Across China · rooted in Chengdu
Connect Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu with a Yangtze River cruise, Suzhou’s gardens and a Shanghai finish. Visit the Forbidden City, Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors, then spend time in Chengdu’s parks and courtyard lanes. A Dujiangyan panda conservation experience adds a practical encounter with panda care before the journey continues through Chongqing and the Three Gorges. This fifteen-day route brings together major cultural landmarks, local city life and a quieter passage through China’s river landscapes.
What makes this route special
Explore Beijing’s Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and historic hutongs
Visit Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall, with the listed boat and magnetic slideway experiences
See the Terracotta Warriors and Xi’an’s Tang-era landmarks
Spend time at Chengdu’s People’s Park and Kuanzhai Alleys
Visit Dujiangyan Panda Base for the listed panda science activities
Cruise through the Three Gorges and visit the Three Gorges Dam
Walk Suzhou’s Lingering Garden, Panmen and Huqiu before reaching Shanghai
Your day-by-day itinerary
Arrive in Beijing and visit Dashilar
Arrive in Beijing for airport or train-station pickup and hotel check-in. If your arrival allows, take an introductory walk through Dashilar, a historic commercial quarter with long-established Chinese shops, traditional façades and contemporary businesses. The lanes offer a first taste of old Beijing street life, with local food stalls and familiar neighborhood activity. This gentle opening leaves room to settle in after your journey before the route turns toward the capital’s major imperial landmarks.
- Transport
- Airport or train-station pickup; private transport is planned among the package inclusions.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide is planned.
- Accommodation
- Beijing Xiyuan Hotel; 3 nights with breakfast are allocated across Days 1–3.
The Forbidden City and Beijing’s Central Axis
Visit the Forbidden City and a traditional hutong home in the morning, then follow part of Beijing’s Central Axis by bicycle and visit Tiananmen Square. The day moves from palace courtyards and imperial scale into residential lanes where daily life continues behind old walls. Cycling gives a different perspective on the city’s historic north–south framework. The route combines monumental architecture with a neighborhood visit, connecting formal history with the streets and homes that make Beijing a living city.
- Transport
- Cycling is planned for part of the Central Axis; Your quote will confirm local transfers.
- Guide
- Guide arrangements for this day will be confirmed with your quote.
- Accommodation
- Beijing Xiyuan Hotel; within the 3-night allocation for Days 1–3.
Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace
Spend the morning at the Temple of Heaven, where broad courtyards and ceremonial halls reflect traditional ideas about heaven and earth. In the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace and take a boat ride on the lake. The two settings make a strong contrast: an expansive ritual complex followed by landscaped gardens, bridges and waterside views. Allow time to enjoy the change of pace between the sites, as the day shifts from formal imperial architecture to a garden landscape shaped for leisure.
- Transport
- Local transport arrangements will be confirmed with your quote.
- Guide
- Guide arrangements for this day will be confirmed with your quote.
- Accommodation
- Beijing Xiyuan Hotel; final night of the 3-night allocation for Days 1–3.
Huanghuacheng Water Great Wall and travel to Xi’an
Visit Huanghuacheng, where the Great Wall meets a lakeside landscape, Take a boat ride and use the magnetic slideway for a different view of the wall and lake. In the afternoon, transfer to Beijing station for the high-speed train to Xi’an, scheduled for 15:00–19:12, then meet your driver on arrival. The day moves from mountain scenery to an evening in Xi’an, linking the capital’s northern frontier with one of China’s historic western cities.
- Transport
- Private outing to Huanghuacheng; transfer to Beijing station; high-speed train to Xi’an, 15:00–19:12; Xi’an station pickup.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide for the Beijing section; Xi’an driver pickup is planned.
- Accommodation
- Grand Noble Hotel, Xi’an; 3 nights with breakfast are allocated across Days 4–6.
Meet the Terracotta Warriors
Spend the day at the Terracotta Warriors Museum outside Xi’an, using the one-way electric cart and audio guide as you explore with an English-speaking guide. Rows of life-size figures preserve a remarkable record of Qin-era military organization and craftsmanship. As you move through the museum, notice the variations in faces, uniforms and ranks, as well as the scale of the archaeological pits. The visit offers an absorbing encounter with one of China’s best-known archaeological discoveries.
- Transport
- Your quote will confirm local transfers for the museum visit.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide is planned.
- Accommodation
- Grand Noble Hotel, Xi’an; within the 3-night allocation for Days 4–6.
Xi’an’s city wall and Tang-era landmarks
Explore Xi’an’s city wall and museum in the morning, then visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the afternoon. The wall offers broad views over the historic city, while the pagoda recalls Xi’an’s Tang-era Buddhist heritage and its place along historic cultural routes. The museum adds context through its collections. Together, these stops connect the city’s defensive architecture, religious history and material culture, offering a day of varied visits within the old capital.
- Transport
- Local transport arrangements will be confirmed with your quote.
- Guide
- Guide arrangements for this day will be confirmed with your quote.
- Accommodation
- Grand Noble Hotel, Xi’an; final night of the 3-night allocation for Days 4–6.
Forest of Steles, shadow puppetry and rail to Chengdu
Visit the Forest of Steles Museum in the morning, then see a shadow-puppet performance at Gaojia Courtyard. The museum’s stone inscriptions preserve written records and calligraphy, while the courtyard performance introduces a traditional form of folk storytelling. Later, travel by high-speed train from Xi’an to Chengdu, where a driver meets you on arrival. The day moves from scholarship and performance to a new city, trading Xi’an’s ancient streets for Chengdu’s more relaxed pace.
- Transport
- Xi’an–Chengdu high-speed train; Chengdu pickup is planned, but no train number or timetable is provided.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide for the Xi’an section; Chengdu driver pickup is planned.
- Accommodation
- Chengdu Wuhou Holiday Inn Express; 3 nights with breakfast are allocated across Days 7–9.
A relaxed look at local life in Chengdu
Visit People’s Park in the morning, where teahouses and open public spaces offer a window into everyday Chengdu. Watch residents gather for tea, cards, singing, dancing and mahjong, or see traditional ear cleaning in the park. In the afternoon, stroll through Kuanzhai Alleys, a historic district of courtyard houses, cafés and shops. The day offers a gentler contrast to the monuments and long transfers earlier in the journey, with time to observe how locals spend an ordinary day.
- Transport
- Your quote will confirm local transfers in Chengdu.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide is planned.
- Accommodation
- Chengdu Wuhou Holiday Inn Express; within the 3-night allocation for Days 7–9.
Panda conservation activities and modern Chengdu
Visit Dujiangyan Panda Base in the morning for a panda science experience, including preparing steamed cornbread for the pandas and cleaning enclosures. Learn about daily care and conservation before returning toward Chengdu. Later, visit Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li, where contemporary retail streets sit near the historic Daci Temple. The day brings wildlife conservation and urban life together, moving from the quieter setting of the panda base to the energy of one of Chengdu’s central shopping districts.
- Transport
- Travel between Dujiangyan and Chengdu is stated; Your quote will confirm the transfer arrangements.
- Guide
- Guide arrangements for this day will be confirmed with your quote.
- Accommodation
- Chengdu Wuhou Holiday Inn Express; final night of the 3-night allocation for Days 7–9.
Chengdu to Chongqing and embark on the Yangtze
Travel from Chengdu to Chongqing by high-speed train. In Chongqing, visit Ciqikou Ancient Town, the Jiefangbei and Shibati area, and the Liziba viewpoint, where the light rail passes through a building. Then board the Yangtze River cruise. The day shifts from rail travel and lively city streets to the slower rhythm of the river. Chongqing’s steep urban landscape makes a striking introduction to the Three Gorges journey ahead.
- Transport
- Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed railway; local visit and cruise boarding are planned, but no train details are supplied.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide is planned.
- Accommodation
- Yangtze River cruise; Your quote will confirm the cruise cabin and nights aboard.
Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain and welcome reception
Go ashore at Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain, known for Buddhist and Taoist sites and local legends. Later, return to the ship for the captain’s welcome reception as the cruise continues along the Yangtze. The change from city streets to wooded paths and river views gives the day a quieter rhythm. Time ashore brings a closer look at local religious traditions, while the evening reception marks the start of the cruise’s next stretch through the Three Gorges region.
- Transport
- Yangtze River cruise and Fengdu shore excursion.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide accompanies the excursion.
- Accommodation
- Yangtze River cruise; Your quote will confirm the cruise cabin and nights aboard.
Qutang Gorge and Shennv Stream
Cruise through Qutang Gorge and transfer to a smaller boat for the Shennv Stream visit. Steep river cliffs give way to a narrower waterway, with local legends adding another layer to the scenery. A farewell dinner closes the day. The combination of a broad gorge passage and a smaller-boat excursion offers two distinct river perspectives, while time aboard the ship provides a pause between shore visits and the next day’s journey toward the Three Gorges Dam.
- Transport
- Yangtze cruise; small-boat excursion at Shennv Stream is planned.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide accompanies the excursion.
- Accommodation
- Yangtze River cruise; Your quote will confirm the cruise cabin and nights aboard.
Three Gorges Dam and onward rail to Suzhou
Visit the Three Gorges Dam and Visitor Center, then transfer to Yichang station for the high-speed train to Suzhou. The plan reaches the Visitor Center at 12:30 before the onward rail transfer, and a driver meets you in Suzhou. This is a full day linking a landmark of modern engineering with an intercity journey east. The change from the immense scale of the dam to Suzhou’s garden landscapes introduces a different chapter of the trip.
- Transport
- Yichang station transfer and high-speed rail to Suzhou; train details will be confirmed with your quote; Suzhou driver pickup is planned.
- Guide
- Yichang driver departure transfer and Suzhou driver pickup are planned; Guide arrangements for this day will be confirmed with your quote.
- Accommodation
- Holiday Inn Express Suzhou Yangtze River; 1 night with breakfast.
Suzhou gardens and onward to Shanghai
Visit the Lingering Garden, Panmen and Huqiu Hill before traveling from Suzhou to Shanghai. Notice the contrast between the garden’s carefully composed views, Panmen’s historic water-and-land gate and the Yunyan Temple Pagoda at Huqiu. In the evening, spend time at the Bund before settling into your Shanghai hotel. The day brings classical gardens and historic city defenses together, then closes beside the Huangpu River and Shanghai’s modern skyline.
- Transport
- Suzhou–Shanghai transfer; mode and timing will be confirmed with your quote.
- Guide
- English-speaking guide is planned.
- Accommodation
- Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Zhenping; 1 night with breakfast.
Depart from Shanghai
The journey concludes with a driver transfer to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao Airport. Departure-day service is driver-only, without a guide. Share your confirmed flight details when arranging the transfer so the pickup location and time can be agreed. The international flight is separate from the tour. After two weeks of historic cities, panda conservation, river scenery and garden visits, this final transfer marks the end of the route in Shanghai.
- Transport
- Driver transfer to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao Airport; pickup time will be arranged around your flight.
- Guide
- Driver-only departure transfer; no guide.
- Accommodation
- No overnight stay.
What your proposal covers
- Private transport as per group size
- 14 breakfasts
- Attraction tickets
- English guiding for 14 days
- 14 nights in twin-share deluxe rooms
- Lunches and dinners
- International flights
- Personal expenses
Payment & cancellation
| Payment due | Share of trip price |
|---|---|
| On trip confirmation | 30% deposit |
| One month before the trip | 70% balance |
| Time before arrival | Cancellation fee |
|---|---|
| More than 45 days | Only costs incurred for flights, cruises and other exceptional services. |
| 45–30 days | 25% |
| 29–16 days | 50% |
| 15–7 days | 80% |
| Less than 7 days | 100% |
| Percentage fees are based on the total trip price. | |
Questions and answers
VISAS
For the latest information on visa procedures, processing times and requirements, please kindly refer to website https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/
INSURANCE
We will arrange essential insurance coverage for your trip to Mainland China. Meanwhile, we strongly recommend you purchase separate comprehensive travel insurance to cover trip cancellation, medical expenses, luggage loss, repatriation and other associated additional costs. As a minimum requirement, the insurance policy must include medical coverage, which including medical evacuation and repatriation. For this part, you are free to select your preferred insurance provider.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
If you are traveling during a Chinese public holiday, please note that while tourist attractions remain open, they may be crowded with domestic visitors. Festivities often span several days, during which some businesses may close, and coach, air, and train services could be impacted. The major Golden Week holidays occur annually around 1 to 5 May and 1 to 7 October.
ACCOMMODATION
Your accommodation is chosen for its convenience, comfort, or character. Hotels are generally of a four-star standard in major cities. Please note, there is no international classification system, so facilities and quality may differ from those in your home country.
LUGGAGE
Each traveller is permitted a maximum of two pieces of luggage: one suitcase with a maximum weight of 20kg and one piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of 5kg. This requirement applies to domestic trains and flights. We recommend packing only what you can carry independently, as you will be responsible for handling your luggage on and off trains or air-checked. Please note: If your luggage exceed the limits, kindly inform your travel designer in advance, and we will arrange a suitable vehicle for you.
TRAVEL MONEY IN CHINA
We recommend having access to multiple sources of money while traveling. A combination of payment methods, including mobile payment apps, cash, and cards, will offer the most security and flexibility. Mobile payment apps like WeChat and Alipay are often more widely accepted than international cards or cash in China. You will need an internet connection when in China to use the apps.
