Match the route to the number of days you can be away.
About one week: the 8-day Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai tour. About ten days: an 11-day tour. Add the Yangtze, or add Guilin. Two weeks: the 14-day tour, with both Guilin and Zhangjiajie. Three weeks: the 20-day tour. After Xi'an the route goes into Yunnan.
The email quote is the price for your dates. A page "from" price is the starting figure only.
How the four routes are split
The 8-day route gives each city one job. Beijing is the palace and the wall. Xi'an is the Terracotta Army. Shanghai is the Bund and the museum.
The 11-day routes keep those cities and add one landscape: three nights on the river, or the Li River.
The 14-day route keeps both landscapes. Guilin and Zhangjiajie sit back to back.
The 20-day route gives Yunnan its own stretch: the Stone Forest, Yuanyang, Dali, and Lijiang, then Guilin and Shanghai. The Yangtze cruise stays on the 11-day route. Zhangjiajie stays on the 14-day route.
About one week: 8 days, Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai
This is the route for a first trip and about one week away. The published tour is 8 days and 7 nights in premium hotels. Day 1 is your own international flight to Beijing. Land services start when you land. From USD 1,726 per person. Daily breakfast, 5 lunches, and 2 special dinners are included, plus the domestic flights between cities.
Day 2. Arrive in Beijing. The guide meets you and transfers you to the hotel.
Day 3. Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
Day 4. Mutianyu Great Wall.
Day 5. Fly to Xi'an. Small Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day 6. Terracotta Army.
Day 7. Fly to Shanghai. The afternoon is free.
Day 8. Shanghai Museum and the Bund, then departure.
You change cities by air, so the bag is packed again every day or two. Each day has one main sight. Travel in April or May, outside the May 1 week, or from mid-September through the days after October 7. In summer Beijing is hot. Shanghai is hotter and wet.
About ten days: 11 days, the Yangtze or Guilin
Use 11 days when you have more than a week and want one landscape after the three cities. Both routes run Beijing, then Xi'an, then a split, then Shanghai. If your dates can follow a sailing, take the Yangtze. If you need to set the dates yourself, take Guilin.
11 days with the Yangtze
On this route the ship is the hotel for three nights. You board Victoria Cruises at Chaotianmen in Chongqing and sail toward Yichang. The bag stays in the cabin. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are on the ship. You unpack once, watch the gorges from the deck, and sleep on the river. Beijing is 3 nights, Xi'an is 2, the cruise is 3, and Shanghai is 2. The page has no from-price. The quote follows the sailing and your party size.
Day 1. Arrive in Beijing.
Day 2. Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan, and the Temple of Heaven.
Day 3. Mutianyu Great Wall, then the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube from the outside.
Day 4. Summer Palace and a hutong, then the high-speed train to Xi'an.
Day 5. Terracotta Army, the City Wall, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Day 6. High-speed train to Chongqing, about five hours, then board at Chaotianmen. The ship sails that evening.
Day 7. A day on board. Morning Tai Chi is on deck. The ship docks near Fengdu. The Ghost City shore visit is optional and paid separately. The captain's welcome is that evening.
Day 8. Sail Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge. In the afternoon a wooden boat goes into Goddess Stream, then back to the ship for dinner. Baidi City is optional and paid separately.
Day 9. Three Gorges Dam, then the high-speed train from Yichang to Shanghai.
Day 10. Jade Buddha Temple, Yu Garden, and the Bund.
Day 11. A free morning, then the airport.
The sailing date sets the Beijing and Shanghai days around it. Send the month you can travel. In April and May the banks are green. In September and October the water runs clearer.
11 days with Guilin
This is the landscape route when you want to choose the dates. 10 nights in superior hotels in Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, and Shanghai. From USD 2,550 per person. Breakfast and the lunches written on the itinerary are included.
Day 1. Arrive in Beijing.
Day 2. Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and a hutong.
Day 3. Mutianyu Great Wall and the Olympic park.
Day 4. Temple of Heaven, then the high-speed train to Xi'an.
Day 5. Terracotta Army, the Bell Tower, and the Muslim Quarter.
Day 6. The City Wall and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, then fly to Guilin.
Day 7. Longji Rice Terraces.
Day 8. Li River cruise to Yangshuo West Street.
Day 9. Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill, then fly to Shanghai.
Day 10. The Bund, Yu Garden, and Jade Buddha Temple.
Day 11. Departure transfer.
April through June, and September through November, are the months for the terraces and the Li River boat. Mid-June to early July is plum rain. Bring a jacket that can take rain, and keep the outdoor photos for a clear hour.
Two weeks: 14 days, Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, and Shanghai
Use this when you have two weeks and want both landscapes on one trip. Hotels are 5-star or similar. From USD 3,860 per person. Breakfast and the lunches written on the itinerary are included. You ride a high-speed train, then fly, then take another train, then fly again. There are more hotel changes than on the 8-day route.
Beijing. Temple of Heaven, a hutong, and the Forbidden City. Mutianyu, the Bird's Nest, and the Water Cube. The Summer Palace, then the high-speed train to Xi'an.
Xi'an. The City Wall and the Terracotta Army. The Muslim Quarter, then the flight to Guilin.
Guilin and Yangshuo. Longji and Ping'an Village, the Li River, and West Street. Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave, then the train to Zhangjiajie.
Zhangjiajie. One full day on Tianmen Mountain. Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, and the Ten-Mile Gallery. The Glass Bridge and Baofeng Lake, then the flight to Shanghai.
Shanghai. Shikumen, Yu Garden, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the Bund. The next day is free time and the airport.
Use the same months for Guilin as on the 11-day route. In Zhangjiajie the stone pillars are clearest from April to June and from September to November. Summer is humid, and the summits often sit in cloud. Tianmen is a long stair climb. Bring shoes you can walk in for hours.
Three weeks: 20 days, Beijing, Xi'an, Yunnan, Guilin, and Shanghai
Use this when you can be away for three weeks and Yunnan needs the same attention as Beijing. 19 nights in premium hotels. The page has no from-price. The quote follows your dates and party size. After Yunnan the route still includes the Li River and Yangshuo.
Beijing. The Forbidden City and Jingshan. Mutianyu and the Ming Tombs. The Temple of Heaven, then the train to Xi'an.
Xi'an. The Terracotta Army and the Muslim Quarter. Hanyang Tomb, then the flight to Kunming.
Yunnan. The Stone Forest. Jianshui old town and the Twin Dragons Bridge. Yuanyang rice terraces at Bada, Duoyishu, and Laohuzhui. Dali, Xizhou, and Erhai Lake, with a bike ride by the lake through Shuanglang. Lijiang, Shaxi, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and Black Dragon Pool. Stone Drum, the First Bend of the Yangtze, and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Then Guilin. A Li River cruise to Yangshuo West Street, a countryside morning, and a flight to Shanghai.
Shanghai. The museum, Yu Garden, the Bund, and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The next day is free time and the airport.
Choose the month from the place you most want to see. From November through March the Yuanyang terraces are flooded and read as mirrors. March to May, and September to November, suit Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Guilin. From June through September Yunnan is wet, and the terraces are green.
How to choose
About one week: the 8-day route.
One extra landscape: the 11-day route. Follow a sailing, and take the Yangtze. Set your own dates, and take Guilin.
Both landscapes: the 14-day route.
Terraces, a lake, and a snow mountain as their own stretch: the 20-day route.
What to send
Write to contact@eastmarvel.com with the month you can travel, the number of people, and how many days you can be away. For 11 days, say Yangtze or Guilin. For 20 days, say whether you need Yuanyang while the terraces are flooded. The reply names the route and the price for that departure.
8-Day Classic China Tour: Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai
11-Day China Tour: Beijing, Xi'an & Yangtze Cruise
11-Day China Highlights Tour: Beijing to Shanghai