New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sprawling encyclopedic museum, founded in 1870, houses one of the biggest art collections in the world. Its permanent collection has more than two million individual objects, from Egyptian temples to American paintings. Known colloquially as ‘The Met,’ the museum attracts over six million visitors a year to its 17 acres of galleries – making it the largest single-site attraction in New York City. In other words, plan on spending some time here. It is B-I-G.

The museum has an unrivaled collection of ancient Egyptian art, some of which dates back to the Paleolithic era. Located to the north of the Great Hall, the 39 Egyptian galleries open dramatically with one of the Met’s prized pieces: the Mastaba Tomb of Perneb (c 2300 BC), an Old Kingdom burial chamber crafted from limestone.

On the museum’s 2nd floor, the European Paintings’ galleries display a stunning collection of masterworks. The ‘New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia’ are comprised of 15 incredible rooms that showcase the museum’s extensive collection of art from the Middle East and Central and South Asia.

In the northwest corner, the American galleries showcase a wide variety of decorative and fine art from throughout US history. The 27 galleries devoted to classical antiquity are another Met doozy, some of which are dramatically illuminated by natural daylight.

The most popular galleries with children are generally the Egyptian, African and Oceania galleries (great masks) and the collection of medieval arms and armor – all of which are on the 1st floor. The Met hosts plenty of kid-centric happenings (check the website) and distributes a special museum brochure and map made specifically for the tykes.

One of the best spots in the entire museum is the roof garden, which features rotating sculpture installations by contemporary and 20th century artists. (Jeff Koons, Andy Goldsworthy and Imran Qureshi have all shown here.) But its best feature are the views it offers of the city and Central Park. It’s also home to the Roof Garden Café & Martini Bar , the best place in the museum for a sip — especially at sunset. The roof garden is open from April to October.

A desk inside the Great Hall has audio tours in several languages ($7), though you can access audio tours for free if you have a smartphone. Docents also offer guided tours of specific galleries (free with admission). Check the website or information desk for details. If you can’t stand crowds, avoid weekends.

Museo del Prado

Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. The more than 7000 paintings held in the Museo del Prados collection (although only around 1500 are currently on display) are like a window onto the historical vagaries of the Spanish soul, at once grand and imperious in the royal paintings of Velzquez, darkly tumultuous inLas pinturas negras (The Black Paintings) of Goya, and outward looking with sophisticated works of art from all across Europe.

Spend as long as you can at the Prado or, better still, plan to make a couple of visits because it can be a little overwhelming if you try to absorb it all at once.

Entrance to the Prado is via the eastern Puerta de los Jernimos, with tickets on sale beneath the northern Puerta de Goya. Once inside, pick up the free plan from the ticket office or information desk just inside the entrance it lists the locations of 50 of the Prados most famous works and gives room numbers for all major artists.

History

The western wing of the Prado (Edificio Villanueva) was completed in 1785, as the neoclassical Palacio de Villanueva. Originally conceived as a house of science, it later served, somewhat ignominiously, as a cavalry barracks for Napoleons troops during their occupation of Madrid between 1808 and 1813. In 1814 King Fernando VII decided to use the palace as a museum, although his purpose was more about finding a way of storing the hundreds of royal paintings gathering dust than any high-minded civic ideals this was an era where art was a royal preserve. Five years later the Museo del Prado opened with 311 Spanish paintings on display.

Goya

Francisco Jos de Goya y Lucientes (Goya) is found on all three floors of the Prado, but we recommend starting at the southern end of the ground or lower level. In Room 65, Goyas El dos de mayo and El tres de mayo rank among Madrids most emblematic paintings; they bring to life the 1808 anti-French revolt and subsequent execution of insurgents in Madrid. Alongside, in Rooms 67 and 68, are some of his darkest and most disturbing works, Las pinturas negras; they are so called in part because of the dark browns and black that dominate, but more for the distorted animalesque appearance of their characters.

There are more Goyas on the 1st floor in Rooms 34 to 37. Among them are two more of Goyas best-known and most intriguing oils:La maja vestida and La maja desnuda. These portraits, in Room 37, of an unknown woman, commonly believed to be the Duquesa de Alba (who may have been Goyas lover), are identical save for the lack of clothing in the latter. There are further Goyas on the top floor.

Velzquez

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velzquez (Velzquez) is another of the grand masters of Spanish art who brings so much distinction to the Prado. Of all his works, Las meninas (Room 12) is what most people come to see. Completed in 1656, it is more properly known as La famlia de Felipe IV (The Family of Felipe IV). The rooms surroundingLas meninas contain more fine works by Velzquez: watch in particular for his paintings of various members of royalty who seem to spring off the canvas Felipe II, Felipe IV, Margarita de Austria (a younger version of whom features in Las meninas), El Prncipe Baltasar Carlos and Isabel de Francia on horseback.

Spanish & Other European Masters

Having experienced the essence of the Prado, youre now free to select from the astonishingly diverse works that remain. If Spanish painters have piqued your curiosity, Bartolom Esteban Murillo, Jos de Ribera and the stark figures of Francisco de Zurbarn should be on your itinerary. The vivid, almost-surreal works by the 16th-century master and adopted Spaniard El Greco, whose figures are characteristically slender and tortured, are also perfectly executed.

Another alternative is the Prados outstanding collection of Flemish art. The fulsome figures and bulbous cherubs of Peter Paul Rubens (15771640) provide a playful antidote to the darkness of many of the other Flemish artists. His signature works are Las tres gracias (The Three Graces) and Adoracin de los reyes magos. Other fine works in the vicinity include The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel, Rembrandts Artemisa, and those by Anton Van Dyck. And on no account miss the weird and wonderful The Garden of Earthly Delights (Room 56A) by Hieronymus Bosch (c 14501516). No one has yet been able to provide a definitive explanation for this hallucinatory work, although many have tried.

And then there are the paintings by Drer, Rafael, Tiziano (Titian), Tintoretto, Sorolla, Gainsborough, Fra Angelico, Tiepolo

Edificio Jernimos

In contrast to the original Edificio Villanueva, the eastern wing (Edificio Jernimos) is part of the Prados stunning modern extension, which opened in 2007. Dedicated to temporary exhibitions (usually to display Prado masterpieces held in storage for decades for lack of wall space), and home to the excellent bookshop and cafe, its main attraction is the 2nd-floor cloisters. Built in 1672 with local granite, the cloisters were until recently attached to the adjacent Iglesia de San Jernimo El Real, but were in a parlous state. As part of their controversial incorporation into the Prado, they were painstakingly dismantled, restored and reassembled.

Park City, Utah 12Hours

Because with 7,000 acres of world-class slopes, you won't want to waste a minute. 

Big changes have swept Park City, the Utah ski town best known for powdery peaks and its history as a Western mining town. Since 2013, Vail Resorts has been acquiring Park City ski resorts, including the recently renovated Canyons and, in 2014, Park City Mountain Resort.

In November, Park City Mountain Resort was officially connected with Canyons (now Canyons Village) by way of the swift Quicksilver gondola, which swoops back and forth between the two properties in only nine minutes.

Now, Park City is home to the country’s largest ski resort, with more than 7,000 acres of Olympic-worthy ski slopes that can see as many as 355 inches of fresh snowfall a year.  To make the most of this enormous destination, which can be enjoyed with a season-long Epic Pass to all Vail properties and has seen $50 million in upgrades and additions, we spoke to Paul Marshall of Ski Utah.

Part quintessential ski town, part new-and-improved resort, Park City has a lot to offer visitors. “On-mountain dining has improved,” said Marshall, “as well as guest services and the over-all flow of the resort. It’s a world-class vacation and an awesome day on the hill for locals. With the new gondola,” he added, “I can enjoy the secret powder stashes through the entire resort and still ski into town for an après drink with friends.”

With his insider know-how (like those little-known corners of the mountains with the best snow in Park City), Marshall shared an action-packed 12-hour itinerary for the perfect day in the new Park City. Ready to hit the slopes? Here’s your guide.

8:00 a.m. Rise and Shine

Wake up at Main & Sky, on Park City Main Street. Oversized windows offer sweeping views of the city and surrounding mountains, as well as fireplaces in the master bedroom, and Bose sound systems. Some even boast pool tables and balconies with hot tubs.

8:30 a.m. Get Caffeinated 

Stop at Atticus Coffee shop for a breakfast bagel sandwich (black forest ham with eggs, cheddar cheese and bacon) and Salt Lake City coffee from Millcreek. 

8:51 a.m. Hit the Slopes

Catch the first chair on the historic (and somewhat rickety) Town Lift—only two blocks from Main & Sky.

9:15 a.m. 

Get warmed up on the Homerun trail—an easy 3.5-mile cruise from the top of Town Lift back to downtown Park City.

9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. History Lesson 

Meet the Historic Mining Tour group at the info desk at Legacy Lodge—they offer free, daily tours of the mountain. You’ll learn about Park City’s rich history (did you know there are still mining grounds on mountain?) and how some of the runs got their names.

12:00 p.m. Lunch Break

Fuel up at one of Park City’s newest on-mountain dining experiences, Miners Camp, located at the base of Silverlode Express. Stop in for a beer and their meatloaf sandwich. 

12:45 p.m. Quick Connection

Head outside and hop on the new Quicksilver Gondola, the symbolic and literal connection between the two major resorts. After an eight-and-a-half minute ride over the ridge, you’ll arrive at Canyons.

12:53 p.m. Ski the Secret Snow

Ski over to Tombstone Express, with chairs wide enough for six, and get lifted up to the Ninety-Nine 90 Express. Locals swear this is where the best snow on the mountain can be found, so spend the afternoon skiing or boarding the hidden powder.

3:30 p.m.

Catch the last Gondola ride back over to the Park City side of the resort. Here, make your way to the run called Quit’N Time, which leads straight back to the High West Distillery on Main Street.

High West Distillery

4:15 p.m. Après Ski Whiskey 

Order an après ski whiskey flight at High West (the only ski-in, ski-out distillery in the country) with traditional Western mountain fare. Think: onion and bourbon soup, pretzel with whipped beer cheese, pot pies with wild mushrooms, boar stew, and pan-fried trout.

5:30 p.m. Après Ski Spa

Make it back to your hotel in time for a relaxing spa treatment at the Sugati Spa & Wellness center. Marshall recommends a soak in the Japanese Ofuro tub or Oxygen Therapy.

8:00 p.m. Dinner Time

Head to Tupelo, Park City’s newest restaurant (doors opened in December 2015) for Chef Matt Harris’ pan-roasted elk with celery root puree and a warm apple pie with a smoked cheddar crust. Best of all? It’s just walking distance from the hotel.

Mexico City

sland of the Dolls

Creepy dolls welcome you to their island home. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Slasher doll Chucky would feel right at home on spooky Isla de las Muñecas. Hundreds of weathered dolls – some missing heads and limbs – hang from trees and clotheslines on a chinampa (raised garden) deep in the heart of the Xochimilco canals. An island caretaker dredged the dolls from surrounding canals to appease the spirit of a girl who had drowned nearby.

Make it happenRecommended visiting hours are 8am-4pm. The island is only accessible by boat so take a ‘Tláhuac Paradero’ bus from metro General Anaya to the Embarcadero Cuemanco entrance, walk a kilometer to the docks and take a 4hr trajinera (gondola) boat ride for M$1300.

Munch on bugs at Mercado San Juan

Insects for lunch? Anyone? Anyone? Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Feeling peckish? How about some escamoles (ant larvae), jumiles (stink bugs), gusanos de maguey (maguey worms), or perhaps some crunchychapulines (grasshoppers)? Many folks are pleasantly surprised when sampling insects for the first time at this gourmet food market (that is, if they don’t mind getting grasshopper legs wedged between their teeth). Mexico’s love for bugs dates back to the pre-Hispanic era – today insects are seen as a delicacy in upscale restaurants, and they’re highly nutritious to boot. Still peckish?

Make it happenMercado San Juan is at Pugibet 21, Colonia Centro, metro San Juan de Letrán, and is open 8am-5:30pm.

Santa Muerte patiently awaits

Once revolving around a small cult, Santa Muerte, or Our Lady of Death, now draws millions of followers who have left behind Catholicism and turned to worshipping the popular skeleton saint instead. Throughout the city you’ll find numerous Santa Muerte altars, but the mother of all shrines is in the working-class neighborhood of Colonia Morelos, where the faithful kneel before a grim reaper figure wearing a sequined gown and wig of long dark tresses.

Make it happenEnter Colonia Morelos at your own risk – it’s relatively safe by day, but don’t visit this crime-ridden area after dark. The Santa Muerte altar can be found at number 12 Calle Alfarería, between Mineros and Panderos streets, metro Tepito.

Go underground at El Chopo

El Chopo is Mexico City's alternative market. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Every Saturday afternoon, thousands of people flock to tianguis (open street market) El Chopo, a weekly gathering of black-clad punks, die-hard head bangers and just about every other youth subculture imaginable. Vendors hawk random band T-shirts, indie music, cult videos and all kinds of quirky stuff, while at the market’s north end, young-and-hungry bands grind out garage punk, metal and rockabilly. After the market closes, Chopo regulars unwind in the raucous neighborhood bars.

Make it happenTianguis Cultural del Chopo is on Calle Aldama in Colonia Guerrero, metro Buenavista, and is open 10am-5pm Sat.

Mercado Sonora – for all your witchcraft needs

Sonora Market caters to all your witchcraft shopping needs. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Ward off evil spirits or rid yourself of a curse at Mercado Sonora, aka ‘the witches’ market’. Aisles are lined with stalls offering black magic items, strange potions and limpias, a pre-Hispanic cleansing ritual involving clouds of incense and a herbal brushing. Amulets and talismans abound – some stands even sell ceramic figures of Jesus Malverde, a narco folk saint who brings good luck to drug traffickers.

Make it happenMercado Sonora is on Avenida Fray Servando Teresa de Mier 419, Colonia Merced Balbuena, metro Merced, and is open 10am-7pm.

A shrine to Mexico’s masked marvels

Take on your own challenger (a giant sandwich) at this shrine to wrestling. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Former pro wrestler Super Astro has turned his downtown sandwich shop, El Cuadrilatero (The Ring), into a lucha libre (wrestling) shrine. Colorful masks encased in glass boxes pay tribute to Mexican wrestling greats such as Blue Demon and El Santo. Hungry? If in 15 minutes you can devour the 1.3kg/2.9lb torta gladiador (an artery-choking sub stacked with various meats, egg and cheese), it’s free. Chewing is optional.

Make it happenEl Cuadrilatero can be found at Luis Moya 73, Colonia Centro, metrobus Plaza San Juan. Tortas cost M$53-85, the gladiador costs M$240, and it’s open 7am-8pm Mon-Sat.

Get your freak on at Disco Patrick Miller

People-watching is downright fascinating at Disco Patrick Miller, a throbbing nightclub known for its ‘Hi-NRG’ music (up-tempo disco). The venue draws a highly diverse clientele, ranging from ‘80s throwbacks and working-class regulars to cross dressers and break dancers. The real fun begins when circles open up on the floor and locals pull off moves that would have made Michael Jackson proud.

Make it happenYou can dance every Friday night away (10.30pm-4am) at Mérida 17, Colonia Roma, metro Insurgentes; cover M$30.

Marvel at mummies in a crypt

If the creepy dolls didn't freak you out, these mummified monks will. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Shortly after occupying this convent during the Mexican Revolution, Zapatista soldiers came across a surprising find while digging for buried gold – a dozen mummified corpses. The unidentified bodies, now on display in a muraled museum crypt, are believed to be 17th-century benefactors and friars of the Carmelite order. The mummies’ horrific facial expressions have been remarkably well preserved for your morbid viewing pleasure.

Make it happenEl Museo de El Carmen is at Av Revolución 4, Colonia San Ángel, metrobus La Bombilla, and is open 10am-5pm Tue-Sun. Admission is M$48, Sun free.

Find your inner kid in a funky toy museum

All toys great and small can be found at the Museo del Jugete Antiguo Mexico. Image by John Hecht / Lonely Planet

Japanese-Mexican Roberto Shimizu claims to have amassed the world’s largest collection of antique toys. His Museo del Juguete Antiguo Mexico is a hoarder’s paradise with a collection of more than one million items, of which around 60,000 are on permanent display in unique cases Shimizu himself designed from recycled objects. Exhibits across the three cluttered floors come in all sizes, from tiny action figures to life-size robots.

Brooklyn Bridge

This iconic bridge is one of the country's oldest suspension bridges; it was constructed in 1883 and spans the East River connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn. It was designed by John Augustus Roebling who had designed a number of other important bridges in the US. The design was taken over by Roebling's son who became ill and so managed the construction of the bridge from his apartment which had a view of the bridge. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling assisted the designer by being the link between him and the engineers on site. Emily was given the honor of being the first to cross the bridge when it opened. At the time of the bridge opening Brooklyn was an independent city and only 15 years after the bridge was opened did the borough become part of NYC.

The bridge is 486.3 meters long with stone towers and steel cables; it took 14 years to construct and 600 workers at a cost of $15 million. The bridge towers have a neo-Gothic appearance with two pointed arched above the passageways. The bridge is a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The bridge has 6 lanes for motor traffic but commercial vehicles and buses cannot use the bridge due to the height of the roadway. There is a pedestrian walkway across the bridge accessible from Tillary Street, Adams Street or Prospect Street on the Brooklyn side and from Centre Street and Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall IRT subway station on the Manhattan side. The walkway for pedestrians and cyclists is in the middle of the bridge which is raised above the traffic level.

One of the best ways to see Brooklyn Bridge is on foot or bike. Take the Brooklyn Bridge Bike Tour, an enjoyable time is guaranteed.

Empire State Building

This building is perhaps New York's greatest landmark, although it is no longer the world's tallest building it is still visited by over 3 million people annually. The Empire State was inaugurated in 1931 and is located on 5th Avenue, at the time it broke many world records and was nicknamed the 8th Wonder of the World. The building has also featured in countless movies including King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle.

The building has 73 elevators, 5 entrances, 6,514 windows and reaches a height of 381 meters above ground level with an additional 62 meter pinnacle. The Empire State has a base of 5 stories, a tower and is topped by a art-deco spire. The building's exterior is of limestone with few embellishments. Although it is an office building tourists are welcome to visit the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors. On the observation decks you can get a 360° view of the city.
Apart from the observation decks the building boasts a 3 story high lobby with an aluminum relief of the building. There are 8 illuminated panels of the 7 wonders of the world together with the Empire State featured as the 8th wonder. The panels are by Roy Sparkia and Renee Nemorov and were created for the 1964 World Fair. The lobby's original murals were damaged in the 60s and were painstakingly recreated in 2009 renovations. On the 2nd floor of the building is the NY Sky Ride, a cinematic simulation of a flight over the city with special effects.

Visit: Ho Chi Minh-Mekong Delta-Siem Reap-Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou

Day 1: Home- Ho Chi Minh City (via Shanghai)

To start off your amazing Tour, you will leave your departure city and fly to Ho Chi Minh city. Meals and snacks will be provided on the plane.

DAY 2: Ho Chi Minh City

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat international airport in the early morning, you are warmly welcome by our local guide and transfer to the hotel for check-in. You are free at your leisure for relaxing after the long flight. Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh.

DAY 3: Ho Chi Minh City Tour - Cu Chi Tunnels(Breakfast, Lunch)

After breakfast, enjoy a 2-hour drive northwest of Sai Gon to the Cu Chi tunnels, through urbanized areas and a lush southern Vietnamese countryside. This tunnel complex was dug in 1948 for the guerrillas to hide from French air and ground sweeps. The tunnels also served as communication routes, food and weapon caches, and as hospitals and living quarters for guerrilla fighters throughout the American war. Visit the underground villages to better understand the tunnels’ history, life in the tunnels and the Vietnamese people’s resilience during combat. Have lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon you will take Sai Gon city tour with: Opera House, a three-story classical theatre built to entertain the French colonists (outdoor visit); the former Hotel de Ville constructed for the French bureaucrats of Indochina in 1901, now The People's Committee building with no public access; the Notre Dame Cathedral, a stunningly massive red-brick edifice with twin spires, a clear reminder that French once ruled this city (open only 3-4pm every day, otherwise just an outdoor visit); the Central Post Office influenced by Renaissance architecture; and the former Presidential Palace, headquarters of the Sai Gon Government during the American war. Then we will visit the War Remnants Museum, which primarily contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city.

DAY 4: Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh (B)

After breakfast, today is free for you to explore, or you can simply join our optional one day tour program. 

Optional one day Mekong Delta tour with lunch package(USD49/person, advance booking required).

In the morning, we will transfer to Tourist Boat Station in My Tho. Cruising on Tien River and seeing four island: Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, Phoenix. Enjoy fresh coconut juice. Boat runs along fish farm for traveller to learn about local people how to feed fishes. Stop at Thoi Son island, go walking around country lane and seeing orchards, enjoy tropical fruits, listen to traditional music. To sail up Tien River, boat take you to Chua Canal belong to Ben Tre Province, take a Rowing Boat on small canal with beautiful scenery of countryside. To visit honey-bee farm, enjoy honey tea. After that ride a horse-drawn carriages along country lane in Quoi Son Village to seeing orchards and local people’s life. To Tan Thach Village to visitCoconut Candy workshop, come back to boat and return to My Tho. Get in the car at about 15h00 to drive back to Ho Chi Minh city.

DAY 5: Ho Chi Minh - Tay Ninh - Siem Reap by flight (Breakfast,Lunch)

Today you will start your journey with a 3-hour drive northwest of Sai Gon to the Cao Dai Great Temple. This modern sect, founded in the 1920s, is a fusion of Buddhism, Confucism, Taoism, and Christian beliefs, with a dash of Islam thrown in. The temple holds a very colorful service at midday which outsiders can observe. Have lunch at local restaurant then in the afternoon you are free until transfer to the airport for onwards evening flight to Siem Reap. You are picked up on arrival and transfer to the hotel for check-in. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 6: Siem Reap - Tonle Sap Lake  (Breakfast)

Today is free day for you to explore, or simply join our popular one day tour pogram.

Optional one day tour with lunch & dinner show package (USD59/person, advance booking required)

This morning, we will drive to the Pouk district, about 15 Km in the West of Siem Reap town. We visit the silk farm, a fascinating farm/workshop where you can see the entire silk creation process including growing the food for the silk worms, breeding the worms, silk extraction and refinement, traditional kit dying pattern creation and looming. Retail silk and souvenir shop. On the way back, visit the Western Baray (Baray Occidental) measuring 8 km by 2.3 km which provided water for the intensive cultivation of lands around Angkor. Afternoon, visiting the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 13 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Take a traditional wooden boat for a ride on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia, where you can find schools, restaurants, and hospitals and much more on the great lake of Tonle Sap. Today have dinner at local restaurant with traditional Apsara dance show. 

DAY 7: Siem Reap - Angkor Wat Tour (Breakfast,Lunch)

Today, we start with the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is one of the world's most stunning buildings. Angkor was the capital of Khmer that existed from 802 to 1431. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art and architecture. Angkor Wat's five towers symbolize Meru's five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond. After lunch, visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom(12th century). Visit Prasat Kravan with its unique brick sculptures and Ta Prohm. One of the area's most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways most of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. The sightseeing tour of Angkor area we spend a full day exploring the wondrous ancient ruins with the South Gate of Angkor Thom, which is famous for its series of colossal human faces carved in stone, the impressive Bayon Temple, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, theElephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King and the largest as well as the most complete temple of Angkor Wat. In the evening, we enjoy the beautiful sunset at Phnom Bakeng hill top. Overnight in Siem Reap.

DAY 8: Siem Reap - Shanghai-Suzhou(Breakfast)

After breakfast at hotel, you are free at your leisure for shopping until transfer to the airport. We will take late night flight to our next destination- China. 

DAY 9: Suzhou (breakfast) 

Arriving shanghai in the early morning, your local tour guide will drive you directly to the city of Garden-Suzhou.  Have a buffect breakfast, then retreat back to your beautiful hotel room for a good rest. 

Day 10 Suzhou - Hangzhou (Breakfast, Lunch)

Suzhou–the city of paradise is also known as the Oriental Venice for its exquisite canals, bridges, pagodas, and beautiful gardens. Suzhou is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After breakfast, tour the Lingering Garden, a classic private garden with 500 years of history. Next, visit the Suzhou Silk Factory, the largest silk factory in the country to discover the mysterious processing of silk and the Suzhou Research Institute of Silk Embroidery, a special needlework of silk. After lunch, enjoy a cruise along the ancient canalfrom the city to the picturesque Grand Canal. Late afternoon, continue to Hangzhou, the city of natural beauty.

  Optional Grand Canal cruise (USD$29/person)

Day 11 Hangzhou-Shanghai (Breakfast, Lunch)

Hangzhou, also known as the “Paradise on Earth”, has been immortalized by countless poets and artists. The West Lake Cultural Landscape has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. After breakfast, visit The West Lake, the most beautiful lake in the country. Then, visit No.1 Tea Plantation and taste the well-known Dragon Well Tea. Many studies say that green tea is excellent for your health. Dragon Well Tea is the best Green Tea in China. After lunch, drive to Shanghai.

Day 12 Shanghai (Breakfast, Lunch)

In the morning, walk along the famous Bund, lined by the colonial architecture of European design, this area is the best place to capture the Western influences of the old days. It is now the called “Wall Street of the East”. Next stop is the Shanghai Museum. After lunch, you will visit the City God Temple Bazaar, which is composed of specialty stores, selling traditional Chinese arts and crafts, medicine and souvenirs. Tonight, enjoy the famous Shanghai ERA Show (optional)

Optional Shanghai Acrobatic Show with dinner package ($39/person)

Day 13 Shanghai - Home

After breakfast,  transfer to the airport and departure for home.