10-day Beijing Xian Guilin Shanghai Tour

Starting from 1499$ (based on 2 people sharing)

What to Expect
Private tour available any day
No time-wasting shopping stops
Customize the tour to fit your own schedule
Top things to do including Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall of China, The Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors, City Wall, Li River Cruise, Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden

Day by Day Tour Briefing

Day 01 Arrival in Beijing, airport pickup, transfer to Beijing hotel, free time

Day 02 Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, Optional Peking Duck Dinner

Day 03 the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Summer Palace, Optional Kungfu Show

Day 04 bullet train ride to Xi’an, Hanyangling Museum, Muslim Quarter

Day 05 Terracotta Warriors, City Wall, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Optional Tang Dynasty Dinner Show

Day 06 Shaanxi History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, fly to Guilin, transfer to Guilin hotel

Day 07 Li River Cruise to Yangshuo, West Street

Day 08 Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Fly to Shanghai

Day 09 Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, Shanghai World Financial Center, the Bund, Optional Acrobatic Show or Huangpu River night cruise 

Day 10 Transfer to the airport

Tour Details

(This tour is a sample tour which can be customized for you exclusively.)

Day 1 Beijing Arrival

We bid you welcome to the sprawling city of Beijing! A place like no other and capital of China! At your arrival at the Beijing Airport, our experienced and courteous tour guide would welcome you and transfer you to your downtown hotel in a private vehicle. Use the rest of the day to relax after the long travel. Should you like to explore the environs, your tour guide would be available to guide you.

Day 2 Beijing (B, L)

Have a lovely breakfast, and, afterward, start your tour by exploring the ancient city of Beijing. We kick-start with an awe-inspiring visit to Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world, namely the Square of Heavenly Peace. To the north of Tiananmen square, you’ll also find the Forbidden City – a World Heritage Site and the world’s largest wooden palace complex. The Forbidden City has more than 9,000 rooms, with some of the rooms housing 24 of the past emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Take a walk through this magnificent structure and be awed by the fascinating buildings well decorated with yellow-glazed tile roofs, white marble floors, and bright paintings.

Time out for lunch. Afterward, it’s time to head to the outskirts of Beijing. Guaranteed, you’ll have an awe-inspiring time in the Summer Palace, a marvelous and best-preserved royal garden, and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a walk around the ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges, and corridors while feasting your eyes on the colorful paintings at the Long Corridor and vast bouquet of lotus flowers in Kunming Lake.

Alternative activity: Delight yourself with the Kungfu Show in the Red Theater (Hong Ju Chang).

Day 3 Beijing (B, L)

Day 3 promises to be an exciting one. After a delicious breakfast, it’s time to hit the road. About 60km away is one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Great Wall. Your expectation would not be dashed as you visit Mutianyu, a splendid section of the Great Wall, linking Gubeikou in the east and Juyongguan in the west. The Wall holds a place in history as it served as a cardinal military point. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is the longest of the restored parts of the Wall. It’s well maintained and so gives a vivid picture of the ancient culture of the Great Wall in all its splendor. The spectacular natural landscape in Mutianyu Great Wall always impresses visitors because of its lush vegetation. Have an exhilarating experience ascending the Great Wall and hiking through the most dazzling and intriguing part of Mutianyu. If you have the strength, you can very well hike up and down. It only takes about 40 minutes to climb the steps. Climbing the rising towers of Mutianyu is undoubtedly a wow experience. Enjoy the panoramic view and take memorable photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. Another striking thing is you can descend the Mutianyu Great Wall by a cable car.

Next, have a look at the Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage that leads to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor, referred to be the Son of Heaven, is believed to have descended from heaven through the Sacred Way and would also ascend to heaven through the same path after death. Take a walk along the most massive archway in China and the Great Palace Gate and see the majestic 12 sets of mythical animals and 12-official stone guards. Get back on the road and head for Beijing, taking a brief stop at the Beijing Olympic Village to mesmerize your senses with the famous Bird’s Nest and Water Cube.
Alternative activity: After the all-day tour, you can as well enjoy a great dinner of the famous Peking Roasted Duck at Quanjude.

Day 4 Beijing & High-Speed Train to Xian (B, L)

After a sumptuous breakfast, it’s time to pay a visit to the imperial site of the Temple of Heaven. This temple used to be well known as a place to communicate with heaven, asking for a fruitful harvest. But in recent times, it has become a hang-out for locals who engage in activities like kite flying, water calligraphy, Tai Chi, amongst other things.
Back at the central city, be sure to get on a rickshaw and explore the small alleys known as Beijing Hutongs.
Explore these Hutongs to get a feel of how Beijing’s lifestyle used to be. Pay a visit to the various antique shops and small boutiques and experience the historical transformation of Beijing. Be sure to pay a visit to a local family’s home in the traditional Hutongs to have an all-round experience.
Your tour of Beijing, right about now, winds to an end. Your tour guide will be at hand to see you off to the Beijing West Railway Station to catch a high-speed train heading for Xian. The journey to Xian is just about 5 hours. A tour guide will pick you up at Xian North Railway Station and escort you to your hotel in Xian.

Day 5 Xian (B, L)

Commence the day’s tour with a 40km trip to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses – one sight that is certain to leave you awestruck. A human-made wonder like no other. It would amaze you to see the over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses, and chariots, which were buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until a group of local farmers discovered them in 1974. It’s an ancient military army, complete with battle units of infantry, cavalry, etc. Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of China, ordered to build the army to protect him in his afterlife. As you gaze at these figures, you can’t help but marvel at the ambition of the emperor and, at the same time, the skills of Chinese artisans of old.

After your lunch, Xian can’t wait to receive you one more time to experience a refreshing stroll on the City Wall, the largest and well-kept ancient city wall in China. Delight yourself to a panoramic view of modern Xian while checking out this city wall. The wall stands 12 meters high and 18 meters wide, with a total circuit of about 14 kilometers. Indulge in a casual walk around the lively and bustling Muslim Quarter, where you can have all sorts of local snacks while exploring the Muslim culture.
Alternative activity: You can take an invigorating bicycle ride on the Ancient City Wall or enjoy an exhilarating Tang Palace Dance Show after a hearty dumpling dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 6 Xian & Flight to Guilin (B, L)

When breakfast is over, the first point of call is the Shaanxi History Museum. Saunter through the modern exhibition halls and feed your eyes on historical relics from Zhou to Tang dynasties (1100BC to 907 AD). Please note the visit to Shaanxi History Museum may be replaced with a visit to some other place because of the surging tourists between the July – early September period and China’s National Day falling between October 1 – October 7.

The next stop after lunch is Da Cien Temple. Big Wild Goose Pagoda stands as the most striking building in the temple. The pagoda, with a height of 64.5 meters, was erected by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve the classic scriptures he bought back from India during the Tang Dynasty. The character of Tang Seng in the well-noted Chinese novel Journey to the West was modeled after him. You can also climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda with an extra 30 RMB.

It’s now time for you to catch a 2-hour flight to the beautiful Guilin. A local tour guide would receive you at the airport and escort you to your hotel in Guilin City. For the rest of the day, you can catch some fun on your own or relax.

Day 7 Guilin (B, L)

A Chinese textbook describes Guilin’s landscape as the best under heaven, so get set to be thrilled in Guilin today. Start with a soothing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. The dazzling scenery along the 84-kilometer journey will surely wow your senses as you view the vast endless Chinese painting of a winding river, green limestone karst mountains, and fascinating countryside views.
Disembark in Yangshuo Town after the 4-hour cruise and check into your hotel. Take out some time to immerse in the spectacular countryside view and chilled atmosphere, and be intrigued by the patches of paddy fields nestling under green hills near the mirror-like river while watching farmers cultivating with their water buffaloes.
In the evening, take a leisure walk along the ancient West Street and experience how western and Chinese culture peacefully coexists here. Whether you desire to have a drink in the bar, eat some local food, or have a feel of the relaxing atmosphere, this place is undoubtedly the place to be.

Alternative activity: You can also catch up on the brilliant evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie, set right on the Li River and directed by famous director Zhang Yimou. This show usually spans about an hour, between 19:45 and 22:20.

Day 8 Guilin & Flight to Shanghai (B, L)

After your breakfast, it’s time to ride 1.5 -2 hours back to Guilin. Pay a visit to the symbolic Elephant Trunk Hill. A giant rock hill vividly shaped like an elephant drinking water. There are so many historical sites to explore in Guilin, such as the stone carvings, the Buddhist temple, relic exhibition, etc. A further 7-kilometer drive sees you to the next must-see site – Reed Flute Cave, known as “The Palace of Natural Arts.” The cave is a majestic cave, showcasing the incredible rock formations after millions of years of natural craft.

Lastly, your tour guide will drive you to the airport to catch a flight to Shanghai, China’s biggest city. On arrival at the airport, a local tour guide will receive you and take you to the 4-star Mercure downtown hotel. Relax or explore a bit of this great city for the rest of your day.

Day 9 Shanghai (B, L)

It’s time to explore this historic and magnificent city. The first stop is the Shanghai Museum, one of China’s first world-class modern museums with a remarkable structure. It has a round top and a square base. Its design is symbolic of the ancient Chinese perception of the world – around the sky, square earth. The Shanghai Museum has a collection of international-standard exhibits of bronzes, paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, and jade from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing dynasty. An Audio Explanation Device will be given to you to help you grasp the history of the relics in the museum. Next would be a visit to Yu Garden, the best of the ancient Chinese gardens in Jiangnan. The garden fully embodies the traditional design of Chinese architecture with jagged pavilions and elegant decorations, glittering pools with roving fish, and pine trees sprouting to the sky, all designed to refresh your mood and spirit. Right beside the garden is the Yuyuan Bazaar, where you can delight yourself to savory local snacks while checking out the elaborate traditional Chinese handicrafts and artworks. The next call is several kilometers away. Here you will enjoy a panoramic view of the modern face of Shanghai from the 100th floor (474m) of The Shanghai World Financial Center.
The next point of call is another famous landmark of Shanghai – Nanjing Road – a shopping paradise and a great place to take a stroll while experiencing the refreshing atmosphere of the city. Lastly, you will stop at the Bund, originally a simple towpath for transporting goods, but now a dynamic trading district and the heart of Shanghai. Stroll along the Bund and sightsee the perfect fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, at the same time taking in the stunning Shanghai skyline.
You can also opt for a calming Huangpu River night cruise to sightsee the city’s grandest edifices and streets.

Day 10 Shanghai Departure (B)

Enjoy some free time.
Your tour now comes to an end; you have visited all the most relevant places in China in just ten days. It’s time to go; your tour guide will escort you to the airport to board a flight to your next destination or home.

Inclusions

• Free tour customization
• Knowledgeable veteran guides with fluent English
• Private vehicle as specified
• Hand-picked hotels
• Buffet breakfasts and non-tourist local restaurant lunches
• Admissions as specified
• Domestic flights, trains, cruises as specified

Exclusions

• International flights
• Visa fees
• Personal expenses
• Tips for guides and drivers