10 Days Private Tour of Shanghai-Guilin-Xian-Beijing

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Shanghai Arrival

   Our local guide and driver will welcome you with the warmest heart upon your arrival at Shanghai Airport or train station. And you’ll soon be transferred to your hotel for check-in. While there’s no plan for the rest of the day, you can freely explore the city or simply have a rest in your room. We recommend exploring vibrant Shanghai’s nightlife along the Bund (Wai Tan), or you can even take an optional Huangpu River night cruise to more deeply feel the charm of this city, which never sleeps at night.

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   4-Star Hotel in Shanghai
2. Day 2: Shanghai City Exploration
   Explore the Past and Present of This Metropolis

   Our guide will be waiting for you at the hotel lobby at 9:00 am and your Shanghai trip start from here. The first stop is the Yu Garden. It is a classical site that originally built by the owner to give his parents a tranquil place to spend their twilight years. Hundreds of years later, its beauty is glowing even brighter in people eyes. And you’ll be amazed by seeing how this traditional Jiangnan-style landscaping being tucked into the bustling modern city.

   Next, we’ll go to see the Shanghai Museum. Among millions of collections, you can more focus on the bronze wares, porcelain works, paintings, and calligraphy works. And after a journey to the past, we’ll take you to stroll the People Square and dive into the daily life of locals.

   

   After lunch, continue your Shanghai tour to Xin Tian Di, a walking street based on the old Shikumen building district, where you can find nice bars, cafes, and squares. Next, you will visit the former French Concession, a perfect place to learn the history of Shanghai from 1849 to 1943.

   Then wander around Nanjing Road where you can optionally taste various authentic Shanghai food and maybe buy some souvenirs for your family and friends. The last stop of today is the Bund. Admire buildings of various styles, enjoy the beautiful Huangpu River, and listen to your guide explaining its history. At the end of the day, the guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel for a good rest.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Shanghai
3. Day 3: Shanghai to Guilin by Flight
   Visit the City Highlights of Guilin

   Today you will say goodbye to Shanghai and leave for Guilin. Our driver will pick you up in the early morning and transfer you to the airport for the flight.

   When the flight gets to Guilin, your first stop will be Elephant Trunk Hill, one of the most famous landmarks of Guilin City. The hill, located at the joint point of Peach River and Li River, got its name from its shape resembling an elephant drinking from the river.

   After lunch, head to Fubo Hill which towers in the river. Climbing up to the top of the hill you will have an overlook of Guilin City. Then continue the tour to Reed Flute Cave, one of the most famous Karst Caves in China, which is honored as the “Art Palace of Nature”. You will marvel at various stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, and stone flowers. Finally, transfer to your hotel for check-in.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Guilin
4. Day 4: Guilin to Yangshuo by Cruise
   Embark on a 4-hour Li River Cruise

   Today is about the cruise on the beautiful Li River and old Yangshuo West Street. It’s an enjoyable journey for both your eyes and soul.

   Taking the cruise on the Li River, you will admire the picturesque scenery of this land with a harmonious combination of green hills, rivers, lakes, and fields. But its beauty is not like a still painting, it’s alive when vivid - brisk bamboo rafts leaving wrinkles on the water and cormorants hovering under the working fishermen…

   Your tour guide will uncover the hidden history and culture behind the natural screen before you during your cruise. You will learn from the local expert about how the city formed and developed and how local people manage their lives along the famous Li River.

   

   After a 4.5-hour cruise, you will embark at Yangshuo. Follow our guide to visit the famous local West Street where you will find local crafts and snacks gathering. Listen to the guide’s introduction to explore there better. The China tour in Yangshuo today will conclude with dropping off at the hotel.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Guilin local 4* hotel

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   4-Star Hotel in Yangshuo
5. Day 5: Guilin to Xian by Flight
   Marvel at the Life-size Sculptures of the Warriors

   You will fly to Xian to explore the splendid history and culture of this ancient capital today. Meet the driver in the morning and take a flight bound for Xian.

   Upon your arrival in Xian, a local guide and a driver will welcome you at the airport. You will begin your China tour in Xian with the eighth wonder of the world — the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The museum was accidentally discovered in 1974 by a farmer who was digging wells and was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1987. It includes three pits, among which Pit 1 is the largest, as well as the exhibition hall of the chariots and horses. We will explore it for 2-2.5 hours.

   

   In the afternoon, go back to downtown Xian. You will have a walk on the Bell & Drum Tower Square, a landmark building in Xian. Next, walk to the vibrant Muslim Quarter, which is a paradise for food lovers where you will find all kinds of delicious local snacks such as Biang Biang Noodles, Roujiamo (Chinese Hamburger), and Yangrou Paomo (Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup).

   Afterwards, transfer you to a local hotel for check in.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Xi'an
6. Day 6: Xian to Beijing by Overnight Train
   Discover the Thousand Year Old Culture of Xi'an

   After breakfast, follow the guide to start the day with the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best preserved ancient city wall in China, which served as a military defensive system in ancient times. You can optionally ride a bike on the top of the city wall and enjoy the amazing view of the entire area inside the City Wall.

   Next, you will stroll down Shuyuanmen Street. This ancient culture street was named after Guanzhong Shuyuan, the top of the four major academies in ancient China. It has been renovated based on the Ming and Qing architecture and is now lined by stores selling the four treasures of study (writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, and paper).

   

   After lunch, you will head to the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The square is just located at the foot of the famous Big Wild Goose Pagoda and comprises the largest musical fountain in Asia, gardens, cultural corridors, and tourism facilities. Then, visit the Xian Museum which includes the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. You will listen to the stories of the pagoda from your knowledgeable guide, and appreciate the precious relics and learn more about the history of the ancient capital in the museum.

   As the tour ends in the afternoon, the guide and driver will transfer you to the train station for the overnight train to Beijing (T42/20:20- 09:22+1 or a similar one).

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
7. Day 7: Beijing's Highlights
   Visit the Royal Palace and Sacrificial Buildings

   Your guide will meet you at Beijing’s train station and wait for taking you directly to the Tiananmen Square, which is the heart of Beijing and the largest city square in the world.

   And after a 10-minute walk, we’ll be standing in front of the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), one of the largest and most completely preserved palace complexes built of wood. It was the imperial palace where 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1912) had once spend their glorious days. The visit will be approximately 3 hours, and while you gradually passing through the main halls, imperial gardens, and the inner court, you’ll also get more insight into the ancient imperial life and politics and culture in China’s dynastic period.

   

   After lunch, we’ll go to explore the Temple of Heaven. It is set in the southern part of Beijing, and it’s, indeed, a complex of sacrificial buildings where emperors would come and pray for peace and harvest of the years. We shall mainly focuses on the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian), where past emperors offered prayers for good crops.

   The last site we are going to visit on day 7 is the Summer Palace. In the Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong Era, the Summer Palace was built by imitating the layout of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Optional activity: take a boat ride on Kunming Lake for a tranquil view of the gardens and hills surrounding the palace; your guide can assist you in buying the boat tickets on the spot.

   After the tour, you will be escorted to the downtown hotel.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
8. Day 8: China Great Wall Tour of Beijing
   Hike on the Great Wall at Mutianyu

   In the morning at 08:00, our guide and driver will meet you at the hotel and lead you to Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved sections of the Great Wall stretching 5,400 metres. You can take a cable car up to the wall. Take the ample time to stroll along the ancient fortification and take pictures of the breathtaking views. To add excitement, consider taking a thrilling toboggan ride down the Great Wall.

   Tips: Guests aged over 60 are advised not to take the toboggan ride; children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult if choosing this option.

   After having fun on the Great Wall, we will drive to Bird’s Nest and Water Cube where the 2008 Olympics was held to pay an outer visit and take some pictures. Then go back to your hotel.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
9. Day 9: Beijing Culture and Panda Tour
   Experience Hutong Culture and See Lovely Pandas Up Close

   After hotel pick-up at 08:00 am, you will be transferred with the guide to visit traditional Hutong, where you can optionally try to take a rickshaw. Next go to Jingshan Park, opposite a street from the Forbidden City. In ancient times, Jingshan Park and its ancillary buildings not only served as a royal garden for visitors, but also had multiple functions such as learning shooting, offering sacrifices to ancestors, official learning, opera and regional activities, etc.

   

   After a Chinese-style lunch, we drive to Yonghe Palace (also called Lama Temple), the birthplace of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. In the middle and late period of the Qing dynasty, it was transformed into a Buddhist temple with the highest level throughout the country. When finishing your visit here, we take you to Panda House in Beijing Zoo to see lovely Chinese treasures. When the tour ends, we will transfer you back to the hotel.

   

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   4-Star Hotel in Beijing
10. Day 10: Beijing Departure

    Your 10-day China tour of Shanghai, Guilin, Xi'an, and Beijing ends here! Our driver will pick you up at the hotel according to your flight schedule and transfer you to the airport. Thanks a lot for choosing China Xian Tour. Wish you a pleasant journey home!

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