11-Day China Private Tour: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin & Shanghai

Meals: No Meals
Recommended Hotel: Sunworld Hotel Beijing Wangfujing ★★★★

Begin your 11-day China tour in Beijing. On arrival at Beijing International Airport, meet your YUNSKY guide and continue by private transfer to the hotel. After check-in, the rest of the day is free, giving you time to settle in and recover from the journey before sightseeing starts.

Tiananmen Square

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Sunworld Hotel Beijing Wangfujing ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and set out for a full day in Beijing's historic center.

[09:30-12:30] Begin at Tian'anmen Square before continuing into the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace at the heart of Beijing. Afterwards, walk up to Jingshan Park for a broad view across the palace roofs from Coal Hill.

[12:30-14:00] Stop for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant.

[14:00-16:30] Drive to Back Lakes (Houhai), where waterways and old lanes reveal another side of Beijing. Continue on foot through Nanluoguxiang Alley, a well-known hutong area with small shops and a mix of traditional and contemporary city life.

[16:30-17:30] Return to the hotel. If you are planning an evening on your own, your guide can suggest a show or a restaurant for Peking duck dinner.

Forbidden City

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Sunworld Hotel Beijing Wangfujing ★★★★

[08:00-08:30] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and leave central Beijing for today's Great Wall visit.

[08:30-12:30] Travel to the Mutianyu Great Wall, a section favored by many international visitors. On arrival, choose between hiking from the lower area or taking the cable car before walking along the wall.

[12:30-13:30] Have lunch at a local Chinese restaurant near the Great Wall.

[13:30-16:30] Drive back to Beijing, with time to rest during the journey. In the city, take an orientation walk through Olympic Park and view the exteriors of the Bird Nest and Water Cube, both built for the Beijing Olympic Games.

[16:30-17:30] Return to the hotel. For an independent evening, you may consider a traditional foot massage or a visit to Sanlitun Bar Street.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an ★★★★

[09:30-10:00] Meet your guide at the hotel and begin the final half-day of sightseeing in Beijing before the journey to Xi'an.

[10:00-11:30] Visit the Temple of Heaven, an important ceremonial complex where emperors once prayed for good harvests. The surrounding grounds are also part of everyday Beijing life, with residents gathering for morning exercise. Continue into a nearby Hutong to see the city at a more local scale.

[11:30-12:30] Enjoy an à la carte lunch at a popular local restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the railway station for the approximately five-hour high-speed train to Xi'an. Your Xi'an guide will meet you at the station and accompany you to the hotel.

Temple of Heaven

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start exploring the historic city of Xi'an.

[09:30-12:30] Drive to the Terracotta Warriors, where life-size soldiers, horses and chariots stand in battle formation at one of China's major archaeological sites. A shuttle bus is arranged within the scenic area. Afterwards, visit a pottery figurine factory to learn how replica figures are made.

[12:30-14:00] Lunch is arranged near the Terracotta Warriors scenic area.

[14:00-17:00] Return to the city for the Bell Tower, a prominent landmark in central Xi'an. Continue to Gao's Courtyard to see a traditional residence and learn about paper-cutting and shadow puppetry. Finish with time to walk through the Muslim Quarter, browse the stalls and discover the area's local snacks.

[17:00-17:30] Return to the hotel. The Tang Dynasty Show with dinner is an optional evening activity available at your own cost.

Terracotta Warriors

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel or similar ★★★★

[09:30-10:00] Pack, check out and meet your guide in the hotel lobby for sightseeing in Xi'an before the flight to Guilin.

[10:00-12:30] Walk along the Ancient City Wall, one of China's oldest and best-preserved city walls. Bicycle riding on the wall is optional and excluded from the tour price. Continue to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a landmark of the ancient capital, and visit its north square, where you may also see the fountain show.

[12:30-16:30] After lunch, travel towards Xi'an airport and stop en route at the Hanyang Mausoleum. Continue to the airport for your flight to Guilin.

On arrival in Guilin, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel for check-in.

Xi'an City Wall

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel or similar ★★★★

[08:30-09:00] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and leave Guilin for the mountain landscapes around Longsheng.

[09:00-12:30] The drive to the entrance of Longji Terraces Scenic Area takes about two hours on winding mountain roads. A walk brings you into the terraced fields, which local Yao and Zhuang communities have shaped and cultivated for more than 700 years. Following the contours of the hills, the working rice paddies form layered steps across the slopes.

[12:30-13:30] Lunch is arranged at a local restaurant in the minority village, with the possibility of trying regional food such as bamboo rice.

[13:30-15:30] Spend time walking through the villages and rice terraces at your own pace. Depending on daily village activity, you may see residents working in the fields, children at play, or local women weaving and doing needlework.

[15:30-17:30] Transfer back to your hotel in Guilin. If you would like an evening activity, ask your guide about the optional Night Cruise on the illuminated lakes.

Longji Rice Terraces

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel or similar ★★★★

[08:00-08:30] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby before today's Li River cruise to Yangshuo.

[09:30-15:30] Board a deluxe Li River Cruise with buffet lunch served on board. Watch the karst landscape unfold from the sundeck or through the cabin windows as the boat follows the river to Yangshuo. After disembarking, walk through West Street or take the sightseeing car to the parking area.

[15:30-17:30] Drive back to downtown Guilin in the late afternoon and return to the hotel for the night.

Li River

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Meet your local guide, check out and begin the final morning in Guilin.

[09:30-12:30] Explore Reed Flute Cave, known for its naturally formed stalactites and stalagmites. Return to the city and stop at the Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel for coffee with a direct view of Elephant Trunk Hill from the seventh-floor terrace restaurant. The landmark takes its name from the hill's resemblance to an elephant drinking from the Li River. Continue with a walk beside the Li River and Shanhu Lake, where the Golden and Silver Twin Pagodas stand along the water.

[12:30-13:30] Have an à la carte lunch at a popular local restaurant.

Drive approximately one hour to Guilin airport and take the afternoon flight to Shanghai. Your Shanghai guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.

Elephant View from Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Meet your guide in the hotel lobby for a day exploring both historic and contemporary Shanghai.

[09:30-12:30] Begin among the lane houses of Shikumen, an architectural style that blends Chinese and Western influences and remains part of local residential life. Continue to the Bund, Shanghai's late-19th-century waterfront trade district, then visit Yuyuan Garden, a traditional Chinese garden in the old city.

[12:30-13:30] Stop for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant en route.

[13:30-16:30] Visit Jade Buddha Temple before crossing to the Lujiazui CBD. Walk along the Riverside Promenade and pause for coffee, then visit Shanghai Tower for a panoramic view across the city.

[16:30-17:30] Return to the hotel. For an optional evening out, ask your guide about the ERA Acrobatic Show.

The Bund

Meals: Breakfast

Keep the remaining time free until your airport transfer. If requested, the transfer can include a Maglev ride to Pudong Airport; otherwise, travel directly to the airport by road for your return flight.

Service Ends