The Wall, Then the Water

Overview

China spent two thousand years building walls, and the same two thousand years building the things that cross them. This plan follows that argument in order rather than by map. Beijing gives you two kinds of wall, one that keeps people out of a palace and one that runs along a ridge to keep horses out of a country. Xi'an gives you the road that left the country, and a wall you ride around instead of standing on. Chengdu slows the middle down, and one morning outside it you stand on a water divide from the 3rd century BC that is still doing its job. Shanghai is where the water finally gets out. By the end you'll be able to explain this country to someone at your own kitchen table.

— LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and how many days you actually have. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. On this route we will also tell you, before you are asked for anything, exactly where the river purchase stands, and whether a shorter version that stops at Dujiangyan serves you better than waiting.

Why you'll love this trip

Six stops in route order. The Terracotta Warriors, pandas, a Taoist mountain and the Bund, with English-speaking guides city by city.
18 days from the Great Wall to a 3rd century BC water divide. See how China connects itself.

Walk the palace along one straight line, then climb the small hill behind it and look back down: the scale you lost inside the walls comes back to you in a single view.
Ride the cable car up to the Great Wall at Mutianyu and take the toboggan back down: you get a whole ridge of watchtowers and your knees never pay for it.
Stand in front of the Terracotta Warriors long enough to stop counting them and start reading their faces: nobody leaves that room with the same idea of what one man's power looked like.
Ride the top of Xi'an's city wall all the way round the old town: after two walls in Beijing you spent on the outside, this is the one you get to be on top of.
Give a whole Chengdu day to a panda morning and a teahouse afternoon, without changing cities: this is the day the trip stops asking anything of you.
Stand on the divide at Dujiangyan, where a river was split in two in the 3rd century BC and is still split there this morning: this is the sentence you will use at home when someone asks what China is like.
Take in the Bund on your first Shanghai evening with your guide beside you: a century of waterfront on one bank, the towers on the other, and no one vying for your attention.

Things to do

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Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Dujiangyan

Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple and conversation, Chengdu

Former French Concession and Wukang Road, Shanghai

Heritage

Viewpoint

Great Wall

Family

Landmark

Culture

Museum

City

Heritage

Cycling

Food

Pagoda

Nature

Learn more

City

Learn more

Heritage

City

Culture

Riverfront

Heritage

Museum

City

Heritage

Viewpoint

Great Wall

Family

Landmark

Culture

Museum

City

Heritage

Cycling

Food

Pagoda

Nature

Learn more

City

Learn more

Heritage

City

Culture

Riverfront

Heritage

Museum

City

Heritage

Viewpoint

Great Wall

Family

Landmark

Culture

Museum

City

Heritage

Cycling

Food

Pagoda

Nature

Learn more

City

Learn more

Heritage

City

Culture

Riverfront

Heritage

Museum

City

Itinerary

Arrivals

Beijing · Day 1 - Day 4

Day 1 · Land, and stop

The first day asks nothing of anyone. Beijing is outside the window and it keeps until tomorrow.

Arrival Your flight lands whenever it lands, and tonight's hotel in Beijing is included in your base price regardless of the hour. Whether your order includes the airport transfer is specified in your quote, because that arrangement is still being finalised and we will not leave it unmentioned.

Evening Nothing is scheduled. Your guide is reachable, and dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your account.

Day 2 · One axis, then the view back

A palace built as one wall within another, walked in a single line. Today you experience both its interior and its form.

The Forbidden City Your timed slot is booked ahead by us, so you walk in on schedule. Inside, you keep to one axis: the ceremonial halls where the court conducted its business, the living quarters behind them, the imperial garden at the end, then out through the north gate. Stand in the middle of the main courtyard and look back through the gates you came in by. They line up, one inside another, all the way out to the street.

Jingshan Park The north gate puts you at the foot of an artificial hill. A short climb of steps to the pavilion on top, and the thing you spent the morning inside is suddenly a single object below you: rows of yellow roofs, and the axis running straight out of the picture at both ends.

Pace The palace is large and guests often find it tiring, so the route is cut to that one line, with the seats we know about along the way and no second monument today.

Day 3 · The wall, without the climb

A cable car takes you up and a sled brings you down. What the wall was actually built to stop is the part worth staying for.

Drive out to Mutianyu The run north out of the city takes a good part of the morning, which is why nothing else is on today. The vehicle stays with you all day.

Cable car up The climbing is done for you. You step off onto a restored stretch of wall with watchtowers running away along the ridge in both directions, and your guide reads it to you: the beacon towers, the pass in the valley below, why the towers stand where they stand. Look along the ridge with the towers stepping down it one after another. That is the fifteen seconds worth filming.

What it was for The wall was never meant to stop people. It was meant to stop horses, and to make anyone who got over it come back the same way with whatever they had taken. Your guide points at the gaps in the ridge where that logic is visible from where you are standing.

Toboggan down A seated sled on a metal track through the trees, and you arrive at the bottom with the stone steps skipped entirely.

Day 4 · The other way of drawing a line

Round belongs to heaven, square belongs to earth. Today the country's lines are ceremonial rather than military.

Tiananmen Square You cross the ceremonial centre of modern China on foot. Security screening with passports comes first and takes a slot of its own, so it sits separately in the day's budget; your guide walks you to the nearest screening entrance rather than the long way around.

Temple of Heaven Three groups of buildings on one line, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the round altar. Stand at the centre of the round altar and speak normally: the stone tiers send your own voice back at you. The plan of the whole park is the same argument written large, round against square.

National Museum of China Bronzes, ceramics, Buddhist sculpture and calligraphy, on the east side of the square, with your reservation booked ahead by us. Your guide takes one line through it rather than the whole building, so the day ends with objects you remember instead of a corridor count.

High-speed rail

Xi'an · Day 5 - Day 7

Day 5 · Morning in the lanes, afternoon at 300 kilometres an hour

Beijing's last gift is people rather than monuments. Then the country's newest infrastructure carries you to its oldest capital.

Old Beijing hutongs and the Shichahai lakeside Courtyard lanes and lakeside streets going about their ordinary morning, grey brick and doorstep stones on either side, bicycles gliding past with breakfast on the handlebars. The lakes lie flat between the streets, and the neighbourhood is already out and about.

High-speed rail to Xi'an An afternoon on China's high-speed network, the North China plain going past the window at cruising speed. The class of seat on your order is stated in writing in your quote, because we have not yet fixed one in this document and we will not quietly assume one for you.

Into Xi'an The train arrives into a city still inside its own wall, and the wall is lit by the time you are on the road to the hotel.

Day 6 · Eight thousand, for one man

An estimated eight thousand figures, buried so that one emperor would not have to arrive anywhere alone. Today is about what one person's power looked like when it was total.

The Terracotta Warriors You walk the pits in the order they were opened, and your guide teaches you to read rank before you look at the crowd: armour plates, the tie of the hair, the stance of the hands that once held a weapon. Generals, crossbowmen, foot soldiers. In the more recently excavated areas, traces of the original paint are still there on the surface.

The one to stand in front of Find a figure in the second row with its face intact and stay there a minute. No two were finished the same way, and once you have seen that, the pit stops being a crowd.

Crowds This site runs at its yearly peak in the first week of October, so your departure date is set to keep this day out of that week rather than to work around it on the day.

Day 7 · The wall you get to stand on top of

Beijing's walls kept you outside. This one you ride around, at your own pace, for as long as you like.

Xi'an City Wall by bike You take a bicycle at the gate and ride the loop on top of the wall, wide enough here for two bikes side by side. Inside the loop: rooftops, courtyards, the drum tower. Outside: the modern city carrying on. Corner towers give you somewhere to stop and put a foot down. Admission and the bike are both in your base price. Somewhere on the far side you'll notice you have stopped talking and are just riding.

Three walls, one thought This is the third wall in seven days. The palace wall shut people out of a household, the Great Wall shut horses out of a country, and this one holds a city that is still living inside it. Your guide leaves you to notice the difference rather than announcing it.

Bell and Drum Tower area with the Muslim Quarter In the evening you walk the two towers that used to keep the city's time, then the lanes behind them where Xi'an's Hui community trades and cooks: bread stamped and baked against the wall of the oven, whole spices in open sacks, meat turned over coals. Eating here is on your own account and your guide tells you which queue is the one worth joining.

High-speed rail

Chengdu · Day 8 - Day 11

Day 8 · The road out, then over the mountains

One pagoda built to hold what came back along the road. Then a train through the mountains, and the climate changes on you.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda A brick pagoda raised to house the sutras a monk carried back overland from India, standing in its temple grounds. Everything else you have seen so far was built to keep something out. This was built to keep something that came in.

High-speed rail to Chengdu The afternoon train crosses the Qinling mountains, the range that divides China's north from its south, through a run of long tunnels. You go in with dry northern air and come out into the Sichuan basin: green, hazy, wet. The seat class on your order is stated in writing in your quote.

Into Chengdu The pace of the trip changes here on purpose, and the Chengdu nights all run in one hotel with no packing in between.

Day 9 · A morning that moves, an afternoon that does not

The pandas in the hours they are actually awake, then a chair you do not have to get up from. Today is the day the trip stops asking anything of you.

Chengdu Panda Base You are there in the morning, the hours when the animals are generally moving: eating, coming down off a platform, dropping back to sleep in the fork of a tree. Flat shaded paths and benches. Get to an enclosure fence early and wait rather than walking the whole park: the animal comes over on its own schedule.

Teahouse sitting in People's Park Bamboo chairs under the trees, a gaiwan each, the lidded cup China brews in, and someone with a long-spouted kettle who tops you up as long as you stay. Cards at the next table, an ear cleaner two tables over working with a tuning fork. The whole afternoon is yours and there is nowhere to be after it. An hour in, you'll notice you have not looked at your phone all afternoon.

Day 10 · A river split in two, and still split

The oldest working thing you will stand on in China, and the centre of this whole route. You go out and come back the same day.

Dujiangyan irrigation system An hour out of Chengdu, an engineer facing a river that flooded the plain every year decided not to dam it. Instead the channel was shaped so the Min River splits itself: an inner stream that waters the Chengdu plain, an outer stream that carries the flood away. That was the 3rd century BC. You walk out over the divide and watch the two flows separate under your feet, and the plain behind you is still being watered by the inner one this morning. Standing on the divide you'll find you have gone quiet, because it takes a minute to accept how old this is.

A small Taoist temple on Mount Qingcheng An hour further on, one of the principal Taoist mountains in China: steps under old trees, mist that does not lift. You go to a small working temple away from the main visitor route, sit with a resident priest, and take a taiji session on the temple ground. The forms are slow on purpose, which after ten days of walking is the point.

Back to Chengdu Both legs of today are included in your base price and you sleep in the same Chengdu room tonight, so nothing needs to be packed.

Day 11 · The city the water paid for

Two thousand years of reliable harvests bought Chengdu its temperament. Today you spend it.

Kuanzhai Alley with Taikoo Li A historic quarter of three parallel lanes, restored and frankly commercial, a few minutes from a contemporary shopping district built around a Song dynasty temple. We put them together on purpose and we do not pretend either one is a quiet corner: this is where a city with money spends its weekend, and that is worth seeing at close range.

Community Sichuan opera A neighbourhood theatre rather than a hotel ballroom. You go backstage while the performers are still painting, then watch face changing from the second row: the mask becomes another mask in the time it takes him to swing his head, and knowing how close you are does not help you catch it.

Last night ashore for a while Tomorrow the plan leaves the cities it can promise you, and we tell you exactly where that stands below.

High-speed rail

Chongqing · Day 12 - Day 14

Day 12 · Chengdu to Chongqing

A short train ride is what is real about today. What happens after you step off it is not bought.

High-speed rail from Chengdu to Chongqing This leg is included in your base price, along with the seat class stated in writing in your quote. It is the fourth and final rail movement on this route.

Everything after arrival The Chongqing ground services, the hotel that night and the transfer to the pier have no contracted operator. We describe none of it and we sell none of it. When the ground operator is signed, this day is rewritten and named, and only then does it go into a price.

Day 13 · Boarding at Chongqing

The boarding day, in outline only. The ship it refers to has not been booked.

What the plan intends The route is designed so the transfer itself becomes the product here, three nights downstream instead of another flight. The market standard on this river is a four-day three-night downstream programme.

What is not promised The operator, the sailing date and the cabin are all unbought. So are the food aboard and the shore programme. No cabin grade is implied by anything on this page.

Day 14 · Downstream through the gorges

The narrowest and deepest part of the river, in outline only.

The gorges The Three Gorges section of the Yangtze comprises the Qutang, Wu and Xiling gorges, in that order downstream. That is geography, and it holds true regardless of who operates the boat. Which of them a given sailing passes in daylight is determined by that operator's own schedule, not by us.

Low water In the autumn and winter months, the river runs low, and operators adjust sailings and the stretch actually cruised during that season. Every departure date is checked against the operator's own calendar for that season before it is opened for sale.

Yangtze cruise

Yichang · Day 15

Day 15 · The dam day

The day the same river is stopped. Which day it actually lands on is not settled.

What is unsettled This plan places the Three Gorges Dam here, while the standard four-day, three-night downstream programme on this river places it on the morning of the disembarkation day. Which one applies is fixed with the operator when the sailing is booked. We are not going to print a time for it before that.

Why the route wants it at all On day 10 you stood on a divide from the 3rd century BC that splits this river's tributary without stopping it. The dam is the same river, two thousand years later, answered a different way. That contrast is the reason this stretch is in the design, and it is also why we would rather sell you nothing than sell you a version of it we cannot yet name.

Flight

Shanghai · Day 16 - Day 18

Day 16 · Off the river, into the city

A morning of moving and then, on your first evening here, the waterfront. The city is the answer to everything upstream.

Disembarking and the flight to Shanghai The transfer from the pier and the flight from Yichang to Shanghai are part of the unbought stretch and are not included in your base price. The flight cannot be ticketed until the sailing's arrival time is confirmed in writing by the operator, which is one of the four things that have to be true before this route opens for booking.

The Bund and the Pudong skyline Your guide is with you for this evening, which is included in your base price. One bank carries the trading houses and banks of a century ago, the other carries towers that went up within one working lifetime, and they stand looking straight at each other across the water. Walk north along the promenade until the towers line up with the gap between two of the old buildings behind you.

Why the guide stays People work this waterfront offering English practice and tea invitations that end in a bill. On your first night in the city you should have someone beside you who has seen it before.

Day 17 · A garden, then the objects

A classical garden in the morning and, in the afternoon, the things you have spent seventeen days standing next to.

Yu Garden and the old city Pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, set in the oldest quarter of the city. Follow the path without choosing turns and let it lead you back; the whole design is built to do just that. Flat all the way.

Shanghai Museum Bronzes, ceramics, painting and calligraphy, and the applied arts, with your timed slot booked ahead by us. Seventeen days in, this is a different museum from the one it would have been on day one: you have already stood where most of these objects came out of the ground.

Evening Nothing is scheduled. The city is worth an hour on foot near the hotel and your guide tells you which direction is worth it.

Day 18 · The water gets out

Plane trees in the morning, a working ferry at midday, then the airport. The last thing you do in China is cross the river on a boat nobody built for you.

Former French Concession and Wukang Road Plane-tree streets, historic houses and small independent shops, low and loose after the towers across the water. It is the softest walking on the route and it is put last on purpose.

Huangpu River commuter ferry You cross on the boat people take to get to work, standing at the rail with commuters and their scooters, not on a sightseeing deck. It is the crossing this city actually uses, and it runs all day. Halfway across you'll realise you have followed this water from a stone divide in Sichuan to the deck you're standing on.

Departure Whether your order includes the airport transfer today is written into your quote, because that arrangement is still being settled and we will not leave it unsaid.

Departures

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Hotels

These are sample stays typically included in the itinerary. Final pricing depends on the hotel level selected.

Shanghai

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort)

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both.

Beijing

Atour Hotel (Beijing West Railway Station South Square)

Upscale local hotel near Beijing West Railway Station South Square.

Chengdu

Hilton Chengdu Chenghua

A practical Chengdu base for travellers who want easy city access, relaxed days out, and a comfortable return after sightseeing.

Chengdu

Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street

A simple Chengdu stay near Chunxi Road, ideal for travellers who want easy walks, food stops and short city transfers.

Chongqing

Chongqing Marriott Hotel

A reliable Chongqing stay for travellers who want comfort after exploring the city’s hills, rivers, bridges, and night views.

Chongqing

Wuyu Sky Garden Hotel

A curated hotel option in Chongqing, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund

A curated hotel option in Shanghai, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site.

Xi'an

Shangri-La Hotel

Shangri-La Hotel Xi'an: five-star luxury near the Terracotta Warriors, 35 minutes from the airport.

Xi'an

Sheraton Xi'an North City Hotel

Sheraton Xi'an North City: five-star luxury five minutes from the Daming Palace, with an indoor pool and wellness centre.

Chongqing

Pagoda Hotel Chongqing Jiefangbei

Beijing

Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast

International luxury hotel in Beijing, ideal for business trips and city breaks.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean

Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Chengdu

The Temple House

Boutique luxury hotel set within a restored Qing-dynasty courtyard near Taikoo Li, boasting one of Chengdu's most striking design statements.

Yichang

The Westin Yichang

A curated hotel option in Yichang, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Beijing

DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing East Third Ring Road

International upscale hotel in Beijing, suitable for business and leisure stays.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui Pudong Avenue

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui: a stylish stay in Pudong, minutes from the Bund, Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai Tower.

Shanghai

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort)

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both.

Beijing

Atour Hotel (Beijing West Railway Station South Square)

Upscale local hotel near Beijing West Railway Station South Square.

Chengdu

Hilton Chengdu Chenghua

A practical Chengdu base for travellers who want easy city access, relaxed days out, and a comfortable return after sightseeing.

Chengdu

Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street

A simple Chengdu stay near Chunxi Road, ideal for travellers who want easy walks, food stops and short city transfers.

Chongqing

Chongqing Marriott Hotel

A reliable Chongqing stay for travellers who want comfort after exploring the city’s hills, rivers, bridges, and night views.

Chongqing

Wuyu Sky Garden Hotel

A curated hotel option in Chongqing, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund

A curated hotel option in Shanghai, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site.

Xi'an

Shangri-La Hotel

Shangri-La Hotel Xi'an: five-star luxury near the Terracotta Warriors, 35 minutes from the airport.

Xi'an

Sheraton Xi'an North City Hotel

Sheraton Xi'an North City: five-star luxury five minutes from the Daming Palace, with an indoor pool and wellness centre.

Chongqing

Pagoda Hotel Chongqing Jiefangbei

Beijing

Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast

International luxury hotel in Beijing, ideal for business trips and city breaks.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean

Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Chengdu

The Temple House

Boutique luxury hotel set within a restored Qing-dynasty courtyard near Taikoo Li, boasting one of Chengdu's most striking design statements.

Yichang

The Westin Yichang

A curated hotel option in Yichang, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Beijing

DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing East Third Ring Road

International upscale hotel in Beijing, suitable for business and leisure stays.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui Pudong Avenue

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui: a stylish stay in Pudong, minutes from the Bund, Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai Tower.

Shanghai

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort)

Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both.

Beijing

Atour Hotel (Beijing West Railway Station South Square)

Upscale local hotel near Beijing West Railway Station South Square.

Chengdu

Hilton Chengdu Chenghua

A practical Chengdu base for travellers who want easy city access, relaxed days out, and a comfortable return after sightseeing.

Chengdu

Atour Hotel Chengdu Taikoo Li Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street

A simple Chengdu stay near Chunxi Road, ideal for travellers who want easy walks, food stops and short city transfers.

Chongqing

Chongqing Marriott Hotel

A reliable Chongqing stay for travellers who want comfort after exploring the city’s hills, rivers, bridges, and night views.

Chongqing

Wuyu Sky Garden Hotel

A curated hotel option in Chongqing, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund

A curated hotel option in Shanghai, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Shanghai

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel

Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site.

Xi'an

Shangri-La Hotel

Shangri-La Hotel Xi'an: five-star luxury near the Terracotta Warriors, 35 minutes from the airport.

Xi'an

Sheraton Xi'an North City Hotel

Sheraton Xi'an North City: five-star luxury five minutes from the Daming Palace, with an indoor pool and wellness centre.

Chongqing

Pagoda Hotel Chongqing Jiefangbei

Beijing

Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast

International luxury hotel in Beijing, ideal for business trips and city breaks.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean

Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Chengdu

The Temple House

Boutique luxury hotel set within a restored Qing-dynasty courtyard near Taikoo Li, boasting one of Chengdu's most striking design statements.

Yichang

The Westin Yichang

A curated hotel option in Yichang, used as the shared route hotel resource.

Beijing

DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing East Third Ring Road

International upscale hotel in Beijing, suitable for business and leisure stays.

Shanghai

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui Pudong Avenue

Atour S Hotel Shanghai Lujiazui: a stylish stay in Pudong, minutes from the Bund, Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai Tower.

Included / Excluded

What's Included

Intercity railFour rail journeys: Beijing to Xi'an on day 5, Xi'an to Chengdu on day 8, the Dujiangyan day return on day 10, Chengdu to Chongqing on day 12. The seat class for your booking is set out in writing in your quotation and no default class is applied
Hotels ashore13 nights at your chosen level, four-star, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Beijing 4 · Xi'an 3 · Chengdu and Shanghai 6 between them, with the split stated in writing in your quote
GuideLicensed English-speaking local guide on every touring day in Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu with Dujiangyan, and Shanghai, including the whole Bund evening on day 16
VehicleAir-conditioned private vehicle for all listed touring in those four cities, including the full-day Mutianyu round trip on day 3 and the Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng round trip on day 10
Timed reservationsThe Forbidden City on day 2, the National Museum of China on day 4 and Shanghai Museum on day 17, all booked by us; you supply passport details at booking
Tickets and experiences, BeijingThe Forbidden City walked along the central axis · Jingshan Park · Mutianyu Great Wall with the cable car up and the toboggan down · Tian'anmen Square · Temple of Heaven · the National Museum of China · the hutongs and Shichahai lakeside walk
Tickets and experiences, Xi'anThe Terracotta Warriors · Xi'an City Wall by bike with wall admission and bicycle rental · the Bell and Drum Tower area with the Muslim Quarter · Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Tickets and experiences, Chengdu and DujiangyanThe panda base in the morning · the gaiwan teahouse sitting in People's Park with the tea · the Dujiangyan irrigation works · a small Taoist temple on Mount Qingcheng with time with a resident priest and a taiji session · Kuanzhai Alley with Taikoo Li · community Sichuan opera with the backstage visit and face changing up close
Tickets and experiences, ShanghaiThe Bund and the Pudong skyline on the evening of day 16 with your guide · Yu Garden and the old city · Shanghai Museum · the former French Concession and Wukang Road · the Huangpu River commuter ferry crossing
MealsOne hotel breakfast for each of the 13 nights ashore, plus the tea at the day 9 teahouse sitting, which is part of that experience rather than a meal. No lunch and no dinner is in the base price
InsuranceTravel accident insurance; the sum insured and what it covers are stated in your written confirmation

Not Included

International flightsFlights into Beijing and out of Shanghai
Days 12 to 16The Chongqing ground services and hotel night · the Chongqing to Yichang sailing with everything aboard it and its shore programme · the disembarkation transfer at Yichang · the Yichang to Shanghai flight. None of it is bought, none of it is sold
VisasVisa fees and processing for guests who require a Chinese visa, including all US guests on this route
MealsEvery lunch and dinner not listed above: recommended and booked by your guide, at your own expense
In-park transport ashoreThe only in-park transport included in the base price is the Mutianyu cable car and toboggan. Any other cable car, chairlift, shuttle cart, sightseeing bus, or in-park boat anywhere on this route, including Mount Qingcheng, must be purchased on the day at the posted fare.
In-venue spendingSpending inside museums, palaces, parks or markets, plus any paid photography or paid interactive item inside a venue
Early arrival and late departureNights before day 1 and after day 18, and the transfers for them, priced separately at the time of choosing
PersonalTips, laundry, communications and personal spending, plus any single supplement or additional room difference

Special Notes

Several things on this route follow a purchase, a calendar or a season. Here they are, told straight.

Bookings are not open — Four things have to be true first. One, an operator, a sailing date and cabins confirmed for your departure. Two, a Chongqing ground operator and the day 12 hotel under contract. Three, the Yichang transfer and the Yichang to Shanghai flight booked against that sailing's arrival time. Four, the rail seat class fixed in our commercial terms. Until all four are done we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we write to you on the day it opens.
Days 12 to 16 — printed in the itinerary so you can see the route's shape, absent from the highlights, absent from the inclusions and absent from every price. Nothing about the ship, the cabin, the food aboard or the shore programme is promised on this page.
The dam day — This plan places the Three Gorges Dam on day 15, while the standard downstream programme on this river places it on the morning of the disembarkation day. Which applies is fixed with the operator when the sailing is booked, and this page is rewritten only after that.
Low water — From October to December, this river experiences low water levels, and operators adjust sailings and the stretch actually cruised during that season. Every departure date is checked against the operator's own calendar for that season before it is opened.
Departure dates — the national holiday week runs October 1 to 7, when the Terracotta Warriors and the panda base both run at their yearly peak. Departure dates are set so that neither day 6 nor day 9 falls inside it, which makes October 8, 2026 the first sellable departure of this season. Dates are also set so day 2 never falls on a Monday, when the Forbidden City closes; if your dates would put it there, days 2 and 3 swap and the Great Wall runs first.
Museum calendars — the National Museum of China on day 4 and Shanghai Museum on day 17 both take named timed reservations. Each order is checked against those venues' published opening calendars for that week before your date is confirmed.
Nights between Chengdu and Shanghai — six of the thirteen nights ashore fall between these two cities, and the split is still being settled in our product plan. Your quote states in writing how many nights fall in each city for your order.
Rail seat class — not fixed in our commercial terms yet, so each quote states the seat class for that order in writing, and no order is taken without it. No default class is applied.
Airport transfers — the standing arrangement for the day 1 Beijing arrival and the day 18 Shanghai departure is being settled, so each quote states in writing whether your order includes them. The arrival night hotel in Beijing is in the base price either way.
Group — Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
Visa window — the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. Because this is an 18-day plan, a departure on or before December 14, 2026 finishes inside that window; later departures are quoted only after the official renewal is announced.
US passports — the US is not on the 30-day visa-free list, and 18 days is far longer than the ten-day visa-free transit policy allows. Every US guest on this route holds a Chinese tourist or business visa, including a 10-year multiple-entry one. First-time applicants attend a consulate appointment in person, so allow several weeks. Guests who entered China on the transit policy cannot take this trip and we say so before payment rather than after.
Confirmation and changes — the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being finalised with our ground partners. Until they are settled, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions.

Is Eighteen Days Your Length?

Fewer than eighteen days?

The route comes apart along its own chapters. The wall chapter and the road chapter stand on their own; the wall, the road and the water as far as Dujiangyan still carry the whole argument, and that shorter shape avoids the river stretch that is holding this route back. We can plan it against your dates, priced when it is quoted. Tell us how many days you actually have, and we cut chapters rather than cut the pace.

Good to Know

Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
Pace: Six stops in 18 days. Beijing 4 nights, Xi'an 3, and 6 nights between Chengdu and Shanghai, plus the unbought river stretch. Two days carry one place each
Effort: Moderate. The Great Wall climb is by cable car and the descent by toboggan, the Xi'an wall is ridden, and the longest walking days are the palace day and Dujiangyan
Ports: Beijing in, Shanghai out. Whether your order includes the day 1 and day 18 airport transfers is stated in writing in your quote
Rail: Four rail movements are included in the base price. The seat class for your booking is specified in writing in your quote; no default class is applied.
Visas: Guests from the UK and Ireland · western and northern Europe · southern Europe · Canada, Australia and New Zealand enter visa-free for days, checked order by order against your dates. US passports need a Chinese visa for this route
Language: Licensed English-speaking local guides throughout, city by city
Payment: When this route opens for booking: From 1 guest. A 10% deposit (minimum $399) locks your dates. The balance is due 14 days before departure. "Or similar" never means a quiet downgrade
Season: Selling window October to December 2026. First sellable departure October 8, 2026, after the national holiday week. The river stretch runs into the low-water season in these months.

Your Private Concierge Service

Jenny

China Private Travel Route Consultant

“A concierge desk offering bilingual planning services for bespoke China journeys”

Our China team carefully tailors the pace of the itinerary, hotel arrangements, and local reception services to suit the style of each route.

20+

Years

300+

Trips Designed

24/7

On-Trip Care

Step 01

Tell us what excites you

Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there.

24h

First concept delivered

Step 02

We design it around you

Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.

100%

Private, never off-the-shelf

Step 03

Lock it in with 30%

When the plan feels right, a 30% deposit holds your trip. Balance due 30 days before departure.

30%

Deposit to confirm

Step 04

Travel. We handle the rest.

Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for.

24/7

Support throughout your journey

Cancellation terms agreed in writing

English-speaking concierge

Secure payment via Stripe

Guest Reviews

4.9 / 5 · from 523 verified reviews

Emily Carter

🇺🇸 Seattle, USA

Perfect for couples

“My partner and I had an amazing time in China. Everything was arranged for us — transfers, hotels, guides. No stress at all.”

May 2026

Claire Brooks

🇬🇧 London, UK

Great for families

“Traveled with my two kids and had zero issues. The team made sure the pace wasn't too rushed and included things the kids would enjoy. Communication was easy throughout. Will definitely use them again for our next Asia trip.”

Apr 2026

Laura Bennett

🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada

Alisa made the whole experience easy

“Alisa was our point of contact throughout and she was brilliant — patient, knowledgeable, and always quick to reply. The trip itself was wonderful. Beijing and Guilin were highlights.”

Mar 2026

Mark Henderson

🇺🇸 Denver, USA

Good service, minor hiccup but sorted quickly

“Really good service. There was a small mix-up with one of our restaurant bookings but it got sorted quickly. The rest of the trip was seamless.”

Feb 2026

Rebecca Miller

🇺🇸 Boston, USA

Really listened to what we wanted

“Really helpful team. They listened to what we wanted and delivered. Beijing and Xi'an were incredible.”

Jan 2026

China Ready

We've solved the hard parts. Here's everything a first-time Western traveller needs to know before arriving.

Do this before you fly

VPN & Internet Access

What's blocked

Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western news sites are inaccessible in China without a VPN.

Download before you leave

It's nearly impossible to download a VPN once inside China. Install and test at home. Recommended: Astrill (most reliable), Mullvad, ExpressVPN — subscribe to at least two in case one stops working.

Hotel Wi-Fi tip

Some hotels block VPN connections on their Wi-Fi. Use your phone's mobile data as a hotspot if the VPN drops.

Good news

WhatsApp works perfectly through a VPN, so your messaging stays unchanged. Apple iMessage and Signal also work.

Your concierge sets this up on Day 1

Paying in China

China is cashless

Alipay and WeChat Pay are used for almost everything — restaurants, taxis, markets, tickets. Cash is rarely accepted in cities.

International cards now work

Foreign Visa/Mastercard can now link directly to Alipay (set up in minutes, $5,000 single transaction limit). Your concierge walks you through the setup on your first morning.

Carry some cash

We recommend ¥500–800 RMB in cash for the rare vendor that won't accept digital payment, and for small towns.

Booking this trip

Your deposit and balance are charged via Stripe — the same trusted platform used by Airbnb and Booking.com. USD billing, no surprise conversion fees.

We handle the paperwork

Visa & Entry

Do you need a visa?

Most US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for stays over 10 days. We provide a visa invitation letter with every booking — it significantly speeds up approval.

240-hour visa-free transit

Citizens of 55+ countries (including USA, UK, most of EU, AUS, NZ, Canada) can enter China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting through eligible ports. This covers our 12-day itinerary only if you have a confirmed onward flight.

Processing time

Apply 4–6 weeks before departure. Standard processing: 4–7 business days. Express (3 days) and same-day options available at most Chinese consulates.

What we provide

Visa invitation letter, hotel confirmation for all nights, suggested itinerary document — everything the consulate needs, formatted correctly.

Our responsibility, always

Safety & Practical Tips

Is China safe?

China consistently ranks among the safest countries for foreign tourists. Violent crime against visitors is extremely rare. Cities have extensive CCTV coverage and a visible police presence.

Emergency numbers

Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Your concierge is your first call for any non-emergency situation — she has local contacts for every city on the itinerary.

Health & medications

Bring a full supply of any prescription medication. International pharmacies exist in major cities but may not carry your brand. Travel insurance is required — we can recommend policies that cover China specifically.

Language

English fluency outside hotels and tourist sites is limited. Your guides all speak English. We provide a printed pocket card with essential Chinese phrases and emergency contacts for every traveller.

Before You Book

Everything worth knowing before you book.

Is the Yangtze part actually happening?

Not yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. The ship, the Chongqing ground services and the Yichang link are three separate purchases and none of them is made, so days 12 to 16 are printed in the itinerary but sold to no one: not in the highlights, not in the inclusions, not in any price. That is also why the route takes no deposits at all right now. What you can do today is tell us your dates and we will write to you when those three are contracted. If you would rather travel this season than wait, a shorter version that runs Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Dujiangyan and stops there avoids the unbought stretch entirely, and it carries the same argument from the wall to the water. We can plan that against your dates.

Why is Dujiangyan the centre of this route instead of a side trip?

Because it is the point the whole eighteen days turns on. Everything before it was built to divide: a wall around a palace, a wall along a ridge, a wall around a city. Dujiangyan is the opposite decision, taken in the 3rd century BC, and it is still running: the river is split by the shape of its own bed into a stream that waters the Chengdu plain and a stream that carries the flood away. Stand on the divide and the previous nine days rearrange themselves. Most itineraries give it ninety minutes on the way to somewhere; this one gives it a whole day with Mount Qingcheng, and comes back to sleep in the same Chengdu room.

Eighteen days is a long time. Will we be exhausted halfway through?

The middle is where the plan slows down on purpose. Day 9 is a panda morning and a teahouse afternoon in one city with no packing; day 10 goes out to the waterworks and comes back to the same room; the Chengdu nights all run in one hotel. Climbing is done by machine where machines exist: the cable car up the Great Wall, the toboggan down, and a bicycle instead of your feet on the Xi'an wall. Where a site is big, the route is cut to one line with places to sit, which is why the palace day carries no second monument.

Do we need a visa?

Most guests on this route do not. Stays of days are visa-free for the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The same window covers France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It covers the Nordic countries, Central Europe and Ireland. It covers Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. We check your 18 days plus any extra days in China against that window before you pay. The current policy runs through December 31, 2026, so a departure on or before December 14, 2026 finishes inside it. US passports are different: the US is not on that list and 18 days is far longer than the ten-day transit policy allows, so every US guest holds a Chinese tourist or business visa, applied for in person the first time. We confirm visa status before any payment, and if your dates do not fit the window, we say so instead of selling.

October to December: what are the crowds and the weather doing?

The first week of October is the national holiday week, and both the Terracotta Warriors and the panda base are at their yearly peak then, so departure dates are set to keep days 6 and 9 out of it; October 8, 2026 is the first sellable date this season. After that week, the north is dry and cool, and Sichuan turns grey and damp, which suits a teahouse afternoon better than a bright one would. On the river, these are the low-water months, and operators adjust sailings and the stretch actually cruised in that season, which is one more reason no date is opened before the operator's own calendar for that season is in hand.

Forbidden City

Jingshan Park

Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan

Tian'anmen Square

Temple of Heaven

National Museum of China

Hutong & Shichahai Walk

Terracotta Warriors

Xi'an Ancient City Wall Cycling

Muslim Quarter

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Chengdu Panda Base

People's Park Tea

Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple and conversation

Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li

Community Opera Theatre

The Bund

Yu Garden & the Old City

Shanghai Museum

Former French Concession and Wukang Road

The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry

01. Forbidden City

02. Jingshan Park

03. Mutianyu Great Wall

04. Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan

05. Tian'anmen Square

06. Temple of Heaven

07. National Museum of China

08. Hutong & Shichahai Walk

09. Terracotta Warriors

10. Xi'an Ancient City Wall Cycling

11. Muslim Quarter

12. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

13. Chengdu Panda Base

14. People's Park Tea

15. Dujiangyan Irrigation System

16. Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple and conversation

17. Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li

18. Community Opera Theatre

19. The Bund

20. Yu Garden & the Old City

21. Shanghai Museum

22. Former French Concession and Wukang Road

23. The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry

01. Forbidden City

02. Jingshan Park

03. Mutianyu Great Wall

04. Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan

05. Tian'anmen Square

06. Temple of Heaven

07. National Museum of China

08. Hutong & Shichahai Walk

09. Terracotta Warriors

10. Xi'an Ancient City Wall Cycling

11. Muslim Quarter

12. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

13. Chengdu Panda Base

14. People's Park Tea

15. Dujiangyan Irrigation System

16. Mount Qingcheng Taoist temple and conversation

17. Kuanzhai Alley and Taikoo Li

18. Community Opera Theatre

19. The Bund

20. Yu Garden & the Old City

21. Shanghai Museum

22. Former French Concession and Wukang Road

23. The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry

01. Forbidden City

02. Jingshan Park

03. Mutianyu Great Wall

04. Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan

05. Tian'anmen Square

06. Temple of Heaven

07. National Museum of China

08. Hutong & Shichahai Walk

09. Terracotta Warriors

10. Xi'an Ancient City Wall Cycling

11. Muslim Quarter

Beijing · Day 1 - Day 4

Xi'an · Day 5 - Day 7

Chengdu · Day 8 - Day 11

Chongqing · Day 12 - Day 14

Yichang · Day 15

Shanghai · Day 16 - Day 18