Beijing, Xi'an, the YangtzeShanghai
The bestseller pattern. Beijing for the Wall, Xi'an for the warriors, three nights through the Three Gorges, Shanghai for the close.
Fourteen days, four anchors, your own driver and guide on land and a five-star river cabin on the Yangtze. The route most first-time travellers want and most operators rush. We add a night in each city for the icons that get cut from the 10-day version, and we book the river cabin a deck higher than the package operators do.
Per person, twin share, your choice of hotels · selected hotels
Indicative · your trip is priced when we design it.
- Hotels
- Cruise
- Guide
- Domestic flights
Private 5-seater · from US$360/day
Driver and bilingual guide (English & Chinese) included throughout.
Fourteen days,
land then river
then land again.
- Days 1-4Beijing
The capital and the Wall
Four nights walking distance from the central spine. Side-gate entry to the Forbidden City, sunrise on the Wall at Mutianyu, a quiet hutong courtyard lunch, Temple of Heaven at dusk. Same driver picks you up at the airport and is the one who drives you to the train.
This stop- Forbidden City via the side gate before crowds
- The Great Wall at Mutianyu with sunrise on the parapet
- Hutong courtyard lunch booked the week before
- Temple of Heaven at dusk with the singing groups
- Days 5-7Xi'an
The dynasty before
High-speed rail south. Three nights inside the old walled city. Warriors at first opening, the city wall by bicycle at sunrise, Huaqing Palace, and an evening in the Muslim Quarter. Same driver as Beijing, met at Xi'an North.
This stop- Terracotta Warriors before the school groups
- Xi'an City Wall by bicycle at sunrise
- Huaqing Palace and the imperial hot springs
- Muslim Quarter food walk at dusk
- Days 8-11The Yangtze
Three nights on the river
Flight to Chongqing, a hot-pot dinner on the riverfront, then aboard at dusk for the downstream cruise. Three nights through the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling Gorges. Premium-deck cabin with a private balcony, side-boat excursion up the Goddess Stream, an afternoon at the Three Gorges Dam observation deck.
This stop- Chongqing hot-pot dinner on the riverfront before boarding
- Premium-deck cabin with balcony, not interior
- Goddess Stream side-boat through the karst
- Three Gorges Dam observation deck
- Days 12-14Shanghai
The river city, present tense
Disembark at Yichang, fly to Shanghai. Three nights on or behind the Bund. Mornings on the colonial waterfront, an afternoon in the French Concession, evening from the Pudong skyline. We close the trip at the airport with the same on-the-ground team that opened 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
Fourteen days,
the river earns it.
Premium-deck cabin on the Yangtze, not the lower-deck cabin the package operators book. Private balcony, not a porthole.
Same driver across Beijing and Xi'an, met at every station. Yichang to Shanghai handover is briefed in writing.
Every icon timed before the convoys. Wall sunrise, Warriors at first opening, side-gate to the Forbidden City.
No jade factory. No silk showroom. Written into your booking.
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 Chengdu pandas before Xi'an (+3 days)
Fly Beijing to Chengdu for the panda base, then onward to Xi'an by high-speed rail.
Read more - Add a destination
Add Guilin and the Li River (+4 days)
From Shanghai south to Guilin for the karst cruise and Yangshuo countryside.
Read more - Add a destination
Add Suzhou and Hangzhou (+3 days)
From Shanghai by bullet train, two of the quietest gardens in eastern China.
Read more
A first-draft sketch,
by reply tomorrow.
Tell us a month and a party size. We come back with the cruise dates that fit your route, the cabin tier we would book, three hotel options per city, and an itemised all-inclusive quote. No deposit, no obligation.