October-ready from Auckland — Yangtze Delta loop: Suzhou gardens and Shantang Street, Wuxi lakeside sights and Three Kingdoms City, Hanfu and afternoon tea in Xinshi water town, Hangzhou's West Lake and Longjing tea, then Shanghai's Bund. Visa-free entry may apply for many NZ trips (confirm dates); mid-October departure published.
Next Departure
14 Oct 2026
Returns 23 October 2026
All departure dates
Dates refer to scheduled group departures — confirm at booking.
Mon–Fri 9am–5pm · speak to a real person, no form needed
Days to departure
until your group flies from Auckland
Visa-free China for NZ travellers — NZ passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business & family visits. Multiple entries allowed, no entry limit. Valid until 31 Dec 2026 (confirmed by China MFA, May 2026). Full guide →
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October-ready from Auckland — Yangtze Delta loop: Suzhou gardens and Shantang Street, Wuxi lakeside sights and Three Kingdoms City, Hanfu and afternoon tea in Xinshi water town, Hangzhou's West Lake and Longjing tea, then Shanghai's Bund. Visa-free entry may apply for many NZ trips (confirm dates); mid-October departure published.
Official guides and destination hubs to help you prepare—visa timing, seasons, and places on this route.
Group departures from New Zealand (dates as published). Contact us to reserve a seat or request a private departure.
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
This Discovery tour is built around the Yangtze Delta — moving from Shanghai to Suzhou, Wuxi, Xinshi Ancient Town, Hangzhou, then back to Shanghai before your return to Auckland. It is the same published itinerary as our main tour page, with this page spotlighting the 14 October group departure (year as per your booking confirmation).
You fly Auckland — Shanghai; land transport between cities is included as specified — for example about 1.5 hours Shanghai–Suzhou, about 1 hour Suzhou–Wuxi, about 1.5 hours Wuxi–Xinshi, and about 2 hours Hangzhou–Shanghai on the published day-by-day plan.
Optional extras such as the Shanghai Acrobatics Show and the Maglev ride are not included in the tour price (see What's Included below). Highlights are listed once in the Tour highlights section further down.
If your priority is imperial Beijing, the Great Wall, and Xi'an including the Terracotta Warriors linked by high-speed train, see China Discovery — A Tale of Two Cities (featured 15 October departure).
This Shanghai & Surroundings route does not include Beijing or Xi'an — it is a single-region Delta + Shanghai journey at NZD $3,399 per person for 10 days.
Full legal wording and any updates always follow the official tour page.
Master of the Nets Garden, Panmen, and Shantang Street in Suzhou
Silk factory; Three Kingdoms City (warship tour & horse battle show); Purple Sand Museum; Nanchang Ancient Street in Wuxi
Li Garden by the lake, Pearl Exhibition Centre, and a local market day in Wuxi
Hanfu dress-up for photos and afternoon tea in thousand-year-old Xinshi Town
West Lake boat tour, Su Causeway, Leifeng Pagoda, and Hangzhou International Expo Center (G20)
Six Harmonies Pagoda and Longjing tea tasting at Meijiawu
The Bund, City God Temple quarter, World Cultural Heritage Art Exhibition Centre, and Nanjing Road
Optional Shanghai acrobatics show and Maglev ride (extra cost)
Make your own way to Auckland Airport, check in, and fly to Shanghai. Meals on board.
Included meals (13)
7
Breakfasts
5
Lunches
1
Dinners
Accommodation (7 nights)
5 carefully selected properties
Sample hotels detailed below — final selection confirmed at booking.
Representative properties for this tour — actual hotels may vary by departure date and are confirmed at booking.
Rosedale Chunshenhu Resort Hotel or similar (5-star standard)
Holiday Inn Express Wuxi or similar (4-star standard)
Holiday Inn or similar (4-star standard)
New Century Hotel Hangzhou or similar (5-star standard)
Holiday Inn Express Shanghai or similar (4-star standard)
Interested in China Discovery — Shanghai & Surroundings? We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Cherie Fairley
21 Jun 2026
“We went on a recent trip to Dali and Lijiang from 19th to 30th May 2026. Well, what amazing places they are. Plus the nearby city of Shangrila. We both had an amazing time walking and exploring with only our phone app to translate, since little or no English was spoken or written. Contrary to what the Lonely Planet guidebook said! Everything worked out well which is why we want to thank Baker at CTS personally for an awesome trip, the trip of a lifetime. If any other tours, guided or unguided come up please let us know. This is Mikes second time holidaying with CTS and we will certainly highly recommend your company to friends. Mike Brooker & Cherie Fairley”
GReview from GoogleMaryam Absh
6 Jul 2026
“The china journey was well‑organized, I actually enjoyed all the moments without worrying about anything. Highly recommend the tour of tale of two cities china”
GReview from GoogleMurray Middendorf
16 Jun 2026
“Just came back from a tour of Xinjiang and a stopover in Xian. We had a fantastic time, the culture and scenery in Xinjiang is stunning and the tour was led by an experienced guide with excellent English. Highly recommended.”
GReview from Google
I love this Yangtze Delta loop: Shanghai's energy, then Suzhou and Hangzhou at a human pace — gardens, canals, real food. If you are drawn to Jiangnan rather than the northern capitals, this is the Discovery line I steer you toward.
Explore more China Discovery tours
October-ready from Auckland — Beijing's Forbidden City, Great Wall, and hutongs, then high-speed rail to Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors. Many NZ leisure trips can use China's visa-free entry (confirm before you book); published group departure in October as listed on this page.
"Perfect first China experience — the essence of Beijing and Xi'an"
From NZD $3,480
per person
Fifteen days from Beijing's Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Great Wall and hutongs, by high-speed train to Xi'an's Terracotta Army, then by air to Hangzhou via Puyuan's fashion ancient town, West Lake and Longjing tea, finishing in Shanghai before your return via Beijing.
From NZD $4,080 per person
per person
Yunnan by air via Beijing — Erhai and Bai culture around Dali (including Shuanglang and “Santorini” viewpoints), Lijiang's Lashi Lake and Shuhe, then overland to Shangri-La through Tiger Leaping Gorge, Songzanlin Monastery, and Napa Lake before returning to Auckland via Beijing.
From NZD $3,899
per personEverything you need to know about traveling to China with CTS
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