China Golden Triangle

Nihao! Welcome to Beijing.

Your private guide and driver will be waiting at the airport (Beijing Capital or Daxing) or train station to take you straight to your hotel downtown. The rest of the day is free. You can settle in, rest after the flight, or head out for a first wander if you’re not ready to stop yet.

If you land early, ask your guide for ideas nearby: Wangfujing Street for shopping and street snacks, the Temple of Heaven for something quieter, or the old Qianmen area for its lantern-lit lanes and old shopfronts.

Overnight in Beijing

Morning
Start at Tian’anmen Square, tied to some of the biggest moments in modern Chinese history, then head into the Forbidden City. For nearly five centuries, this was closed off from the public entirely, home to 24 emperors who ruled from behind these walls. Your guide will point out details most visitors walk straight past: which halls mattered most, and why.

Just outside the palace’s north gate, climb up to Jingshan Park for a rooftop view of the Forbidden City, one of the better vantage points in the whole city.

Afternoon
In the afternoon, trade grand halls for something smaller-scale: a rickshaw ride through Beijing’s old hutongs. These narrow lanes are where everyday life actually happens, courtyard homes, local markets, and neighbourhoods that have stayed much the same for generations.

Rest of the day free.

Overnight in Beijing

Morning
Drive around 1.5–2 hours into the mountains north of the city to Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved and quieter sections of the Great Wall. Take the cable car up and walk along the ramparts, with watchtowers ahead and forested peaks on either side.

If you’re up for it, keep walking further along the wall, fewer people, better views.

Afternoon
Back in Beijing, stop by the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, built for the 2008 Olympics and used again for the 2022 Winter Games.

Evening free.

Overnight in Beijing

Morning
Spend your last Beijing morning at the Summer Palace, where emperors once escaped the summer heat. Take your time through the pavilions, marble boat, and covered walkways lined with painted scenes, it’s a good one to walk slowly.

By early afternoon, transfer to the station for the high-speed train to Xi’an (roughly 4.5–5.5 hours).

Your local guide and driver will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel. Evening free.

Overnight in Xi’an

Morning
About an hour outside the city, the Terracotta Warriors stand exactly as they were arranged over two thousand years ago, thousands of life-sized soldiers, horses, and chariots built to guard China’s first emperor in the afterlife. They were discovered by accident in 1974, by farmers digging a well.

If you’d like to get hands-on, add a workshop to sculpt your own miniature terracotta warrior which is a fun, hands-on souvenir to bring home.

Afternoon
Back in Xi’an, walk up onto the Ancient City Wall, one of the most complete surviving city walls in China. Walk a stretch of it, or rent a bicycle and ride part of its 14-kilometre loop.

As evening sets in, head into the Muslim Quarter, sizzling skewers, fresh pomegranate juice, and market stalls packed close together. It’s one of the best places in the city to just wander and snack your way through.

Overnight in Xi’an

Morning
Visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built during the Tang dynasty to house Buddhist scriptures brought back from India over a thousand years ago. Afterwards, try a Hanfu dress-up experience, put on traditional robes and wander the temple grounds for a few playful photos.

Afternoon
Transfer to the airport for your short flight to Shanghai. Your Shanghai guide and driver will be waiting on arrival to take you to your hotel.

Overnight in Shanghai

Today, choose your route.

Classic Shanghai
Start at the Shanghai Museum, then head to Yu Garden, a maze of ponds, rockeries, and pavilions built by a Ming dynasty official for his parents, now surrounded by the busy Yuyuan Bazaar.

In the afternoon, walk along Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s main shopping street, then continue to the Bund, where colonial-era buildings face the skyscrapers across the river. Finish the day up at Shanghai Tower as the city lights come on below.

Modern Shanghai
For something different, spend the day on Shanghai’s tech-forward side, robot dogs, self-driving robotaxis, and a stop at Magnolia Plaza for the view. Round out the day with Yu Garden and the Bund.

Want to add more? Ask about a xiaolongbao-making class, a traditional Chinese medicine experience, sunset cocktails, or a Huangpu River cruise.

Overnight in Shanghai

A relaxed final morning to explore on your own, before your guide and driver take you to the airport or train station for your onward journey.