Yangtze River Cruises

"Yangtze River Cruises" specialize in tours of China including Yangtze cruises to the Three Gorges. We also include exploration of the breathtaking Shennong Stream, and ample opportunity to learn about the ancient Chinese culture. The best way to discover China - a land that is splendidly foreign and decidedly unforgettable - is by our elaborately designed cruise plans. Your cruise, hotel, sightseeing tours and meals are all included in one price. China Travel Service offers special arrangements for Classic Yangtze Packages, Splendid Yangtze Cruises and Small Group China Tours to travel anywhere in China, including Beijing, Xian, Yangtze River, Shanghai, and Tibet.Come with us and start the vacation of your dreams.

A Map of Yangtze Cruise and the Cruising Routes

There are usually 4 cruising routes:

• Starting from Chongqing and ending in Yichang: downstream
• Starting from Chongqing and ending in Wuhan: downstream
• Starting from Wuhan and ending in Chongqing: upstream
• Starting from Yichang and ending in Chongqing: upstream

Victoria Cruises also operate cruise between Chongqing and Shanghai, which takes much longer time.

Chongqing is the biggest city in southwest China, where it has many flights to other part of China.

Wuhan is the biggest city in central China where it is also convenient to find a flight to Shanghai, Beijing, and other places.

Yichang is a fast developing city which is 45 minutes drive from the Three Gorges Dam. There are daily flights from Yichang to Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, but the flights are not very stable (some times flights are cancelled without prior notice, especially during the low season). But it is very convenient to go to Wuhan by bus. There is an express way from Yichang to Wuhan, and it takes only 4 hours drive from Yichang to Wuhan. There are buses available for every 20 minutes.

70% of the ships sail between Chongqing and Yichang, and the other 30% ships sail between Chongqing and Wuhan. Here is the time length for difference sailing routes:

Sailing Between	Time Length
Chongqing to Wuhan	3 nights 4 days
Chongqing to Yichang	3 nights 4 days
Wuhan to Chongqing	5 nights 6 days
Yichang to Chongqing	4 nights 5 days
Chongqing to Shanghai	6 nights 7 days
Shanghai to Chongqing	8 nights 9 days

How to find a cruise:

• Priority: fixed departure date
  If your departure date is fixed, you may start from the Cruise Calendar to see what is available for that date.
  
  
• Priority: your preferable ship
  If you like a certain ship, you may choose a ship here, then to check out the sailing schedule for that ship.

Plan a Cruise tour

How to get started?

This page will give you an overview how you can get the most out of your Yangtze Cruise. Carefull planning can make the difference between a memorable expericence for a lifetime and... you know what we're talking about. Alternatively you can ask one of our experienced travel advisors to do the work for you. They can perfectly fit the cruise in a travel package of your choice.

When is the best time to go on the cruise?

The best seasons to take a Yangtze River cruise are spring and autumn. To put it more specific, it is April, May, September and October when the weather is cool and comfortable. These four months are often called high seasons. The prices are the lowest for the winter cruises and the highest in high seasons.

Upstream or downstream?

The difference between up and downstream is that downstream cruises are normally shorter and more expensive (due to the higher demand). Also some shore excursions might be different as there are different sailing schedules.

Which ship to take?

Finding the right ship is not rocket science. You have three ways to start your search: When you have a fixed departure date in mind you can browse the schedule or use the search engine to find the ones that fit. Alternatively you can browse the cruise ship page. There the ships are sorted by customer favourites, star ranting and the route they are sailing If you are not totally sure which ship could suit you, feel free to contact one of our travel advisors for help.

Package or cruise only?

If you book a cruise alone or a complete package with us is of course up to you. The advantage of a package would be that we could tailor made your personal China experience with all tour components fitting perfectly together or you can choose one of our packages and customize it your way. If you take the standalone cruise we suggest to book at least the transfer from the hotel to the ship with us, so that we can guarantee a smooth check-in procedure.

Travel preparations

No extraordinary preparations are required to take the Yangtze Cruise. Please have a look at our FAQ what kind of suggestions we have in terms of travelling to China in general. As there are two formal nights on the ship we suggest men to bring a coat & tie and the ladies a dress or pantsuit. As all suggestion this is of course voluntary.

Other Introductions of Yangtze River

History of Yangtze River

Geography, Environment and Characteristics of Yangtze River

General Introduction of Yangtze River