• China has a wealth of historical and natural sights to seechinese map image by yang xiaofeng from Fotolia.com
  
  Touring China requires a visa for Australian passport holders. Passports must also be valid for six months beyond the length of stay. Favorite tour destinations in China include the capital Beijing, the city of Shanghai, the Yangtze river and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Tour travel can be by plane, train or car.
  
  

Wendy Wu Tours

• Wendy Wu Tours "Grand Tour of China" lasts 28 days and is fully inclusive of flights and visa charges from various Australian cities. Beijing is the first stop for four days, where the group visits Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, Beijing's silk markets and the Summer Palace. Then the group travels by overnight train to Xian, where they visit the Terracotta warriors and enjoy a Dumpling banquet and Tang Dynasty dancing. The next four days are spent on a cruise of the Yangtze river, visiting the Three Gorges dam and stopping along the way for shore excursions. At Chongqing the group flies to Kunming, then drives to Dali. Places visited later in the tour include Yangshuo and Guilin. The final days are spent in Shanghai visiting Suzhou and Hangzhou. Prices, as of September 2010, range from USD$5,715 to $5,846.
  
  Wendy Wu Tours
  
  Level 9, 275 George Street
  
  Sydney NSW 2000
  
  Australia
  
  1300 727 998
  
  wendywutours.com.au
  
  

Dragon Tours

• Following the Silk Road, Dragon Tours China offers a 14-day holiday beginning and ending in Shanghai. Along the way, guests visit Lanzhou, Xiahe, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar. In Xiahe the tour drives to Labrang Tibetan Monastery and the Sangke Grasslands. In Lanzhou the tour visits the Lanzhou water wheels and the Baita Temple, next to the Yellow River. Jiayu Fortress is next in Jiayuguan, with a walk on the western end of the Great Wall. Features of Dunhuang are the Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Moon Spring and the Mingsha Dunes. A stop in Turpan includes visits to the Grape Valley, the Flaming Mountains, the Kerez Irrigation Channels and the ruined city of Gaochang. Kashgar city is the next stop, where guests visit the world's largest Sunday bazaar. Urumqi is the final stop, where Tian Chi lake and bazaars are visited, before flying back to Shanghai. Prices for the tour are USD$3,380 per person, with a $140 surcharge for high season, not including international flights or visa fees.
  
  Dragon China Tours
  
  Suite 1227, Level 12
  
  401 Docklands Drive, Docklands
  
  VIC 3008, Australia
  
  03 9670 9766
  
  dragontours.com.au
  
  

Helen Wong's Tours

• The 20-day Tibet and Yangtze tour offered by Helen Wong's Tours visits Beijing, Xian, Lhasa, Xining, Chongqing and Shanghai and includes a cruise on the Yangtze. Four nights are spent in Beijing visiting Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Beijing Zoo, the Great Wall and the silk markets. In Xian guests enjoy a Tang dynasty evening. Then they fly to Lhasa to visit Potala Palace, Jokhang, Drepung and Sera monasteries and the previous summer residence of the Dalai Lama, Norbulingka. Xining and Chongqing come next, before embarking for three nights on a Yangtze cruise to Yichang. Then three days are spent in Shanghai before flying back to Australia. Prices, as of September 2010, start from USD$6,272 with $1,745 single supplement. International flights are included.
  
  Helen Wong's Tours
  
  Level 11
  
  99 Bathurst Street
  
  Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
  
  (02) 9267 7833
  
  helenwongstours.com.au