traveling companions for a welcome dinner followed by a spectacular ACROBATIC SHOW. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6 Shanghai-Yichang (Embarkation)-Yangtze River Cruise
(Wed.) Visit the SHANGHAI MUSEUM and a SILK FACTORY before flying to Yichang. Board the Victoria Jenna for a 4-night CRUISE through the breathtaking Three Gorges of the Yangtze. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 7 Cruising: Three Gorges Dam Site
(Thu.) This morning, visit the THREE GORGES DAM SITE, where the Chinese progress toward building the largest dam of its kind in the world. After lunch, sail through the Three Gorges ship locks and the Xiling Gorge. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8 Cruising: Shennong Stream or Daning River
(Fri.) This morning, disembark for a BOAT EXCURSION down either the Daning River or Shennong Stream, depending on conditions. After lunch, head upstream through the Qutang Gorge, the shortest but most dramatic gorge, and the Wu Gorge, known for its quiet beauty and forest-covered mountains. You can nearly touch the perpendicular walls rising from the riverbanks as your captain negotiates this narrow gap. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Cruising: Wanxian or Shibaozhai or Fengdu
(Sat.) Depending on river conditions, one of the following shore excursions will be offered: Wanxian, "Gateway to Eastern Szechuan Province," where you will see an acrobatic show, market, and possibly a school; Shibaozhai with its 400-year-old, 12-story, red wooden pagoda perched high on a cliff; or Fengdu, where you'll visit Ghost City Temple. (Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner)

Day 10 Cruising: Chongqing (Disembarkation)-Lhasa, Tibet
(Sun.) Bid farewell to your ship's crew upon arrival in Chongqing, China's capital during World War II. The city sits high on a hill overlooking the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. Visit a local ZOO to see pandas before boarding your flight to the holy city of Lhasa, the capital of the mystical Buddhist kingdom of Tibet. The rest of the day is free to rest and adjust to the 14,000-foot altitude. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 11 Lhasa
(Mon.) This morning, take a brief city tour, then visit the SUMMER PALACE of the Dalai Lama, featuring the largest man-made garden in Tibet. Next, take a special trip to a TIBETAN'S HOME that includes lunch before visiting a typical TIBETAN MONASTERY. The final stop today is a TIBETAN HOSPITAL, where you will learn about traditional Tibetan medicine and therapy. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 12 Lhasa
(Tue.) Today, visit the imposing POTALA PALACE, once the center of the Tibetan government and the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama. Also, visit one of Tibet's oldest shrines, JOKHANG TEMPLE, then spend time in the local BAZAAR. The rest of the day is at your leisure. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 13 Lhasa-Xi'an, China
(Wed.) Today, fly to the city of Xi'an in central China. This evening, enjoy "The Tang Dynasty" DINNER SHOW, featuring a colorful assemblage of classical performances. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 14 Xi'an
(Thu.) One of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world when China dominated the silk trade, Xi'an today is an archaeological treasure trove. Sightseeing begins with the nearby DAYAN PAGODA, built in 652 AD, followed by a LACQUER WORKSHOP. Next, visit the enormous tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, accidentally discovered by local farmers in 1974. Marvel at the legion of TERRACOTTA WARRIORS that has been guarding the burial site for 2,000 years. During lunch, enjoy a NOODLE-MAKING DEMONSTRATION by a master chef and learn how Chinese noodles are made by hand. Then, visit the Xi'an City Wall South Gate and learn to write like a local during a traditional Chinese CALLIGRAPHY CLASS. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 15 Xi'an-Beijing
(Fri.) Today, fly to Beijing, China's capital city. Enjoy a rickshaw ride through one of Beijing's HUTONGS, the city's ancient alleys. Experience life in this historic neighborhood as you are invited into a daycare center and into the courtyard of a family's home for tea. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 16 Beijing
(Sat.) Your full-day sightseeing starts with a visit to the FORBIDDEN CITY and its IMPERIAL PALACE, once the home of China's great emperors. Nearby is 100-acre TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE, the largest public square in the world. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and continue to the former SUMMER PALACE, a complex of pavilions, temples, and galleries set among beautifully landscaped grounds and situated on Kunming Lake. Tonight, experience local culture at the PEKING OPERA, including a behind-the-scenes look at the colorful make-up being applied to the performers. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 17 Beijing
(Sun.) The GREAT WALL OF CHINA once stretched 4,000 miles across China's barren northern terrain from the Bohai Sea to the Gobi Desert. Head north to a village where the Great Wall is well preserved and walk along the wall to enjoy sweeping vistas of this mammoth fortress. Then, visit a CLOISONNE WORKSHOP and see local artisans use the techniques of this ancient art form to turn pieces of copper into colorful decorative items. After lunch in a local restaurant, take a leisurely walk down the SACRED WAY of the Ming Tombs and marvel at the impressive hand-carved stone statues. This evening is the perfect finale to a great touring adventure as you're hosted to a special PEKING DUCK FAREWELL DINNER in a local restaurant. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 18 Beijing
(Mon.) Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)