11-Day China Tour: Beijing, Xi'an & Yangtze Cruise

11 days / 10 nights · Beijing · Xi'an · Chongqing · Yangtze · Shanghai

11Days
5 citiesBeijing · Xi'an · Chongqing · Yangtze · Shanghai
TailoredContact for price

Trip overview

Travel

11 days, 5 cities (Beijing, Xi'an, Chongqing, Yichang, Shanghai)

Accommodation

Hotels plus Victoria Cruises cabin (Chongqing to Yichang sector)

Meals

Daily breakfast plus lunches and dinners as per itinerary; full board on cruise

Destinations

Beijing · Xi'an · Chongqing · Yangtze · Shanghai

Tour features: English-speaking guides, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Victoria Cruises Chongqing to Yichang, Three Gorges Dam, high-speed trains

Journey highlights

Forbidden City
Day 2 — Beijing - Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City
Mutianyu Great Wall
Day 3 — Beijing - Mutianyu Great Wall & Olympic Park
Beijing hutong
Day 4 — Beijing - Summer Palace, Hutong & Train to Xi'an
Terracotta Army
Day 5 — Xi'an - Terracotta Army & City Wall
Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain shoreline
Day 7 — Yangtze Cruise - Fengdu & Onboard Culture
Goddess Stream canyon boat ride
Day 8 — Yangtze Cruise - Qutang Gorge & Goddess Stream
The Bund
Day 10 — Shanghai - Yu Garden, The Bund & Jade Buddha Temple

Day-by-day itinerary

11 days / 10 nights · Beijing · Xi'an · Chongqing · Yangtze · Shanghai

Overall itinerary

Route Overview

1Beijing
2Xi'an
3Chongqing
4Yichang
5Shanghai
Interactive route map — tap a pin for stop details, or expand it to full screen.
DAY 1

Arrive in Beijing, the capital of China and the starting city of this 11-day tour through Beijing, Xi'an, Chongqing, Yichang, and Shanghai. Your personal guide meets you at the arrival hall exit with a name board and the East Marvel logo, then escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest and recover from the international flight before Forbidden City and Great Wall sightseeing begins.

Included: Airport meet and greet; Hotel transfer

Meals: — · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

DAY 2

Start at Tiananmen Square, then enter the Forbidden City, the palace complex used by Ming and Qing emperors. Your guide explains the history behind the main halls and courtyards. In the afternoon visit Jingshan Park for a view back over the palace roofs, continue to the Temple of Heaven, then browse Panjiayuan Market and a teahouse stop. Optional evening plans include Peking duck or a show at your own expense.

Included: Tiananmen Square; Forbidden City; Jingshan Park; Temple of Heaven; Panjiayuan Market; Teahouse visit

Optional: Peking duck dinner; Evening show

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

Forbidden City
Forbidden City
DAY 3

Travel to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, a forested Ming-dynasty stretch that is usually quieter than Badaling. Take the cable car up and down for convenience, or walk sections of the wall at a comfortable pace. Afterward visit a jade factory, then continue to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube to see the Beijing Olympic venues from the outside before returning to your hotel.

Included: Mutianyu Great Wall; Jade factory; Bird's Nest and Water Cube exterior

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall
DAY 4

Visit the Summer Palace to walk lakeside halls and, where scheduled, take a boat on Kunming Lake. Continue into Beijing hutongs for a rickshaw ride through courtyard lanes and a look at everyday neighborhood life, with chances to try local snacks such as almond tofu or zhajiang noodles. Later board the high-speed train from Beijing to Xi'an. Your Xi'an guide meets you at the station and transfers you to your hotel.

Included: Summer Palace; Kunming Lake boat; Hutong rickshaw ride; High-speed train Beijing to Xi'an

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

Beijing hutong
Beijing hutong
DAY 5

In the morning visit the Terracotta Army Museum to see ranks of life-size clay soldiers and horses in the excavation pits. A pottery workshop stop may be included as listed in your program. In the afternoon return to the city for the City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the North Square fountain area, with time for snacks and souvenirs in the historic streets. Optional: a Tang Dynasty show in the evening at your own expense.

Included: Terracotta Army Museum; Pottery workshop; Big Wild Goose Pagoda; North Square fountain; Xi'an City Wall

Optional: Tang Dynasty show

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
DAY 6

Take the high-speed train from Xi'an to Chongqing, about five hours on the rail link between the two cities. On arrival, transfer to Chaotianmen Pier and board your Victoria Cruises ship for the Yangtze Three Gorges sector toward the Yichang (Maoping) area. Settle into your cabin and prepare for evening departure as the Chongqing to Yichang cruise portion of this 11-day China tour begins.

Included: High-speed train Xi'an to Chongqing; Transfer to Chaotianmen Pier; Victoria Cruises embarkation

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Victoria Cruises cabin

DAY 7

After breakfast, join a Tai Chi session on deck as the Victoria Cruises ship sails the Yangtze. When the vessel docks near Fengdu and Shuanggui Mountain, cultural activities continue on board, and an optional shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City is available at extra cost, with an optional cable car also at own expense. In the evening attend the captain's welcome reception while the ship remains overnight on the river.

Included: Sailing near Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain; Onboard cultural activities; Captain's welcome reception

Optional: Fengdu Ghost City shore tour; Three Kingdoms Amidst the Flames of War show

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner · Stay: Victoria Cruises cabin

Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain shoreline
Fengdu Shuanggui Mountain shoreline
DAY 8

Sail through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge on the classic Three Gorges corridor between Chongqing and Yichang. History-focused guests may add an optional guided visit to Baidi City at their own expense. In the afternoon take a wooden boat onto Goddess Stream (Shennvxi), a narrow canyon tributary, to see steep cliffs and learn about riverside village life before returning to the cruise ship for dinner.

Included: Sailing through Qutang Gorge; Sailing through Wu Gorge; Boat trip on Goddess Stream

Optional: Baidi City tour; Additional Three Gorges shore tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner · Stay: Victoria Cruises cabin

Goddess Stream canyon boat ride
Goddess Stream canyon boat ride
DAY 9

Visit the Three Gorges Dam near Maoping, a major hydroelectric project spanning the Yangtze River above Yichang. After the shore excursion, transfer to the passenger center in downtown Yichang and board the high-speed train to Shanghai. Your Shanghai guide meets you at Shanghai Railway Station and takes you to your hotel for the final city stay on this Beijing to Shanghai itinerary.

Included: Three Gorges Dam shore excursion; High-speed train Yichang area to Shanghai; Shanghai railway station transfer

Meals: Breakfast · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

DAY 10

Begin at Jade Buddha Temple, then walk a riverside stretch with exterior views toward the Oriental Pearl Tower. Visit the Shanghai Silk Museum and continue to Yu Garden, a classical Chinese garden in the old city. Change pace with time in the former French Concession's tree-lined streets, then finish along The Bund for riverfront architecture from early twentieth-century Shanghai. Optional: an ERA acrobatics show with advance booking at your own expense.

Included: Jade Buddha Temple; Riverside walk; Oriental Pearl Tower exterior view; Silk Museum; Yu Garden; The Bund

Optional: ERA acrobatics show

Meals: Breakfast · Stay: Premium hotel or similar

The Bund
The Bund
DAY 11

Enjoy free time in Shanghai at your own pace after breakfast, then transfer to the airport for your departure flight. This concludes the 11-day China tour covering Beijing, Xi'an, the Victoria Cruises Chongqing to Yichang sector, and Shanghai. If you prefer, you may take the Maglev train toward Pudong Airport at your own expense, or arrange a private driver transfer directly to your terminal.

Included: Airport transfer

Optional: Maglev train to Pudong Airport

Meals: Breakfast · Stay: —

Hand-picked stays

Hotel class and cruise cabin are matched to your preference — these are the listed stays for this program.

Beijing · 3 nights
Premium hotel or similar
Xi'an · 2 nights
Premium hotel or similar
Yangtze River Cruise · 3 nights
Victoria Cruises cabin
Shanghai · 2 nights
Premium hotel or similar

What's included

Price guide

Tailored pricing

per person · Indicative; confirm when you request a quote.

Your inclusions

  • Hotels and cruise cabin as listed; meals per itinerary
  • Private air-conditioned transport for touring
  • Beijing to Xi'an and Xi'an to Chongqing high-speed trains
  • Victoria Cruises sailing; shore visits as listed; Three Gorges Dam (Maoping)
  • High-speed train from Yichang area to Shanghai
  • English-speaking guides; entrance tickets per program; 24/7 support

Not included

  • International flights, insurance, visa
  • Optional shore tours (Fengdu, Shibaozhai, White Emperor City, and similar)
  • Tips and personal expenses
  • Holiday surcharges

Traveler moments

Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo

Let's plan your journey, together.

1. Share your ideas below.  2. Your travel advisor replies within 24 hours.

Prefer the full inquiry form? Use our contact page.