General Information
Tour Code:
Duration: 12 Days/ 11 nights
Start/ End: Beijing / Shanghai
Tour Route: Beijing – Xian – Chengdu – Chongqing – Yangtze River – Shanghai
Tour Type: Explore and Experience
Tour Categories: China Family Tours
Tour Customizable: Absolutely! (Tell us your specific requirements in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (English Speaking Guide, Other Languages upon Request)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned vehicles
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent. Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing Arrival
Day 2: Beijing (B, L)
Day 3: Beijing (B, L)
Day 4: Beijing – Xian (B, L, D)
Day 5: Xian (B, L)
Day 6: Xian – Chengdu (B, L)
Day 7: Chengdu – Chongqing - Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Day 8: Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Day 9: Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Day 10: Yangtze River Cruise - Shanghai (B, L)
Day 11: Shanghai (B, L)
Day 12: Shanghai Departure (B)
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing Arrival
Warmly welcome you and your family to the heart of the Middle Kingdom, Beijing. After the landing, our friendly local tour guide will meet and escort all of you to the hotel in the city. After the check-in process, you will have the remainder of the day for relaxing, acclimatizing and getting ready for the exciting journey to come.
Day 2: Beijing (B, L)
Savor the breakfast in the hotel, then spend the first full day in enchanting China touring some of Beijing’s highlights. First, pay a visit to Tiananmen Square and stroll across to admire the world’s largest city squares, before discovering the magnificent Forbidden City. Roam around the impressive structure, imposing rooms and majestic courtyards, generations of Chinese emperors resided for nearly half a millennium.
Continue the journey with a rickshaw ride through a cluster of traditional Hutongs (narrow lanes) to truly experience Beijing’s culture and lifestyle. Stop by a local family’s home to chat and have a local lunch.
In the afternoon, leave behind the bustling atmosphere of the metropolis and transfer to the serene Temple of Heaven. As the temple located in the huge park, you and your family can catch a glimpse of local peaceful life with Chinese practice Taichi, sing or dance happily before observing the splendid structure. Have a wonderful opportunity to explore the intricate details of the sacred imperial temple where Chinese emperors celebrated rites, sacrifices to pay homage to Heaven and pray for a good harvest. Another alternative is a visit to the lavish Summer Palace, a masterpiece of Chinese ancient garden design on the outskirts of Beijing.
Afterward, the tour guide will drive your whole family back to the hotel. Good rest in the comfortable room.
Day 3: Beijing (B, L)
After a relaxed breakfast, follow the tour guide to one of the world’s most iconic sights – the Great Wall of China. Climb the Mutianyu, the longest fully-restored section of the wall, and marvel at the scenic landscape from a humanity’s incredible engineering feat. The scenery changes from blooming spring flowers, green hillsides in summer to trees of various shades of red in autumn and winter white blanket of snow, which makes this destination an all-year-round tourist attraction. For a more comfortable experience for each member of your family, visitors can choose the option to travel by cable car and take in the entire picturesque view from above.
This unforgettable morning deserves a hearty lunch at a local restaurant. The afternoon tour begins with the exploration of world-renowned Ming Tombs. It is a perfectly-preserved mausoleum complex where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty rest in peace. On the Sacred Path leading to the tombs, remember to admire the intricate stone sculptures of human and animals.
On the way back to the city, stop by the Bird’s Nest National Stadium. Enjoy the futuristic structure and take the amazing picture of the stadium when night falls.
Return to hotel and relax after a full day itinerary.
Day 4: Beijing – Xian ( B, L, D)
Enjoy the breakfast and say goodbye to the capital. Drive to the station to board the bullet train – China’s high-speed rail to the ancient city, Xian. Upon arrival, your family will be met by our experienced local tour guide. Have lunch before heading to the first destination of the Xi’an tour, the striking Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Listed as a cultural heritage site by UNESCO, the 13- story Buddhist pagoda has its history dated back 1300 years old. We also offer you and your family an exciting experience with a lesson of the traditional art of “Guohua”- Chinese painting with black ink and fan decorating.
As the night falls, feast on special dinner with Shui Jiao Dumplings, and continue the city tour to admire the glorious nightlife view of Xian before back to the prearranged hotel for resting.
Day 5: Xian (B, L)
Fill up the energy with a flavorful breakfast in the hotel and get ready for the second day in the charming Xian. Today’s journey begins with the city’s most famous attractions and one of the greatest archeological discoveries of the 20th century - the Terracotta Army. Pay a visit to the Terracotta Warrior Museum and gain closer insights into the incredible lifelike soldier figures, each with different facial expression. They were arranged in battle formation to protect the Qin Shi Huangdi emperor in his afterlife. Before lunchtime, stop by the Xian’s Art Ceramics and Lacquer Exhibition to learn about the process of making terracotta warriors and maybe bring some miniature soldier statues made by yourself home.
Keep on the trip exploring the three-millennia-year-old melting pot of cultures and religions in the afternoon. Dive in the Xian’s highlighted destinations including the bicycle ride along the ancient city wall to witness the iconic view of the city, the vibrant Muslim Quarter known as a heaven of local foods, and fascinating Shaanxi History Museum where thousands of valuable ancients relics revealing the Chinese history and culture are on display.
Transfer back to the hotel after a wonderful day traveling.
Day 6: Xian – Chengdu (B, L)
Leave the ancient imperial city behind after the hearty breakfast. This morning, take in a three-and-a-half-hour journey on the bullet train from Xian to the capital of China’s Sichuan province, Chengdu. Touch down in the city and be welcomed by a delicious lunch typical of Sichuanese cuisine.
As lunch is over, follow the local tour guide to explore the iconic Kuangzhai Alleys. Stroll along the three historic parallel alleys, catch a glimpse of life in old Chengdu, admire the buildings with courtyards of traditional style, and not forget to taste mouthwatering local snacks in some street stalls.
Head to picturesque People’s Park, roam around, stop by interesting “Matchmaking Corner” where Chinese parents try to find their children suitable partners, or sip on some fragrant tea to learn about famous Sichuan tea culture.
Day 7: Chengdu – Chongqing - Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Good morning with a suitable breakfast in the hotel. Known as the hometown of pandas, it is impossible to miss this lovely creature in any Chengdu’s itinerary. Take a drive on our private air-conditioned car to Chengdu Research and Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Your children will have a fascinating time to learn about the adorable black-and-white bears and closely observe them roam around, play and eat within the spacious enclosures resembling their natural habitat. Continue the fun moment with pandas after lunch in the center.
In the afternoon, continue China’s discovery trip with another bullet train to Chongqing. Enjoy the warmly welcome dinner at restaurant and board Yangtze River Cruise ship which is home for your family for the following three nights. The voyage starts at night and the vessel gently travels downstream the mighty Yangtze River.
Stay overnight on board.
Day 8: Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
Enjoy the morning meal on board and admire the spectacular natural views along the Yangtze - Asia’s longest river. Disembark at Shibaozhai on the North bank of the river, climb this 220-meter protruding hill to visit the stunning Shibaozhai Temple located in its top. The 12- story temple with an exceptional design was built against the cliff face and houses valuable collections of historical and cultural relics.
Return to the ship for lunch and continue cruising. Tourists can choose to have an optional shore excursion to the Ghost City – Fengdu. The city, as its name suggests, is a mystical place where you can find many temples, shrines, and the local legend related to ghosts and the underworld.
After dinner is served on the ship, relax in your private cabin.
Day 9: Yangtze River Cruise (B, L, D)
After breakfast, get ready to marvel at one of China’s most magnificent natural scenery – the Three Gorges. Let yourself immerse in the masterpiece of the nature with the towering cliffs, dramatic rock formation as the ship cruises through the narrow Qutang Gorge. Then enter the fairyland covered in mist and cloud of the second gorge – mysterious Wu Gorge and look out for the famous twelve peaks along the north and south banks.
After that, transfer to another vessel and travel along the picturesque ‘Goddess Stream’, a 15-kilometer-long stretch at the south bank of the Yangtze River. Known as ‘Beauty Stream’ among locals, the serene natural landscape, hidden valleys and steep mountains along the stream is waiting for tourists to discover.
Return to the ship to continue cruising along the Yangtze River and enter Xiling, the last and longest of the Three Gorges. In the evening, after a half-way into the valley, we will reach the famous Three Gorges Dam ship lock.
All meals are served on the dining hall of the ship as the previous day. Stay overnight on board.
Day 10: Yangtze River Cruise – Shanghai (B, L)
After breakfast on board, disembark the cruise and join the morning shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. Known as one of the most extensive water conservancy projects undertaken by man and the world’s largest power station, the project has taken 17 years to complete. Climb the Viewing Platform to enjoy panoramic vistas of the massive dam and browse through the Memorial Garden museum to gain insights into the complex construction. Take some refreshments before transferring to Yichang Airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival in the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, get escorted to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 11: Shanghai (B, L)
Fuel up with a hearty breakfast and get ready for a fascinating journey. Today, share a memorable time with your family in highlighted places of this thriving metropolis. Pay a visit to the tranquil Yu Garden and head further to a silk factory, then quaint Tianzifang- a beautiful alley adorned with arts and crafts shops. Continue with a stroll across the Bund to marvel at the spectacular historical buildings along the promenade and take in the vibrant atmosphere after the flavorful lunch.
Afterward, head to the top of Jin Mao Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings, enjoy a well-deserved drink and panoramic views of the sunset.
Drive back to the hotel and have a good rest.
Day 12: Shanghai Departure (B)
After the delicious breakfast, our tour guide will help your family with the check-out. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. Your incredible 12-day adventure discovering China with family ends.
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