Christmas & New Year in China

Depart Auckland for Guangzhou on flight CZ 306, 2210/0510+1. Overnight on board.

Meals: See day description

On arrival in Guangzhou you will clear immigration and customs, then transfer to your domestic flight CZ3533 0700/0915 to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai you will be met and greeted by our local representative, who will escort you to the hotel.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Metropark Jichen Hotel Shanghai or similar 4-star (No 818, Wanhangdu Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai)

We will visit the Old Town with its winding alleyways, lined with shops, teahouses and restaurants, and then Yu Garden, Xintiandi and Tianzifang, appreciating the charm of Shikumen. During the Christmas season the Xintiandi Shikumen complex hosts a grand lighting ceremony and themed decorations, letting you experience a strong Christmas atmosphere in the heart of Shanghai. Then to the top of the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, overlooking the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River. We will also visit Bund Source — home to one of Shanghai's most popular German Christmas markets, where you can stroll European-style wooden stalls, taste mulled wine and gingerbread, and take photos beside the giant Christmas tree and the double-decker carousel. In the evening, take a Huangpu River cruise and celebrate Christmas Eve with Shanghai's locals.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Metropark Jichen Hotel Shanghai or similar 4-star (No 818, Wanhangdu Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai)

Christmas morning is spent in Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town on Shanghai's outskirts often called the 'Venice of Shanghai', with a history stretching back over a thousand years. Cross its arched stone bridges as the canal runs beneath, wander streets lined with Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, and sample local snacks sold straight from the doorways — a quiet, unhurried Christmas Day on the water.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Metropark Jichen Hotel Shanghai or similar 4-star (No 818, Wanhangdu Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai)

Transfer to the railway station to take the high-speed train to Beijing. Upon arrival, meet and greet, then private transfer to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Stay: New World Tongpai or similar 4-star (No 3-18, Chongwenmenwai Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing)

Tour Tian'anmen Square, the biggest public square in the world. You will also have a photo stop at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the National Grand Theatre and colloquially described as The Egg. Afterwards, visit the Forbidden City, the vast complex of palaces which was home to successive Emperors for more than 500 years; included is admission to the living quarters, museum and jewellery sections. Continue to Beihai Park, an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City. Tonight you will experience the famous Beijing Duck banquet for your welcome dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: New World Tongpai or similar 4-star (No 3-18, Chongwenmenwai Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing)

Morning tour to the Great Wall at the Mutianyu section, stretching almost 4,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the sands of Central Asia and befittingly crowned one of the ten wonders of the world.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: New World Tongpai or similar 4-star (No 3-18, Chongwenmenwai Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing)

This morning we enjoy a pedi-cab tour of the Hutong — the 'old city' neighbourhoods of narrow alleyways and courtyard gardens — and experience local life on a family visit. After lunch, tour the Summer Palace, the largest and best preserved of all imperial palace gardens, which boasts such delights as the famous Marble Boat and the ornately painted 'Long Corridor', and take a boat ride on Lake Kunming if the weather permits.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: New World Tongpai or similar 4-star (No 3-18, Chongwenmenwai Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing)

Transfer to the railway station to take the high-speed train to Xi'an. Upon arrival, meet and greet, then private transfer to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Stay: Mercure Downtown or similar 4-star (No 8, Xixin Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an)

Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, the more than 2,000-year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang; included are the Circle Vision Movie and Bronze Chariot. In the evening, go to the Tang Dynasty Ever-Bright City for a New Year's Eve steeped in history: this pedestrian street transforms into a grand New Year's stage with performances such as poetry duels with 'Li Bai', float parades and music parties — a fantastic place to soak in the atmosphere of a 'prosperous Chang'an'. Other iconic celebration spots include Bell and Drum Tower Square, where you can join the crowd to watch the giant LED screen countdown to midnight, with the nearby Muslim Quarter open for late-night snacks; the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where the traditional bell-ringing ceremony at Da Ci'en Temple from 23:30 offers a more serene experience, the 108 bell rings symbolically welcoming the new year; and the Xi'an City Wall at Yongning Gate, specially open for night visits on New Year's Eve.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Mercure Downtown or similar 4-star (No 8, Xixin Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an)

Visit the Xi'an City Wall, a well-preserved ancient city rampart encircling central Xi'an, where visitors may walk or cycle on top for old-town views. Continue to the Yongxingfang Food Block with bowl-smashing wine — a folk-themed food precinct with authentic Shaanxi snacks, where bowl-smashing wine is a symbolic local ritual for blessings. Then Bell & Drum Tower Square, home to the historic Bell and Drum Towers; bustling Muslim Street, offering Hui-flavoured street food; and the Great Mosque of Xi'an, which features a unique mix of Chinese and Islamic architectural styles.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Mercure Downtown or similar 4-star (No 8, Xixin Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an)

Transfer to the railway station to take the train to Chongqing. Upon arrival, meet and greet, visit the Hongyadong night view, then private transfer to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Stay: Fairfield by Marriott or similar 4-star (No 9, Jiangnan Road, Nan'an District, Chongqing)

Visit Ciqikou, Liziba, Kuixing Tower, Jiefangbei and Eye in the Clouds.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stay: Fairfield by Marriott or similar 4-star (No 9, Jiangnan Road, Nan'an District, Chongqing)

Transfer to the airport to take flight CZ3426 1715/1915 to Guangzhou. Upon arrival, meet and greet, then free shopping until the transfer to the airport.

Meals: Breakfast

Stay: Elong Hotel Guangzhou or similar 4-star (No 293, Guangzhou Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou)

Enjoy an authentic Yum Cha in the birthplace of Yum Cha, Guangzhou, in the late morning, before you are taken to the airport for your outward flight CZ335 1430/0630+1.

Meals: See day description

Arrive in Auckland.

Meals: See day description