8 days 7 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
An 8-day private tour of Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai covering the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Terracotta Army and the Bund. It uses one high-speed train and one flight, with a private guide in each city and 4-star hotels.
From US$1,120 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 Square, the Forbidden City and the hutongs | Beijing |
| 3 | The Great Wall at Mutianyu | Beijing |
| 4 | Temple of Heaven and the train to Xi'an | Xi'an |
| 5 | The Terracotta Army | Xi'an |
| 6 | Xi'an city wall and fly to Shanghai | Shanghai |
| 7 | Old and new Shanghai | Shanghai |
| 8 | Depart Shanghai | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 8 days / 7 nights · Beijing – Great Wall – Xi'an – Shanghai
This Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai tour is the shortest way to see the China most people picture, without feeling hurried. Three days in Beijing cover Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and a walk on the Great Wall at Mutianyu, one of its best-kept sections, with a cable car to the top. Your private guide sorts out tickets, entry times and queues, which makes a real difference at China's busiest sights.
A high-speed train takes you to Xi'an, where the clay soldiers of the Terracotta Army have stood guard over the tomb of China's first emperor for more than 2,000 years. After a morning on Xi'an's Ming city wall, a short flight brings you to Shanghai, where 1920s banks line the Bund and the skyline of Pudong rises across the river.
It is a well-tested route that works on its own or as the first week of a longer journey. Many travelers continue from Shanghai to Japan or South Korea, or fly south to Hanoi for a week in Vietnam.
Easy to moderate. Most days involve two to four hours on foot, with steps on the Great Wall and in the Forbidden City. Cities are linked by a high-speed train of about four and a half hours and one flight of about two and a half hours. Suits families with children over 10 and older travelers.
Seven nights in central 4-star hotels: a 4-star hotel in Beijing, a 4-star hotel inside or near Xi'an's city wall and a 4-star hotel in Shanghai close to the Bund or People's Square. 5-star upgrades are available in all three cities.
Spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) offer the best weather in all three cities. Summers are hot and humid; winters are cold and dry in Beijing and Xi'an, milder in Shanghai, and much quieter at the main sights. Avoid the national holiday weeks in early May and early October, and Chinese New Year if you prefer smaller crowds.
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.
More ideas: All private tours in China · Yunnan Discovery: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in 10 Days · China's Great Landscapes: Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Yangshuo in 10 Days · Classic China: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai in 12 Days
Photos: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Velatrix, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Fong Chen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Your guide meets you at the airport in Beijing and takes you by private car to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, take a short walk to get your bearings, perhaps around Wangfujing or the lakes of Houhai, where bars and restaurants line the water. Your guide will run through the plan for the week and help with a local SIM card or payment app if needed. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight.
Overnight: Beijing
Begin at Tiananmen Square and enter the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate. Over two to three hours, your guide leads you through its ceremonial halls, the private quarters of the emperors and the Imperial Garden. Afterward, climb Jingshan Park for the view over the palace. In the afternoon, explore the hutong lanes around the Drum and Bell Towers, where courtyard homes still house Beijing families, and stop for tea in a local teahouse.
Overnight: Beijing · Meals: B, L
Leave the city after breakfast for Mutianyu, about 90 minutes away. Take the cable car up to the wall and walk between the restored watchtowers, enjoying wide views over wooded hills that turn gold in autumn. You can ride a toboggan back down for fun. After lunch in the village, return to Beijing and stop at the Olympic Green to see the Bird's Nest and Water Cube from outside. Your evening is free.
Overnight: Beijing · Meals: B, L
Visit the Temple of Heaven early, when the park is full of local people practicing tai chi, singing and playing games. Your guide explains how emperors came here each year to pray for good harvests in the round Hall of Prayer. Around midday, transfer to Beijing West station for the high-speed train to Xi'an, about four and a half hours. Your Xi'an guide meets you and takes you to your hotel. In the evening, explore the Muslim Quarter's food stalls.
Overnight: Xi'an · Meals: B
Drive about an hour east to the site of the Terracotta Army, found by local farmers in 1974. In the main hall, thousands of soldiers stand in rows, each with a different face, hairstyle and uniform. Your guide shows you the smaller pits, the bronze chariots in the museum and the work of restoration still under way. Back in Xi'an, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang-dynasty tower built to store Buddhist scriptures, and the fountains in the square below.
Overnight: Xi'an · Meals: B, L
Start the day on top of Xi'an's city wall, built in the 14th century and still almost complete. Hire bicycles to ride part of the loop, or walk a stretch between the gates with views over the old city. Then transfer to the airport for the flight to Shanghai, about two and a half hours. Your Shanghai guide meets you on arrival. In the evening, walk along the Bund as the lights come on across the river in Pudong.
Overnight: Shanghai · Meals: B
Spend the morning in the old town at the Yu Garden, a 16th-century garden of ponds, rockeries and carved pavilions, and the busy lanes of the bazaar around it. After lunch, visit the Shanghai Museum for its fine collections of bronzes and ceramics, then wander the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession and the small shops and cafes of Tianzifang. In the evening, you may like to go up one of Pudong's towers for the view.
Overnight: Shanghai · Meals: B, L
Enjoy a last breakfast and some free time, depending on your flight. Your driver takes you to Pudong or Hongqiao airport for your journey home. Shanghai has direct flights to Hanoi, Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul, so this is an easy point to continue into Vietnam, Japan or South Korea. We are happy to plan the next stage of your trip with the same private style.
Meals: B
It is enough for a rewarding first look at the three most famous cities. If you can add three or four days, Guilin and Yangshuo bring the countryside and river scenery that balance the big-city sights.
Yes. There are no long drives, the cable car at Mutianyu saves the steep climb, and your guide can shorten walks on any day. Let us know about mobility needs and we will plan around them.
Rules depend on your passport. Several nationalities can now visit China visa-free for short stays, while others need a visa in advance. We will confirm the current requirements when you book.
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: 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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