11 Days Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing & Shanghai

Duration: 11 Days / 10 Nights

Eleven days combining China’s great cities with its pandas and mountains. Begin in Beijing with the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, then fly to Chengdu to see the giant pandas and explore the old lanes of Sichuan’s capital. Take the high-speed train to Chongqing, the mountain city on the Yangtze, before flying to Shanghai for the Bund, Yu Garden, Pudong and the water town of Zhujiajiao.

Tour Highlights

Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and a hutong rickshaw ride
The Great Wall at Mutianyu with cable car
Giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base
Jinsha Site Museum, Kuanzhai Alley and Jinli Street in Chengdu
Hongya Cave, Ciqikou and the Yangtze River Cableway in Chongqing
The Bund, Yu Garden, Pudong and the water town of Zhujiajiao

Destinations:

Beijing Chengdu Chongqing 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 to Chengdu – Giant Panda Base

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. On arrival, meet your guide and visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to see giant pandas — and the smaller red pandas — in their bamboo-filled enclosures. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Chengdu.

Day 5: Chengdu – Jinsha, Kuanzhai Alley & Jinli Street

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Jinsha Site Museum, built over the remains of the ancient Shu kingdom that flourished here some 3,000 years ago. In the afternoon, stroll through Kuanzhai Alley — the Wide and Narrow Alleys — with their restored Qing dynasty courtyard houses and teahouses, and end the evening on Jinli Ancient Street with its lanterns, snack stalls and Sichuan culture. Overnight in Chengdu.

Day 6: Chengdu to Chongqing – Hongya Cave

Breakfast at the hotel. Take the high-speed train to Chongqing (about 1.5 hours), a mountain city built where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze. Transfer to your hotel. In the evening, walk with your guide to Hongya Cave, a stilt-house complex built into the cliffside that lights up spectacularly after dark. Overnight in Chongqing.

Day 7: Chongqing – Ciqikou, Yangtze Cableway & Eighteen Steps

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Ciqikou, an old Ming and Qing era town on the banks of the Jialing River, then cross the Yangtze on the Yangtze River Cableway for views over the city. End the day in the downtown Jiefangbei area and on Shibati, the historic stairway street known as the Eighteen Steps. Overnight in Chongqing.

Day 8: Chongqing to Shanghai – The Bund & Nanjing Road

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for your domestic flight from Chongqing 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 9: 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.

Day 10: Shanghai – Zhujiajiao Water Town

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive west of Shanghai to Zhujiajiao, an old water town of canals, stone bridges and Ming and Qing era houses. Take a boat ride along the canals and wander the narrow lanes before returning to Shanghai. Overnight in Shanghai.

Day 11: Departure from Shanghai

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out and private transfer to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao Airport for your flight home. End of our services.

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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