China Highlights in Depth Tour

• No meals included
• Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing

Welcome to Beijing. After clearing immigration and collecting your luggage, meet your private guide in the arrivals hall. Your guide will be holding a sign with your name and will escort you by private vehicle to your hotel.

The rest of the day is free for you to rest and recover from the flight. No sightseeing is scheduled, so your arrival can remain easy even if the flight lands late.

Good to know: Beijing has two major international airports. Share your confirmed flight details with your travel consultant so the correct pickup time and airport can be arranged.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing

Begin at Tian'anmen Square before entering the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex from which the Ming and Qing emperors ruled China.

Your private guide will help you look beyond the scale of the courtyards and halls to understand the rituals, hierarchy, and daily life that shaped the imperial court.

Lunch is a classic Peking duck meal.

In the afternoon, leave monumental Beijing behind for a short walking tour through the hutongs of Dongcheng District.

Step into a traditional residential neighborhood and visit a local family, an experience that brings Beijing's courtyard life into the story of the city.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing

Visit the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors performed ceremonies for good harvests. The surrounding park is also a window into present-day Beijing, with residents exercising, singing, playing games, and socializing in the morning.

Continue to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Round-trip cable-car tickets and the scenic-area shuttle are included, saving time and avoiding the long approach on foot.

Once on the wall, walk between watchtowers at your own pace and take in the forested mountain views with your guide nearby to explain the defenses and history.

Good to know: Walking on the Great Wall includes uneven steps and slopes. Because this is a private tour, your guide can choose a shorter or longer section according to your comfort and the day's conditions.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel

Spend the morning at the Summer Palace, a lakeside imperial retreat that combines architecture, gardens, hills, and water. The visit includes a boat ride when operating and the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, known for its historic theater complex.

After lunch, your Beijing guide and driver will take you to the railway station and help you board your high-speed train to Xi'an. The planned journey is in the afternoon and takes about 4-6 hours.

On arrival, your Xi'an guide will meet you at the station exit and transfer you to the hotel.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel

Travel to the Terracotta Army Museum to see the life-size soldiers, horses, and burial complex created for China's first emperor. Your guide will connect the individual figures and excavation pits to the larger story of the Qin dynasty.

Nearby, visit a local family who lives in a traditional cave dwelling and make a small terracotta figure of your own.

Lunch is a Xi'an dumpling banquet, with dumplings shaped and filled in different ways.

Return to the city and walk on the Ancient City Wall. From the top, the straight streets and old gates below contrast with the modern skyline outside the fortifications.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel

Explore the Great Mosque, where a Chinese courtyard layout and Islamic faith traditions meet.

Continue through the Muslim Quarter with your guide, moving beyond the busiest food street to understand the community and its long connection with Silk Road exchange.

Visit Gao's Grand Courtyard, a preserved residence in the old city, and watch a traditional shadow-puppet performance.

Later, tour the Xi'an Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda complex, where you can ring the historic bell for good fortune.

• Breakfast
• Tibet Hotel Chengdu

Your guide and driver will take you to Xi'an North Railway Station for the high-speed train to Chengdu.

Meet your Chengdu guide at the station exit and transfer to the hotel. The remainder of the day is free, giving you time to rest, try a nearby restaurant, or begin exploring Chengdu independently.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Tibet Hotel Chengdu

Start early at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, when the pandas are generally more active. The included electric cart reduces walking inside the large base, while your guide helps you choose an efficient route among the enclosures.

After lunch, discover Chengdu's relaxed urban character. Sit down at a social teahouse in People's Park, where locals gather to chat, play games, and pass the afternoon.

In the evening, see the giant climbing-panda sculpture at the IFS complex, and walk along Chunxi Road. Finish among the restored lanes and courtyards of Kuanzhai Alley.

Good to know: Panda activity varies with the weather and the animals' own routines. An early departure usually provides the best viewing opportunity.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Tibet Hotel Chengdu

Travel from Chengdu to Leshan for a close look at the monumental Buddha carved into the riverside cliff.

First take a sightseeing boat for a complete view of the statue from the water, including its setting at the meeting of three rivers. Continue into the scenic area to explore the Leshan Giant Buddha on land.

Good to know: River conditions can affect sightseeing-boat operations. If the boat is suspended for safety reasons, your guide will adjust the visit according to the scenic area's current arrangements.

• Breakfast
• Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel

Enjoy an unhurried morning before your Chengdu guide and driver take you to the railway station. Board the high-speed train to Zhangjiajie; the planned afternoon journey takes about 5 hours.

Your Zhangjiajie guide will meet you at the station exit and transfer you to a hotel near the national forest park, placing you conveniently for the next two days of mountain sightseeing.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel

Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and use the scenic shuttle system to reach the day's mountain route.

Ride the glass-sided Bailong Elevator to the upper landscape and explore Yuanjiajie, where tall sandstone pillars rise from the forest, and the peak renamed Hallelujah Mountain has become the area's best-known landmark.

Continue across the mountaintop viewpoints toward Tianzi Mountain, then descend by cable car.

Your guide will organize the route around visibility, queues, and walking ability, helping you see the strongest viewpoints without unnecessary backtracking.

Good to know: The park is large, and its elevators, cable cars, and shuttle routes can be busy. The order of today's sights may change to respond to weather and crowd levels.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Pullman Zhangjiajie Hotel

Walk beside Golden Whip Stream, a quieter valley route beneath Zhangjiajie's towering pillars. Water, forest, and close-up rock formations give this day a different perspective from the high viewpoints explored yesterday.

After lunch, take the round-trip cable car to Huangshi Village, a natural viewing platform overlooking a broad field of sandstone peaks. Enjoy the mountaintop paths and viewpoints before returning to the hotel.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Home2 Suites by Hilton Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain

Begin at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and cross its famous glass bridge, suspended high above the valley.

Continue to Tianmen Mountain for the cableway journey between the city and the mountaintop.

On the summit, experience the mountaintop cableway and walk along cliffside paths, including a glass walkway. Escalators through the mountain connect the upper route with Tianmen Cave, the vast natural opening that has become the symbol of the mountain.

Tonight you will move from the Wulingyuan scenic area to a hotel near Tianmen Mountain in central Zhangjiajie, a more convenient location for the next morning's early train.

• Breakfast
• Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin

Leave Zhangjiajie early for the high-speed train to Guilin. Your Guilin guide will meet you when the train arrives in the afternoon.

Visit Reed Flute Cave to see Guilin's limestone landscape from the inside, with large chambers, stalactites, and stalagmites.

Finish with an easy walk around Ronghu Lake and Shanhu Lake before checking in at your centrally located hotel.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin

Travel into the mountains north of Guilin for a day at the Longji Rice Terraces.

Walk among the layered fields and wooden village houses with your guide. The scenery changes through the year, from reflective spring terraces and green summer rice to golden autumn fields and quiet winter contours.

Beyond the terraced scenery, visit a local family in Ping'an Village for a closer look at everyday life in Longji. Learn how to prepare bamboo-tube rice, a local specialty cooked inside fresh bamboo.

This combination of mountain landscapes and village culture adds a more personal dimension to your Longji experience. In the late afternoon, your private guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in downtown Guilin.

Good to know: The terraces are built on steep hillsides and still require walking on stone paths and steps even with scenic transport. Comfortable shoes are essential.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

Board a four-star cruise for the journey from Guilin to Yangshuo. As the boat follows the Li River, karst peaks, bamboo-lined banks, villages, and small farms unfold on both sides.

Lunch is served on board. After arriving in Yangshuo, walk along West Street with your guide before transferring to your riverside hotel near the countryside. The evening is free to slow down and enjoy the landscape.

Evening Activity Idea: Consider adding Impression Liu Sanjie, Yangshuo's best-known outdoor performance. The show blends local folk culture, music, lighting, and the surrounding landscape into one large-scale production. Ask your travel advisor or tour guide to add tickets and round-trip transfers to your tour.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Sunrise on the Bund

Explore the countryside around the Yulong River in the way that suits you best: by bicycle, electric scooter, or private vehicle.

Follow village roads between fields and limestone hills, with time to stop for photos and a closer look at rural life.

After lunch, your guide and driver will take you to Guilin Airport for the flight to Shanghai, planned for the late afternoon. Your Shanghai guide will meet you at the arrival exit with your name sign and transfer you to the hotel.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Sunrise on the Bund

Begin at Yu Garden, where pavilions, rockeries, ponds, and winding corridors demonstrate the compact artistry of a classical Chinese garden.

Continue to the Bund to compare the historic waterfront buildings with the towers of Pudong across the Huangpu River.

Walk through part of the Former French Concession, including Wukang Road and Xintiandi, to see tree-lined streets, lane houses, restored architecture, cafes, and contemporary city life.

Finish high above Shanghai on the observation level of Shanghai Tower, with sweeping views across both the historic center and the modern financial district.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Sunrise on the Bund

Walk along Nanjing Road and visit the Jade Buddha Temple, an active Buddhist temple known for its jade Buddha statues and calm courtyards within the modern city.

After lunch, travel to Zhujiajiao Water Town. Explore the canal-side lanes, stone bridges, and old houses, and visit Kezhi Garden, Hexin Garden (the Garden of Harmonious Hearts), and the Shanghai Helong Art Museum.

Return to Shanghai after the visit.

• Breakfast, Lunch
• Sunrise on the Bund

Take a private day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou, long celebrated for its gardens, canals, and refined Jiangnan culture.

Visit the Humble Administrator's Garden, where ponds, pavilions, windows, and borrowed views create one of China's most influential garden landscapes.

Continue to Tiger Hill, a historic scenic area associated with Suzhou's early history, then take a rickshaw ride for a street-level look at the old city.

End with a walk along Pingjiang Road, known for its canal, stone bridges, traditional houses, shops, and teahouses.

After the visit, your private guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in Shanghai. The drive from Suzhou to Shanghai covers approximately 100 kilometers and usually takes 1.5-2 hours, depending on traffic.

• Breakfast

Your private guide and driver will collect you from the hotel at the agreed time and transfer you to the airport for your onward flight.

Your 21-day journey ends after a final smooth handoff at the terminal. If you would like to extend the trip, your travel consultant can add extra nights in Shanghai or connect this itinerary with destinations such as Hangzhou, Hong Kong, or Japan.