14-Day China Tour: Shanghai, Guilin, Xi'an, Beijing

14 days / 13 nights · Shanghai · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Xi’an · Beijing

14Days
5 citiesShanghai · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Xi’an · Beijing
USD 2855per person

Trip overview

Travel

14 days, 5 cities (Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Xi’an, Beijing)

Accommodation

13 nights in superior hotels across Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Xi’an, and Beijing

Meals

Breakfast and lunch as listed (B/L per itinerary); dinner as listed; special diets on request

Destinations

Shanghai · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Xi’an · Beijing

Tour features: A 14-day China highlights route from Shanghai to Beijing via Zhangjiajie, Guilin, and Xi’an, with Yu Garden and the Bund, Avatar peaks and Tianmen Mountain, the Li River, the Terracotta Army, the Forbidden City, and Mutianyu Great Wall, plus private guides, transfers, and superior hotels.

Journey highlights

The Bund Shanghai
Day 2 — Shanghai - Yu Garden, The Bund & Shanghai Tower
Golden Whip Stream
Day 3 — Shanghai - Flight to Zhangjiajie & Golden Whip Stream
Tianzi Mountain Peaks
Day 4 — Zhangjiajie - Yuanjiajie, Bailong Elevator & Tianzi Mountain
Tianmen Mountain
Day 5 — Zhangjiajie - Grand Canyon Glass Bridge & Tianmen Mountain
Yangshuo
Day 7 — Guilin - Li River Cruise & Yangshuo
Elephant Trunk Hill
Day 8 — Guilin - Yulong River, Reed Flute Cave & Elephant Trunk Hill
Muslim Quarter
Day 9 — Guilin - Flight to Xi’an, City Wall & Muslim Quarter
Terracotta Army
Day 10 — Xi’an - Terracotta Army & Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Day-by-day itinerary

14 days / 13 nights · Shanghai · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Xi’an · Beijing

Overall itinerary

Route Overview

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

On arrival at Shanghai Airport, a private vehicle transfers you to your hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free. Rest and adjust to the time difference after your flight, or take a short walk near the hotel to get your bearings in Shanghai. There is no fixed sightseeing schedule today, so you can settle in at your own pace before the guided China highlights itinerary begins.

Included: Private Airport Transfer

Meals: — · Stay: Shanghai Central Hotel or similar hotel

DAY 2

After meeting in the hotel lobby, visit Yu Garden, a classical Ming Dynasty garden in old Shanghai. Continue through the Former French Concession for tree-lined streets and period architecture. Ascend the Shanghai Tower observation deck on the 118th floor for skyline views, then take a Huangpu River cruise before walking the Bund among its historic waterfront buildings and returning to your hotel for the night.

Included: Yu Garden; Former French Concession; Shanghai Tower Observation Deck (118th Floor); Huangpu River Cruise; The Bund

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Shanghai Central Hotel or similar hotel

The Bund Shanghai
The Bund Shanghai
DAY 3

Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby according to your flight schedule and transfers you to the airport for your flight to Zhangjiajie. On arrival, continue directly into Zhangjiajie National Forest Park for a hike along Golden Whip Stream among the park’s sandstone cliffs and forest valleys. After the walk, check in to your Zhangjiajie hotel and rest for the peak sightseeing days ahead.

Included: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park; Golden Whip Stream

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Zhangjiajie Jingwu Pullman Hotel or similar hotel

Golden Whip Stream
Golden Whip Stream
DAY 4

After breakfast, return to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Ride the park shuttle to the Bailong Elevator for the short cliffside ascent to Yuanjiajie, then walk to Avatar Hallelujah Mountain. Continue to Yangjiajie and the Natural Great Wall before visiting Tianzi Mountain, including views such as the Imperial Brush Peaks. Descend by cable car in the afternoon and return to your hotel in the evening.

Included: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park; Bailong Elevator; Yuanjiajie Scenic Area; Tianzi Mountain; Imperial Brush Peaks

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Zhangjiajie Jingwu Pullman Hotel or similar hotel

Tianzi Mountain Peaks
Tianzi Mountain Peaks
DAY 5

This morning, visit Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, including the glass bridge walk where offered on your route through canyon streams and cliff paths. In the afternoon, continue to Tianmen Mountain, one of Zhangjiajie’s highest peaks, to see Tianmen Cave and walk the glass skywalk sections included on your ticket. Return to your hotel afterward to rest before tomorrow’s high-speed train to Guilin.

Included: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon; Glass Bridge; Tianmen Mountain and Tianmen Cave; Glass Skywalk

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Zhangjiajie Jingwu Pullman Hotel or similar hotel

Tianmen Mountain
Tianmen Mountain
DAY 6

After breakfast, transfer to the railway station for your high-speed train from Zhangjiajie to Guilin. On arrival, your local guide meets you and transfers you to your Guilin hotel. The remainder of the day is free to rest after the journey or take a short walk near the hotel before tomorrow’s Li River cruise through the karst landscape of northern Guangxi.

Included: High-Speed Train Zhangjiajie to Guilin; Guilin Hotel Transfer

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Guilin Sheraton Hotel or similar hotel

DAY 7

Your guide takes you from the hotel to the pier for a Li River cruise through Guilin’s karst landscape. Watch for landmarks such as Nine-Horse Mural Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal as the boat moves toward Yangshuo. In Yangshuo, join a scenic countryside cycling ride among the rice fields and limestone peaks before returning to your Guilin hotel for dinner as listed.

Included: Li River Cruise; Nine-Horse Mural Hill; Yellow Cloth Shoal; Yangshuo Countryside Cycling

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner · Stay: Guilin Sheraton Hotel or similar hotel

Yangshuo
Yangshuo
DAY 8

After breakfast, take a bamboo raft along the Yulong River among the karst hills outside Yangshuo. Drive back to Guilin to visit Reed Flute Cave and its illuminated limestone chambers, then continue to Elephant Trunk Hill, the city’s landmark karst peak beside the Li River. Return to your hotel afterward for a free evening before your flight to Xi’an the next day.

Included: Yulong River Bamboo Rafting; Reed Flute Cave; Elephant Trunk Hill

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Guilin Sheraton Hotel or similar hotel

Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill
DAY 9

Your Guilin guide and driver take you to the airport for your flight to Xi’an. On arrival, visit the Ming Dynasty Xi’an City Wall for panoramic city views, with time to walk or cycle along the ramparts if you wish. End the day with a stroll through the Muslim Quarter before checking in to your Xi’an hotel for the night.

Included: Xi’an City Wall; City Wall Cycling; Muslim Quarter

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Sofitel near People's Square or similar hotel

Muslim Quarter
Muslim Quarter
DAY 10

After breakfast, drive to the Museum of Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Army, including time in the main excavation pits and a terracotta figurine-making stop where offered on site. Sample local Xi’an cuisine around the visit, then return downtown to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, linked with the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang. Return to your hotel in the evening after the pagoda visit.

Included: Terracotta Army; Terracotta Figurine Experience; Local Xi’an Cuisine; Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Sofitel near People's Square or similar hotel

Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
DAY 11

In the morning, take the included high-speed train from Xi’an to Beijing. After afternoon arrival and a short rest at your hotel, join a rickshaw tour through Beijing hutongs and visit a traditional siheyuan courtyard house with your local guide. The ride introduces everyday alley life in the old city lanes before you return to the hotel for evening rest.

Included: High-Speed Train Xi’an to Beijing; Beijing Hutong Rickshaw Tour; Courtyard House Visit

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Crowne Plaza Beijing, Chaoyang U-City Hotel or similar hotel

Beijing  Hutongs
Beijing Hutongs
DAY 12

Drive from your hotel to the Mutianyu Great Wall, a well-preserved Ming Dynasty section of the Wall near Beijing, using the Mutianyu cable car as included on this sightseeing day. In the afternoon, return to the city for the Summer Palace, walking lakeside corridors and palace halls in China’s largest surviving imperial garden before hotel drop-off later in the day.

Included: Mutianyu Great Wall; Mutianyu Cable Car; Summer Palace

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Crowne Plaza Beijing, Chaoyang U-City Hotel or similar hotel

Summer Palace
Summer Palace
DAY 13

Your guide picks you up for Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum (Forbidden City), the former imperial palace of halls and courtyards at the heart of Beijing. Continue to the Temple of Heaven, including the Echo Wall area, where Ming and Qing emperors once prayed for good harvests. Return to your hotel afterward for a free evening before departure day.

Included: Tiananmen Square; Forbidden City; Temple of Heaven; Echo Wall

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch · Stay: Crowne Plaza Beijing, Chaoyang U-City Hotel or similar hotel

Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven
DAY 14

After breakfast, enjoy free time at leisure until your scheduled departure transfer from the hotel. According to your flight time, a private vehicle takes you to the airport for your onward journey, ending this 14-day China highlights tour from Shanghai through Zhangjiajie, Guilin, and Xi’an to Beijing. Thank you for traveling this route with East Marvel, and have a pleasant flight.

Included: Private Airport Departure Transfer

Meals: Breakfast · Stay: —

Hand-picked stays

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

Shanghai · 2 nights
Shanghai Central Hotel or similar hotel
Zhangjiajie · 3 nights
Zhangjiajie Jingwu Pullman Hotel or similar hotel
Guilin · 3 nights
Guilin Sheraton Hotel or similar hotel
Xi’an · 2 nights
Sofitel near People's Square or similar hotel
Beijing · 3 nights
Crowne Plaza Beijing, Chaoyang U-City Hotel or similar hotel

What's included

Price guide

From USD 2855

Per person; we will email a tailored rate for your dates and group size

Your inclusions

  • 13 nights accommodation in superior hotels
  • Daily breakfast and selected lunches (dinner as listed)
  • All transfers and private transportation
  • Professional English-speaking guide
  • Entrance fees for listed attractions
  • High-speed train from Zhangjiajie to Guilin
  • High-speed train from Xi’an to Beijing
  • Domestic flights (Shanghai to Zhangjiajie, Guilin to Xi’an)

Not included

  • International airfare
  • Optional tours and activities
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa fees (if applicable)

Traveler moments

Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo
Trip photo

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