Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai: 8-Day Golden China Tour

DAY 1 Beijing

No matter when your flight arrives in Beijing, you will be greeted by a tour guide at the airport and transferred to your hotel. After checking in, you have free time for the remainder of the day.

DAY 2 Tiananmen Square - The Forbidden City - Temple of Heaven

The guide will meet you in the hotel lobby to start exploring the historic city of Beijing, the Forbidden City, the largest and most complete ancient palace in the world. You will then walk to Jingshan Park, where you can enjoy a stunning view of the Forbidden City from the top of Coal Hill.

The Forbidden City is one of the most well-preserved and largest wooden structure ancient architectural complexes in China and even the world. These magnificent buildings can be divided into two main parts: the "Outer Court" and the "Inner Court." The Meridian Gate serves as the boundary, with the Outer Court to the south of the Meridian Gate, where the emperor handled state affairs, and the Inner Court to the north, which housed the imperial concubines and was the emperor's family living space. Walking through the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and enjoying the flowers and greenery in the emperor's garden feels as though you've traveled back in time to a historical drama.

The Forbidden City houses a large number of precious cultural relics, with statistics showing it has over a million pieces. These relics are categorized into several exhibition halls based on their types. Among them, the Treasure Hall and the Clock Hall are particularly eye-catching. The Clock Hall offers clock demonstrations at 11 AM and 2 PM every day, showcasing a variety of uniquely designed mechanical clocks from the Qing Dynasty, which are sure to broaden your horizons.

Enjoy lunch at authentic Chinese restaurants along the way

Visiting the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Heaven is a dedicated altar where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed rituals to worship heaven, pray for rain, and seek a bountiful harvest. It is a nationally renowned ancient architectural site. The northern area of the altar is circular, while the southern part is square, symbolizing "the heavens are round and the earth is square." The entire Temple of Heaven is divided into the inner altar and the outer altar, with well-known buildings such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall located in the inner altar.

Regional Overview

The Inner Altar is divided into northern and southern parts by palace walls. The northern part, known as the "Praying for Grain Altar," is the location where the emperor holds the grand ceremony for praying for grain in spring, praying for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest. The main buildings include the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Emperor Qian Hall, the Eastern and Western Annex Halls, the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Divine Kitchen, the Sacrificial Pavilion, and the Seventy-Two Long Corridors.

The southern part is the "Round Altar," an open-air three-tiered circular stone altar where the emperor worships Heaven on the Winter Solstice. The main buildings include the Round Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, as well as auxiliary halls, the Divine Kitchen, Three Storehouses, and the Sacrificial Animal Pavilion.

The structure connecting the two altars is a stone platform that is 360 meters long, 28 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high, known as the "Sacred Way," also referred to as the "Sea Mott Avenue," and called the "Danbi Bridge," symbolizing the long road that must be traversed to reach the heavenly court.

On the way back to the hotel, you can plan an evening show or a Peking Duck dinner with your guide and seek suggestions.

DAY 3 Badaling Great Wall - Bird's Nest - Water Cube

Your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and then begin exploring the Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou District of Beijing, connecting to Juyong Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. It has been a strategic military stronghold guarding Beijing since ancient times, known as the "Perilous Ridge Fortress." The architectural style of the Mutianyu Great Wall is unique, with dense watchtowers, especially the three watchtowers standing on a single platform, which is rare among the Great Wall.

Enjoy lunch at a local Chinese restaurant near the Great Wall.

Drive back to Beijing, where you can take a short nap in the car. Visit the exterior of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, both of which are stunning buildings built for the Beijing Olympics. Return to the hotel for free time activities.

The Bird's Nest (National Stadium) is located at the northern end of Beijing's central axis. It is the main stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has become one of Beijing's new landmarks in recent years due to its high-end and grand appearance, as well as the numerous international competitions hosted there.

The Water Cube (National Aquatics Center) is located on the north side of Beijing's urban area. The architecture is very unique, with its outer walls composed of over 3,000 irregular air pillow bubbles, resembling water molecules in a blue ocean from a distance. At night, the colorful lights are dazzling, making it a great place for night photography.

DAY4 Beijing Drum Tower Yangmeizhu Xiejie - Nanluoguxiang - Xi'an

You will have enough time to pack in the morning. Our tour guide and driver will wait for you in the hotel lobby. After checking out, we will load your luggage onto the vehicle, and you will have a half-day leisure tour. We will drive to Gulou Yangmeizhu Xiejie and Nanluoguxiang, where you can experience the hustle and bustle of Beijing's hutongs. After lunch, in the afternoon, the driver and guide will take you to the high-speed train station to take the train to Xi'an (approximately five hours). Your Xi'an guide will be waiting for you at the station to assist you in transferring to your hotel.

DAY 5 Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang - The Song of Everlasting Regret Performance

Your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and begin the exploration of the ancient city.

The Terracotta Army Museum, also known as the Terracotta Warriors or Qin Terracotta Warriors, is a burial pit that accompanies the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, together with the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, forming the: Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Museum.

The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang is known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The more than one thousand soldier figurines unearthed here are all unique in appearance and express vivid emotions, making it a dazzling gem in the history of ancient Chinese sculpture art, hailed as "one of the greatest discoveries in 20th-century archaeology."

A Chinese lunch will be arranged near the Terracotta Warrior Scenic Area. Enjoy a large-scale historical drama performance adapted from the narrative stories of Bai Juyi.

DAY6 Xi'an City Wall - Shanghai

After breakfast, check out from your hotel. The guide will take you to visit the ancientcity wall of Xi'an, the largest and best-preserved city wall of its kind in China. It surrounds the former capital of China, stretching nearly 14 kilometers, where you can explore on foot or by bicycle and enjoy your free time. After the morning activities, you will be transferred to Xi'an Airport to check in for your flight toShanghai. Upon arriving in Shanghai, your local guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel, providing a brief introduction to Shanghai along the way.

After visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, you will have the opportunity to watch the fountain show at the North Square. Muslim Street is a food street with a feast of various delicacies, and you can also explore the local culture of paper-cutting and shadow puppetry.

DAY 7 Chenghuang Temple/The Bund/Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street

Your private driver and guide will be waiting for you in the hotel lobby

Destination: City God Temple Tourist Area The City God Temple Tourist Area is home to two major attractions: Yu Garden and the Old City God Temple, making it a must-visit spot for first-time visitors to Shanghai. Here, you can experience Shanghai's folk customs, taste authentic Shanghai snacks and local dishes. At night, the colorful landscape lights on the ancient architectural group also make this place a stunning sight.

The Nanxiang Soup Dumplings here are a must-try, and you can also sit inside the Lvbo Corridor Restaurant, enjoying Shanghai local cuisine while appreciating the bustling crowd coming and going below.

The Bund is located along the Huangpu River, stretching approximately 1.5 kilometers. It is a symbol of the city of Shanghai, and its essence lies in the diverse architectural styles of the international buildings and the stunning night view of the river.

Dozens of classical revival buildings with distinct styles stand along the Bund, with renowned structures such as the Bank of China Building, the Peace Hotel, the Customs House, and the HSBC Building showcasing the splendor of what was once known as the "Wall Street of the Far East." Surprisingly, these buildings were not designed by the same architect nor constructed in the same period, yet they share a unique harmony. The Bund features various architectural styles, including French classical, French grand residential, and Gothic, all of which are important historical sites and representative buildings of modern China, forming a beautiful landscape along the Huangpu River.

As night falls, the neon lights on both shores shimmer and reflect each other. Taking a cruise or ferry on the Huangpu River, with the river breeze gently blowing on your face, you can enjoy the historical Bund on one side and the modern landmarks of Lujiazui on the other. The graceful silhouette of the Waibaidu Bridge also offers a different perspective to appreciate the beauty of this bustling city.

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is approximately 1200 meters long, lined with shops on both sides. At a glance, modern buildings mix with European-style old structures, and the hanging shop signboards stretch endlessly. Especially under the night sky, the neon lights flash, creating a unique charm. You can also take a ride on the "Ding Ding Car," a smaller version of an old tram, to experience the flavor of Old Shanghai.

The pedestrian street starts at Xizang Middle Road (east of People's Square) and ends at Henan Middle Road, with a dark red marble monument at each end. Walking along the pedestrian street, you can see a variety of creative urban sculptures, unique street lamps, flower beds, and telephone booths. If you look down, you will notice many manhole covers engraved with different architectural patterns of the city, and there are plenty of chairs in the center of the street for visitors to sit and relax.

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is one of the bustling commercial streets in Shanghai. As early as the early 20th century, it was a gathering place for department stores, and wandering around here will surely yield great rewards. Nowadays, it features both well-established department stores such as Yong'an Department Store, Hualian Commercial Building, and Silk Commercial Building, as well as large shopping centers like New World City, Bailian World Trade International Plaza, Plaza 66, Hongji Celebrity Shopping Center, and Hongyi Plaza, where you can practically find any product.

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is still a paradise for food lovers. The shopping centers here host various brand-name fashionable restaurants, coffee shops, and numerous restaurants and food stores, such as Lao Ke Le Restaurant, De Xing Pavilion, Cui Ting Restaurant for authentic Shanghai cuisine, as well as First Food Store and Shen Da Cheng Dim Sum Shop for snacks.

Enjoy the beautiful night view as a private car takes you to the hotel.

DAY 8 Oriental Pearl - A Warm Home or the Next Destination

Start your day beautifully with breakfast, whether it includes meals is based on your chosen room type.

Private car to the Oriental Pearl Tower.

The Oriental Pearl Tower stands in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai, overlooking the Bund across the river. It is an iconic building of Shanghai. Enjoying delicious food while admiring the night view of the city from the 267-meter high revolving restaurant is truly an extraordinary experience.

The Oriental Pearl Tower stands 468 meters tall and is composed of 11 spheres of various sizes interconnected as one. This design is inspired by the beautiful imagery of "large pearls and small pearls falling on a jade plate." By ascending to the three main spheres, visitors can enjoy views of the cityscape on both sides of the Huangpu River from different heights, especially while standing on the fully transparent observation corridor at a height of 259 meters, experiencing the unique atmosphere of "walking in the sky" to appreciate the panoramic view of Shanghai. Moreover, visiting the observation deck at night to experience the vibrant colors of the "City That Never Sleeps" under the night sky offers an unforgettable delight.

After enjoying your lunch, we will take you to the airport or train station with your flight information.