12-Day China Tour Shanghai Zhangjiajie Xi'an and Beijing

Day 1: Arrive in Shanghai

1. Pass by
   Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be warmly greeted by your guide and transferred to your downtown hotel. This evening, we also provide a welcome dinner for you.

Day 2: Shanghai Exploration: Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Garden, and The Bund

1. Oriental Pearl Tower (Dongfang Mingzhu)
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Shanghai's most recognizable landmark, the Oriental Pearl Tower rises 468 meters over the Lujiazui district in Pudong. Completed in 1994, its distinctive design of stacked spheres set on angled columns became the symbol of the city's modern era. From the observation deck you look straight across the Huangpu River to the colonial-era waterfront of the Bund, with the neighboring supertall towers of Lujiazui rising around you. Allow time for security screening and elevator queues, which are busiest in the late afternoon.
2. Yu Garden
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Situated in Shanghai’s Old Town, Yu Garden was originally designed in 1577 AD by a powerful Ming Dynasty official. It features a stunning classical Chinese landscape filled with pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees, and rare flowers.
   
   Situated in Shanghai's Old Town, Yu Garden was originally designed in 1577 AD by a powerful Ming Dynasty official. It features a stunning classical Chinese landscape filled with pagodas, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, ancient trees, and rare flowers.
3. The Bund
   30m
   Along the west bank of the Huangpu River, the Bund lines up the grand banks, trading houses, and hotels built during Shanghai's concession era, a run of neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco facades. Directly across the water rises Lujiazui, where the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai's tallest towers stand on ground that was still largely warehouses and farmland into the 1990s, making this one of the city's most unforgettable scenes.

Day 3: Xitang Ancient Town, Boat Cruise, and Domestic flight to Zhangjiajie (Fare Included)

1. Xitang Ancient Town
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Xitang is an ancient water town, approximate 90 minutes drive from Shanghai. The town is divided to eight sections by nine rivers and is linked by old-fashioned stone bridges. In the older parts of town, the buildings are set along the banks of the canals, which serve as the main transportation thoroughfares in the area. It also contains numerous antique residences and temples, such as the Temple of the Seven Masters.
   
   Riding a small, gondola-like boat (called sampan) cruising on the small river would be a unique experience. It normally takes 6-8 people together in one boat. If you like, you can also pay the extra fee to occupy the whole boat.
2. Zhangjiajie
   Pass by
   After visiting Xitang, transfer to the airport in Shanghai for your flight to Zhangjiajie, a journey of about 2 hours in economy class. Your Zhangjiajie guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel.

Day 4: Zhangjiajie National Forest Exploration: Bailong Elevator, Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, and Ten Miles Gallery

1. 2h · Admission ticket included
   Yuanjiajie is a clifftop plateau inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, reached by the Bailong Elevator, a glass lift built into the rock face. From the top, a walking trail follows the rim past shrub- and tree-covered, platform-like blocks and freestanding sandstone obelisks, with a hollowed-out valley floor below. The mist-wreathed pinnacles here inspired the floating Hallelujah Mountains in James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar, set in the fictional world of Pandora. The trail also reaches First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural sandstone arch linking two peaks.
2. Tianzi Mountain
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Located in the northern part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Hunan Province, Tianzi (Son of Heaven) Mountain Nature Reserve is one of the four scenic spots in Wulingyuan (three other spots are the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the Suoxiyu Natural Resource Reserve and the Yangjiajie Scenic Area). It covers an area of 67 square kilometers (about 16,550 acres), and the highest peak is 1,262 meters (about 4,140 feet) above the sea level.
3. Ten Miles Gallery
   1h · Admission ticket included
   A valley in the Suoxiyu section of Wulingyuan lined with sandstone formations that Chinese visitors have named for what they resemble, among them the Herb-Collecting Old Man and the Immortals Worshipping Guanyin. An electric sightseeing tram runs the valley floor, included round trip, so the scenery is reached without a demanding walk.

Day 5: Tianmen Mountain Exploration and Bullet Train to Changsha

1. Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park
   4h · Admission ticket included
   Start the day at Tianmen Mountain. Admission includes the cable car, both glass walkway sections, the mountain escalators, and the required scenic transport, with the route assigned on the day. This mountain is regarded as the symbol and soul of Zhangjiajie. It is the first mountain recorded in the history of the region. Its highest peak rises to approximately 1,518.6 meters above sea level. The mountain gets its name from a massive natural cave located halfway up the slope, resembling a gateway to the heavens. This is why it is called Tianmen Mountain, meaning "Heavenly Gate Mountain."
2. Changsha
   Pass by
   After visiting Tianmen Mountain, take a Bullet D train with Second Class seating. Transfer and then check into your hotel.

Day 6: High Speed Train to Guilin and Visit to Reed Flute Cave

1. Guilin
   3h 30m
   After breakfast, board your train to Guilin. This is included fare with second class seating and a duration of 3.5 hours.
2. Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan)
   50m · Admission ticket included
   Upon arrival, be greeted by your local tour guide and proceed to visit Reed Flute Cave, in which you can see lots of stalactites & stalagmites illuminated by the lights of different colors and learn how they were formed. After that, check into your hotel and rest.

Day 7: Li River Cruise to Yangshuo and West Street

1. Li River
   4h · Admission ticket included
   Take a relaxing Li River cruise down to the scenic town of Yangshuo. Along the way, take in the dramatic landscape of clear water, karst hills, paddy fields, and rural villages.
2. West Street
   Pass by
   Yangshuo's West Street runs from the Li River waterfront through the center of town, lined with shops, cafes, and market stalls. After disembarking from the cruise, walk the street before transferring to your hotel, with the rest of the day free.

Day 8: Yangshuo to Guilin to Xi'an

1. Xi'an
   Pass by
   Depart early for the drive back to Guilin and your morning flight to Xi'an, about 2 hours in economy class. Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province and one of China's oldest cities, serving as the imperial capital under several dynasties and marking the eastern end of the Silk Road.
2. 1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   The Xi'an City Wall is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient fortresses in China with a circumference of 13.74 km. Walking on the wall, you can best enjoy the watchtowers, moat, landscaped environs and feel like stepping back in time to ancient China.

Day 9: Xi'an Exploration: Terracotta Warriors and Muslim Street

1. Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, the Terracotta Warriors is one of the most significant archeological finds of the 20th century and has been registered in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site consists of three main buildings, Pit 1, Pit 2, and Pit 3. The three pits occupy an area of 22,000 square meters, housing about 8,000 life-size pottery warriors and horses. These painted terracotta warriors and horses, which individually sculpted from real-life models and arranged in battle formation, have been protecting the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, since 2,200 years ago.
2. Muslim Quarter
   1h 30m
   Muslim Street is the center of the sizable Chinese-Muslim community in Xi'an, considered as a snack street by the locals. It is a fantastic place to wander and pass through linked with shops selling a large variety of interesting local delicacies, snacks, and souvenirs. It is also packed with small restaurants serving typical Muslim food.

Day 10: G Train to Beijing, Forbidden City, and Rickshaw Tour

1. Beijing
   5h
   Take a high speed G train with Second Class seating to Beijing. On average, the duration of this ride is 4.5 to 6 hours.
   
   Xi'an was the capital of China's early dynasties; Beijing has held that role for most of the last seven centuries. On arrival, your local guide will take you to the Forbidden City, then into a well-preserved hutong to travel by rickshaw through the narrow lanes and courtyard homes of old Beijing.
2. 2h 30m · Admission ticket included
   Closed on Mondays, the Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420 and served as the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties for roughly five centuries, when no commoner could pass its gates without summons. Twenty-four emperors ruled from within its walls. Today it is the largest surviving palace complex in China, a sequence of courtyards, ceremonial halls and private residences laid out along a single north-south axis that once defined the center of the empire. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
3. Hutong Tour
   45m · Admission ticket included
   The hutongs are the narrow lanes of old Beijing, lined with siheyuan, the walled courtyard homes where ordinary families still live, functioning almost as villages within a megalopolis. Traveling by rickshaw through the teeming maze of alleyways, you pass old houses and corner shops and get a sense of daily life for ordinary Beijing citizens.

Day 11: Beijing Exploration: Temple of Heaven and Great Wall Cable Car Tour

1. Temple of Heaven
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   Built in 1420, this was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed the empire's most important religious rites. Each year they came here to worship Heaven and pray for good harvests.
2. Mutianyu Great Wall
   3h · Admission ticket included
   This tour also includes a cable car ride, which carries you up to the wall and back down again. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall runs about 2.25 kilometers through wooded hills northeast of Beijing, and its 22 watchtowers stand closer together than on almost any other stretch. It was built and heavily fortified during the Ming dynasty to guard the northern approaches to the capital, then restored in the 1980s, and it remains noticeably quieter than the sections closer to the city. The open chairlift and the toboggan run are also available at Mutianyu as alternatives. If you would prefer either, please let us know when booking so the arrangements can be made in advance.

Day 12: Departure from Beijing

1. Pass by
   Enjoy some free time on your own until you're taken to the airport for your flight. Thank you for traveling with us and wish you a pleasant flight.

Pickup details

We will pick you up at the arrival hall. The driver will be waiting for you with a sign showing the lead traveler's name.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• This tour requires a minimum of four guests to operate. If your party has fewer than four guests, more than eight guests, or if you are traveling solo, please contact us to discuss available options. Early booking is recommended, as space may be limited.
• Please note that this itinerary serves as a sample. The order and locations of planned events may change due to factors such as flight arrival times, road and weather conditions, as well as our desire to tailor the tour to your abilities and interests. Your guide will provide daily updates to keep you informed. Our priority is to ensure that everyone enjoys a safe adventure, creating cherished memories and an unforgettable experience!
• Accommodations on this journey are selected for overall comfort, location, facilities, service level, character, and suitability for the itinerary rather than star rating alone. Hotel ratings and guest expectations may vary between local and international platforms, so listed properties are intended as a guide to the standard and style of accommodation provided. If a listed property is not used, a comparable alternative of a similar standard will be arranged.