11 Days Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai Classic

Duration: 11 Days / 10 Nights

Eleven days through the three cities every first visit to China should include. Spend four days in Beijing for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Take the high-speed train to Xi’an for the Terracotta Warriors and the ancient City Wall, then fly to Shanghai for the Bund, Yu Garden, Pudong and the water town of Zhujiajiao, with a free day to end the journey.

Tour Highlights

Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and a hutong rickshaw ride
The Great Wall at Mutianyu with cable car
The Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace
The Terracotta Warriors and the City Wall of Xi’an
The Bund, Yu Garden, Pudong and Tianzifang in Shanghai
A canal boat ride in the water town of Zhujiajiao

Destinations:

Beijing Xi’an Shanghai

Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

Welcome to China. On arrival at Beijing Capital or Beijing Daxing International Airport, meet your driver and transfer by private vehicle to your hotel. Check-in and spend the rest of the day at leisure to rest and adjust to the time difference. Overnight in Beijing.

Day 2: Beijing – Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Hutongs

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin at Tiananmen Square, the vast public square at the heart of Beijing, then walk through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City — the Palace Museum — home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for almost five centuries and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon, take a rickshaw ride through the old hutong lanes around Nanluoguxiang for a glimpse of traditional courtyard life in old Beijing. The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, so the order of the Beijing days may be adjusted. Overnight in Beijing.

Day 3: Beijing – Great Wall at Mutianyu & Olympic Park

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive north of the city to Mutianyu, one of the most scenic and best-restored sections of the Great Wall, set among forested hills. Ride the cable car up and back, and walk along the ramparts between the watchtowers. On the way back, stop at the Olympic Park for photographs of the Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube from outside. Overnight in Beijing.

Day 4: Beijing – Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing emperors came to pray for good harvests, and see its triple-roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. In the afternoon, continue to the Summer Palace, China’s largest imperial garden, with Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill and the painted Long Corridor. Overnight in Beijing.

Day 5: Beijing to Xi’an – Terracotta Warriors

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the railway station for the high-speed train to Xi’an (about 4.5 to 6 hours), the ancient capital at the eastern end of the Silk Road. On arrival, meet your guide and drive to the Terracotta Army Museum to see the thousands of life-size clay warriors buried to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Xi’an.

Day 6: Xi’an – City Wall, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda & Muslim Quarter

Breakfast at the hotel. Walk along the Xi’an City Wall, one of the oldest and best-preserved city walls in China — cycling on top of the wall is a popular option. Visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built in the Tang dynasty to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the monk Xuanzang, and end the day in the lively Muslim Quarter with its market lanes and street food. Overnight in Xi’an.

Day 7: Xi’an to Shanghai – The Bund & Nanjing Road

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your domestic flight from Xi’an to Shanghai. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the evening, walk with your guide along the Bund, the riverside promenade lined with colonial-era buildings facing the Pudong skyline, and along Nanjing Road, one of China’s best-known shopping streets. Overnight in Shanghai.

Day 8: Shanghai – Yu Garden, Pudong & Tianzifang

Breakfast at the hotel. Begin at Yu Garden, a classical Ming dynasty garden of rockeries, ponds and pavilions, beside the old City God Temple bazaar. Cross the river to Lujiazui in Pudong to see the Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower from outside, then end the day in Tianzifang, a maze of art studios, cafés and boutiques set in traditional shikumen lane houses. Overnight in Shanghai.

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Inclusions

Accommodation as per programme
Daily breakfast at the hotel
Airport and railway station transfers as per programme
Private air-conditioned vehicle on all touring days
High-speed train and domestic flight tickets as per programme
Licensed English-speaking guide on all guided tours
All entrance fees and activities as mentioned in the itinerary, including the Mutianyu Great Wall cable car
All applicable local taxes