12-Nights China Odyssey from $6,299

Itinerary Details

Day 1: Arrive in Beijing

Welcome to Beijing. Upon arrival at the Airport, your English-speaking local representative will warmly greet you and escort you to your transfer to your hotel. After check-in, the rest of the day is yours to explore a capital in rapid transformation, where imperial legacies stand beside bold modern ambition.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (4 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town is a stylish modern hotel located in the vibrant Chaoyang District, close to shops, dining, and public transport. It offers spacious, comfortable rooms and excellent amenities, including a heated indoor pool, spa, and fitness center. The hotel provides a convenient base for exploring Beijing's top attractions while enjoying premium dining and leisure options.

Begin at vast Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public plaza and a stage for a century of history. Step through the gates of the magnificent Forbidden City (Palace Museum, closed Mondays), built by over 200,000 workers during the Ming Dynasty. Home to 24 Ming and Qing emperors and 9,999 rooms, its ceremonial halls and private chambers reveal the architecture of absolute power. In Beijing’s old hutongs, join a private cooking class at Black Sesame Kitchen. Learn the art of regional specialties and handcraft Chinese dumplings before enjoying your creations for lunch. Next, explore Houhai’s lakeside lanes by pedicab, weaving through historic courtyards toward the imposing Bell and Drum Towers - once the capital’s official timekeepers during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties (1271–1911). This evening, savor a celebrated Peking Duck Welcome Banquet, Beijing’s most iconic dish before returning to your hotel for overnight.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (4 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town is a stylish modern hotel located in the vibrant Chaoyang District, close to shops, dining, and public transport. It offers spacious, comfortable rooms and excellent amenities, including a heated indoor pool, spa, and fitness center. The hotel provides a convenient base for exploring Beijing's top attractions while enjoying premium dining and leisure options.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Journey to the majestic Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, a dramatic and less crowded stretch. With round-trip cable car access, ascend to sweeping battlements that wind across forested ridgelines. Averaging 25 feet high and stretching once some 3,700 miles across sixteen provinces, this monumental feat of engineering defies expectations. After lunch, return downtown for leisure time where you can browse the Silk Market, Hongqiao Pearl Market, or the Jade Factory. Dinner tonight features refined Beijing cuisine at a local restaurant.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (4 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town is a stylish modern hotel located in the vibrant Chaoyang District, close to shops, dining, and public transport. It offers spacious, comfortable rooms and excellent amenities, including a heated indoor pool, spa, and fitness center. The hotel provides a convenient base for exploring Beijing's top attractions while enjoying premium dining and leisure options.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

This morning, explore the exquisite Temple of Heaven, masterpiece of Ming architecture and cosmological design. Here you can see locals doing morning exercises, such as Tai Chi. This stunning architecture realizes the eternal Chinese desire to incarnate heaven in material form and represents the most advanced principles of mechanics and geometry. Join a private Tai Chi session with a master as locals practice morning exercises around you beneath the temple's soaring eaves. After a noodle lunch, transfer to the railway station for your high-speed train to Xi'an. On arrival, meet your local guide and enjoy local Xi'an dinner before transferring to your hotel for check-in.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Xian (5 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Xi’an offers a stylish, upscale stay in one of the city’s tallest landmarks, giving travelers breathtaking views over the ancient capital. Its central location makes it easy to explore highlights like the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the City Wall, and vibrant shopping and dining districts nearby. With elegant rooms, a serene spa, and a rooftop bar perfect for evening relaxation, it’s an excellent choice for visitors seeking both comfort and convenience.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Stand before the awe-inspiring Terracotta Army (UNESCO site), the vast underground army of Qin Shihuangdi (3rd century BCE). There are thousands of pottery soldiers and each one looks different. Their solemn assignment was to protect the Emperor Qin Shihuangdi in the afterlife. A circle-vision film reenacts the related events of 2300 years. Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before spending the afternoon at your leisure. This evening, attend a Tang Dynasty Show with dinner, reviving the music and dance of imperial Changan, originating from over a thousand years ago. It has been recreated in accordance with various historical records as well as ancient art and relics discovered in Xi'an, the capital of the empire during the Tang Dynasty. After the show, transfer back to hotel.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Xian (5 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Xi’an offers a stylish, upscale stay in one of the city’s tallest landmarks, giving travelers breathtaking views over the ancient capital. Its central location makes it easy to explore highlights like the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the City Wall, and vibrant shopping and dining districts nearby. With elegant rooms, a serene spa, and a rooftop bar perfect for evening relaxation, it’s an excellent choice for visitors seeking both comfort and convenience.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Discover the Xi'an Qu Jiang Museum of Fine Arts, blending expertise and enjoyment, in the heart of the museum. Here you'll have exclusive VIP access to the Curator Room. Wearing white gloves, personally handle thousand-year-old national treasures (not open to the public) and explore the Tang Dynasty Mural Restoration Room. Enjoy an intimate experience with personalized attention, deepen your understanding of the art and the context in which it was made, go beyond the tourist favorites and uncover some lesser-known gems. After the museum, visit the serene Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a revered Buddhist landmark. After lunch at a local restaurant, board your train to Chengdu. On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. This evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant, followed by an evening stroll along Spring Road, Chengdu's commercial heart, and see the iconic panda sculpture climbing the IFS building, creating the perfect photo opportunity before transferring back to your hotel.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Chengdu City Center (5 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Chengdu is opposite the famous "Chun Xi Lu" shopping street and dining area. It features an indoor heated pool, spa and 4 dining options. Rooms have free internet access. Crowne Plaza Chengdu is located within a 10-minute stroll from the Times Plaza, Central Plaza, City Tower and Chuan Xin Mansion. It is a 5-minute drive from Tianfu Square, 20-minute drive from North or East Railway Station. Shuangliu International Airport is a 40-minute car journey away. Tastefully decorated, each elegant room has a cable TV, minibar and a coffee/tea maker. A private bathroom with bathtub is attached in all rooms. Additionally, the hotel provides non-smoking floors and rooms, as well as specially designed rooms for disabled guests. Massage and hairdressing services can be arranged at the health and fitness centre. There is also a fully equipped business centre and spacious ballroom at Crowne Plaza.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where giant panda cubs play at the kindergarten as well as climbing up and down trees, rolling, pushing and kicking like Kungfu masters. Enjoy the beautifully landscaped with lush plants and lakes as you observe the 20 some pandas and their caregivers before heading to the Small Red Panda Center, observe 40 free-roaming red pandas among lush gardens. Next up, head for a walk around the People’s Park, the park also where throngs of locals gather to practice Taiji, fly kites, or do synchronized dance. Join with locals and Learn to play Chinese Mahjong! Mahjong is a game as Chinese as tea. Discover this quintessentially Chinese cultural experience in a private training session, then play against other competitors at a Mahjong venue in Chengdu. Test your luck and build your cultural understanding. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before spending the afternoon at leisure. Tonight, gather around a bubbling Sichuan hot pot for dinner before witnessing a mesmerizing Face-Changing performance, with brightly colored costumes and heavy, colorful makeup, performers sing in a high pitch and move to quick, dramatic music, twirling, hopping, rolling, jumping and performing jaw-dropping stunts. As they move, they also change masks to reveal characters' changing emotions.

Hotel: Crowne Plaza Chengdu City Center (5 Star Rating)

Crowne Plaza Chengdu is opposite the famous "Chun Xi Lu" shopping street and dining area. It features an indoor heated pool, spa and 4 dining options. Rooms have free internet access. Crowne Plaza Chengdu is located within a 10-minute stroll from the Times Plaza, Central Plaza, City Tower and Chuan Xin Mansion. It is a 5-minute drive from Tianfu Square, 20-minute drive from North or East Railway Station. Shuangliu International Airport is a 40-minute car journey away. Tastefully decorated, each elegant room has a cable TV, minibar and a coffee/tea maker. A private bathroom with bathtub is attached in all rooms. Additionally, the hotel provides non-smoking floors and rooms, as well as specially designed rooms for disabled guests. Massage and hairdressing services can be arranged at the health and fitness centre. There is also a fully equipped business centre and spacious ballroom at Crowne Plaza.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Check out of your hotel today and board your private transfer to airport for flight to Guilin. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express Guilin City Center (4 Star Rating)

Holiday Inn Express Guilin City Center is a modern hotel designed for travelers seeking comfort and convenience in the heart of the city. Guests can enjoy well-designed rooms, a breakfast buffet, free Wi-Fi, a fitness room, self-service laundry, and efficient business facilities. With attentive service, a 24-hour front desk, and close proximity to major attractions and public transportation, the hotel offers a relaxed and hassle-free base for discovering Guilin.

Meal(s): Breakfast

This morning, transfer to your awaiting double decker river boat for your Li River Cruise to Yangshuo. Cruise the legendary Li River as you take in the landscape from Guilin to Yangshuo, a true masterpiece of nature. The crystal waters, straight out of a painting mountains, peaceful farm fields, hard-working but ever-smiling fishermen and wandering water buffaloes inspire poetic musings of Guilin’s charming life. Under the beautiful sky, your river boat transports you in an unending daydream. After cruising for about four and a half hours, the one-thousand-year-old Yangshuo Town comes into sight. Yangshuo is a small oriental but Western-influenced town with a history of 1000 years. Check into your hotel and this evening head out for dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, enjoy VIP seating at Impression Liu Sanjie, directed by Zhang Yimou - an outdoor spectacle staged on the Li River with 12 hills as backdrop. With the vast sky, it consists of the largest virtual scenery theatre in the world. As it is an outdoor theater and the scenes of show are combined with the natural sightseeing, guests will find the show different season from season and day from day depending on changing weather conditions.

Hotel: Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (4 Star Rating)

Yangshuo Mountain Retreat offers a serene hideaway beside the Yulong River, nestled among lush karst peaks - a perfect haven for slowing down and soaking in natural beauty. Its cozy rooms, many with balconies or terraces overlooking water or mountains, provide a restful base after a day of exploration. Guests can enjoy free bike rides and a peaceful riverside walking trail, savor fresh farm-style meals, and experience a warm, home-like atmosphere that captures the charm of rural China.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

This morning, Immerse yourself in Chinese tea culture with this private experience in the scenic countryside Yangshuo. Perfect for those looking for a quiet activity, visit the local Tea Plantation grounds to see how tea leaves are harvested, picking up fresh tea leaves, manufacture the tea, and taste the tea with a tea master in the tea plantation. It is a wonderful experience to learn Chinese tea culture, discover their historical and cultural significance, before seeing the roasting process. This afternoon is at your leisure, for your convenience a transfer has been arranged to Yangshuo old town for those wishing to head out for lunch and who wish to wander around or shop in the old town. A return transfer is provided later in the afternoon.

Hotel: Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (4 Star Rating)

Yangshuo Mountain Retreat offers a serene hideaway beside the Yulong River, nestled among lush karst peaks - a perfect haven for slowing down and soaking in natural beauty. Its cozy rooms, many with balconies or terraces overlooking water or mountains, provide a restful base after a day of exploration. Guests can enjoy free bike rides and a peaceful riverside walking trail, savor fresh farm-style meals, and experience a warm, home-like atmosphere that captures the charm of rural China.

Meal(s): Breakfast

This morning, transfer to Guilin Airport in time for your onward flight to Shanghai. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon is yours to explore on your own as you enjoy some leisure time in beautiful Shanghai. This evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant before continuing to the amazing Acrobatic Show at ERA Theatre. Hosting one of the best acrobatic shows in town, ERA - Intersection of Time put on in the theater is a multimillion-dollar stunning acrobatic extravaganza, the first of its kind in China, a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology.

Hotel: Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel on the Bund (4 Star Rating)

Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel on the Bund is a chic hotel ideally situated near Yu Garden and just steps from the Bund and Xintiandi. Modern rooms offer city views and high-speed internet, while amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center, dining options, and a Club Lounge. Its central location makes it an ideal base for exploring Shanghai's historic sites and vibrant nightlife.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner

Today, stroll along the Bund, a waterfront area in central Shanghai with dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River. Explore the 400-year-old Yu Garden (closed on Monday), Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Outside of the garden is the famous Chen Huang Miao Bazaar - an area of shops, restaurants and recreation facilities. Next, take a walk around the Former French Concession, totally different from what you have imagined about the modern and busy Shanghai, is quiet and filled with lots of European style villas and buildings from the early 20th century. It is a great place to escape from the bustling city and discover unique charm and beauty. For lunch today, you're off to a local restaurant for a delicious Shanghai Dumpling Soup. This afternoon enjoy a bit of leisure time for shopping around, such as fabric market and old shopping streets to snap up bargains, get garments tailored, and browse designer knock-offs, souvenirs, antiques, and electronics, all while soaking up local culture. Fancy tea for two? Get ready to whittle away the afternoon at Hotel Indigo Shanghai On The Bund for your farewell tea! The Quay is the best destination for classic and modern Afternoon Teas (2pm-4pm) in Shanghai. Quay is a relaxed lounge and cafe on the 6th floor of Hotel Indigo. Offering a range of light snacks, Western and Chinese fare as well as great coffee, it boasts a stunning view of the Huangpu river and Pudong skyline. There's plenty of comfy sofas and seating, making it ideal for an informal meeting, or perfect spot to wile away an afternoon. This evening is at your leisure.

Hotel: Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel on the Bund (4 Star Rating)

Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel on the Bund is a chic hotel ideally situated near Yu Garden and just steps from the Bund and Xintiandi. Modern rooms offer city views and high-speed internet, while amenities include an indoor pool, fitness center, dining options, and a Club Lounge. Its central location makes it an ideal base for exploring Shanghai's historic sites and vibrant nightlife.

Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch

Check out and transfer by private car to the airport in time for your onward flight.