China In Depth

Your guide will be waiting at the arrivals hall in Shanghai, ready to take you by private car straight to your hotel. Your guide will help you check in, and the rest of the day is yours to settle in.

Morning
Visit Yuyuan Garden, tucked into Shanghai’s Old Quarter. Built in 1559 during the Ming dynasty, it’s a good introduction to classical Chinese garden design like pavilions, ponds, and winding corridors all fitted into a fairly compact space.

Afternoon
Wander through some of Shanghai’s older architecture and quieter side streets with your guide, who’ll fill in the history behind a few of the city’s landmarks along the way. Stop for a snack at a well-regarded local spot before finishing at The Bund, where the colonial-era buildings face off against the Pudong skyline across the river.

Morning
Drive about an hour to Suzhou, sometimes called the “Venice of the East.” Visit the Master-of-Nets Garden, one of the more refined classical gardens in the city, known for how well its architecture and landscaping work together.

Afternoon
Continue to Tongli Ancient Town for a boat ride along its old canals, passing stone bridges and a slower, quieter side of local life.

Morning
Board a high-speed train for the roughly three-hour journey to Huangshan.

Afternoon
Explore Hongcun Village, an 800-year-old settlement wrapped around a crescent-shaped pond, tucked into the misty hills below the Yellow Mountains. It’s often used as a backdrop in Chinese films and paintings, easy to see why once you’re there.

Morning
From the south gate, a short shuttle ride takes you to the Yungu Cable Car, which reaches the summit in about 10 minutes. From there, your guide will tailor the day to your pace:

For more active hikers: a 30-minute downhill walk past the Umbrella Pine and Black Tiger Pine, followed by a three-hour route through the West Sea Grand Canyon, covering the 1st and 2nd rings and the canyon floor. If you’ve still got energy, continue on to Flying-over Rock and catch sunset at Bright Top.

For a more relaxed pace: a gentler 30-minute walk to the hotel, taking in the Black Tiger Pine and Dream Flower Pine along the way, followed by a 2–2.5 hour walk through the West Sea Grand Canyon at your own speed. If staying overnight, sunset at Cloud-Dispelling Pavilion is worth the short walk.

Morning
An early start for sunrise at Refreshing Terrace that is a favourite spot among past travellers. After breakfast, continue to Lion Peak, where you’ll find the Dawn Pavilion and the Stone Monkey Watching the Sea, along with some distinctive pine formations in the North Sea area.

Afternoon
For those up for a bit more, hike to Shixin Peak to look out over the Mushroom Pavilion. Descend via the Yungu Cable Car to wrap up your time in Huangshan.

Morning
Visit Meijiawu Tea Village, home to Dragon Well tea production. A local tea farmer will walk you through the process including picking, sorting, and pan-frying the leaves before you sit down for a tea-inspired lunch among the plantations.

Afternoon
Cruise West Lake, a site that’s inspired poets and painters for over 1,200 years. Pass by old bridges and pagodas as your guide shares some of the stories behind them, then visit Lingyin Temple nearby.

Morning
Fly to Guilin (around 2.5 hours).

Afternoon
After lunch, visit Reed Flute Cave, named for the reeds once used to make musical instruments near its entrance. Inside, a 240-metre path winds past stalactites and rock formations lit up to highlight their natural shapes, some resembling animals or plants.

Morning
Visit the Longji Rice Terraces, sometimes called the “Dragon’s Backbone” for their shape, carved into the hillsides by local minority communities over 600 years ago. A moderate walk gets you to some of the best viewpoints.

Afternoon
In Ping’an Zhuang Village, learn to make bamboo-stuffed rice with a local family, and take a look through their traditional wooden home.

Morning
Board a boat for the roughly 4-hour cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo, passing limestone peaks, bamboo groves, and rice paddies along the way, keep an eye out for fishermen working with cormorant birds.

Afternoon
Explore the Yangshuo countryside with your guide, a 1.5-hour, 10–12km route by bike, or by electric cart or private car if you’d prefer, at no extra cost.

The train journey to Zhangjiajie takes around 7 hours, passing karst mountains, rice terraces, and small villages along the way. It doesn’t stop at any specific sights, but the scenery from the window is worth the ride.

Morning
Ride the Bailong Elevator, the world’s tallest and fastest outdoor sightseeing lift, 335 metres up in about two minutes, with views over the sandstone pillar forest the whole way.

Afternoon
Visit Tianzi Mountain, known locally for its “Four Natural Spectacles” with mist, sunrise, moonlit nights, and winter snow. Continue to Yuanjiajie, where you’ll find the Ecstasy Spot, the Backyard, and the First Bridge Under Heaven, along with the famous Hallelujah Mountain, the real-world inspiration behind Avatar‘s floating peaks.

Morning
Visit Tianmen Mountain, often described as the “soul” of Zhangjiajie that is the highest peak in the area, with old-growth trees and cliffside roads winding through karst terrain.

For those up for it, the Tianmen Mountain Glass Walkway juts out from the cliff face 1,430 metres above the ground that is a narrow, 60-metre stretch of glass with views straight down into the valley.

Afternoon
Fly to Xi’an (around 1.5 hours).

Morning
Visit the Terracotta Warriors, discovered by accident in 1974. Over 7,000 life-sized soldiers, horses, and chariots have stood guard over Emperor Qin’s tomb since around 210 BC, each figure carved with individual features, and restoration work is still ongoing across the three excavation pits.

Afternoon
Head into the countryside to visit a cave-dwelling family workshop, where a local artisan will walk you through the process of crafting terracotta warriors by hand.

Later, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, standing since the 7th century, built to house Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the monk Xuanzang.

Morning
Visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, within the grounds of the historic Jianfu Temple, and the adjoining Xi’an Museum, which blends the ancient pagoda, temple structures, and a modern exhibition hall into one site tracing the city’s history.

Afternoon
Explore the Muslim Quarter, a lively strip of stalls, shops, and cafés run largely by Xi’an’s Muslim community. Try local specialties like biang biang noodles, Rou Jia Mo (the local take on a hamburger), or lamb paomo.

Morning
Board the high-speed train to Datong (around 6 hours).

Afternoon
Visit Huayan Temple, a well-preserved complex of Liao-dynasty architecture, home to 31 original statues from the period and 21 Qing-dynasty frescoes.

Morning
Visit the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site carved into the sandstone cliffs of Wuzhou Mountain over roughly 40 years (453–493 CE). Around 45 of the original 53 grottoes remain, holding some 51,000 Buddhist statues across 250 niches.

Afternoon
Visit the Hanging Monastery, built directly into a cliff face roughly 50 metres above the ground, which is a genuinely unusual piece of engineering that’s survived earthquakes and floods for over 1,500 years. It’s one of the few sites in China where Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are all represented under one roof.

Morning
Board the high-speed train to Beijing (around 2 hours).

Afternoon
Visit the Yonghe Lamasery (Lama Temple), the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in China and still an active place of worship. Inside, look for the enormous wooden statue of the Maitreya Buddha, along with a handful of exhibits on Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Morning
Visit the Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the better-known sections for its restoration and scenery. A round-trip cable car covers the climb, leaving more time to actually walk the wall itself.

Afternoon
Explore the Hutongs of Dongcheng District, winding through old alleyways lined with traditional courtyard homes. Visit a local family to see inside one of these courtyards, and try a short calligraphy or paper-cutting lesson with a local expert.

Morning
Visit the Temple of Heaven, where Ming-dynasty emperors once held annual ceremonies to pray for good harvests. The surrounding park is also where locals gather for morning tai chi, singing, and general everyday life, which is worth a slow walk through.

Afternoon
Visit the Forbidden City, the largest imperial palace in the world and home to 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties. Built in 1420, it predates both Columbus’s voyages and Shakespeare’s birth. Your guide will take you through a set of specifically chosen halls and courtyards rather than trying to cover all 8,700 rooms in one visit.

Your guide and driver will take you from your hotel to Beijing Capital Airport in time for your departure flight.