10-Day Xian Lhasa Shigatse Tour via Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Welcome to Xian, the seat of power for 13 of China’s dynasties! Your local tour guide will greet you at the Xian Xianyang Airport or the Xian train station to take you to your private car and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free for you to rest and relax from your trip to Xian, or you can begin to explore the ancient capital city on your own. (If you arrive early enough in the day, we can also schedule in some sightseeing for you today.)

Accommodation：Overnight in Xian

This morning your local tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel to take you about 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside of the city to witness what is truly one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world – the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were built around 2,200 years ago as part of a much larger complex known as the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. In 221 B.C. Qin Shi Huang became the first emperor to conquer and unify the different warring states into the country of China. More than 8,000 life-sized warriors, horses and chariots made of terracotta and bronze were created and buried to protect the first emperor in the afterlife, standing in guard to the east of his actual burial tomb, facing those states that he conquered in unifying China. These life-sized figures are each unique, designed with different facial features, uniforms and body positions. It is truly awe-inspiring to visit this spectacular site and contemplate how they were so intricately designed thousands of years ago by such skilled Chinese artisans.

After a thorough look at the incredible Terracotta Warriors, we will take on to visit the Da Cien Temple and its Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The temple was first constructed in 648 A.D. with the famous monk Xuanzhuang in charge – his epic journeys to and from India were the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West. Xuanzhuang oversaw construction of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in 652 A.D. to store the precious Buddhist manuscripts that he brought back from India. 1,400 years later it is still possible to climb to the top of this pagoda for some great views over Xian.

After the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we will take you back to your hotel for the night, where you can rest and relax, or explore the area around your hotel on your own.

Accommodation：Overnight in Xian

Your tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel this morning to take you to another of Xian’s historic treasures, the Shaanxi History Museum. As Shaanxi was the home of 13 of China’s historic dynasties, including the Qin dynasty that gives China its name, it is rich in historic artifacts. The museum buildings were built in the Tang Dynasty style and house more than 370,000 objects. Please note that during overcrowding during the high season from July to early September and Chinese holidays, we may need to substitute another activity or attraction in place of the museum; our friendly travel consultants will advise you at the time of your booking.

After your visit to the musuem and a nice lunch, we will take you to another of Xian’s ancient wonders - the Xian City Wall. Construction began on the wall in 1370 on top of an earlier existing palace wall that was built during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 A.D.) Rectangular in shape, 12 meters high and 18 meters wide, the wall runs a total length of 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) around the inner city. Visitors can climb to the top of the wall for a walk with great views over the city, or bicycles are available for rent for biking along the top of the wall as well.

From the ancient city wall we will take you on to the lively Muslim Quarter, a historic section of the city that is great for walking around to see how the local people live while sampling the many traditional Xian snack foods. We can also walk around the nearby Drum and Bell Towers, which were constructed in 1380 A.D. and 1384 A.D. respectively, marking time in the ancient capital city with a bell being rung in the morning at sunrise and a drum struck in the evening to mark the sunset. These very well preserved towers have stood for centuries as reminders of Xian’s important place in world history.

Recommend evening activity:
Take in the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show, which combines a delicious traditional Chinese dumpling dinner with a spectacular show tracing the amazing history of Xian.

Accommodation：Overnight in Xian

This morning we will pick you up from your hotel to escort you to the Xian train station to catch the train on to Lhasa. Please note that as Xian is just a stopover city for the Guangzhou to Lhasa and Shanghai to Lhasa trains, it can be very difficult to get the train tickets so we recommend that you book with us as early as possible for the best chance at obtaining them. Currently there are 2 trains from Xian to Lhasa – one departs at 09:45 a.m., arriving in Lhasa at 16:19 the following day for a total trip time of 30 hours and 34 minutes. There is another train that departs at 11:24 a.m. and arrives in Lhasa at 19:30 for a total trip time of 32 hours and 6 minutes. You will need to be at the train station at least one hour before the train departs, and be sure to have your Tibet Travel Permit with you as you will need to show it to the train authorities before boarding the train.

Enjoy the sightseeing along the railway as the scenery changes while you travel across this vast country. The second day will feature the amazing landscape along the Qinghai – Tibet Railway, the world’s highest altitude train ride. You will pass through deserts, vast grasslands, beautiful lakes and the stunning, snow-capped mountains of the Himalayan mountain range as you approach Lhasa.

Accommodation：Overnight on the train

Upon your arrival at the Lhasa train station, your local tour guide will greet you and escort you to your private vehicle to take you on to your Lhasa hotel. You will have the rest of the evening to rest and relax from your long train journey, and to become acclimatized to the higher altitude.

Tips for High Altitude Acclimatization:
1) Go for a leisurely walk in the fresh high altitude air, but avoid any strenuous activity after your arrival.
2) It's better to avoid taking a bath to avoid catching a cold.
3) Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and eat some fresh fruit.
4) Get plenty of rest.

Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa

Start your exploration of Lhasa today with a visit to a world-famous landmark - the Potala Palace, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of architecture in the world. Climb up to the palace along zig-zagging stone paths alongside the white and red walls to the top of the palace where you can gain a greater appreciation of the exotic Tibetan-style buildings as well as for a great view of Lhasa's entire urban area. After admiring the sweeping outside views, explore the inner spaces of the Potala Palace to find the stately chapels and learn more about the fascinating history of this special place.

From one historic landmark to another, your next stop will be at the Jokhang Temple, considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Every day thousands of pilgrims come from all over Tibet and other places to the temple to worship the Buddha. The Jokhang Temple is also known as the "House of Buddha" because it houses the precious Jowo Rinpoche, a life-sized (1.5 meter/5 feet) image of the Sakyamuni at the age of 12.

The last stop for today's Lhasa exploration is Barkhor Street, the wide, circular street that surrounds the Jokhang Temple. Local residents enjoy walking on the street, completing several circuits around the temple as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many small shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handicrafts.

After your visit to the Jokhang Temple, we will take you back to your hotel for the evening.

Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa

After breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the beautiful Norbulingka Palace and Park, the location of the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until 1959. It features the famous Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai Lamas built in the grandiose style of traditional Tibetan architecture.

After visiting the palaces and park at Norbulingka, we will travel around 5 kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit the Drepung Monastery. The word "drepung" in Tibetan language means "prosperity". Since its establishment in 1416, Drepung Monastery has served as one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. During its prime, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders studied at this monastery, including the Dalai Lamas. Accordingly, Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.

In the afternoon, we will escort you on to another famous monastery in Lhasa - the Sera Monastery. Sera Monastery is famous for its spectacular “Buddhist Debates”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the various Buddhist doctrines with exaggerated gestures, which is thought to be helpful in facilitating a better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhist Debates", we will take you back to your hotel with the rest of the day and evening to relax or explore on your own.

Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa

This morning we will get an early start as we will take a very scenic drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. Enroute we will travel over the Gampala Pass (elevation 4790 meters) and stop for a look over Yamdrok Lake (elevation 4400 meters) with spectacular views of both the stunningly beautiful lake and the snow-capped mountain range in the distance, including the peak of the holy Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar (elevation 7191 meters), the tallest mountain near Lhasa.

We will also reach Gyantse along the way to Shigatse. In ancient times Gyantse was Tibet’s 3rd largest city behind Lhasa and Shigatse but it has been surpassed in size by many more Tibetan cities in recent times. Gyantse is the home of the famous Palcho Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum, so we will take some time to stop here to see these impressive sites. A “kumbum” is a multistoried aggregate of chapels in Tibetan Buddhism, and the one in Gyantse is of the largest in all of Tibet. After visiting the intriguing Palcho Monastery, we will drive another hour and a half on to Shigatse, which is currently the second largest city in Tibet, to spend the night.

Accommodation：Overnight in Shigatse

We will get an early start today to visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, which was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama The Tashilunpo Monastery is the officlal seat of the Panchen Lama, and as such, it is the largest and most influential Gelug Monastery in Shigatse Prefecture. It contains a giant statue of the Future Buddha, the largest one of its kind in the world, standing 26.2 meters tall and 11.5 meters wide and decorated with precious pearls, turquoise, coral and amber.

After our visit to the Tashilunpo Monastery, we will take the scenic drive via the Friendship Highway for about 6 hours along the Yarlung Tsangpo / Brahmaputra River, the longest and largest river in Tibet, back to Lhasa to spend the night.

Accommodation：Overnight in Lhasa

Today you will have free time until we meet you in the lobby of your hotel to transfer you to the Lhasa airport or train station for your departing flight or train.

Today's Tips:
1) Please take care to pack all of your belongings, particularly the small things that are easy to forget about, such as phone and camera chargers, power adapters, mobile phones, wallets, etc. 
2) If your flight or train is in the afternoon, please be sure to check out of your hotel room by 12 p.m.

Accommodation：None