Best of China

Nihao! Welcome to Beijing.

Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in downtown Beijing. The rest of the day is yours. You can rest after the flight, or head out and explore at your own pace.

Getting to Beijing
Beijing has two international airports which are Capital (PEK) and Daxing (PKX) with flights from most major cities worldwide. High-speed trains connect Beijing to Xi’an (4–5 hours), Shanghai (4.5–6 hours), and Zhengzhou (2.5–3 hours).

Free Time Ideas
Ask your guide for suggestions based on your arrival time, maybe a walk along Wangfujing Street or a visit to Temple of Heaven park are both easy options nearby.

Morning
Your guide will meet you after breakfast to start at Tian’anmen Square, the vast public square at the heart of the capital.

From there, walk through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City, the world’s largest palace complex, and once the exclusive domain of 24 emperors. With over 8,700 rooms, it’s easy to spend hours here. Your guide will lead you along the central axis, through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, sharing stories of court life and imperial power along the way.

A short walk (about 15 minutes) brings you up to Jingshan Park, where the hill gives you one of the best views in Beijing: the Forbidden City’s golden rooftops laid out below, with the modern skyline rising just behind.

Afternoon
In the afternoon, trade grand halls for something smaller-scale: a rickshaw ride through the old Hutongs, weaving through narrow alleyways where Beijing residents have lived for generations. You’ll pass traditional courtyard homes (siheyuan) and local markets, a side of the city that still feels a world away from the skyscrapers nearby.

Optional Evening Activity
Try Peking Roasted Duck at Quanjude, a century-old restaurant known for this Beijing specialty. Please ask your guide to help with reservations.

Morning
Drive around 1.5–2 hours northwest to the Mutianyu Great Wall, widely considered the best-preserved section and a quieter alternative to the busier stretches near Beijing. Its 23 original Ming-era watchtowers run along the mountain ridges here.

Take the cable car up to the 14th watchtower, then set out on foot along the wall, with pine and cypress forest on either side. If you’re up for it, continue on to the 20th watchtower, the views from there are hard to beat. Cable car back down when you’re ready.

Afternoon
Back in Beijing, stop for photos outside the Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center), both built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and brought back into use for the 2022 Winter Games.

Transfer back to your hotel for the evening.

Morning
Visit the Summer Palace, the royal family’s old summer retreat, sometimes called the “Museum of Royal Gardens.” Walk along the Long Corridor, painted with thousands of small scenes, with Kunming Lake stretched out alongside you.

Afternoon
Transfer to the station for the high-speed train to Xi’an (roughly 4.5–5.5 hours).

Welcome to Xi’an, capital city to 13 ancient dynasties. Your local guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel.

Morning
Your guide and driver will pick you up after breakfast for the roughly 40km (1-hour) drive to the Terracotta Army Museum built by Qin Shihuang, China’s first emperor, to protect him in the afterlife.

Around 8,000 life-sized terracotta figures have been uncovered so far. Start at the largest pit, believed to hold over 6,000 soldiers and horses standing in formation.

(If you’re interested, you can also join a workshop to sculpt your own miniature terracotta warrior.)

Afternoon
After lunch, head back into the city to visit the Ancient City Wall which is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved city walls in China. Walk along the top for views of the inner and outer walls, watchtowers, and moat, with the modern city spread out beyond.

(Want to cycle the wall instead? Just let your travel expert know and we can arrange it.)

Later in the afternoon, wander into the Muslim Quarter which is a lively mix of local snacks, market stalls, and Xi’an’s Islamic heritage.

Morning
Your guide and driver will meet you after breakfast for a visit to the Xi’an Museum, set in a park and home to thousands of relics telling the story of Xi’an’s 3,000-year history as an ancient capital.

Next, visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, inside Da Ci’en Temple which is a Tang-dynasty landmark originally built to house Buddhist scriptures brought back from India.

Afternoon
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Guilin (around 2 hours).

Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport and take you to your downtown hotel. The rest of the day is free.

Free Time Ideas
Take a walk along Binjiang Road for river views, and try a bowl of Guilin rice noodles at a nearby local restaurant.

Morning
Drive about an hour to the pier for your Li River Cruise, 84 kilometres of scenery that National Geographic has ranked among the world’s top “watery wonders.”

Over the 4.5-hour cruise, you’ll pass limestone karst peaks, water buffalo grazing along the banks, and small villages tucked at the base of the hills.

Note: A simple Chinese-style lunch is served on board.

Afternoon
On arrival in Yangshuo, your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to your hotel for a short rest. Afterward, head out into the Yangshuo Countryside, known for its quiet, postcard-perfect scenery.

Explore by bike or electric scooter, riding through rice paddies and small hamlets tucked into the karst landscape.

Later, spend the evening on West Street, Yangshuo’s liveliest stretch, where cafés and bars sit alongside traditional souvenir shops, a genuine mix of Chinese and Western influences, and a good spot for dinner or just people-watching.

Morning
Start your final morning in Guilin at Elephant Trunk Hill, the city’s best-known landmark, a limestone formation that really does look like an elephant dipping its trunk into the Li River.

Next, head underground into Reed Flute Cave, a karst cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites lit up in colour, with reflections in the pools adding to the effect.

Afternoon
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai (around 2.5 hours). Your local guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel, a good moment to notice just how different Shanghai feels from everywhere else on this trip.

Today, choose the route that suits you best.

* Classic Route: Shanghai Museum → Shanghai Tower → Yu Garden → Nanjing Road & The Bund

Morning
Start at the Shanghai Museum, shaped like an ancient bronze ding vessel. Inside, over 120,000 relics span 5,000 years of history, including the well-known Da Ke Ding bronze vessel alongside ceramics, calligraphy, and jade.

From there, head up Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building, and take the elevator to the 118th-floor observation deck (546 metres up) for a wide view over the city.

Afternoon
Visit Yu Garden, a Ming-dynasty garden of winding paths, ornate rockeries, and quiet ponds. Just outside, the Yuyuan Bazaar is a good spot to try xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) or pick up souvenirs.

Continue to Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s main shopping street, then walk on to The Bund, where colonial-era buildings face the Lujiazui skyline across the Huangpu River.

* Modern Route: High-Tech Experience → Magnolia Plaza → Yu Garden → The Bund

Morning
Spend 2.5–3 hours exploring Shanghai’s smart-city side, with two experiences to choose from: operating a robot dog, or riding in a self-driving robotaxi.

Afternoon
Head up to Magnolia Plaza’s 360-degree observation deck for skyline views over the Huangpu River and Pudong, then visit Yu Garden before finishing with a stroll along The Bund as evening sets in.

Optional Activities

• Xiaolongbao Making Class: learn dumpling-making in English, from dough to steamer, working toward the traditional “18-fold” technique.
• Tong Han Chun Tang TCM Experience: visit this historic medicine shop and choose herbal sachets, medicine beads, or the museum exhibit.
• Sunset Cocktail: drink in hand as the sun sets and the Shanghai skyline lights up.
• Huangpu River Cruise: a sunset cruise past the Bund’s old façades and Pudong’s glowing towers.

After breakfast, it’s time to wrap up your trip with us. Depending on your flight or train schedule, you may have some free time for a final stroll or last-minute souvenir shopping. Your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you to the airport or train station for your onward journey.

Thinking of Extending Your Trip?
If you have more time in China, we’re happy to help you extend your journey — whether that’s seeing the giant pandas in Chengdu, hiking the peaks of Zhangjiajie, exploring Tibet, watching the sunrise over Huangshan, or discovering Yunnan’s ethnic diversity. Just let us know.