9-Day China Icons: Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai Highlights

Afternoon — Arrival in Beijing
Welcome to Beijing, the capital of China! To make your arrival as smooth as possible, your private guide greets you in the arrivals hall and escorts you to your hotel by private vehicle. Your guide also handles your luggage and assists with the hotel check-in process.

Evening — At Your Leisure
Lunch or dinner will be arranged according to the voucher provided for you; otherwise, you can find some local restaurants nearby or dine at the hotel. The rest of the day is yours to rest and recover from your journey.

Morning — Temple of Heaven
Begin your day at the Temple of Heaven, an esteemed complex of religious structures where emperors once prayed for good harvests, epitomizing the connection between Earth and Heaven. Built in the Ming Dynasty and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also a beloved public park where you can watch local residents practicing their distinctive morning exercises.

Lunch — A Well-Known Local Eatery
For lunch, enjoy a meal at a well-known local eatery featuring authentic regional cuisine. Your guide assists you in selecting dishes that suit your taste.

Afternoon — Tian'anmen Square & the Forbidden City
Stroll through Tian'anmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares, then delve into the enigmatic Forbidden City, the world's largest imperial palace. Home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it contains hundreds of halls and courtyards; venturing off the main axis uncovers fascinating tales of notable figures often overlooked by conventional tours.

Evening — At Your Leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure in Beijing.

Morning — Mutianyu Great Wall
After breakfast, head to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. As your guide leads you to the most rewarding stretches for a leisurely walk, you learn the fascinating stories behind this world wonder. Restored Ming Dynasty watchtowers line the ridge, and the surrounding hills offer sweeping views.

Afternoon — Simatai & Gubei Water Town
In the afternoon, travel to the Simatai section of the Great Wall and spend time exploring the picturesque Gubei Water Town, nestled at the foot of the wall. You also have the option to unwind with a soak in a hot spring.

Evening — Simatai Night Views
As evening falls, your guide accompanies you on a cable car ride up to the Simatai section to enjoy breathtaking night views, a unique experience distinct from the daytime scene. Simatai is the only section of the Great Wall that is open and illuminated at night. For a more romantic experience, visiting between April and October allows a special dinner with a view of the wall glowing along the mountain ridges.

Morning — Summer Palace
Explore the Summer Palace, a Qing Dynasty masterpiece and UNESCO World Heritage Site set around Kunming Lake. Highlights include the Marble Boat, Longevity Hill, and the Long Corridor, whose beams are covered with thousands of painted scenes. A dragon-boat ride across the lake offers a royal perspective on the gardens.

Lunch — Local Restaurant
Pause for lunch before your afternoon train.

Afternoon — High-Speed Train to Xi'an
Board a high-speed train to Xi'an, a journey of roughly 4.5 to 6 hours that carries you past rural landscapes and ancient villages.

Evening — Arrival in Xi'an
On arrival, transfer to your hotel and check in.

Accommodation
Hotel options include Mercure Xi'an, a comfortable hotel with easy access to the sights; Grand Mercure Xi'an, a hotel in traditional Chinese style near the Shaanxi Provincial Government; Hyatt Xi'an, a luxury hotel near South Lake in the city's Cultural Development Zone; and Legend, a luxury hotel in the walled area of Xi'an.

Morning — The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
Drive east to Lintong and stand at the edge of Pit 1, where more than six thousand life-sized soldiers face east in battle formation. Each face is different; the bronze weapons were still sharp when they came out of the ground. Your guide walks you through Pits 1, 2 and 3 and the Bronze Chariot hall, and explains how a workforce of artisans produced an army on an industrial scale in the third century BC.

Afternoon — Huaqing Palace
Continue to Huaqing Palace at the foot of Mount Li, where Emperor Xuanzong built thermal baths and pavilions for his consort Yang Guifei. The same courtyards later became the setting for the 1936 Xi'an Incident, so the site carries both the most famous love story and one of the decisive political moments of modern China.

Evening — The Muslim Quarter
Drive back into the old city and end the day in the Muslim Quarter, the grid of lanes around the Great Mosque where Xi'an's Hui community has traded since the Silk Road era. Dinner runs from stall to stall — roujiamo, lamb skewers, crushed persimmon and sesame cakes — with your guide steering you past the long queues to the counters worth them, and the Bell and Drum Towers lit up a short walk away.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — Xi'an Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda
Trace thirteen dynasties at the Xi'an Museum, then climb the grounds of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, built in the Tang to house the scriptures monks brought back from India.

Afternoon — The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and a Tang Tea Ceremony
Visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, where the monk Xuanzang translated the scriptures he carried from India. Continue into the Tang Dynasty Lotus Garden for a tea ceremony in the Tang manner — the tea is boiled, not steeped — led by a scholar who places it in the context of Chang'an and the Silk Road.

Evening — The Grand Tang Mall
After dark, walk the Grand Tang Mall beside the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda — a 2.1-kilometre pedestrian avenue of Tang-style architecture, light installations and street performance that recreates the night market of Chang'an at the height of the dynasty. The avenue starts at the pagoda's south square, so the silhouette of the 652 pagoda and the light show frame each other; that is why the two belong on the same day.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — Xi'an City Wall
Start your day with a visit to the Xi'an City Wall, one of the most well-preserved ancient city walls in China. Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), it encircles the old city and offers a unique glimpse into the city's rich history and military fortifications. The wall is approximately 13.7 kilometers long and features watchtowers, ramparts, and a moat; you can walk along it or rent a bicycle and enjoy panoramic views of the city and its historic landmarks.

Afternoon — Flight to Shanghai
After your visit, head to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. On arrival, your guide meets you at the airport and transfers you to your hotel, so the journey continues smoothly.

Evening — Flexible Evening / at your leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure after settling into your hotel.

Meals
Breakfast at the hotel; meals during travel.

Morning — The Bund & Yu Garden
Begin your day at The Bund, Shanghai's famous waterfront promenade along the west bank of the Huangpu River. Stroll past the 'International Architecture Exhibition Group,' a row of 52 historic buildings in Eclectic, Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Art Deco styles erected when Shanghai was an international concession port from the mid-19th century. Cross the Waibaidu Bridge — the city's first all-steel bridge, completed in 1907 over Suzhou Creek — for classic river views. Then explore Yu Garden, a classical Jiangnan garden first laid out in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty by merchant Pan Yunduan for his father. Wander its pavilions, ponds and rockeries, and admire the celebrated Yulinglong scholar's rock, one of the three great limestone rocks of the lower Yangtze.

Lunch — Traditional Shanghainese Restaurant near Yu Garden
Enjoy lunch at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant near Yu Garden, tasting local favorites such as xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and shengjian (pan-fried buns).

Afternoon — Pudong Skyline
Take the short public ferry across the Huangpu River to Pudong. Walk the Lujiazui Ring Bridge for close-up views of the 'Three Towers': the 468-meter Oriental Pearl Tower (opened 1994), the 420-meter Jinmao Tower (1999) and the 632-meter Shanghai Tower (2015), the tallest building in China. You may ascend the Oriental Pearl Tower or simply take in the skyline from the open-air viewing platform.

Evening (Optional) — Bund Night View & Nanjing Road
Return to The Bund after dark to see the historic facades and the Pudong skyline lit up in a nightly light show, then stroll Nanjing Road — one of the world's busiest shopping streets — for shopping and snacks. (Evening activities are optional and not included.)

Morning — Departure from Shanghai
Your guide assists with hotel checkout, and a private vehicle transfers you to Shanghai Pudong International Airport for your onward journey. Your guide helps with your luggage and sees you to the departure hall, ensuring a smooth end to your time in China.