China16 days
China: Beijing to Shanghai via Tibet & the Yangtze — 16 Days
Beijing's imperial heartland through the Tibetan Plateau and Three Gorges cruise to Shanghai's old quarter
This journey moves across the full breadth of China's history and terrain, starting in Beijing with the Forbidden City and Great Wall, then climbing by train to Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau. After exploring Lhasa's monasteries and sacred sites, you descend to Chengdu to visit the Panda Breeding Center, then board a cruise through the Yangtze River's Three Gorges—passing the massive dam at Yichang—before ending in Shanghai. The route crosses eight days on trains and boats, connecting vastly different altitudes, climates, and cultures with local guides in each region.
Highlights
- Walking the Forbidden City, built 1406–1420 and UNESCO-listed for its collection of preserved wooden structures
- Cycling the 13-kilometer circuit of Xi'an's ancient City Wall, the most significant preserved city wall in China
- The Potala Palace in Lhasa, perched 130 meters above the city with the White Palace (secular) and Red Palace (religious)
- Yamdrok Lake at 4,730 meters via Khamba-la Pass, a 72-kilometer turquoise freshwater lake ringed by snow-capped peaks
- Three Gorges Yangtze cruise through Qutang and Wu Gorges, with excursion to Shennv Valley (Goddess Stream)
- Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydro-electric project completed in 2009, with a 2014 world record for power generation
- Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibet and a World Heritage site, with the sacred Barkhor Street kora
- Kumbum Monastery near Xining, one of the six largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and birthplace of the philosopher Tsongkhapa
- Terracotta Warriors near Xi'an, over 6,000 individually sculpted figures discovered in 1976, with three main pits open to view
Day by day
1Beijing Arrival & Peking Duck Dinneryour hotel lobby · the city · dinner venue
Welcome to Beijing, China's capital. Your tour begins with a welcome meeting at 6 p.m. in your hotel lobby, where your guide reviews trip details and logistics for the cities ahead. Following the meeting, take an orientation walk through the city before settling in for a traditional Peking Duck dinner. You'll stay at Chongwenmen Hotel or similar for two nights.
2Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Hutong AlleysTiananmen Square · Forbidden City · Hutongs
The day involves substantial walking and subway travel through Beijing's central landmarks. Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares, hosts the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People. From here you enter the Forbidden City, the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for more than 500 years. Built between 1406 and 1420, it holds the distinction of being the most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. After exiting the palace complex, you walk through the Hutongs, the narrow alleyways lined with traditional courtyard homes that reveal the daily life and domestic arrangements of Old Beijing.
3Mutianyu Great Wall & Overnight Train to Xi'anMutianyu · Beijing to Xi'an
A two-hour drive north of Beijing brings you to Mutianyu, a well-preserved section of the Great Wall. A picnic lunch is served on the wall. You return to Beijing in the afternoon with free time for shopping or sightseeing before boarding an overnight soft-sleeper train to Xi'an.
4Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, Gao Family Residence & Muslim QuarterTerracotta Warriors · Gao family residence · Xi'an's Muslim Quarter
After arrival and breakfast, you head to the Terracotta Warriors, an archaeological site discovered in 1976 that contains more than 6,000 warriors, chariots, and horses, each individually sculpted from clay with different costumes, heights, and facial expressions and arranged in battle formation. Three main pits displaying over 2,000 warriors are open for viewing. Following lunch in a local village, you visit a 400-year-old Gao family residence, a well-preserved courtyard that sheltered seven generations of royal court officials and displays period furniture, pottery, porcelain, and paintings. Later, you wander through Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, a maze of narrow streets lined with small shops, markets, and restaurants.
5Xi'an City Wall Cycle & Bullet Train to XiningXining · Xi'an's ancient City Wall · Xi'an to Xining
The morning is spent cycling around Xi'an's ancient City Wall, which runs over 13 kilometers and takes roughly two hours to complete at a steady pace. In the early afternoon, a high-speed bullet train departs for Xining (approximately 4.5 hours), a city of 500,000 set on China's northwest plateau and home to a substantial Chinese Muslim population. An orientation walk follows arrival.
6Kumbum Monastery & High-Altitude Train to LhasaKumbum (Ta'er Si) Monastery · Xining to Lhasa
About 30 kilometers outside Xining stands Kumbum (Ta'er Si) Monastery, one of the six largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The site is historically significant as the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, one of Tibet's most important Buddhist philosophers, who later traveled to Lhasa to establish his teachings. You view the stupas, Teaching Hall, and the Butter Sculpture exhibition, which displays elaborate sculptures created from yak butter and colored with traditional pigments. In early afternoon, you board the train to Lhasa (approximately 21.5 hours), climbing onto the Changtang Plateau.
7Across the Tibetan Plateau to LhasaLhasa · high-altitude railway through a landscape of high plateaus and mountain passes · Lhasa station
You travel the high-altitude railway through a landscape of high plateaus and mountain passes. Grasslands and high-altitude lakes characterize the terrain. On arrival at Lhasa station on the city's outskirts, you receive a traditional white katak scarf (a prayer scarf). Time is set aside to rest and acclimatize to the altitude before a late-afternoon orientation walk.
8Lhasa: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Sera MonasteryPotala Palace · Jokhang Temple · Sera Monastery · Barkhor Street
The Potala Palace dominates the day—a structure built as the seat of government and winter residence for successive Dalai Lamas, perched 130 meters above the city. The palace divides into two sections: the White Palace (secular administration) and the Red Palace (religious, housing chapels, shrines, and the tombs of Dalai Lamas). You must remain with your guide throughout. Later, you visit the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart and most sacred temple in Tibet, which draws steady waves of pilgrims year-round. You then join pilgrims walking the Barkhor Street circuit in a clockwise direction, a sacred kora in Tibetan Buddhist practice. In the late afternoon, you visit Sera Monastery, a university monastery where you witness philosophical debates among monks—except on Sundays.
9Yamdrok Lake & Khamba-la PassYamdrok Lake · Khamba-la Pass · Yarlung Tsangpo
A day excursion from Lhasa takes you across the Yarlung Tsangpo, Tibet's longest river, as the road winds steadily upward to Khamba-la Pass at 4,730 meters. From this vantage point, Yamdrok Lake lies below—a freshwater expanse stretching 72 kilometers, framed by snow-capped mountains that rise from its shores.
10Chengdu: Jinli Street & Kuanzhai AlleyJinli Street · Kuanzhai Alley
After a morning flight to Chengdu, you head directly to Jinli Street, a historic thoroughfare known for its commercial activity and local food vendors. Here you'll sample sticky rice cakes with sesame sauce, spicy chicken skewers, sweet rice jelly, fried beef pancakes, and regional specialties. In the afternoon, you visit Kuanzhai Alley, one of Chengdu's significant historic districts. This area preserves architectural remains of old Chengdu and reflects the pace of local life. You'll spend the night at Joha Forstar Hotel or similar.
11Giant Pandas & Yangtze River Cruise EmbarkYangtze River · Panda Breeding Center · local restaurant · Chongqing
Begin with a morning visit to the Panda Breeding Center, where conservation efforts protect this endangered species. Watch pandas at close range as they play, eat, nap, and feed on bamboo. After lunch at a local restaurant, you'll travel by bullet train to Chongqing, then board your Yangtze River cruise. Over the next three nights, the boat carries you through the river region while you observe the scenery from deck.
12Yangtze River Cruise: Fengdu Ghost City & Minorities Culture ShowYangtze River Cruise · Fengdu · culture show venue
Begin your day observing the Yangtze's scenery from your cabin window. A short excursion takes you to Fengdu, which earned its reputation as the "Ghost City" during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Visit its temples and see the layers of Chinese ghost culture woven through the site's history and architecture. That evening, watch a dynasties culture show performed by Chinese minority groups, introducing their distinct cultural expressions and traditions.
13Yangtze River Cruise: Qutang and Wu Gorges, Shennv ValleyQutang and Wu Gorges · Shennv Valley · cruise ship
Today the cruise passes through two of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze—the Qutang and Wu Gorges—navigating dramatic passages. An excursion into Shennv Valley, known as the Goddess Stream, offers views of thousands of cliffs rising vertically above a narrow waterway. The water appears green, colored by surrounding stone walls hundreds of meters high. As evening arrives, the captain hosts a farewell banquet.
14Three Gorges Dam & Flight to ShanghaiThree Gorges Dam · Shanghai · Yichang
An early-morning arrival at Huang Ling Miao allows a visit to the Three Gorges Dam, a major hydro-electric facility completed in 2009. Its functions span flood control, power generation, water transfer, and irrigation. After disembarking at Yichang, you fly to Shanghai.
15Shanghai: City God Temple, Yu Garden & Old LanesYu Garden · City God's Temple area · longtangs
A walking tour moves through Shanghai's layered past, beginning at the City God's Temple area. Originally the Jinshan God Temple, dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan—an island off Shanghai's coast—it was converted to a City God's Temple in 1403. From there, you visit Yu Garden, an extensive ancient garden showcasing Ming and Qing architectural styles. The tour concludes wandering the longtangs—narrow, winding lanes that characterize Old Shanghai—where you observe the rhythms of local daily life. These passages offer a view of how residents have inhabited this historic quarter.
16Shanghai DepartureShanghai
Your journey through China comes to an end. Breakfast is included before your departure transfer to the airport.
Where you go
- 1Tiananmen Square
- 2Forbidden City
- 3hutongs
- 4Mutianyu
- 5Terracotta Warriors
- 6Lhasa
- 7Potala Palace
- 8Jokhang Temple
- 9Sera Monastery
- 10Barkhor Street
- 11Shanghai
Included
- Included:
- · 10 nights' hotel accommodation based on twin share
- · Local English speaking guide service in each city for FIT booking of 2-5 pax
- · National English speaking guide service throughout for group booking of 6 pax or up
- · Private/public transfers in each city as specified
- · Sightseeing tours with entrance fee as specified
- · Overnight soft-sleeper train Beijing-Xi'an (1 night) & Xining-Lhasa (1 night)
- · 4 days and 3 nights Yangtze cruise accommodation based on twin share
- · 15 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners
- · Regular class fast train Xi'an-Xining
- · Economic class flight Lhasa-Chengdu & Yichang-Shanghai
Not included
- Excluded:
- · International flights
- · Travel insurance
- · Chinese visa
- · Expenses of personal nature, ie laundry, alcoholic drinks, and etc.