Yangtze River Cruise Tours
Yangtze River Cruise Tours
The Yangtze River, China’s mightiest river, is the world’s most powerful river outside the tropics. Originating on the Tibetan Plateau, it travels 6,400 km (4,000 miles) to the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is prominent in China’s history and economy, and also connects several major cities and spectacular landscapes of China.
Enjoying a cruise on the Yangtze is the best way to explore this great river and the some of the best landscapes along the way. It is recommended to combine it with other popular destinations on your first China tour. If you are an expat in China, a Yangtze River tour is also a good idea for a short break.
We are ready to offer the best suggestions and tips, arrange cruises and other bookings, transport, guiding, and support to ensure you a hassle-free Yangtze River tour.
Popular Yangtze River Tours
The itinerary below are suggested for a Yangtze River tour or a China tour including a Yangtze River Cruise. All of them can be customized according to your interested and schedule.
Tips for Yangtze River Tours
There are four Yangtze Cruise routes (in order of popularity):
- From Chongqing to Yichang (downstream) takes 3 nights and 4 days.
- From Yichang to Chongqing (upstream) takes 4 nights and 5 days.
- From Chongqing to Shanghai (downstream) take 6 nights and 7 days.
- From Shanghai to Chongqing (upstream) takes 8 nights and 9 days.
Yangtze River cruises are possible all the year round. The high season is from April to October, when the prices of cruise tickets are a little higher than in colder months.
The middle season months (April, May, September, and October) are often recommended for the most comfortable temperatures and gorgeous gorges scenery of flowering hills or fall hues.
July and August are the rainy season months. The water level is highest and the water color could be yellow. However, in this season, the view from the Three Gorges Dam is more spectacular because of the awesome flood discharge.
As the passenger capacity on cruise ships is fixed, the Yangtze River cruise ship experience will not be affected by crowds, even on public holidays in China (particularly Labor Day and Chinese National Day), though there may be many more tourists at shore excursion sites.
Chongqing, Yichang, and Shanghai are the port cities for Yangtze River cruises. Chongqing and Shanghai are the major cities of China. They can be reached easily by flights or bullet trains.
Chongqing is not far by flight or bullet train from Xi’an, Chengdu, and Guilin, which are popular China tour destinations. Shanghai is normally is the last stop on a China tour, so that’s ideal if you want a long downstream cruise.
Yichang is a small city. There are fewer flights and bullet trains to and from it. It is more difficult to connect with other popular destinations, except Zhangjiajie by 5-hour train.
Don’t worry about the connections if you travel with China Highlights. Just tell us the places you would like to include in your tour and leave the logistics to your travel advisor. Whatever else you want in a China tour, we’ll ensure you can enjoy a well-designed once-in-a-life-time Yangtze River tour.
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