6 Days Yellow Mountain Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Package Tour from Beijing

Day 1 Beijing-Huangshan

Train to Huangshan

In the morning your guide collects you at your Beijing hotel and drives you to Beijing South Railway Station. You board the high-speed train G27, which leaves around 09:45 and reaches Huangshan North Station near 15:18. A local Huangshan guide meets you at the exit holding a Huangshan Private Tour sign and drives you to your hotel in Tunxi, the downtown of Huangshan city, where you check in. Your hotel can be a three, four, or five star property, chosen to your preference.

Free Evening in Tunxi

The rest of the evening is free. You can rest after the long journey or walk around Tunxi at your own pace.

Day 2 Mt.Huangshan

The Day at a Glance

Here is the plan for today: drive to the Huangshan scenic area, ride the Yungu Cable Car up, then visit Beginning-to-believe Peak, Brush Pen Peak, and Xihai Grand Canyon, ending at Cloud-dispelling Pavilion before an overnight stay on the summit.

Yungu Cable Car and Beginning-to-believe Peak

Breakfast is included. Your guide drives you about one hour to the Huangshan scenic area, and from Yungu Cable Station you ride the cable car to the top. Your first stop is Beginning-to-believe Peak, at 1683 meters, one of the best places to see the pines of the mountain. The name is said to come from Huang Xiyuan, a Ming-dynasty writer who, after climbing here from Yungu Temple, believed for the first time the stories told about Huangshan.

Brush Pen Peak

From there a walk of about one kilometer leads to Brush Pen Peak at 1650 meters. One summit rises and splits at the top like a brush held in a stand, which gives the peak its name.

Xihai Grand Canyon

Lunch is included. After it you visit the Xihai Grand Canyon. Because of the height, clouds drift past the cliffs below your feet like a flowing stream, so the gorge is also called White Cloud Canyon. The trail along it runs about 15 kilometers, and your guide lets you stop for photographs; in clear weather you can catch the sunset at Cloud-dispelling Pavilion.

Night on the Summit

In the evening you check in to your hotel on the summit for tonight. A three, four, or five star hotel can be arranged to your preference.

Day 3 Mt.Huangshan-Tunxi

The Day at a Glance

Here is the plan for today: view the sunrise if the weather allows, walk to Bright Summit and the Flying-Over Rock, take the cable car down, and finish with Tunxi Old Street before returning to your hotel in Tunxi.

Sunrise on the Mountain

The sunrise over Huangshan is worth an early start. Your guide tells you the night before whether conditions look clear, since clouds and fog can hide it. If you get up, the sun rises over the peaks and lights the cloud layer below.

Bright Summit and Flying-Over Rock

Breakfast is included. After it you walk to Bright Summit, the second-highest peak on the mountain, and then to the Flying-Over Rock, a large boulder that seems balanced on a smaller base near the cliff edge.

Down the Mountain to Tunxi

When the mountain walk ends you ride the cable car down and drive back to Tunxi. After you check in to your hotel there, lunch is included at a local restaurant.

Tunxi Old Street

In the afternoon, visit Tunxi Old Street, an old commercial lane in the center of the city and one of the best-preserved historic streets in China. It runs 1,272 meters as a pedestrian street lined with more than 300 Hui-style buildings from different periods, in the manner of the Southern Song and Ming dynasties.

Museums and Local Snacks

Small museums sit along the lane, including the Tunxi Museum and the Wanci building, and the arcades sell local snacks such as stinky mandarin fish and Huangshan pancakes. Your guide explains the Hui architecture and the trading history of the street.

Evening on the Street

The late afternoon is free to explore the old street at your own pace. After dinner you return to your hotel in Tunxi.

Day 4 Huangshan

To Yixian County

After breakfast your guide drives you to Yixian County, where two famous old villages, Hongcun and Xidi, lie not far apart.

Hongcun Village

First is Hongcun, founded in the Song dynasty and listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on 30 November 2000. The village is often called a village in a painting, and artists still come to sketch its lanes. Its layout follows old geomancy and the natural ground, and more than 140 Huizhou houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties remain standing. The film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon used these streets as a set.

Xidi Village

After lunch, included, you continue to Xidi, about ten kilometers from Hongcun. Built in the Northern Song and grown rich in the early Qing, the village took its name from the West River, whose waterways run westward past the houses. Like Hongcun, it joined the UNESCO list in 2000.

Hui Houses and Cuisine

Xidi keeps Ming and Qing dwellings and more than twenty protected old buildings, and your guide walks you through the carved gateways and courtyards that show what Hui housecraft was about. The local cooking belongs to Huizhou cuisine, one of the eight great culinary traditions of China.

Back to Tunxi

When the visits end, your guide drives you back to your hotel in Tunxi for tonight.

Day 5 Huangshan-Chun'an (Qiandaohu Lake)

To Qiandaohu Lake

After breakfast, included, your guide drives about one hour to Chun'an. From Shendu Pier you board a boat to cruise Qiandaohu Lake, the Thousand Island Lake.

The Reservoir and Its Islands

Qiandaohu is a reservoir on the Xin'an River, built between 1955 and 1960 for the Xin'an River power station and the water storage of the upper valley. When the water rose, hilltops were left above the surface as islands, and the lake is counted among the great thousand-island lakes of the world, beside the Thousand Islands on the Saint Lawrence and Xiandao Lake at Yangxin in Hubei. It is now also a nature reserve, known locally as a paradise of birds and rich fishing water, and it yields more than 4,000 tons of freshwater fish each year.

Boat Excursion

The boat excursion takes about five hours. It calls at the prettiest islands, such as Five Dragon Island, Strange Stone Island, and Magic Dragon Island, and you step ashore on several of them to look around.

Train to Hangzhou

In the late afternoon your guide drives to Qiandaohu Railway Station, and a train of about one hour runs on to Hangzhou. A Hangzhou guide and driver meet you at the exit with a Hangzhou Private Tour sign and take you to your hotel there for tonight.

Day 6 Hangzhou Departure

West Lake by Boat

Check out of your hotel in the morning and drive to West Lake for a boat cruise. West Lake covers 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles) and is the landmark of Hangzhou, the city that lies along its banks. From the boat you can see Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, one of the Ten Best Views of West Lake. Pagodas, Chinese-style arched bridges, tree-lined walkways, and islands set among low hills make up the lake scenery.

Viewing Fish at the Flower Pond

Next, visit Viewing Fish at the Flower Pond (Huagang Park), located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clear stream flows from Huajia Hill into West Lake here, and flowers grow where the fresh water enters, so the place was called Flowery Harbor. The area is now a 22-hectare (54-acre) park planted with many kinds of trees and flowers, including a peony garden that blooms in April and a goldfish pond that is the well-known spot for viewing fish.

Lingyin Temple

Later, visit Lingyin Temple, one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. It holds Buddhist texts and treasures in front of the temple, and is known for more than 470 stone carvings of Buddhist figures dated from the 10th to the 14th centuries.

Lunch in the Hills

Drive to a village on the hillside, where your guide chooses a local restaurant for lunch.

Meijiawu Tea Village

After lunch, drive to Meijiawu Tea Village. The village sits in the hinterland of West Lake Park and is a major tea-producing base. Set in an unspoiled natural environment, you can rest, learn about the local tea culture, and taste the tea grown here.

Transfer to the Station

After the tour, drive to the Hangzhou train station for your next destination. Your service ends here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the boat cruise on West Lake?

The cruise on West Lake usually lasts about one hour, giving you time to see Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and the bridges and walkways along the shore.

Do I need to book tickets for Lingyin Temple in advance?

Your driver and guide arrange the timing for the visit. Lingyin Temple and the carvings of Feilai Peak are open during normal daylight hours, and the visit is part of this itinerary.

What is included in the lunch on the last day?

Lunch is included. Your guide selects a local restaurant in a hillside village, so you can taste home-cooked dishes near the tea growing area.

Is tea tasting at Meijiawu part of the tour?

Yes. Meijiawu is a working tea village, and you can try the local tea there. Additional tea leaves for purchase are optional and paid on your own.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends with a transfer to the Hangzhou train station. Your guide helps you arrive in time for your onward train.

How much walking is involved on the last day?

The last day is a full day of sightseeing with short walks at each stop. The paths around West Lake, Huagang Park, and Meijiawu are flat and easy, while Lingyin Temple has some steps between the halls and the carvings.

Price Per Person in US Dollars