To Lhasa by Train: A Tailor-made Tibet Adventure

After lunch you have the afternoon to get your bearings and go for a wander around the neighbourhood surrounding your hotel. We can recommend several restaurants for a first supper in China and some guidance for what to order to help you navigate the menu.

Your guide will be able to bring this extraordinary place even more to life, explaining what life was like in this gilded cage for emperors and those who worked here. Complete the visit with a walk up Jingshan Park for superb panoramic views over the city and back over the Forbidden City itself.

The final stop of the day is to explore the hutongs, the original single-storey neighbourhoods that once stretched in every direction from the Forbidden City. Sadly, many hutongs were levelled before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but those that do remain provide a fascinating window into Beijing before the modern era. Wander the alleyways and courtyards with your guide and you'll see old men playing mahjong and street vendors peddling delicious bao (fluffy steamed buns) filled with various meats and vegetables, the most traditional being a delicious and slightly sweet pulled pork.

Enjoy a relaxed evening because tomorrow you're going to see another of the highlights of China - the Great Wall.

The name 'Huanghuacheng' refers to the pretty yellow wildflowers that blossom in the region, and the scene is further enhanced by the wall being reflected in the still waters of a reservoir. Despite the site's beauty, this was also a hugely important strategic site guarding one of the key north-south routes from the capital. The best way to appreciate the size and scale of the Great Wall is to walk along it, and we have arranged a moderately difficult two-hour walk along the ramparts, from which you can get a glimpse of every day Chinese life as you pass orchards of chestnut trees and rustic settlements. Chairman Mao once declared that no-one was a true man (or woman) if they hadn't visited the Great Wall of China, so after your hike you can celebrate your new status by enjoying a lunch in a stunning spot on the Wall.

Return to your hotel, and we can recommend several of the finest restaurants in Beijing and make reservations.

You will be met at your hotel after breakfast for a transfer back to the airport, and then you have a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Xining in Quinghai Province. You will met at the airport and drive into town to check in to your hotel, and then to visit the Tibetan Culture Museum. After Beijing, the museum is a perfect introduction to the remarkable richness of Tibetan traditions and the particular type of Buddhism that so defines the region.

As the largest city on, and gateway from Han China to, the Tibetan plateau, Xining itself is a fascinating place. The city was a key staging post on the legendary Silk Road, which saw the transfer of goods, ideas and religions from East to West over the centuries. The city's many mosques and Buddhist temples pay testament to that, and a visit this evening to the Night Market will only emphasise the city's exotic nature after Beijing. Wander through between street food stalls with your guide, sampling excellent local delicacies such as beef with chrysanthemums. Some local concoctions might only be for the braver eater. Snow chicken with caterpillar fungus, anyone?

After breakfast you will be met at your hotel for the hour-and-a-half drive to the lake, where you can stretch your legs in the best possible fashion on a bicycle ride along the lake's beautiful shoreline. Framed by distant snow-capped peaks and meadows of wildflowers, this lovely alpine lake is fed by a large number of streams that make this not only the most beautiful, but the largest, lake in China.

On the way back from Qinghai Lake, you will pass through the Xiangla grasslands, a huge expanse of high-altitude pastureland that have been inhabited and cultivated for centuries by Tibetans. Your guide will stop and introduce you to some local farmers, and you will have the chance to try the local speciality - a delicious homemade yoghurt with vegetable oil.

The final stop is Xining Nanshan Park for beautiful views back across the city from its highest local peak. The park at the summit is not only a great viewing point, but home to lovely gardens and Tibetan temples.

But first, there is the chance to explore a few more of Xining's high-altitude highlights. First of these is Kumbum Monastery. The monastery was built in 1577 on the spot where Tsongkhapa, founder of yellow hat (Geluppa) Tibetan Buddhism, was born. Your guide will talk you through the monastery's hugely significant architectural innovations and priceless artworks and artefacts, and you will meet some of the many pilgrims and scholars who gravitate here.

Then it's on to visit Dongguan Grand Mosque because while greater Tibet is synonymous with Buddhism, four-fifths of Xining's population is Muslim. Non-Muslims can't enter the prayer hall, but it's still nice to wander around, while learning about the city's Silk Road and Muslim heritage.

This afternoon, stock up on some snacks and head to the station for the overnight train to Lhasa: one of the most memorable train journeys in the world. The journey takes some 21 hours and allows you time to soak up sensational views of the 'roof of the world' as you stare from the window of your private cabin.

As this is one of the highest cities in the world - 11,860ft above sea level to be precise - you should take some time to adjust to the altitude and so you have this afternoon to relax and wander around the city as much or as little as you want, perhaps following the many pilgrims making the circuit of prayer wheels along Barkhor Street. One other thing you should do (or have done) is swot up on the extraordinary history of Tibet and Lhasa, the fascinating capital and key depository for Tibetan culture. Your guide throughout your time in Tibet will help peel back the layers, but nothing beats a base layer of local knowledge around such a significant subject as Tibet.

The palace was originally built in 631 AD but was significantly remodelled in the 17th century after which it became the official winter residence for Dalai Lamas. To call the Potala Palace a treasure trove doesn't do justice to the astonishing number of shrines and Buddhist statues liberally scattered across the palace's thousand-plus rooms. Fortunately your guide is on hand to explain the significance of the key sites.

The next highlight is Jokhang Temple, a beautiful blend of Indian and Nepalese Buddhist architecture and both the eldest and most holy Buddhist temple in Tibet. Join the crowds of pilgrims who flock to the Jokhang every day, and make sure to head up on to the roof for stunning views of the Potala Palace against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains.

You've now appreciated some of Lhasa's architectural highlights, so it's time for a deeper dive into Tibetan culture with a visit to a traditional Tibetan tea house. The locals imbibe a sweet tea made with yak's milk - the perfect restorative after the day's wanderings, and a moment to reflect on the day's discoveries and watch everyday life at the slower Tibetan pace.

Gelugpa is considered by many to be the 'purest' form of Tibetan Buddhism despite being the youngest, dating from the 15th century. The original tomb and much of the monastery where destroyed by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) during the Tibetan Uprising in 1959 and subsequently the Cultural Revolution in the 60s, but relics were recovered and much of the monastery extensively rebuilt, and today there is still a strong sense of the spiritual here as you process around the monastery kora (pilgrimage walk) past prayer wheels an fluttering prayer flags. Take a moment or several to savour the views of snow-capped peaks and river below.

Next stop Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 and famed as one of Tibet's finest university monasteries, home today to hundreds of student monks. The highlight of the visit will be (subject to availability) the sight of the trainee monks sitting en masse in the monastery courtyard debating Buddhist texts with their professors. Then visit the monastery printing rooms, where sutras (scriptures) are still printed by hand on traditional paper

The drive to Gyantse takes five hours, but through predictably spectacular scenery, including a series of dramatic switchbacks along the road from Lhasa that climbs up to an altitude of 14,500ft. En route you will stop for a picnic lunch besides Lake Yamdrok Tso, dominated by Mount Donang Sangwari (17,400ft), which sits on a peninsula by the lake. The lake - a deeply spiritual place to most Tibetans due to its role in local folklore - is leant an even more dramatic sense thanks to the snow-capped summits of Nojin Gangzang, the highest peak in the Lhagoi Kangri mountain range. Enjoy a leg-stretching walk along the lake shore before jumping back in the car to pass through the Karo La pass and descend into Gyantse itself.

This afternoon is another chance to interact with Tibetan locals as you visit a house in the town to drink yak's milk tea with a local family, conversing through your guide.

This afternoon is set aside to relax or wander around Gyantse.

En route you will stop in at Shalu Monastery, founded in the 11th century but particularly famous for its 14th century abbot, Buton Rinchen Drup, a scholar who played a significant role in the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. Check out the famous mandala (elegant symmetrical images symbolising connection to the wider universe) painted on the monastery wall.

Enjoy a relaxed afternoon and evening exploring, Shigatse, your home for the next two nights.

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery itself was built in 1447 and is the official seat of the Panchen Lama. The highlights of the visit include an extraordinary five-storey temple that is home to a 60ft tall copper and gold statue of Maitreya Buddha, a Bodhisattva and the anointed successor to the present Buddha. The tomb of a previous (the fourth) Pancehn Lama is also worth a look to see the trove of jewels and gold interred with him. Finally, make sure to the take a moment in the Grand Hall to listen to the prayers of monks and watch as lamas pour yak milk butter into cups to light.

In Lhasa you will head to the airport for your flight to Beijing, which takes roughly six hours, arriving back in the capital late this evening. You will be whisked to your hotel for the night.

The flight takes just over 11 hours, and you will arrive back in London in mid-afternoon.