8-Day All-inclusive Private Tour to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai

Three Chinese cities, eight packed days. This private tour links Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai with a guide, private vehicle, high-speed train, and domestic flight, making it a practical way to see China’s headline sights without solving every transport puzzle yourself. I like the efficient routing and the fact that your own group receives personal service throughout.

I also like the mix of famous monuments and smaller encounters, including a Beijing hutong rickshaw ride, a visit to the family connected with the Terracotta Army discovery, and a hands-on clay warrior activity. The main drawback is the pace: you cover a lot of ground, and several days combine long sightseeing sessions with major transfers.

At $2,169 per person, the price covers hotels, breakfasts, entrance tickets, guides, private transport, one high-speed train, one domestic flight, and three lunches. That makes it easier to judge than a bare sightseeing package, though you still pay separately for international airfare, a China visa, personal expenses, and some meals.

Key points to know before booking

• Mutianyu instead of only the busiest Great Wall sections: The tour uses the Mutianyu section and includes a round-trip cable car.
• Beijing to Xi’an by five-hour high-speed train: This is a comfortable and memorable way to cross part of China without adding another airport transfer.
• Private touring in every city: Only your group takes part, with a guide and driver assigned locally.
• Three especially useful meals included: You receive an a la carte welcome lunch in Beijing, a farewell lunch in Shanghai, and another included lunch listed in the package.
• Hands-on Terracotta Army stop: Along with the museum, you visit the first discoverer’s family home and make a small clay warrior with a local artisan.
• A serious sightseeing schedule: You see major imperial, religious, archaeological, and modern sites, but free time is limited.

What $2,169 buys you

The price makes the most sense if you value time and coordination. You are not simply paying for admission to the Great Wall or Forbidden City. You are paying for airport pickups, local guides, private vehicles, hotel arrangements, train and air tickets between cities, and entrance fees at the main sights.

The package includes hotel accommodation with breakfast, seven breakfasts, entrance fees, two bottled waters per person per day, an economy-class flight from Xi’an to Shanghai, and a one-way high-speed train from Beijing to Xi’an. Three lunches are included, with the Beijing welcome meal and Shanghai farewell meal each valued at CNY150 per person.

That is a useful bundle for a first visit. Booking every hotel, transfer, ticket, and domestic journey separately can take time, especially when passport details are needed for transport reservations. The tradeoff is flexibility. Since the trip is built around fixed transfers and timed sightseeing, it is not ideal if you prefer to linger for several days in one city.

The package is described as eight days, while the overview also refers to eight nights and the inclusions specify seven breakfasts. I would confirm the exact hotel-night count and flight schedule before payment. The published route begins with airport pickup in Beijing and ends with airport transfer in Shanghai.

Day 1: A soft landing in Beijing

Your guide meets you at Beijing Capital Airport and takes you to the hotel. The transfer is listed at about one hour, leaving the rest of the day open for rest or a little self-guided exploring.

That quiet first day is welcome after an international flight. Your guide can offer suggestions, but no sightseeing ticket is included because this is mainly an arrival and check-in day. Keep your plans modest. Beijing’s size and traffic can make even a simple outing more tiring than expected.

Pickup is offered at the airport, with the listed meeting point at Capital Airport in Shunyi. The tour requires at least two people per booking, so it suits couples, families, or friends traveling together better than solo visitors.

Day 2: Imperial Beijing from Tiananmen to the Temple of Heaven

The first full sightseeing day begins at Tiananmen Square, where you have about 30 minutes to see one of the world’s largest city squares. It is a broad, formal space rather than a cozy public plaza, so the guide’s historical explanation adds useful context.

From there, you enter the Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum. Allow about three hours for the imperial complex, with its ceremonial halls, courtyards, pavilions, and art collections. The key benefit of touring here with a guide is orientation. The scale can be confusing, and a guide helps connect the buildings to the work and private life of China’s emperors.

At noon, an a la carte welcome lunch is included at a local restaurant. The allowance is listed as CNY150 per person. This is one of the package’s better touches because it gives you a proper introduction to Chinese food without asking you to choose a restaurant while managing a full sightseeing day.

The afternoon moves to Yonghe Temple, commonly called the Lama Temple. This 300-year-old imperial lamasery combines Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan design. It provides a welcome change from the grand political spaces of Tiananmen and the Forbidden City, with a more religious and atmospheric setting.

You finish at the Temple of Heaven, where emperors once worshipped for good harvests. The visit lasts about 90 minutes. The architecture is distinctive, and the site helps explain how imperial authority was tied to ritual and agriculture.

This day is full but coherent. You get the political center, imperial residence, religious life, and ceremonial tradition of old Beijing in one route. Wear comfortable shoes and expect plenty of time on foot.

Day 3: The Mutianyu Great Wall and Beijing’s old lanes

Mutianyu is the main event. The tour includes a round-trip cable car, which saves energy for walking on the wall and looking across the hills. The planned visit lasts about three hours, long enough to appreciate the watchtowers and the wall’s rise and fall without turning the day into a marathon.

Lunch is not included at Mutianyu, but the guide can help you choose a restaurant near the site. This is a small cost to plan for. You may also want to ask the guide how much walking is expected on the wall, since cable-car access does not remove the stairs and uneven surfaces once you are up there.

On the return drive, you pass the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest. The stop is short, about 20 minutes, and the ticket is not included. The plan is mainly for photographs from a distance, not a full stadium visit, so keep your expectations modest.

The day ends with a hutong tour by rickshaw and a visit to a local family. Beijing’s hutongs are old alley neighborhoods, and this part gives the day a more personal scale after the monumental Great Wall. It is one of the strongest parts of the route for seeing how traditional city life fits beside modern Beijing.

The combination works well: grand engineering in the morning, Olympic architecture on the drive back, then older residential lanes. It is also another long day, so this is not the right trip for anyone seeking a slow schedule.

Day 4: The Summer Palace and the fast train to Xi’an

The Summer Palace receives about two hours. It was an imperial garden with elaborate buildings and graceful grounds around the water. The visit offers a softer visual break after the formality of the Forbidden City and the physical effort of the Great Wall.

In the afternoon, you board a high-speed train to Xi’an. The ride takes about five hours. A local guide and driver meet you at Xi’an North Railway Station and take you to the hotel.

This transfer is a major advantage of the package. High-speed rail is a practical way to connect Beijing and Xi’an, and the included station pickup removes much of the worry around arriving in a large unfamiliar city. Still, the day is split between sightseeing and transport, so do not treat it as a full sightseeing day in Xi’an.

Pack anything you need for the train in an accessible bag. Your main luggage arrangements are not explained in the package, so it is sensible to confirm how bags are handled during the station transfer and hotel check-in.

Day 5: The Terracotta Army and a clay warrior of your own

The Terracotta Army takes up the morning, with about four hours at the museum complex. Three excavated pits display the famous figures, along with ancient weapons. This is the archaeological centerpiece of the Xi’an portion and one of the strongest reasons to choose the route.

Four hours gives you time to study the pits rather than make a rushed photo stop. Your guide can also help explain what you are seeing, since the figures are impressive but the site is much easier to understand when the excavation and military purpose are put into context.

Lunch is on your own, with restaurant suggestions based on your preferences. After the museum, you visit the home of the family connected to the first discovery of the Terracotta Army. Then you make a miniature clay warrior with help from a local artisan.

That hands-on stop gives the day a more human touch. You move from a major archaeological site to a family connection and then to a simple craft activity. It is a good contrast to formal museum viewing, especially for families.

In the afternoon, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda introduces Xi’an’s Tang Dynasty Buddhist tradition. The pagoda was built to store scriptures brought from ancient India. You then have about 40 minutes at the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever-Bright City, a pedestrian area where people dress in traditional Chinese clothing and take part in modern cultural displays.

The final stop is more contemporary and commercial than the Terracotta Army. That contrast may appeal to you if you want to see how historical themes are presented in present-day Xi’an. If you prefer quiet ruins and museums, the short visit may feel less important.

Day 6: Xi’an’s walls, mosque, and Muslim Quarter

The morning begins at the City Wall Park, where you can watch ordinary city life before visiting the wall itself. The wall is described as the most complete existing urban fortification in China, and the visit lasts about two hours.

Cycling on the wall is popular, but bike rental is not included. Ask your guide about the rental cost and available time if you want to ride. Walking is also possible, and the elevated route gives you a different view of Xi’an than street-level sightseeing.

Next comes the Great Mosque, a notable meeting of Chinese and Islamic architectural styles. The one-hour visit adds religious and cultural range to the tour. It is particularly valuable after the Buddhist focus of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

The nearby Muslim Quarter provides about 90 minutes for snacks and handicrafts. Food purchases are not included, so bring some local currency or confirm accepted payment methods with your guide. This is one of the better places in the program to sample Xi’an’s street food, though the stop is short.

After lunch or free time, you fly from Xi’an to Shanghai. A local guide meets you at the Shanghai airport and takes you to the hotel. The flight itself is listed at about two hours, but airport procedures and transfers make this a substantial travel block.

The day combines four different kinds of experience: local park life, historic defense, religious architecture, and food culture. It is also one of the busiest days because the flight follows the sightseeing.

Day 7: Shanghai museums, gardens, river views, and old streets

Your Shanghai day opens at the Shanghai Museum, with about two hours among ancient Chinese artworks. This is a useful indoor start and gives you a foundation for the objects, styles, and periods you encounter elsewhere.

Next, you visit Yu Garden for about two hours. The Nine Zigzag Bridge and mid-lake pavilion are among the garden’s best-known features. The winding paths and compact design make this a very different experience from Beijing’s vast imperial compounds.

A farewell lunch is included at a nice restaurant, again with a listed value of CNY150 per person. This is the second clearly identified special meal and helps break up a demanding sightseeing day.

The Huangpu River cruise lasts one hour. It gives you a broad view of Shanghai from the water and connects the city’s older Bund frontage with its modern identity. A river cruise is a smart inclusion because you can see more of the city without adding more walking.

You then have free time around the Bund for about 30 minutes. That is enough for photographs and a quick look, but not enough for an unhurried stroll, shopping, or a long café stop. The guide sees you into the hotel lobby after the main day, then you visit Tianzifang for about 40 minutes.

Tianzifang is presented as a traditional street with an arts and culture atmosphere. The short visit is best used for a quick look at lanes and shops rather than a detailed exploration. The sequence is full, but it gives you several sides of Shanghai in one day: old art, classical gardens, river scenery, colonial-era city views, and an arts district.

Day 8: A simple airport departure

After breakfast, your private guide and driver collect you from the hotel and transfer you to the airport. The listed transfer takes about one hour.

There is no sightseeing planned, so your departure time matters. Confirm the pickup schedule with your guide and keep your passport and flight information handy. International airfare is not part of the package.

The private format and daily pace

The private setup is the tour’s biggest practical advantage. You travel only with your own group, and a guide and driver are assigned in each city. That usually means fewer delays than a large coach group and more freedom to ask for lunch suggestions, clarify sites, or adjust small details.

The route also uses several kinds of transport: private air-conditioned vehicles, a high-speed train, and a domestic flight. This avoids a long road journey between all three cities, but it means you should expect regular packing, station transfers, airport transfers, and hotel check-ins.

The schedule suits you if your goal is to see China’s major first-visit sights in one trip. It is less suitable if you want long evenings, slow meals, or unscheduled time. The published rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 27 ratings, with 100 percent recommendation, and the strongest praise is directed toward the guides, hotels, major sights, and efficient transportation.

The tour is booked an average of 10 days ahead, so planning early is sensible. Passport name, number, expiry date, and country are required for all participants at booking. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed after booking, which makes travel insurance and careful date checking especially important.

Who should book this China tour?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors who want Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai in one organized package. It is also a good fit for couples and families who value private guiding, included transport, and comfortable hotels more than a loose, independent schedule.

The tour is particularly strong for anyone who wants the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army, and Shanghai’s Bund without arranging separate domestic tickets. The clay warrior activity and hutong family visit also add variety beyond the standard landmark checklist.

I would hesitate if you dislike early starts, long sightseeing days, or moving between hotels every few nights. You should also budget for visa costs, international flights, lunches not included, bike rental on the Xi’an wall, the Bird’s Nest ticket if you want to enter, and personal purchases.

For the right kind of visitor, $2,169 is a fair price for the amount of coordination included. Book it if convenience and coverage matter most. Choose a slower, more flexible plan if you would rather spend several days getting to know one city at a time.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts approximately eight days, beginning with arrival in Beijing and ending with airport transfer in Shanghai.

Which cities does the tour visit?

The route covers Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates, with a professional guide and experienced driver.

What transportation is included?

The package includes private air-conditioned vehicle transfers, a one-way high-speed train from Beijing to Xi’an, and a one-way economy-class flight from Xi’an to Shanghai.

Is airport pickup included?

Yes. Airport pickup is provided on arrival in Beijing, and airport transfers are also arranged in Xi’an and Shanghai. The final day includes transfer from the Shanghai hotel to the airport.

Are hotels included?

Yes. Hotel accommodation with breakfast is included. The package lists seven breakfasts.

Which meals are included?

Three lunches are included. These include a welcome lunch in Beijing and a farewell lunch in Shanghai, each listed at CNY150 per person, along with another included lunch during the tour.

Is the Great Wall cable car included?

Yes. A round-trip cable car at Mutianyu is included.

Is bicycle rental on the Xi’an City Wall included?

No. Cycling is optional, and the bike rental fee is not included.

What is not included in the tour price?

China visa fees, international airfare, and personal expenses are not included. Lunches outside the three included meals are also your responsibility.

What documents are needed to book?

Passport name, passport number, expiry date, and country are required for every participant at booking. A current valid passport is required on the day of travel.

Can one person book this tour?

A minimum of two people per booking is required.

Can I cancel or change the booking?

No. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason after booking.