BALES WORLDWIDE LAUNCHES NEW CHINA TOUR: A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Explore Shanghai and Beijing with an 8 day tour and select dates at £995 per person (saving £570 per person)  

www.balesworldwide.com 

Specialists in small escorted group tours, Bales Worldwide is excited to announce its new China tour – A Tale of Two Cities – that takes in the iconic sights of Shanghai and Beijing over eight days.

The tour includes:

• A full day tour of Shanghai that takes in Old Shanghai and the Yu Yuan Gardens with a stop at the Shanghai Museum to view 5,000 years of Chinese culture and a guided walk along the famous Shanghai Bund waterfront

• Travel by high-speed bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing and return

• Enjoy a guided tour of the lakes, gardens, palaces, pavilions, temples and bridges of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Summer Palace

• Visit the Great Wall of China at Mu Tian Yu – one of the better, less crowded spots to see this imposing structure. Here, the wall snakes across a landscape of lush blanketed mountains above a plunging ravine

• See the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square before entering the Forbidden City – a huge complex with red walls, yellow-tiled roofs and marbled bridges which was both the administrative centre of the empire and the residence of the imperial family

• Return flights with Virgin Atlantic from London

• Meals: breakfast each day, some lunches and dinners

Optional Additions:

There are also options to add on the world-famous Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe show and an excursion to the 'Venice of China' Suzhou – taking a short train journey to the beautiful canal town where guests have the opportunity to retrace the city's 2,500 years of history, visit stunning gardens, a silk-spinning factory and to take a boat down the Grand Canal. 

Additionally, guests can choose to extend their tour and add the Terracotta Warriors in Xian and to see the Pandas in Chengdu.

In celebration of this new tour, two departure dates have a special price of £995 per person (including flights and some meals):

• 20th November 2014
• 15th January 2015

For further enquiries and to book, visit www.balesworldwide.co.uk or call 0844 488 1169

Note to Editors:

The 'A Tale of Two Cities' tour is also offered by Virgin Holidays Worldwide Journeys (Bales Worldwide is part of the Virgin Holidays family).

Bales Worldwide is a pioneer in the touring market that provides tailor made holidays, small escorted group tours, arrangements for special groups and chartered adventures to over 50 destinations worldwide. The company was founded in 1949 by George Bales and in December 2009, became a part of the Virgin Holidays family allowing it to continue providing reliable specialised and personal service whilst leveraging the support of a strong established holiday group. The company still possesses the same passion and pioneering spirit that it was built on so many years ago and has since evolved and grown to employ over 50 specialist travel industry experts and now offers tours all over the world ranging from Borneo to Tanzania, from Canada to the Galapagos, and Tibet to Morocco. www.balesworldwide.com .

In 2012, it was named Best Small Safari, Wildlife & Nature Tour Operator, Best Small Tour

Operator to Southern Asia, Best Small Tour Operator to North Africa and Best Overall Tour

Operator to Central & South America at the prestigious, consumer-voted British Travel Awards.

About Bales Worldwide Touring Ambassador Ben Fogle:

Ben Fogle is a TV presenter, writer and adventurer. His achievements include racing 160 miles across the Sahara desert in the notorious Marathon Des Sables, rowing the Atlantic Ocean in 49 days with Olympian James Cracknell, and crossing Antarctica in a foot race to the South Pole. After a successful year as Brand Ambassador for Bales Worldwide in 2013, Virgin Holidays is delighted that Ben is continuing his journey with the Virgin Holidays Family in his expanded role as 'Worldwide Touring Ambassador' for both Virgin Holidays and Bales Worldwide.