WHY IT RATES: These journeys are perfect for both first-time visitors who don't want to miss anything and those visiting again who want to fill in some destination gaps. They are comprehensive, and adding in the varied Freechoice options, they are also flexible. - Michael Isenbek, TravelPulse Senior Editor
Scenic has launched its 2017 China and Japan program, which includes the launch of six new itineraries featuring a number of new destinations plus a number of new Freechoice activities.
In China, Scenic guests can now enjoy the comprehensive 24 Day Journey to Shangri-la which travels from Shanghai to Kunming, visiting most of the well-known and essential cities in one tour including Beijing and a Yangtze River cruise plus two new cities for Scenic - Hangzhou which was made famous by Marco Polo and known for the West Lake and Six Harmonies Pagoda and the ancient water city of Suzhou, known for its beautiful classical Chinese gardens.
This has also been split into two shorter itineraries - 12 Day China Highlights from Shanghai to Beijing which is the shortest tour and perfect for those with limited time; and 17 Day China Classics which extends for a further five days with a Yangtze River cruise ending in Chengdu.
The 27 Day Amazing China is a combination of two previous tours which both proved popular last year. Traveling from Beijing to Shanghai, it encompasses some of the many natural wonders of China with visits to Jiuzhaigou Valley (known as Nine Villages Valley), Zhanjiajie and the nearby World Heritage-listed Wulingyuan Scenic Area and picturesque Yangshuo.
For those guests that have already been to Shanghai or do not wish to go to Guilin/Yangshuo, there is now a 13 Day Pandas and Palaces tour from Beijing to Chengdu. In Japan there is one new tour, 14 Day Japan Unveiled from Fukuoka to Tokyo.
This new tour visits the southern island of Kyushu for the first time before transferring to the main island of Honshu. Guests will also visit two new cities: Fukuoka which contains some of Japan's oldest sites such as Shofuku-ji, the oldest Zen Temple in Japan and the sixth century Kushida Shrine located in the ancient section of the city; and Nagasaki - which is Japan's historical gateway to the Western world and site of the second atomic bombing - where guests will discover here a different side of Japan's history which is not touched on in the tours of Honshu, such as the influence of foreign powers on Japanese culture in the local region, in particular the Dutch.
New Scenic Freechoice activities for 2017/2018 in China include a market shopping tour and Huangpu River Cruise in Shanghai; Xixi Wetlands in Hangzhou, and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Canton Tower in Guangzhou. And in Japan, guests can choose to visit Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki, and Maizuru Park in Fukuoka.
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