Victoria Jenna’s Magnificent China & Yangtze Tour – 2026

1st Day - ISTANBUL – SHANGHAI Meeting at Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal at 21:30. After passport, ticket, and customs procedures, departure for Shanghai on Turkish Airlines flight TK26 at 01:25. Overnight on the plane. Upon arrival in Shanghai at 16:45 local time, we will transfer to our hotel. We will have dinner at the hotel buffet. After dinner, you will have the opportunity to shop on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Street and witness Shanghai’s enchanting night view illuminated with lights. Then transfer to the hotel and overnight. 2nd Day - SHANGHAI After breakfast, we will visit the Shanghai Museum, one of the best museums in China. Opened in 1996, this museum exhibits traditional Chinese arts and furniture, and also has souvenir shops. After our museum visit, we will continue our tour by visiting the BUND area, known as the window of Shanghai, located on the banks of the Huangpu River. After the tour, dinner will be served at a Uyghur restaurant. Then, after the Uyghur dinner at the restaurant, a cruise on the Huang River will make our day unforgettable. Overnight at our hotel. 3rd Day - SHANGHAI - YICHANG – YANGTZE (High-Speed Train) After breakfast, we will depart for Yichang by high-speed train. After a very comfortable and pleasant journey lasting approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes, we will take a city tour of Yichang and have dinner. Then we will transfer to our ship. Overnight on board. 8 May (4th Day) YANGTZE (Three Gorges) Every morning on the ship, before breakfast, those who wish may join the Tai Chi Chinese gymnastics session. After breakfast, following the magnificent scenery of the Three Gorges, our ship will pass along the eastern shore of Xiling Gorge and dock at Yangjiawan Port. Here, the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Dam will be among the places seen. After lunch on the ship, watching the vessel rise through the lock system at Gezhouba Dam will be an interesting experience for all of us. At 19:00, we will be welcomed with the Captain’s Welcome and Introduction Cocktail. Dinner and overnight on the ship. 5th Day - YANGTZE (Wu and Qutang Gorges) After breakfast on the ship, you will take a boat trip on the Shennong River. We will have the opportunity to see historical sites and the hanging coffins on the cliffs of the vertical valley and become acquainted with the customs and traditions of the local people. In the afternoon, passing through the Wu and Qutang Gorges, you will be unable to get enough of the magnificent scenery. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on the ship. 6th Day - YANGTZE (Wanxian) After breakfast, we will arrive at Wanxian, located in the middle of our river tour. After our tour of this city, founded during the Ming Dynasty in 1368–1644, you may visit silk weaving and bamboo goods shops. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on our ship. 7th Day - YANGTZE-CHONGQING-XIAN (Domestic Flight) After breakfast, we leave the ship at 09:00. Following a Chongqing city tour, transfer to the airport and flight to Xian at noon. Upon arrival in Xian, we will head to see the City Walls. Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, strengthened and continued the construction of the old Tang Dynasty city walls in order to fortify the empire. The walls are made of mud and rice and are 13.7 km long. We will transfer to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, transfer to our hotel and overnight. 8th Day - XIAN – BEIJING (High-Speed Train) After breakfast, we will visit the famous Terracotta Museum. It is one of the most important and magnificent archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. (This underground army of statues, built to protect the tomb of China’s first emperor Shi Huang, has only partly been excavated and excavations are still ongoing. This tomb and the statues were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1987.) A mosque and a Tang Dynasty pagoda will be among the places seen. After the meal, we will transfer to the train station and enjoy a pleasant high-speed train journey to Beijing. Upon arrival in Beijing, we will transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel. 9th Day - BEIJING After breakfast, we will visit Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest square, covering 40 hectares and capable of accommodating 500,000 people at the same time. In the north of this square, the Chinese national flag is raised and lowered every morning and evening in a ceremony whose time changes daily according to sunrise and sunset. Hundreds of people gather in the square every day to watch this ceremony. Later, we will visit the Forbidden City, the palace where 24 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644–1891) lived. Taking its name from having been forbidden to ordinary citizens for over five hundred years, this palace has not been used since the last Chinese Emperor, Puyi, was expelled from the country in 1911. We will visit the Panda Garden, where we can observe China’s symbol, the adorable pandas, in their natural habitat, and then see the Summer Palace. Built by an artificial lake in the 19th century, this palace is connected to the Forbidden City by a canal so that the Emperor could come and go more easily. After the palace visit, we will enter the Old Imperial Pharmacy located next to Tiananmen Square and learn about traditional Chinese medicine. Then, to relieve the fatigue of this busy day, we will enjoy the famous Chinese foot massage lasting approximately 45 minutes. We will end this beautiful day with a dinner of Peking Duck at a restaurant, followed by free time and overnight at our hotel. 10th Day - BEIJING - ISTANBUL After breakfast, we will take a tour of the Great Wall of China, which is the symbol of China and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Built for military defense purposes in the 9th century BC, this wall was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987 as a symbol of China. In the afternoon, we will visit the Ming Dynasty Underground Palace, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors are buried and only two of these tombs have been opened (during our tour we will have the chance to see one of them). Another feature of these tombs is that they are arranged in this valley according to the Feng Shui system. After dinner, we will head to the airport. 11th Day - ISTANBUL We depart for Istanbul at 00:10 on THY flight TK21. Arrival in Istanbul at 05:30 and the end of our tour.