13 days 12 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 13-day private tour of China and Japan: Beijing with the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Shanghai and Zhujiajiao, then Kyoto with Nara, a ryokan night in Hakone and three nights in Tokyo.
From US$1,820 per person for the whole tour, as an indicative price for a small private group in 4★ hotels. It changes with group size, hotel level and season, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Beijing | Beijing |
| 2 | Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven | Beijing |
| 3 | The Great Wall at Mutianyu and the hutongs | Beijing |
| 4 | High-speed train to Shanghai | Shanghai |
| 5 | Shanghai and the water town of Zhujiajiao | Shanghai |
| 6 | Fly to Osaka and on to Kyoto | Kyoto |
| 7 | Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera and Nara | Kyoto |
| 8 | Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama | Kyoto |
| 9 | Bullet train to Hakone and a ryokan night | Hakone |
| 10 | To Tokyo: Asakusa and Senso-ji | Tokyo |
| 11 | Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya | Tokyo |
| 12 | A free day in Tokyo | Tokyo |
| 13 | Departure from Tokyo | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 13 days / 12 nights · Beijing – Great Wall (Mutianyu) – Shanghai – Zhujiajiao – Kyoto – Nara – Hakone – Tokyo
This China and Japan tour brings together two great civilizations in less than two weeks. In Beijing you walk through the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the old hutong lanes, and spend a day on the Great Wall at Mutianyu, one of its best-restored sections.
A high-speed train takes you to Shanghai for the Bund, the Yu Garden and the canal town of Zhujiajiao. You then fly to Osaka and continue to Kyoto for shrines, gardens and a day in Nara, before taking the bullet train toward Mount Fuji for a ryokan night in Hakone and ending in Tokyo.
Hotels are 4-star, with one night in a ryokan. Private guides accompany you on sightseeing days in both countries, and we arrange every train and transfer in advance.
Easy to moderate. Expect plenty of walking in cities, temples and stations, and some steep steps on the Great Wall, where a cable car helps. Journeys are by high-speed train and one short flight. Suitable for couples, active older travelers and families with children over 10.
4-star hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Kyoto and Tokyo, and one night in a ryokan in Hakone with dinner and breakfast, or similar. 5-star hotels are available on request; we confirm the names in your quote.
Spring (April to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best seasons for both countries, with mild weather and, in Japan, cherry blossom or autumn leaves. Summer is hot and humid, and Chinese national holidays in early May and early October are very busy at major sights.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request (subject to availability).
More ideas: All multi-country private tours · China Essentials in 8 Days · Japan's Golden Route in 10 Days · Classic Korea in 10 Days
Photos: Velatrix, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Kentagon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Craig Wyzik, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
China and Japan in 13 Days: Beijing, Shanghai, Kyoto and Tokyo is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
Your guide and driver meet you at Beijing airport and take you to your hotel. In the evening, stroll along Wangfujing or a quiet hutong near your hotel.
Overnight: Beijing
Cross Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City, the palace of Ming and Qing emperors, with its golden roofs and vast courtyards. After lunch, visit the Temple of Heaven, where locals gather in the park to dance, sing and play cards.
Overnight: Beijing · Meals: B, L
Drive about 90 minutes to Mutianyu and take the cable car up to walk the Great Wall along forested ridges. Back in the city, ride a rickshaw through the hutong lanes and visit a courtyard home.
Overnight: Beijing · Meals: B, L
Take the high-speed train to Shanghai, about four and a half hours. In the evening, walk along the Bund to see the lights of Pudong across the river.
Overnight: Shanghai · Meals: B
Visit the classical Yu Garden and the old town around it, then drive to Zhujiajiao, a canal town of stone bridges and Ming-era houses, for a boat ride. Return to explore the plane-tree streets of the former French Concession.
Overnight: Shanghai · Meals: B, L
Fly from Shanghai to Osaka, about two hours. Your Japanese guide meets you and travels with you to Kyoto. In the evening, walk through Gion as the lanterns light up.
Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B
Start early at Fushimi Inari to walk under its vermilion torii gates, then visit Kiyomizu-dera. In the afternoon, travel to Nara to see the great Buddha of Todai-ji and the park where deer roam freely.
Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B
Visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, then the bamboo grove and Tenryu-ji garden in Arashiyama. The late afternoon is free for a tea ceremony or shopping on your own.
Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B
Take the shinkansen to Odawara and continue into Hakone. Cruise across Lake Ashi and ride the ropeway over Owakudani, with Mount Fuji in view on clear days, then enjoy a hot-spring bath and kaiseki dinner at your ryokan.
Overnight: Hakone · Meals: B, D
Travel to Tokyo, about 90 minutes. In the afternoon, visit Senso-ji in Asakusa and the shops of Nakamise street, then take a water bus on the Sumida River.
Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B
Walk through the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, visit the Meiji Shrine in its forest, and finish at Shibuya crossing and the lights of Shinjuku.
Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B
Enjoy a day at your own pace: a museum in Ueno, the Tsukiji outer market, or shopping in Ginza. On request, we can arrange a guided day trip to Nikko or Kamakura.
Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B
Enjoy a last breakfast before your private transfer to Narita or Haneda airport for your flight home.
Meals: B
It depends on your passport. Many nationalities can now visit China without a visa for short stays, while others need one in advance. We send up-to-date guidance with your quote.
Yes. Two extra nights in Xi'an fit between Beijing and Shanghai by high-speed train, and we include them in your quote if you wish.
By a direct flight from Shanghai to Osaka, about two hours, with several departures a day. We choose a convenient time and book it with your quote.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese (subject to availability): tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the busiest seasons, such as spring and autumn.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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