15 Days Shanghai Chengdu Lhasa Xian and Beijing Tour

When international flight lands in Shanghai, please take a taxi by yourself to our reserved hotel. The rest of the day free for you to be on your own.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

In the morning, visit Shanghai Museum. It is a large museum exhibiting the ancient art while featuring bronze ware, chinaware, calligraphy and painting. Then, travel to the Yu Garden, which is a famous classic garden of south region. The beautiful scenery and quiet atmosphere here make it a peaceful place in bustling Shanghai.

In the afternoon, we will transfer you to the Bund area for a short cruise on the Huangpu River. Standing on the cruise ship, you will see many western-style buildings from Shanghai's colonial days in Puxi area. While on Pudong side, rows of skyscrapers will come into view. The utterly different buildings are the best records of the development of the city. You will explore the Bund area and then visit an old street in Shanghai.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

Today, we will head to Tongli Water Town, which is an ancient town with over 1,000 years. It is a short drive of about 1.5 hours. There you can have a leisure walk in the town and visit the popular sites, such as Tuisi Yuan, Pearl Pagoda, Triple Bridge and so on.

After a short trip in Tongli, we will move on to Suzhou. Upon arrival, you will firstly visit the Lingering Garden, where you can enjoy a classical beauty of the traditional Chinese gardens in this region. Then you will visit No.1 Silk Factory to learn more about the silk making process.

Stay overnight in Suzhou.

In the morning, you will take a high speed train to Hangzhou from Suzhou. You will first visit the famous West Lake, the landmark of Hangzhou city. You can enjoy a leisure cruise there to appreciate the natural beauty with the ancient pagodas, bridges and temples.

After that, you will visit Lingyin Temple. With about 1700 years' history, the old temple hidden in the forest creates a calm atmosphere for you. You can slow your step and experience the peace of Buddhism. Not far from Lingyin Temple is the Feilai Peak, from which you can see many ancient Buddhist carvings.

The last stop is Meijia Dock Dragon Well Tea Village, where you can enjoy a cup of Dragon Well Tea and learn more about Chinese tea culture and tea making process from the China National Tea Museum.

Stay overnight in Hangzhou.

Today, we will first visit the Six Harmonies Pagoda before taking the flight to Chengdu from Hangzhou. Standing at the side of Qiantang River, the Six Harmonies Pagoda was built in 970 in Song Dynasty, and it is a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture.  

Upon arrival in Chengdu, you will be picked up and transferred to the reserved hotel. You can have a good rest at your hotel and explore this land of abundance as you like.

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

In the morning, you will have a special date with the adorable giant pandas in Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. You could also learn more about the life and habits of the national treasure of China.

Then, head to visit the Wenshu Temple, Renmin Park and Jinli Street. As the best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu, Wenshu Temple is famous for its exquisite gardens and halls. Renmin Park is a beautiful city park often filled with locals, and you can enjoy a cup of tea to experience the slow life of Chengdu there. In the end of today, you will walk along the Jinli Old Street to fully appreciate Sichuan’s customs and folk arts.

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

Take a morning flight to Lhasa, and upon arrival our guide will welcome you with a warm Tibetan style greeting and present you with Hada (traditional Tibetan scarves). Then you will be escorted to your hotel in Lhasa city at the comfort of your own private vehicle.

For most of the way, you follow the Kyichu River, you could see Tibetan homes with their trapezoid shaped windows and fluttering prayer flags, and Tibetans walking beside the roads wearing their distinctive national costumes. One of the first buildings you could see as you enter the city is the Potala Palace, sitting majestically on a hill dominating Lhasa.

Stay at the hotel after arrival for adapting to the high attitude. It is helpful to take things easy for the first few days, and try to drink more water.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

The tour will begin from UNESCO World Heritage site - Potala Palace, which is also the winter palace of Dalai Lama. It's situated at 12,139 feet above sea level. It's a 13-story high building that contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals and artifacts. Then continue to Jokhang Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a spiritual center for Buddhists in Tibet. Next to the temple there is Barkhor Street, filled with pilgrims and street vendors, selling traditional Tibetan items such as prayer wheels and jewelry.

Stay overnight in Lhasa. 

In the morning, tourists are going to visit Drepung Monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416. Ganden palace is used as Dalai Lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace. In the afternoon, Sera Monastery---It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419. The highlight is the Monks debate at around 3 - 5 in the afternoon.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you will head to take the flight to Xi’an from Lhasa. Your guide will transfer you to the airport. It will take about 3 hours to get to Xi’an by flight.

The local guide will pick you up upon your arrival, and then take you to the reserved hotel. The rest of the day is for you to have a good rest.

Stay overnight in Xi'an.

In the morning, you will visit the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, a must-see when in Xi'an. Around 8,000 ancient, life-sized figures were created to accompany the first Emperor of China to the afterlife and were part of his mausoleum. Each figure has a unique facial structure and expression as if they had been made from living people. The warriors were buried with the Emperor in 208BC and were not discovered until 1974.

After the warriors, you will head over to the Ancient City Wall of Xi'an for a leisure bicycle tour. The wall around the inner part of the city was built in the 14th century and is 14km long. It is an amazing example of ancient defensive structures. Then you will travel to the Muslim Quarter, the largest area of Muslim business in the city. It is the perfect place to buy souvenirs of Xi'an and China, with a wide range of local snacks and handicrafts.

Stay overnight in Xi'an.

In the morning, you will continue exploring this fascinating city of Xi’an. First, you will visit one of the most popular sites in Xi'an, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Built in 652, the pagoda is a repository of Buddhist figures and scriptures brought to Xi'an from India by, Xuanzang, the first abbot of Daci'en Temple.

Afterwards, you will head to Shanxi History Museum, where you can take in the glory and ancient history of China. The museum holds artifacts that date back as far as the Paleolithic era, up to the more recent Qing Dynasty. The museum is packed with thousands of exhibits from all periods of history, and is a busy, popular attraction.

Finally, the guide will take you to the railway station for your high-speed train to Beijing. On arrival, you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today is guided tour to Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace which are the traditional must-see places in Beijing. These attractions presentto the visitors an image of how the ancient Chinese emperors manage the country, what their family life is, how they spent leisure time, how they sacrifice gods.

Overnight in Beijing.

The Great Wall tour proves that China was one of the strongest country in its history. Stretching thousands of kilometers, the Great Wall protected the ancient Chinese against the invasion of the enemy from its north side for more than 1000 years, the Great Wall was listed as one of the world's eight wonders. Mutianyu Great Wall, featured “graceful”, enjoy the best quality among all Wall sections, 80km north-east of Beijing with 22 ancient watchtowers, about one every kilometer. (Cable car is optional if you do not want to walk)

After that, you will be transferred back to the hotel in downtown area. On the way, you will witness the remarkable Bird's Nest and Water Cube from the outside. Both designed as the main stadiums of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, they now become the popular landmarks of Beijing.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today, you will be transferred to Beijing International Airport for your flight home or next destination.