China11 days
China: From Great Wall to Shaolin — 11 Days
Beijing to Shanghai via ancient wall hikes, Taoist peaks, and Buddhist monuments across 11 days
This 11-day journey moves through four centuries of Chinese history and geography in sequence: from Beijing's Forbidden City and Ming-era Great Wall sections to the Taoist peaks of Huashan, the Buddhist caves of Longmen, and Shanghai's colonial riverfront. You will navigate the country partly by local subway, partly by overnight train, partly on foot—the way residents themselves move through the country. The itinerary pairs major archaeological and architectural sites (the Terracotta Warriors, the 13-kilometer Xi'an City Wall) with physical engagement—12-kilometer Great Wall hikes, cable-car and foot routes across five peaks at 2,160 meters, walks through Hutong alleys and Muslim quarter street markets. Overnight trains serve as both transport and accommodation, collapsing distance and embedding travel into the fabric of the trip rather than treating it as dead time.
Highlights
- Hike the Great Wall from Wohushan (665 meters) through Jiankou's untouched sections to Mutianyu's restored walls — 12 kilometers over two days
- Climb five peaks of Mount Huashan, including the West Peak at the mountain's symbolic heart, and traverse the Changkong Plank Trail — a 0.3-meter-wide path built into a vertical cliff face
- View approximately 2,000 of the 6,000 individually sculpted Terracotta Warriors in their original battle formation, buried for 2,000 years before excavation in 1976
- Walk the 13-kilometer Xi'an City Wall, the most extensive preserved wall in China
- Visit the Longmen Grottoes — limestone cliffs containing 110,000 Buddhist stone statues carved between the 5th and 8th centuries
- Navigate Beijing's Forbidden City, a ceremonial and political center built 1406–1420 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987
- Travel by overnight soft-sleeper train from Beijing to Xi'an and from Luoyang to Shanghai
Day by day
1Arrival in Beijinghotel lobby · immediate surroundings
You arrive in Beijing and meet your local guide in the hotel lobby at 6 p.m. for an introduction to the trip ahead—logistical details, city-specific guides, and the rhythm of the itinerary. Your guide leads an orientation walk through your immediate surroundings, setting the pace and sensibility of travel on foot that will define the weeks ahead.
2Beijing: Forbidden City, Hutongs, and Temple of HeavenForbidden City · Hutongs · Temple of Heaven · Tiananmen Square
The day begins with an early subway ride to Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares and home to the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People. You then enter the Forbidden City, built between 1406 and 1420 as the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for more than 500 years. UNESCO lists it as the most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures anywhere. A walking tour of the Hutongs follows—narrow alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyard houses where you observe the daily patterns of Old Beijing life. Late in the afternoon, you travel by metro to the Temple of Heaven before returning to the hotel by subway.
3Great Wall Trek: Wohushan to ErdaoliangGubeikou · Wohushan Great Wall · local village · Jianxia Guesthouse
An early departure takes you northwest to Gubeikou, a mountain pass vital to defense strategy and dating to the 16th century. The day's hike begins at Wohushan Great Wall, situated at 665 meters above sea level, where you'll walk alongside your guide through lush vegetation. As you progress, learn how the wall deteriorated in the 1950s when local farmers dismantled sections to salvage bricks for house construction—a reminder of how communities adapted materials to their immediate needs. You'll pass through a local village and walk the wall's inner circle, the secondary defense line built in case the main wall breached. The hike covers 12 kilometers total, with 4–5 hours of walking interspersed with rest breaks and lunch to absorb the views. You'll arrive late afternoon at Jianxia Guesthouse or similar in Erdaoliang village in the Jinshanling area, where you'll spend the night. Breakfast is included.
4Great Wall Trek to Mutianyu and Overnight Train to Xi'anJiankou · Beijing Railway Station
After a home-cooked breakfast at the guesthouse, a 2-hour drive brings you to Jiankou. The morning hike traverses from Jiankou's steep, untouched sections perched on mountain edges to the more accessible, restored Mutianyu section. The views across the wall's path along the ridgeline reveal the architectural challenges ancient builders faced. A picnic lunch provided by your guide marks the midday rest. The hike spans approximately 10 kilometers over 6 hours. In the late afternoon, you transfer to Beijing Railway Station and board an overnight soft-sleeper train heading south to Xi'an, traveling through the night.
5Xi'an: City Wall, Muslim Quarter, and Big Wild Goose PagodaCity Wall · Muslim Quarter · Big Wild Goose Pagoda · Xi'an Railway Station · temple's north square
Upon arrival at Xi'an Railway Station in the morning, you transfer to your hotel. A walking tour of the 13-kilometer City Wall—the most significant and best-preserved wall extant in China—follows. Later, you visit the Muslim Quarter, moving through narrow streets lined with small shops, markets, and restaurants. By late afternoon, a bus takes you to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, originally built to house Buddhist relics and classics brought from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. If timing aligns, you may witness the musical fountain show at the temple's north square.
6Xi'an to Huashan: Terracotta Warriors and Sacred MountainTerracotta Warriors · Mount Huashan · Xi'an to Mount Huashan
The morning is devoted to the Terracotta Warriors. This archaeological site, discovered in 1976 by farmers digging a well after 2,000 years of burial, contains three main open pits. Just under 2,000 of the total 6,000 warriors—each individually sculpted from clay with distinct costumes, heights, and facial expressions—stand in battle formation. After the tour, a 1.5-hour drive north takes you to Mount Huashan, known as "The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven" and one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains. You check into the hotel at the mountain's foot and take an orientation walk through the area.
7Mount Huashan: Five-Peak Traverse and Cliff-Path TrekNorth Peak · Ear-Touching Cliff · Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak) · South Peak (Landing Wild Geese Peak) · Changkong Plank Trail · West Peak · hotel
A cable car ascends to the North Peak to begin a full-day route across Huashan's five summits. You climb the Ear-Touching Cliff, Heavenward Ladder, and Black Dragon Ridge, reaching the Golden Lock Pass. After lunch, you continue to the Middle Peak (Jade Maiden Peak) and East Peak (Facing Sun Peak), then hike to the South Peak (Landing Wild Geese Peak)—the highest of the five at 2,160 meters above sea level. Here, the Changkong Plank Trail presents itself: a 0.3-meter-wide plank path carved into a seemingly bottomless vertical cliff, offering a controlled but visceral test of exposure and balance. Finally, you reach the West Peak, the mountain's symbolic pinnacle and most visually dramatic summit. A cable car descends you back to the hotel. The day totals approximately 12 kilometers of hiking over 4–5 hours of walking and 3–4 hours of rest and viewing.
8Shaolin Monastery: Martial Arts and Buddhist HeritageShaolin Monastery · Hua Shan North Railway Station · Martial Arts Training Center
After breakfast, you travel to Hua Shan North Railway Station for a fast train to Luoyang. From Luoyang, a one-hour drive reaches Shaolin Monastery. You tour the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Pagoda Forest, and the Dharma Cave, then move to the Martial Arts Training Center to watch a live Kung Fu performance—a display of disciplined physical skill and concentration.
9Luoyang: Old Town, Museum, and Longmen Grottoes Overnight TrainLongmen Grottoes · ancient cultural street · Luoyi Old Town · Luoyang Museum · Longmen Train Station
The morning visits the old town of Luoyang, beginning on the ancient cultural street and continuing through Luoyi Old Town—a lively zone of residential areas, snack vendors, souvenir shops, and older buildings. The Luoyang Museum follows, housing items and folk art from the Zhou period. In the afternoon, you travel approximately 12 kilometers south to the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved into steep limestone cliffs extending nearly a mile. The site contains approximately 110,000 Buddhist stone statues, 60 stupas, and 2,800 inscribed steles. Most carvings date between the end of the 5th century and the middle of the 8th century—spanning the Northern Wei (486–534 C.E.) through early Tang (618–907 C.E.) dynasties. In the evening, you transfer to Longmen Train Station and board an overnight soft-sleeper train to Shanghai.
10Shanghai: Temple Districts, Ancient Gardens, and the Bundthe Bund · City God Temple area · Yuyuan Garden · narrow winding lanes (longtangs) of Old Shanghai · Shanghai Museum
You arrive in Shanghai in the morning. A walking tour moves through several layered periods of the city's history. The City God Temple area, neighboring Yuyuan Garden, originated as the Jinshan God Temple in the distant past and was converted to a City God's Temple in 1403 during the Ming dynasty's Yongle era. Today the surrounding precinct functions as a large pedestrian zone hosting shops, restaurants, teahouses, and annual temple fairs. Yuyuan Garden itself represents the most extensive ancient garden with Ming and Qing architectural styles intact. Narrow winding lanes (longtangs) of Old Shanghai offer glimpses into residents' daily lives. The Shanghai Museum, designed in accordance with Feng Shui principles, houses over 120,000 pieces in its permanent collection and rotating exhibitions. In the evening, you visit the Bund—a spectacular array of Art Deco buildings lining what was once Asia's most important financial street.
11Shanghai Departure
Your final morning in Shanghai is unscheduled. Enjoy breakfast at the accommodation before departing at your own pace. You are free to leave at any time.
Where you go
- 1Forbidden City
- 2hutongs
- 3Temple of Heaven
- 4Tiananmen Square
- 5Wohushan Great Wall
- 6Jiankou
- 7City Wall
- 8Muslim Quarter
- 9Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- 10Terracotta Warriors
- 11Changkong Plank Trail
- 12Shaolin Monastery
- 13Longmen Grottoes
- 14Luoyi Old Town
- 15Luoyang Museum
- 16the Bund
- 17City God Temple area
- 18Yuyuan Garden
- 19Shanghai Museum
Included
- Included:
- 7 nights' hotel & 1 night's guesthouse accommodation based on twin share
- Local English speaking guide service in each city for FIT of 2-5 pax
- National English speaking guide service throughout for group of 6 pax or up
- Private/Public transportation in each city as specified
- Sightseeing tours with entrance fee as specified
- 10 breakfasts & 1 lunch
- Regular class fast train Huashan-Luoyang
- Overnight soft-sleeper train Beijing-Xi'an (1 ngiht) & Luoyang-Shanghai (1 night)
Not included
- Do Not Include:
- International airfare
- Visa fee