Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hotel to immerse yourself in their charms. The
Summer Palace
is a rewarding
excursion but try to make a detour to the
798 Art District
.
BEIJING XI'AN
110 minutes
or
5½ hours
G class train from Beijing West Train Station to Xi'an
North Train Station.
Xi'an (
Click here
)
The former Tang-dynasty capital, today's Xi'an is rapidly developing, but its
venerable Ming-dynasty
city walls
are famous across China. Most visitors are
here to see the awe-inspiring
Terracotta Warriors
outside town, however. The
Great Mosque
and the
Muslim Quarter
are reminders that this city marked
the start of the Silk Road, while to the east of town rises the Taoist peak of
Hua Shan
, one of China's most sacred mountains.
XI'AN LUOYANG
90 minutes
From Xi'an North Train Station to Luoyang Longmen Station or
Five
hours
Luoyang (
Click here
)
Former capital of 13 dynasties, Luoyang today possesses little history beyond
an intriguing
old town,
but the nearby
Longmen Caves
are one of China's
most celebrated Buddhist grottoes. The
White Horse Temple
is China's oldest
Buddhist temple, while a bus trip from Luoyang brings you to the
Shaolin
Temple
, birthplace of China's martial arts, and
Song Shan
, the central
mountain of Taoism's five sacred peaks.
LUOYANG SHANGHAI
One hour
or
13 hours
Shanghai (
Click here
)
Journey from China's ancestral heartland to Shanghai, the nation's financial
capital. It's essential to spend time on the
Bund,
Shanghai's most august
length of bombastic architecture. Try to book a terrace table at
M on the Bund
for lunch with a view. Take time to savour the
French Concession
and peruse
the shops and traditional architecture of
Xintiandi
and
Tianzifang
before
