Beijing
Destination photograph · hotel confirmed in your quote
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ChinaTailor-made ToursYour trip enquiry
Price on request
Enquire on WhatsAppFollow the Forbidden City’s sequence of gates and courtyards, then walk the public lanes around Shichahai. The contrast is in the scale: imperial ceremony inside the palace, doorways, shops and everyday movement in the old neighbourhoods.
Travel out to Mutianyu without fitting in a second major attraction. Walk a section between watchtowers and see how the wall follows the ridgeline; the distance and ascent are planned around your mobility and the weather.
Look closely at the Terracotta Warriors’ ranks, armour and restored figures with your guide. Back in the city, the wall and the Hui neighbourhood’s food shops put two different periods of Xi’an within reach over a two-night stay.
Move from Yu Garden’s rockeries and framed views to the plane-tree streets of the Former French Concession. A Huangpu River cruise brings the Bund and Pudong into the same view, rounding off the route in Shanghai.
Who it suits. A first visit to China for travellers who want its best-known historic sites with private guiding and time to understand the streets around them. The route suits those comfortable with walking, steps and two intercity travel days.
The pace. Eight days include arrival and departure: three nights in Beijing, two in Xi’an and two in Shanghai. This is a compact route, with four full sightseeing days and two travel days. Extra nights are worth considering for a slower pace, younger children or more museums.
Your itinerary
This itinerary can be fine-tuned to your interests and pace. Any changes, availability and the final quote are confirmed before booking.
Day 1 · Beijing
Meet your driver for a private transfer to your Beijing hotel. Keep the rest of the day flexible after the flight; the palace and the Great Wall each have their own day ahead.
Day plan
Your driver meets you at the confirmed Beijing airport and takes you to your hotel. Check-in follows the property’s usual hours; if you arrive early, we can ask about luggage storage.
Rest or find dinner near your hotel. If you feel like a short walk, we can suggest nearby streets; this is independent time, with no fixed sightseeing tied to your arrival.
Stay in the same hotel for three nights, with two full days to explore before travelling to Xi’an.
Day 2 · Beijing
Spend the morning following the Forbidden City’s central courtyards with your guide. After lunch, walk the hutong lanes around Shichahai, where courtyard doorways and small shops bring the scale of the city back to everyday life.
Day plan
Enter through the Meridian Gate and follow the palace’s south-to-north route. Your guide explains how successive gates, courtyards and halls separated public ceremony from the imperial household. Explore a considered selection of the open areas rather than trying to cover every gallery.
Take time for lunch before the afternoon walk. Your guide can suggest a restaurant near the route; the meal is paid separately unless included in your quote.
Walk a compact route through the public lanes near Shichahai. Look at courtyard entrances and the way homes, shops and local traffic share the narrow streets. This is a neighbourhood walk, not a promised visit inside a private home.
The evening is yours for dinner and rest before the Great Wall day.
Day 3 · Beijing
Leave central Beijing for Mutianyu, with the day set aside for the journey and the wall itself. Walk between watchtowers at a distance that suits your party, then return to Beijing without another major visit squeezed into the afternoon.
Day plan
Travel by private vehicle to the hills north of the city. Departure is planned around traffic and your admission arrangements, with room for the return drive later in the day.
Explore an open, restored section with your guide. Follow the changing line of the battlements and see how the towers relate to the steep terrain. Choose a shorter out-and-back walk or continue farther according to your energy, conditions and available time.
Stop for lunch in the Mutianyu area before driving back. Your guide can help with menu choices; lunch is at your own expense unless agreed otherwise.
Drive back to your hotel and leave the remaining time free. Temple of Heaven is an alternative to discuss when planning the Beijing days, not an extra visit assumed after the wall.
Keep your evening flexible and pack for tomorrow’s train to Xi’an.
Day 4 · Xi'an
Travel from Beijing to Xi’an in first class on the high-speed railway. After the station transfer and check-in, take a short city-wall walk if the confirmed arrival time allows; the old-town food streets are saved for tomorrow.
Day plan
Transfer to the departure station for the planned first-class train. This is a substantial travel day once station access, security and the journey are included. The train, seats and luggage arrangements are checked for your dates.
Meet your driver at the arrival station and transfer to the hotel. Your proposal sets out the station meeting point and the local guiding arrangements.
Walk a manageable stretch of the ramparts to see the city’s enclosed plan, gates and surrounding streets. This is not a full circuit. If the train arrives too late, the visit is rescheduled with you for Day 5; bicycle hire is optional and separately confirmed.
Settle into the same hotel for both nights, with the Terracotta Warriors and Hui neighbourhood on the next day.
Day 5 · Xi'an
Visit the Terracotta Warriors outside Xi’an, then return to the city for a walk through the Hui neighbourhood. The morning is about an imperial burial complex; the later walk follows streets still known for their food shops and everyday trade.
Day plan
Drive out to the museum and explore the open excavation halls with your guide. Compare the formations, armour and individual figures, and look at how broken pieces have been reconstructed. The pits are part of the First Emperor’s wider burial landscape, not an entrance into his tomb.
Pause for lunch before returning to central Xi’an. Ask your guide about local noodle dishes or roujiamo and choose to suit your diet. Lunch is paid separately; a hosted family meal is an optional enquiry, subject to a confirmed host and quote.
Explore a short section of the Muslim Quarter with your guide, looking at the shops and foods that give these streets their character. Tastings are optional and paid locally. Let us know dietary needs in advance; the walk does not include a mosque visit unless specified.
Return to your hotel or stay in the old city for an independent dinner. Tomorrow you travel east to Shanghai.
Day 6 · Shanghai
Fly from Xi’an to Shanghai and transfer to your hotel. If the flight leaves enough time, take a first walk along the Bund; a late arrival means settling in and seeing the waterfront tomorrow instead.
Day plan
Transfer to the airport for the planned domestic flight. Your quote confirms the airports, flight, fare and baggage allowance, followed by a private transfer to your Shanghai hotel.
Walk a section of the riverfront and look across to Lujiazui. On the Bund side, the stone-fronted commercial buildings tell one part of Shanghai’s trading history; the towers across the water show a later stage of its growth. This walk can move to Day 7 if your flight arrives late.
Stay in one hotel for the final two nights. Dinner is independent, with suggestions available for the area around your hotel.
Day 7 · Shanghai
Explore Yu Garden and the old-city streets in the morning, then take a measured walk in the Former French Concession. Leave a break before the evening Huangpu River cruise, with the Bund and Pudong on either bank.
Day plan
Step inside Yu Garden to look at rockeries, water, covered passages and the views framed by windows and walls. Continue through the surrounding streets, keeping the garden visit distinct from the busy shops outside its gates.
Choose lunch near the route before transferring to the next neighbourhood. Your guide can suggest options; meals are not included unless listed in the quote.
Follow a short walking route around the plane-tree avenues and side streets near Wukang Road. Notice how villas, apartment buildings and ground-floor shops sit alongside one another. Interiors and private residences are not part of the walk.
Leave time for a rest and dinner before the cruise. If the Bund walk moved from Day 6, the day is adjusted with you rather than adding an extra long walk on top of everything else.
Board the scheduled sightseeing boat for views of the riverfront. The cruise is shared with other passengers; your proposal confirms the departure point, sailing and ticket category. It does not include dinner or a private boat unless stated.
Return to your Shanghai hotel for the last night of the trip.
Day 8 · Shanghai
Transfer privately to the confirmed Shanghai airport for your onward flight. No sightseeing is scheduled before departure, so the morning can be planned around your flight and hotel checkout.
Day plan
Have breakfast if your departure time allows and check out within the hotel’s usual hours. Late checkout or an extra night can be requested and quoted separately.
Meet your driver for the transfer to the airport shown in your itinerary. Pickup timing accounts for the confirmed flight, airport and expected traffic.
Accommodation
As planned Reference 4-star category · base arrangement
Destination photograph · hotel confirmed in your quote
Destination photograph · hotel confirmed in your quote
Destination photograph · hotel confirmed in your quote
The Roamvage approach
Your itinerary
The main visits have their own space in the itinerary. We coordinate palace admission, the Great Wall day and the onward train before confirming your plan, then do the same for Xi’an and Shanghai.
Guiding
Getting around
Final services and prices are confirmed in your quote before booking.
Choose your preferences. We’ll confirm the quote.
Base itinerary. No changes requested.
Ask for a quote on WhatsApp. Your dates, party and trip choices will be included in the message.
