China Air/Hotel, From $1,439

Next, you'll catch a two-hour flight on Air China or China Eastern Airlines to Shanghai; from there you'll travel to Zhujiajiao, a nearby village that's more than 1,000 years old and has canals and distinctive old bridges. Continue your bus ride to the city of Suzhou, which is often referred to as the Venice of the East. The city attracts tourists for its beautiful pagodas, stone bridges, and meticulously designed gardens.

You'll spend three nights in Suzhou at the Holiday Inn Jasmine. The time will pass quickly! The itinerary calls for a cruise on the Grand Canal, which is more than 2,400 years old, and visits to a silk embroidery factory, the Lingering Garden, and the ancient Panmen Gate, the only existing water and land gate in China. After dinner you will take a night bus tour of the Master of Fishing Nets Garden.

BEIJING IN TRANSITION View our photos of the Chinese capital as it builds ambitious new stadiums, subways, and high-rises for the 2008 Olympics. • Launch the slide show

You'll take an excursion to Hangzhou, where you'll tour the Pagoda of Six Harmonies, built in the year A.D. 970, and view goldfish at Flower Harbor at the West Lake. You'll spend another day here; West Lake has much to offer visitors in five distinct sections, including a tea museum, fountains, a silk museum, and lovely vistas (perfect for the scrapbook). A stop at a tea orchard is a chance to learn about Chinese tea culture.

You'll board a bus for a day trip to Nanjing, about 80 miles away. There you'll enjoy the tomb of the first Ming emperor, lunch, and a tour of the giant Zhonghua City Gate. Then, head to Confucious Temple and the Qinhuai River, where you'll enjoy an included dinner.

You'll round out your trip by heading by bus back to Shanghai (about 90 miles). In your last two days here, you'll visit the Shanghai Museum of Art & History, which displays calligraphy, jade, paintings, and more. You'll stay for two nights in the Sky Fortune Boutique Hotel.

Shanghai is constantly changing, always reinventing itself. The relentless pace of the place is addictive. The food is particularly fun to explore: Try xiaolongbao, also called soup dumplings. The steamed delicacies—thin pastry skins filled with meat and scaldingly hot soup (be careful!)—can be found on many street corners.

Can't get enough? You can add on nights in Beijing or Shanghai for $125 per room per night (plus a $200 surcharge).

The cheapest package price is for November, which isn't a peak tourist season in China; the weather can drop below freezing, and it is a bit wet. Annually, China gets about 30 inches of rain.

For more tips on what to do, visit China's official tourism site and see the U.S. State Department's travel fact sheet for the country.

More on China:

• Do-It-Yourself China

• My Shanghai is Better Than Yours

• Trip Coach: Beijing

• Beijing 2008 Olympics: An Insider's Guide