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Ranks of terracotta warriors standing in Pit One at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum outside Xi'an
Journey · 14 days · Private

Pandasthe Mountain City

The western route. Xi'an for the warriors and Huashan, Chengdu for the pandas and Mount Emei, Chongqing for the night skyline and the karst bridges.

The trip in one paragraph

Fourteen days through China's west, in the order we would run it: Xi'an inside its Ming walls, Chengdu at its tea-house pace, Chongqing above its two rivers to finish. Along the way sit the warriors, two of China's great mountains, the pandas at feeding hour, and the karst bridges at Wulong. Your driver and guide change with each city; your specialist stays the same from first enquiry to last airport pickup.

14 days
Per person from
US$6,770

Per person, on 4- and 5-star hotels of your choosing

Indicative · your choice of hotels, priced by season when we design your trip.

What's included
  • Hotels
  • Breakfast
  • Private driver-guide
  • Executive private vehicle
  • Transport between destinations
  • Activities and excursions
  • Travel insurance
  • 24-hour support while you travel
Design my trip
  1. 5 nights

    Days 1 to 5: Xi'an

    1. Day 01: Terracotta Warriors and Lintong

      Ranks of terracotta warriors standing in Pit One at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum outside Xi'an
      Terracotta Warriors and Lintong

      About 1 hour east

      1. Meet the Terracotta Army at first entry

      2. Ride the cable car up Mount Li

      3. Look through the Lintong Museum

      4. Stroll Lintong's old streets

      5. Watch The Song of Everlasting Sorrow at Huaqing Palace

    2. Day 02: History and Tang Dynasty Culture

      A Buddha statue and reflecting pool in Daci'en Temple Ruins Park, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda rising behind
      Wild Goose Pagoda North Square

      1. Spend the morning in the Shaanxi History Museum

      2. Walk the Daci'en Temple Ruins Park

      3. Join the lantern-lit crowds at Datang Everbright City

      4. Catch the fountain show at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

    3. Day 03: Mount Huashan

      Cliff paths along Huashan's granite ridges
      Mount Huashan

      High-speed rail east, about 40 minutes

      1. Take the cable car to the North Peak

      2. Walk the ridge toward South Peak

      3. Wind down with a booked massage back in Xi'an

    4. Day 04: Qinling

      A ridge pavilion above the Qinling range, cloud drifting below the peaks
      Qinling

      South into the Qinling foothills

      1. Take fireside tea at a foothill farm-stay

      2. Cross the Qinling watershed pass

      3. Meet the pandas at the Four Treasures Science Park

      4. Finish with dinner and shopping at Xi'an MixC

    5. Day 05: Local Markets and Yuanjia Village

      The Bell Tower lit at dusk from above, ringed by the roundabout at the centre of Xi'an's old city
      Bell Tower

      Northwest into the Guanzhong countryside

      1. Visit the Bell Tower

      2. See the Drum Tower

      3. Eat your way along the Muslim Quarter

      4. Graze the snack lanes of Yuanjia Village

      5. Stay for the village's lantern-lit evening

    Xi'an’s famous dishes

    • Xi'an lamb skewers grilling over charcoal, with raw lamb pieces ready at the back and cumin and chilli powder scattered along the rail

      Xi'an BBQ Skewers

      (Cumin, Chilli, Charcoal)

    • A Xi'an rou jia mo, shredded meat tucked into a wheat bun and served one-handed

      Rou jia mo

      (Xi'an's pulled-pork flatbread)

    • A bowl of Xi'an yangrou paomo in blue-and-white porcelain: lamb broth ladled over hand-torn flatbread cubes and glass noodles, with chilli paste and pickled garlic on the side

      Yangrou paomo

      (mutton soup with hand-torn bread)

  2. High-speed rail from Xi'an, around 3.8 hours

    6 nights

    Days 6 to 11: Chengdu

    1. Day 06: Daci Temple and Taikoo Li

      A monk in orange robes on the steps of Daci Temple, tiled rooflines folding around the courtyard
      Daci Temple

      1. Visit the courtyards of Daci Temple

      2. Graze the riverside kitchens of Wangping Street

      3. Walk Chunxi Road under the neon

      4. Finish among the lanes of Taikoo Li

    2. Day 07: Pandas and Dujiangyan

      A giant panda eating bamboo among the trees at Dujiangyan's Panda Valley
      Dujiangyan Panda Valley

      About 1.5 hours northwest

      1. Watch feeding hour at Panda Valley

      2. Walk the Dujiangyan Irrigation System

      3. Wander Guanxian Ancient City

      4. Watch the Nanqiao Bridge light up over the river

    3. Day 08: Bronzes and the Three Kingdoms

      The 2.6-metre bronze standing figure from the Sanxingdui Bronze Age site, arms outstretched holding a ceremonial object
      Sanxingdui Museum

      About 1.5 hours north to Guanghan

      1. Meet the bronze masks at the Sanxingdui Museum

      2. Visit Wuhou Shrine

      3. Stroll Jinli Ancient Street next door

      4. Wander the Kuanzhai Alleys after dark

    4. Day 09: Mount Emei

      The golden summit of Mount Emei above a sea of cloud, snow peaks on the horizon
      Mount Emei

      About 2 hours southwest

      1. Ride the cable car up Mount Emei

      2. Walk between the temples and viewpoints

      3. Return to Chengdu for the river lights at Dongmen Wharf

    5. Day 10: Qingyang Palace and Du Fu's cottage

      The main gate of Qingyang Palace, gold-tiled eaves and dragon finials rising over red lanterns and a stone guardian lion at the entrance under a bright blue sky
      Qingyang Palace

      1. Visit the halls of Qingyang Palace

      2. Walk the gardens of Du Fu Thatched Cottage

      3. Watch the Twin Towers light up the Financial City

    6. Day 11: Modern Chengdu

      The Tower of Vitality's lit water columns pouring at night above Chengdu SKP
      Tower of Vitality

      1. Settle into a tea house at People's Park

      2. Browse the factory halls of Eastern Suburb Memory

      3. Watch the water columns light up at the Tower of Vitality

    Chengdu’s famous dishes

    • A Chengdu hot pot table, split broth bubbling at the centre surrounded by plates of thin-sliced beef, skewers and fresh greens

      Chengdu hot pot

    • A wide bowl of milky-white pig trotter soup with white kidney beans, beside a small dish of chilli-and-Sichuan-pepper dip on a Chengdu late-night table

      Pig trotter soup

      (Ti Hua)

    • A small plate of plump pork wontons glossed in red chilli-oil sauce with garlic and scallion, the signature Chengdu lunchtime snack

      Red oil wontons

      (Hongyou Chaoshou)

  3. High-speed rail from Chengdu, around 1.5 hours

    3 nights

    Days 12 to 14: Chongqing

    1. Day 12: Jiefangbei and Hongya Cave

      Hongya Cave's stacked stilt houses glowing at dusk above the Jialing River
      Hongya Cave

      1. Walk Jiefangbei from the Liberation Monument

      2. Walk out across the Qiansimen Bridge

      3. See the stacked storeys of Hongya Cave

      4. Watch Hongya Cave light up from the Jialing waterfront

    2. Day 13: Wulong Karst

      The Three Natural Bridges of Wulong Karst, a vast limestone arch above a green valley
      Wulong Karst Three Natural Bridges

      About 2.5 hours southeast, each way

      1. Walk the valley floor beneath the Three Natural Bridges

      2. Take lunch above the gorge before the drive back

      3. Return to Chongqing and rest

    3. Day 14: The mountain city on foot

      A Chongqing Line 2 monorail train passing through the middle floors of the Liziba residential block
      Liziba station

      1. Watch the light rail pass through the building at Liziba

      2. Explore the stone lanes of Ciqikou Ancient Town

      3. Climb Shancheng Alley as the lanterns come on

    Chongqing’s famous dishes

    • A bubbling Chongqing málà hot pot at a back-street house, broth red with chillies and Sichuan peppercorn

      Chongqing hot pot

      (the bencheng version, beef-tallow broth)

    • A bowl of Chongqing xiaomian, wheat noodles in chilli oil with peanuts, scallion and Sichuan peppercorn

      Chongqing xiaomian

      (the city's morning noodle)

    • A Chongqing mao xue wang, duck blood and beef offal in a chilli-bean broth, served at a jianghu-cai house

      Jianghu cai

      (the rivers-and-lakes school)

When to go

When to visit,
and how it feels.

March

Xi'an
Daily max (°F): 60° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 28 mm · Dry
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring and still quiet. City-wall cycling weather begins.

Chengdu
Daily max (°F): 64° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 24 mm · Dry
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring and still quiet. Comfortable walking weather returns.

Chongqing
Daily max (°F): 65° · Mild
Rainfall (mm): 56 mm · Showery
Crowds: Quiet

Early spring, mild and still quiet. Comfortable weather returns for the stair streets.

Temperature and rainfall are China Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991 to 2020. Crowd levels follow the Chinese public-holiday calendar and daily booking caps at the major sites.

Ranks of terracotta warriors standing in Pit One at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum outside Xi'an
Everonia
14 daysPandas & the Mountain City

The 14-day route, day by day, with the months that suit it

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Before you enquire

Questions worth
answering early.

  • Two high-speed rail legs: around 3.8 hours from Xi'an to Chengdu through the Qinling tunnels, then around 90 minutes to Chongqing. Your guide takes you to the station, and the next driver is waiting with your name.

Portrait of Jack Guo

Jack Guo

Your travel specialist

Jack has spent ten years working with the guides, drivers and hoteliers across China. He'll be your contact from first enquiry to final airport pickup.

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