7 Days Nanjing & Yangtze River Tour
Nanjing / Yichang / Yangtze Cruise / Chongqing
Highlights
- Visit:
- Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
- Zhonghua Gate
- Confucius Temple
- Qinhuai River
- Three Gorges Dam Site
- Shennv Stream
- Shibaozhai Pagoda
- Experience:
- Take a dive into Nanjing's fascinating past at the historical landmarks;
- Enjoy an upstream Yangtze River cruise from Yichang to Chongqing;
- Immerse in the breathtaking natual scenery of Three Gorges.
Sampling Itinerary Day by Day
Day 1 Nanjing Arrival
Welcome to Nanjing! Clear the customs and retrieve your baggage by yourself upon arrival, be greeted by our tour guide in the Arrival Hall who is holding a sign on which says your name. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will transfer you directly to your hotel. Your guide will help you check in. The rest of the day is on your own to discover this ancient city.
Day 2 Nanjing (B, L)
After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Your first stop today is Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Located at the foot of the majestic Purple Mountain, it is the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Father of Modern China. Some 392 steps lead to the very entrance in this mausoleum and it is a definite must-see place when you are visiting Nanjing.
Later, you’ll have a great look at Zhonghua Gate which is the biggest castle-style city in China and the most complicated castle in the world. Built from 1366 to 1387, Zhonghua Gate boasts great skill, delicate structure and magnificent scale.
Then, head to Confucius Temple. Built in Song Dynasty, the year of 1034, Nanjing Confucius Temple has a history of about 1000 years. The whole temple covers a huge area, mainly consisting of Confucius Temple, Studying Hall and Gongyuan.
The last scenic spot today is the Qinhuai River to explore the local lifestyle. This river remembers the long history of the town and it is inseparable part of all that is happening in Nanjing. Its bank was very popular during the Qing and Ming Dynasties due to the red lantern alley that was placed there.
Day 3 High Speed Train to Yichang from Nanjing (B)
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Nanjing Train Station to take the high speed train to Yichang (5 and half hours). Upon arrival, the local guide will meet you at Yichang East Railway Station and escort you to downtown area for today’s sightseeing.
First drive to the downtown area to feel the friendly atmosphere in Yiling Square. You’ll appreciate music fountain, watch pigeons flying over the square, enjoy dances and performances by all ages and styles on the huge square, and others.
Later you’ll visit the Yichang Museum with a collection of more than 30,000 pieces cultural relics. In this small museum, you could have an in-depth understanding of Yangtze River Three Gorges local culture like Changyang People’s fossils, Chengbeixi Culture, Daxi Culture etc.
After the tour, be transferred to Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal and take the tourist bus arranged by the cruise company to shuttle to Maoping Port for embarkation. Your once-in-lifetime Yangtze River cruise starts!
Tips for boarding: (1) All the cruise companies will arrange free transfer service at Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal or Yichang East Railway Station during 16:00~21:00. You could choose either one to take the tourist bus to Maoping Port. (2) Please call the ship one day ahead or at least in the morning on the boarding day to have clear idea about which pier you are going to use; (3) The boarding time and departure piers may change based on the ship line, water level, season, weather and other factors. Please pay attention to the important info your travel consultants sent to you before your boarding.
Day 4 Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
In this morning, wake up leisurely and enjoy the gentle sunshine shining over the tranquil Yangtze River. You can either follow the Taichi master to play Taichi on the sundeck or enjoy a cup of coffee to stretch your mood to start your beautiful day. It will be colorful and interesting no matter you stay onboard or go shore excursions at river stops.
Onboard you will enjoy different kinds of cultural activities and entertainment, like attending a Yangtze River History and Culture Lecture to know deeply about the third longest river in the world, taking part in the Captain’s Welcome Party to make new friends, or having great fun at the wonderful evening shows with sing, dance and music.
Also, you will follow a local English-speaking tour guide and make a shore excursion to the world-famous project - Three Gorges Dam. The dam is the largest hydropower station in the world with an annual energy output of 84.7 billion kilowatt-hours. The Three Gorges Dam includes three areas: the dam itself, a hydroelectric, and a system of locks. The height of the Three Gorges Dam is 185 meters (607 ft) above the sea level. The dam is about 2,300 meters (7,546 ft) long and about 115 meters (377 ft) wide. With a water capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters, the dam will hold a huge reservoir which will efficiently prevent flooding in the middle and lower portions of the Yangtze River. (Optional experience: you can choose to sail through the world’s largest ship lift - Three Gorges Dam Ship Lift to very closely marvel at the huge dam which is a totally fresh and exciting experience for travelers.)
Optional excursion: Enjoy a shore excursion to Tribe of Three Gorges today for an extra fee. Located on Xiling Gorge near Three Gorges Dam, the Tribe of Three Gorges is like a dreamland garden with breathtaking views - fishing boats along the river side, fishermen using bird to catch fishes, fishing nets hanging along the creek, young couple meeting on the bridge and lots more. You won’t miss the wedding ceremony of Tujia ethnic group.
Day 5 Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Today you will continue sailing through the spectacular Three Gorges! Follow the guide’s live interpretation and soak up the breathtaking gorge scenery passing by as you drift through Xiling Gorge, Wu Gorge and Qutang Gorge respectively.
On this day, take an enjoyable shore excursion to Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), a tributary of the Yangtze River in Wushan County. You will be switched to a smaller boat to sail down this primitive stream running in a narrow side gorge where you will have close-up views of steep mountains and hanging coffins high on the cliffs as well as hear some of the local history. Besides, you will be entertained with local music and dance offered by the Tujia ethnic group. (Please note: some cruise ships will make an excursion to Shennong Stream which offers the similar experience at Shennv Stream.)
Optional excursion: Enjoy a shore excursion to White Emperor City today with an extra fee. Located at the entrance of Qutang Gorge, this excursions gives you the chance to know Romance of the Three Kingdoms and offers the best pot to appreciate the magnificent “Kui Gate”.
Day 6 Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
In this morning, you will make a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda, a pearl of Yangtze River in Zhongxian County. Reputed as one of the eight extraordinary architectures in the world, this 12-story, 16th century red wooden pagoda leans against the side of the rocky and craggy hill about 200 meters tall. Climbing up to the top of Shibaozhai, you can not only visit the Buddhist temples and halls but also have panoramic view of Yangtze River. (Please note: Comfortable shoes are highly recommended since there will be many stairs to climb up the pagoda.)
Optional excursion: Have a shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City today with an extra fee. Called “the Homeland of Divine Comedy in China”, it consists of buildings, structures, dioramas and statues related to the afterlife in hell. Entering this “City of Ghosts”, you will know many mysterious stories about underworld and cruel tortures and different kinds of devils and Chinese demons. (Please note: the visit to Fengdu Ghost City requires much walking and comfortable shoes highly recommended!)
In this evening, enjoy the well-prepared Captain’s Farewell Party with all your mates onboard and have a pleasant dinner together. After the banquet, take part in the cabaret show to enjoy your last night.
Day 7 Chongqing (B)
In this morning, your ship will arrive at Chongqing Chaotianmen Port around 09:00 where you will go through a check-out procedure and disembark.Upon arrival, your guide and driver will pick you up at the port and escort you to the airport / train station to next destination.
Departure Ideas: Travelers can take a flight from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport to Xian, Guilin, Lhasa, Beijing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shangri-La and Dali, etc. Or you can take a high speed train from Chongqing North Railway Station to Chengdu (about 1.5hrs) and more cities in China.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a comfortable-class hotel and traveling with our private tour package in low seasons. The price will be much lower if your group has 4 or more members.
2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month, and date. There may be huge price increasing during the public Chinese holidays, school summer holidays (usually 2 months, July ~ August), peak tourist seasons or some special dates. (Chinese Public Holidays 2026)
3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include your group size, hotel class, tour activities, real-time exchange rate, and so on.
4. This price is based on the exchange rate USD 1= RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.
5. This price is only valid from now to March 31, 2027.
6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.
7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the Confirmation Letter sent to you by the travel consultant.
Price Includes:
- English-speaking guide with the professional license as listed in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees and other fees of the scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
- Yangtze River Cruise ticket as listed in the itinerary.
- Accommodation (comfortable-class) based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds or a double bed.
- Meals as specified with “B” (for breakfast), “L” (for lunch) or “D” (for dinner) in the itinerary.
- Private Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each city or area by private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver as listed in the itinerary.
- Transportation: Domestic flights (economy class) or trains (second-class seat) as listed in the itinerary.
- Airport / train station pick-up and drop-off service as listed in the itinerary.
- Luggage Transfers between airports, train station and hotels.
- Travel Service Charge of our travel consultant, including the planning, handling, operational and communication charges, etc.
Price Excludes:
- China Visa (We do not offer any visa service or charge any visa-related fee.)
- Scenic spots not listed in the itinerary.
- Optional activities or other sightseeing.
- Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary.
- Meals not listed in the itinerary.
- Flights or trains not as listed in the itinerary.
- Excess Baggage Charges.
- Personal expenses of a purely personal nature such as room service, laundry, drink, Internet charge, WI-FI, fax, telephone call, etc.
- Gratuities or optional tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
- Travel insurance. Please kindly note that the full coverage travel insurance from your country of origin should be purchased in advance on your own.
Read what other travelers think about this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.
Hi Elk,
"Yangtze River Cruises and more specifically Elk has been helping us organise a very good tour in China: we were aiming to visit Chongqing, and observing that this could be combined with a crude on the Yangtze River, we opted for this, and given that this cruise at this time of the year was only 4 days, I searched extension options on the company website, found 2 extensions of interest for me and my husband, namely in Chengdu (where the tour organiser is based) and in Zhangjiajie.
1. Organisation
Booking the tour, I was a little uncertain: there are so many scams online, that I was afraid we pay for that tour and end up with nothing... but it was not the case :-)
A few days before the start of our tour in Chengdu, Elk sent me the mobile numbers of the 3 guides that would be taking us through each station of our tour, and to my great pleasure, each of them was waiting for us at the agreed meeting point. All these scheduling and organisation elements were super well defined.
Elk also asked me which category of housing I wanted and booked for us hotels and cruise bedroom in the relevant category. I was pleasantly surprised in each location.
2. Comfort
Another special comment: the hotels and cruise ship have aircond, which is as expected, and also heating systems (which in December and January was very helpful as we visited Zhanjiajie under the snow). I specify this because some people told me before the trip that in these regions, considered South China, there is usually no heating system. It's true that in some restaurants and coffee shops, there was no heating, but al our hotels had some.
3. Food
In each location we had usually at least a breakfast and lunch included, plus dinner during the cruise. All was very good and to our taste: the guides asked us ahead what kind of food we can / cannot eat and esp. for us, it was "not spicy please" and we got it alright all the time.
4. Sightseeing and Guides
In each location we had a guide speaking well to very well our language and a driver; full comfort!
In Chengdu guide Ben took us to the panda reserve and visiting it has been great fun: they are so cute. Then we went for lunch in the old city in a delicious restaurant, and visited and old temple, the touristic area, and park... and he was also kind enough to propose to us to join the local theater show (not included in the tour), which was amazing... The following morning he took us to the train station from which we would join Chongqing. He insisted to take us up to the last passport check before the train platform... that's very useful for overseas tourists not familiar with Chinese trains. Many thanks to Ben!
Then in Chongqing, Jacques took us through the city museum and main places of interest before dropping us at the gate of the ship; here also, no chance to get lost :-)
During the cruise, the staff and guides speaking our language were taking care of us onboard and during the excursions. We also took the ship lift add-on at the 3 gorges dam, which I can also recommend, what an experience!
Finally in YiChang, our guide for Zhangjiajie was waiting for us at the cruise terminal to take us to Zhangjiajie. There she took us to the 2 famous parks there, the one with Avatar peaks, great even with overcast and rain, and then to the park of the Tianmen mountain, with the glass bridges and and the 999 steps... We visited that one under the snow and walking on snow, and it was amazing, even if we could not take as many glass bridges as planned, for safety reasons. Each day, we finished with delicious lunches, too much food actually, thus we did dabao.
Thus only one summary: fantastic tour, great organisation, we are looking forward to the next one!
The only thing that was a little less good was our guide in Chongqing, Jacques: he was always speaking very loud, like if speaking to a group of 20 people while we were only two. Otherwise, nothing to improve really, it was excellent!
Best regards,
Valerie
The following photos were shared by our customer Valerie:

Chengdu City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

Chongqing City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

Three Gorges Cruise Journey with Century Paragon | Early January 2026 | Curated by Elk

Two-Day Nature Escape in Zhangjiajie | Early January 2026 | Curated by Elk
- Valerie - January 8, 2026‚ ,
Hi,
Thank you for your email. The trip to China was great. I will update you when I get back to Spain. All the best to you.
Regards,
David
- David - December 25, 2025‚ ,
Hi Elk,
We had a wonderful experience booking our Yangtze River cruise through Yangtze River Cruise Company. Elk was especially helpful throughout the entire process - extremely communicative, responsive, and patient in answering all our questions, which made the booking smooth and stress-free for our family.
The cruise itself on Century Paragon was excellent. Everything was well organized, the facilities were comfortable,and we truly had a great time. Overall, it was a fantastic experience from booking to the actual cruise, and we would highly recommend both the company and Elk's services to others planning a Yangtze River cruise.
Chen
- Chen - December 22, 2025‚ ,
Thank you Rita,
The Cruise has been wonderful, everyone involved has been very helpful. My wife and I are having a good time.
Thanks again for the arrangements.
Joseph
- Joseph - December 22, 2025‚ ,
Here are recent candid photos of this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@yangtze-river-cruises.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!
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