6-Day Visa-Free China: Beijing & Xi'an Without a Visa

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 — 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 — Terracotta Replica Workshop
Start at the replica workshop near the museum, where skilled craftsmen demonstrate the full sequence: moulding, assembling, firing and restoring. Watch the modern process and the ancient one reflected in each other before you travel on to Lintong to see the real Terracotta Warriors — in Pit No. 1 more than eight thousand life-sized figures stand in formation, every face unique.

Afternoon — Huaqing Palace
Move on to Huaqing Palace, the imperial hot-spring retreat at the foot of Mount Li. It is both the setting of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei's romance and, in 1936, the site of the Xi'an Incident that reshaped modern Chinese politics.

Evening — 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow'
Return to Huaqing for the outdoor historical musical staged against the mountain and its thermal pools, which brings the Tang emperor and his consort back for one hour under the open sky. The performance is seasonal; when it is not running it is replaced by an indoor Tang production in the city.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — The Ming City Wall
Walk the ramparts of the Ming city wall, the most complete ancient defensive structure in China. It runs 13.7 kilometres around the old centre; taken at an unhurried pace it is a slow read of the city, past the gates and watchtowers, with the streets laid out twelve metres below.

Afternoon — The Stele Forest
Enter the Stele Forest, a sanctuary of more than two thousand stone inscriptions spanning the Han dynasty to the Qing and the greatest repository of Chinese calligraphy anywhere. The texts were carved in order to be copied, so walking the courtyards is the quickest way to see how the script itself changed.

Evening — The Great Mosque and the Muslim Quarter
Finish on Huajue Lane at the Great Mosque, founded in the Tang dynasty and one of the largest and best preserved in China, where Arabic script and Chinese timber architecture stand side by side in the same courtyards. The lanes around it are the Muslim Quarter, and dinner is here.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — At Leisure
A free morning for meetings, packing or a final walk. Your guide remains available for anything arranged at short notice.

Afternoon — Transfer to the Airport
Your private vehicle transfers you to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

Evening — Departure
Check in for your onward flight and bring the programme to a close.

Meals
Breakfast included.