15-Day China Highlights Tours

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 — Warrior Replica Making & Terracotta Army
Begin at a local warrior replica-making center near the museum, where you craft a miniature terracotta warrior by hand and learn about the traditional techniques. Then visit the world-famous Terracotta Army, the burial complex of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site ranked among the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Cultural Insight
The army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well, and the thousands of life-sized soldiers, each with a distinct face, were buried to guard the emperor in the afterlife.

Afternoon — Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Drive back to the city and visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the Da Ci'en Temple. This is where the famous Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang translated the Buddhist scriptures he brought back from ancient India.

Evening — Tang Dynasty Dinner & Show
Enjoy a Tang Dynasty-styled dinner and music show, a cultural landmark that blends dining with performance. The evening features the renowned Great Tang Empress dance show.

Morning — Xi'an City Wall
Start at the Xi'an City Wall, the best-preserved Ming Dynasty city wall in China, stretching about 13.7 km and offering sweeping views of the old and new city.

Lunch — at your leisure
Lunch is at your own arrangement before your onward travel.

Afternoon — Departure to Chengdu
Transfer to the station or airport for your journey to Chengdu. On arrival, your guide will escort you to your hotel.

Evening — at your leisure
The evening is free in Chengdu.

Morning — Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, observe playful cubs munching bamboo and climbing trees in spacious enclosures. Your visit also introduces the conservation efforts working to protect this beloved endangered species, from breeding programs to habitat protection.

Lunch — Sichuan Hotpot
Feast on Sichuan hotpot at Haidilao, where numbing peppercorns and fiery broths ignite the senses. Cooking fresh ingredients at the table makes for a lively, interactive meal.

Afternoon — Jinli Ancient Street
Explore Jinli Ancient Street, a Tang Dynasty-style lane lined with tea houses, snack stalls, and artisan workshops. It is a pleasant place to browse local crafts and soak up Chengdu's relaxed pace.

Evening — Sichuan Opera
Cap the day with a Sichuan opera performance, featuring face-changing performers and fire-spitting acts. The show highlights one of the region's most distinctive theatrical traditions.

Morning — Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Discover the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, a 2,200-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site built to tame the Min River. Its ingenious channels, embankments, and spillways, made with nothing more than bamboo, stones, and skilled labor, still control flooding and water the fields of the Sichuan plain. Walk across the Anlan Cable Bridge to appreciate the scale of this enduring engineering marvel.

Afternoon — Qingcheng Mountain
Hike Qingcheng Mountain, a Taoist sanctuary shrouded in misty forests and long revered as a birthplace of Taoism. Visit the Tianshi Cave, associated with the origins of the Taoist tradition, and savor Taoist vegetarian dishes at a hillside temple. The serene paths and forested slopes make an ideal setting for quiet reflection.

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

Morning — Shanghai Museum
The Shanghai Museum, founded in 1952 and relocated to People's Square in 1996, is one of China's premier museums of ancient art, housing over one million artifacts. Its distinctive circular-domed building symbolizes the traditional concept of a round sky above a square earth. Highlights include bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Song-Ming ceramics, calligraphy, and national treasures such as the Da Ke Ding bronze tripod.

Afternoon — Yu Garden
Yu Garden is a 400-plus-year-old Ming Dynasty classical garden, celebrated for its exquisite rockeries — including the famous Grand Rockery — serene ponds, and pavilions. Designed to harmonize with nature, it reflects the refined landscaping traditions of Jiangnan and houses the prized Exquisite Jade Rock. Adjacent to the City God Temple and the lively Yuyuan Bazaar, it is a cultural treasure of old Shanghai.

Evening — At Your Leisure
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure — you may rest at the hotel or explore the nearby surroundings on your own.

Morning — Elephant Trunk Hill
Visit Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin's emblem, a natural limestone formation resembling an elephant drinking from the Li River. Explore the park's caves, pagodas, and riverside paths, and see the Water Moon Cave where the moon seems to float on the water at night.

Afternoon — Reed Flute Cave
Discover Reed Flute Cave, a luminous underground world of millennial stalactites, stalagmites, and colorful illuminated formations. Highlights include the Crystal Palace chamber and rock shapes named after myths—an otherworldly natural spectacle.

Evening — Transfer to Yangshuo
In the evening, transfer to Yangshuo and check into your hotel. Stroll West Street, a lively mix of cafés, souvenir shops, and street performances blending Chinese and Western atmospheres.

Morning — Yulong River Bamboo Rafting
Glide down the Yulong River on a traditional bamboo raft, surrounded by karst peaks, rice paddies, and grazing water buffalo. This peaceful, less-crowded alternative to the Li River offers intimate rural views.

Afternoon — Countryside Cycling
Cycle through Yangshuo's idyllic countryside, passing villages such as Chaoyang and Jiuxian. Stop at a local farm for a hands-on cooking class to learn Guilin rice noodles or beer fish, immersing in authentic rural flavors.

Evening — Impression Liu Sanjie Show
Watch the open-air “Impression Liu Sanjie,” directed by Zhang Yimou and staged against the Li River's natural backdrop. Over 600 performers use lights, music, and Zhuang ethnic traditions to retell the folk tale of Liu Sanjie, the “Song Fairy.”

Morning — Li River Cruise
Take a short Li River cruise toward Xingping, an area whose karst peaks appear on the 20-yuan banknote. Capture the iconic Nine Horses Fresco Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal before returning to Guilin. Your guide points out the landscapes that define this classic Chinese scenery.

Afternoon — Departure
Transfer to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport or the train station for your onward journey.

Evening — Flexible Evening
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure as you travel onward.

Morning — Shanghai Museum
Visit the Shanghai Museum, a large-scale museum devoted to ancient Chinese art and one of the country's first national first-class museums. Its galleries present masterpieces of bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, and jade, offering a wide-ranging introduction to China's artistic heritage.

Afternoon — Yu Garden & Markets
Visit Yu Garden and the surrounding markets. Laid out in the Ming Dynasty, Yu Garden is both a historical and cultural landmark of Shanghai and a treasure of traditional Chinese garden design, with rockeries, koi ponds, and zigzag bridges. The bustling bazaar around it is a lively place to browse local crafts and snacks.

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

Morning — Depart Shanghai for Suzhou
Depart Shanghai and travel to Suzhou, the historic canal city renowned across China for its classical gardens. Begin with the Humble Administrator's Garden, one of the most famous classical gardens in Suzhou, laid out in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. It is admired for its graceful water features, rockeries, and pavilions, and for the harmonious balance of nature and architecture that defines the Chinese garden tradition.

Lunch — Local Restaurant in Suzhou
Enjoy a meal at a local restaurant in Suzhou before continuing your exploration of the city.

Afternoon — Pingjiang Road & Lingering Garden
Stroll along Pingjiang Road, a historic lane that preserves the traditional architecture and culture of Suzhou and is lined with canals, stone bridges, and small shops. Afterward, explore the Lingering Garden, a compact and delicate classical garden known for its sequence of interconnected halls, pavilions, and courtyards, each with its own distinctive charm.

Evening — Return to Shanghai
Take the high-speed train back to Shanghai, concluding your day trip to Suzhou. Your guide sees you back to your hotel.

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.