10-Day Beijing-Xi’an-Zhangjiajie-Shanghai Family Tour

On arrival into Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) be met by your dedicated tour guide outside the baggage claim area. On the way to your pre-booked four or five-star inner city hotel, your guide will point out the highlights and history of Beijing. Spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible city at your own leisure. Perhaps get a taste of modern Beijing at nearby Wangfujing Street or simply relax in your luxurious hotel.

Meals included: None

After breakfast today explore Beijing with your guide who will collect you from your hotel. Visit the world’s largest city square, Tiananmen Square. Make your way across the road to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally historic landmark in China, which was the former residence of Chinese royalty for five centuries. After the Forbidden City tour, you will hop on a rickshaw for a Hutong Tour through this characteristic, maze-like Beijing neighbourhood. Experience Chinese culture and folk arts by learning Chinese brush calligraphy, facial designs of the Beijing Opera and kite making. Before heading back to the hotel, sample the famous local food market Sanyuanli where you can stock up on fruit and snacks for your next day’s trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to closure of the Forbidden City each Monday.

Today after an early breakfast and hotel pickup, the first stop is the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less frequented part of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic landmark located approximately 70 kilometres from Beijing. Take a pleasant and comfortable round-trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery, then walk the wall to take in the Ming dynasty guard towers and sensational views. On return to the city in the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace. Appreciate the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of royalty who enjoyed this summer resort during imperial times. A stopover at Beijing’s stadium and pool – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a modern contrast to China’s ancient history. Return to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After the breakfast, you will explore Xi’an’s ancient City Wall, currently the largest and best-preserved wall of its type in China. Enclosing China’s former capital city and almost 14 kilometres long, enjoy your free time by exploring on a either a tandem or regular bicycle. Next destination is today’s sightseeing highlight, the world-renowned Terracotta Army. Recognized as the largest underground military base in the world, take in this extraordinary archeological discovery, which houses thousands of unique life-sized figures. Try making your own Terracotta soldier or horse by visiting a local villager’s workshop. Return to the city and for a change of pace, take in the quiet of Xi’an’s Great Mosque, located in the middle of the city’s old block. Built mid seventh century, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic mosque in China. Mix with locals and find food of every flavor in Muslim Quarter, which is bustling with authentic eateries and souvenirs. Enjoy the shadow play in a traditional Chinese architecture, Gao’s Grand Courtyard, the former residence of an official in Ming Dynasty. Today’s final destination before returning to your hotel is Xi’an’s famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast and check out from your hotel, the tour guide will take you to the Xi’an Museum where you’ll discover over 370,000 relics of Chinese history. Take in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of two iconic Buddhist pagodas in Xi’an. You may have a chance to enter at the top of the pagoda and look out over Xi’an’s 1,400 years of history, then take a contemplative walk through the temple and gardens. Following on from the morning’s activities, you’ll be driven to the airport for your flight to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, your local guide will meet and transfer you to your hotel, providing a brief introduction to Zhangjiajie on the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Xi’an Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

After breakfast, begin your exploration of this gorgeous region in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Take the world highest and fastest elevator, the Bailong Elevator to reach the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, located in the northwest of Zhangjiajie. Be inspired by attractions, including the No. 1 Natural Bridge under Heaven, used for the design of Hallelujah Mountains in the famous film Avatar, and other iconic karst landscapes. Afterwards, ride the public shuttle bus to the Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve and appreciate the more of the region’s exquisite landscape, including Helong Park, Xihai Stone Forest, Fairy Offering Flowers, and the Imperial Brush Peak. Head down the mountain by taking a two-kilometer journey on the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car. (If the cable car is not available, the Bailong Elevator will be taken). Finish the day with a small train trip where you can view the misty karst landscape of the Ten-mile Gallery in the Suoxigu Valley. Following this full day of activities, return to your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today's sightseeing commences with a tour to the precipice of Tianmen Mountain.

Prepare yourself for the breathtaking view as you ride the world's longest cable car to the mountaintop and walking on the glass Sky Walk perched at 1430 meters above the ground. Take the escalator through the mountain to Tianmen Cave, a huge naturally formed hole crossing the cliff of the mountain. It’s the perfect location for capturing photos of the stunning natural landscape and the 999 steps leading to the foot of the Cave. Ride the escalator down to the resting area and finish the Tianmen Mountain trip with a shuttle bus ride to the parking lot. Following the morning’s activities, you will be transferred to the airport for your fight to Shanghai. In Shanghai, your local guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel pointing out this bustling city’s local landmarks along the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Alternative travel arrangements can be made for those preferring to travel by shuttle bus up the mountain and cable car down the mountain. Please liaise with your guide to make this change.

Commence your tour of Shanghai with a visit to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Start the exploration in the 11 different themes galleries and have fun with the variety activities. A special experience will be watching 3D,4D films in the Science Theaters. Walk Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping precinct in China. Change tempo and visit Yuyuan Garden, where you can marvel at the stunning gardens; then stroll around the nearby Yu Garden Bazaars. Make the most of your afternoon by wandering the quieter streets of Dongping Road or Sinan Road in the Former French Concession, where you will find the essence of classic Shanghai.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is closed on Mondays.

Your tour guide will collect you at the hotel and drive you to the airport for your flight home. Alternatively, if your flight departures from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, depending on your flight departure time, your tour guide can accompany you to take the Shanghai Maglev (the fastest commercial high-speed electric train in the world) to the airport as a special experience while your luggage is transferred to the airport by the driver.

Meals included: Breakfast