Cross-Curriculum Trip To China

A school trip to China will be unforgettable – truly broadening your students’ horizons and opening their eyes to a wider world!

Introduce your students to an ancient culture rich with art, literature, music, religion and philosophy. And combine the traditions and history of Beijing with the modernity and innovation of Shanghai, to help your students gain a greater understanding of China as a whole.

Make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to see the Great Wall of China which, although not quite visible from space, is still an incredible feat of human engineering and tenacity. Other highlights include the historic Forbidden Palace and the politically charged Tiananmen Square, as well as Shanghai’s iconic Bund, which reflects the impact of European involvement in China since the 19th century.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Overnight flight from the UK to Beijing

Day 2

Morning

Arrive in Beijing and transfer to your hotel

Afternoon

Visit the Temple of Heaven

Evening

Evening free

Day 3

Morning

Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Afternoon

Visit the Summer Palace

Evening

Evening free

Day 4

Morning

Photo stop at the Beijing Olympic Stadium

Afternoon

Visit the Great Wall of China and Ming Tombs

Evening

Evening free

Day 5

Morning

Visit the Lama Temple and Beijing Hutongs (Old Streets)

Afternoon

Visit Beijing Zoo

Evening

Take the overnight train to Shanghai

Day 6

Morning

Arrive Shanghai Visit the Yuyan Garden and Jade Buddha Temple

Afternoon

Visit the Bund

Evening

Evening free

Day 7

Morning

Visit the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai Museum and People's Square

Afternoon

Visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall

Evening

Evening free

Day 8

Morning

Transfer to the airport

Afternoon

Flight back to the UK

Airport transfers in resort
Breakfast and lunch daily
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Detailed information pack
English-speaking guide
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Itinerary planning service
Overnight train between Beijing and Shanghai
Return flights inclusive of tax
Visits and entrances as shown in the sample itinerary

Accommodation

Beijing Rainbow Hotel

The Beijing Rainbow Hotel is a modern hotel with a traditional feel. All rooms are decorated in a traditional style with wooden furniture. Rooms benefit from air-conditioning, tea and coffee-making facilities and a satellite TV. The hotel also offers a number of restaurant/cafe options, plus shops and a spa.

Dongfang Hotel

The Dongfang Hotel offers 288 rooms in a refurbished 1918 historic building of four connected wings. There is an indoor swimming pool and tennis court, fitness room and sauna. Restaurants offer a range of International and Asian cuisine.Guestrooms are clean and spacious, with plenty of natural light. Amenities include private balconies, cable/satellite TVs, minibars with refrigerators, air conditioning, desks with direct-dial phones, and complimentary high-speed Internet. All rooms also have coffee/tea makers, bottled water, and in-room safes. Bathrooms provide slippers, hair dryers, and shower/tub combinations.

Holiday Inn Putuo Shanghai

The Holiday Inn Putuo offers comfortable guestrooms and suites. The rooms are reasonably spacious and certain rooms have a wonderful view of the city skyline from this hotel. Facilities available include colour television with cable connection, International Direct Dialing telephone, work desk with lamp, mini bars and coffee making facilities amongst others.

Tour highlights

Visit the Forbidden City

This spectacular palace complex lies at the heart of Beijing and consists of 980 surviving buildings. The largest building in the complex is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Once the tallest building in the city, it was used for state occasions, such as the emperor’s birthday. The focal point of the building is the impressive Dragon Throne, which sits on a 2m high white jade dais and is backed by carved gilt screens. The world’s largest collection of well-preserved medieval wooden structures, the Forbidden City is a magnificent example of traditional Chinese architecture and is rich in symbolism, with plenty of dragons, phoenixes and lions on roofs of the most important buildings for prosperity and good fortune.

Did you know?

The Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world and is three times the size of the Louvre!

Visit the Bund

Shanghai’s focal point, the Bund is the city’s iconic waterfront area and one of its biggest tourist attractions – it’s certainly not to be missed on your school trip to Shanghai! Once just a muddy bank, the area was settled by the British after the first Opium War in 1842. It was around the turn of the 20th century when much of the spectacular Beaux Arts architecture sprang up as commerce thrived and the area is now one of the most important financial centres in East Asia. This is the perfect place to people watch and to learn more about Chinese culture and Western colonialism. This is also a fantastic example of modern China and offers an interesting contrast to the history you’ll see in Beijing.

Did you know?

The Bund is known as Waitan in Chinese, which means ‘Outer Beach’.

Visit the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is somewhat of a misnomer, as it would more accurately be described as a collection of fortification systems. The beginnings of the Wall lie in the fortifications built by the Han, Qi, Qin, Wei, Yan, Zhao and Zhongshan states during the Warring States Period and developed over the centuries to protect China from invaders and to protect the Silk Road trade route. It’s believed that the length of the entire Wall measures over 21,000km and it is considered one of the greatest architectural feats in human history.

Did you know?

While the Wall is believed to be well over 2,000 years old, the bit we all think of as the Great Wall of China – the stone fortifications around Beijing – are only around 500 years old, having been built during the Ming dynasty.

Educational Activities

Jade Buddha Temple

The architecture of the Jade Buddha Temple is very classical and stands out in Shanghai, which is generally a very modern city.

Shanghai Museum

The Shanghai Museum is China’s first world-class museum and houses a permanent collection of over 100,000 artefacts.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a stunning complex of religious buildings located to the south of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China stretches 5,500 miles across northern China, from Shanhaiguan in the eastern province of Hebei.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is instantly recognisable to all as a symbol of the People’s Republic of China.

Cultural Activities

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City stands in the centre of Beijing as a monument to the city’s imperial history and rich cultural legacy.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

The Oriental Pearl Tower is Shanghai’s most recognisable landmark and sits opposite the Bund in Pudong Park. A TV and

Summer Palace

Beijing’s Summer Palace is one of the loveliest royal parks you are ever likely to set your eyes on.

The Bund

The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from all over the world.

Yuyuan Garden

Yuyuan Garden, a place of peace and comfort in the heart of bustling Shanghai, dates back to the fabled Ming

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.

Let's chat!

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Cross-Curriculum Trip to China