Beijing, Xi'anShanghai
The shortest route that covers the Wall, the warriors, and the river city. Built for a first China trip when time is the constraint.
Ten days, three cities, your own driver and guide. Beijing for the imperial spine, Xi'an for the dynasty that came before it, Shanghai for the present-day. We run this route at the pace of one good thing per morning and one quiet afternoon. The Wall before the convoys, the warriors before the school groups, the Bund at the light photographers wait for.
Per person, twin share, your choice of hotels · selected hotels
Indicative · your trip is priced when we design it.
- Hotels
- Guide
- Domestic flights
Private 5-seater · from US$360/day
Driver and bilingual guide (English & Chinese) included throughout.
Ten days,
three cities,
one driver across them all.
- Days 1-4Beijing
The capital and the Wall
Four nights at a hotel walking distance from the central spine. A side-gate entry to the Forbidden City before the main gate opens, a 5:00 am departure for the Wall at Mutianyu, a quiet hutong courtyard for lunch, and an evening at the Temple of Heaven while singing groups disperse.
This stop- Forbidden City via the side gate before mid-morning crowds
- The Great Wall at Mutianyu with sunrise on the parapet
- Hutong courtyard lunch the locals book a week ahead
- Temple of Heaven at dusk, with kite-flyers in the park
- Days 5-7Xi'an
The dynasty before
High-speed rail down at mid-morning, three nights inside the old walled city. The Terracotta Warriors at first opening, an early bicycle ride along the city wall, a quiet evening in the Muslim Quarter when the food carts are setting up. Same driver as Beijing, met at Xi'an North station.
This stop- Terracotta Warriors before the school groups arrive
- Xi'an City Wall by bicycle at sunrise
- Huaqing Palace and the hot spring archaeology
- Muslim Quarter food walk at dusk
- Days 8-10Shanghai
The river city, present tense
Two-hour flight east. Three nights on or behind the Bund. Mornings on the colonial waterfront, an afternoon in the French Concession, an evening at the Pudong skyline from a 50th-floor terrace. We close the trip at the airport with the same driver who started it.
This stop- The Bund at the photographer's hour
- French Concession plane-tree streets and 1920s cafés
- Yu Garden and the old town with a local guide
- Pudong skyline from a 50th-floor terrace
Ten days,
no wasted day.
Same driver across Beijing and Xi'an, met at every station. The car you arrive in is the car you leave in.
We start every icon before the convoys arrive. Written into the service standard, not a sales line.
Three options per city before you confirm. Your choice of category.
No jade factory. No silk showroom. No pearl-market detour, ever.
Mei Lin Chen
Senior China Specialist
Mei Lin has spent fifteen years working with the guides, drivers and hoteliers across China. She'll be your contact from first enquiry to final airport pickup.
Stretch the route,
the natural next step.
- Another journey
Add the Yangtze (+4 days)
The same route with three nights on the river through the gorges between Xi'an and Shanghai.
Read more - Add an experience
Add Chengdu and the pandas (+3 days)
Two-hour flight south from Xi'an for the panda base, Sichuan tea houses, and a hot-pot night.
Read more - Add a destination
Add Suzhou and Hangzhou (+3 days)
From Shanghai by 30-minute bullet train, two of the quietest gardens in eastern China.
Read more
A first-draft sketch,
by reply tomorrow.
Tell us a month, a party size, and an honest budget. We will come back with a first-draft route, the Wall section we would run for your pace, the hotel options per city, and an itemised all-inclusive quote. No deposit, no obligation.