• Iconic China and Silk Road

    ★★★★★

    4.9/5 610 Latest reviews

    Tour Code: ODY-CN-442

    Destination:Chengdu, Xi’an, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, Kashgar, Beijing

Duration

14 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Heritage

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About This Trip

On this two-week tour of China, you’ll see the iconic sites and explore the ancient Silk Road. Say hello to the lovely pandas in Chengdu. Behold Terracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall, Hangyang Tomb in Xi’an. Then you’ll fly to Dunhuang to see the famous Mogao Caves. Besides, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Singing Sand Dune and Crescent Spring. On the way from Dunhuang to Liuyuan, you’ll visit another stunning cave – Yulin Cave. Several days later, you’ll explore Turpan and Kashgar in Xinjiang. The highlights include Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes, Flaming Mountain, Jiaohe Ruins, Sunday Bazaar, Id Kah Mosque, etc. The last stop is Beijing, where the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven await.

Itinerary Summary

DAYPLACEHIGHLIGHTS
1-2ChengduChengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, River View Tower Park, Jinli Street
3-5Xi’anTerracotta Warriors, Ancient City Wall, Hangyang Tomb
6DunhuangMogao Caves, Singing Sand Dune and Crescent Spring
7Dunhuang – Liuyuan – TurpanYulin Cave
8-9TurpanGaochang Ruins, Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes, Flaming Mountain, Tuyoq Village, Emin Minaret, Jiaohe Ruins
10KashgarSunday Bazaar, Id Kah Mosque, Abakh Khoja Tomb
11-14BeijingGreat Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven
Quick Question

Itinerary

Welcome to panda’s hometown – Chengdu! On arrival, your personal guide will greet you with a welcoming name board and escort you to the hotel by 1-hour drive.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

As the national treasure, panda should be the most important purpose for you to Chengdu. Besides pandas, Chengdu will show you more with its easygoing lifestyle and diverse local cultures. Today, you will enjoy both.

In the morning, depart for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding at 8:00 am, spend about 2 hours there seeing the cute pandas feasting on delicious breakfast and taking enjoyment in their playtime.

In the afternoon, wandering around the River View Tower Park, go to experience local people’s tea culture or watch them playing Chinese mahjong. Before ending the day tour, you will have a leisurely walking on the bustling Jinli Street.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Free time in the morning. You can do further exploration of the city or treat yourself with some special local food. In the afternoon, take a high-speed train for 4 hours to Xi’an. This millennium ancient capital of Xi’an was the starting point of the famous Silk Road in the “Marco Polo Travels” by Italian explorer Marco Polo.

Upon your arrival, your personal tour guide will meet you and accompany you to the downtown hotel.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

After breakfast, drive about one hour to Lintong to visit the Terracotta Warriors, one of the wonders of the world. You must be amazed by the thousands of vivid clay soldiers and chariots at real size.

In the afternoon, get back to the city and visit the Ancient City Wall, the symbol of Xi’an.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today, fly to Dunhuang, a place close to the parting of the northern and southern routes that skirted the impassable Taklamakan Desert. On the way to the airport, a detour to Hanyang Tomb will show you the court life and production of ordinary people in the Han Dynasty about 2,000 years ago. Different from it, the Terracotta Warriors will demonstrate you the military power of the Qin Dynasty which was just before the Han Dynasty.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Located in the southwest of Dunhuang city, Mogao Caves are considered to be the largest and richest Buddhist art gallery in the world. Today you will be in close contact with it to marvel at the historical art gems of Buddhist sutras, murals and sculptures.

After that, continue to the Singing Sand Dune and Crescent Moon Spring, where you can not only appreciate the sunset at the desert but also be able to take some sand activities at your own expense.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Drive about 2.5 hours to Liuyuan railway station for your high-speed train to Turpan. On the way, stop at Yulin Cave. As a branch of the Mogao Grottos, it gains less attention from the world; however, this tranquil place may give you much more surprise.

Arrive in Turpan 4 hours later and then be escorted to the hotel.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Your first day in Turpan will be filled with Gaochang Ruins, Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, the Flaming Mountains and Tuyoq Village. If the exploration of these weathered ruins and caves will take you to a distant past, then the visit to Tuyoq Village will present you the lively and vivid local life of today.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Further discover in Turpan with Emin Minaret (Sugong Tower), Jiaohe Ruins and the time-honored Karez Irrigation Site. Afterward, drive about 2.5 hours to Urumqi airport for your flight to Kashgar.

When you arrive in Kashgar, a local tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

The city tour in the city of Kashgar includes Id Kah Mosque – the largest mosque in China, Abakh Khoja Tomb and Sunday Bazaar which was a pivotal trading point along the Silk Road over 2,000 years. All of them will take you back to the past to imagine the once prosperity of the Silk Road town.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Head to Beijing by air with a connection at Urumqi airport. The flight from Kashgar to Urumqi will take about 2 hours, while the flight from Urumqi to Beijing will take another 4 hours. It is a long journey today.

On arrival, your local tour guide in the capital city of Beijing will transfer you to the hotel to have a rest.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

As the political center of present China, Tiananmen Square is something you should not miss in your China tour; as the heart of power in ancient China, the Forbidden City, of course, can’t be missed either. After getting out of the palace, you can go to the royal garden – Summer Palace to relax your spirit.

About 40 minutes will be spent on the square, 2.5 to 3 hours in the Forbidden City and 1.5 hours at the Summer Palace.

Optional: At night, you may like to treat yourselves with a fantastic Kung Fu Show. It is a charging item and your tour guide will be glad to help you make the arrangement.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

It’s great to enjoy your China journey, including the memorable tour to the Great Wall.

Take about one hour to the Temple of Heaven to appreciate the beauty of Chinese traditional architecture, and then you will proceed to the magnificent Mutianyu Great Wall. You can take a cable car to get up, hike on it for 1.5 to 2 hours according to the will, and then get down by a cable car as well. Finish the tour at around 4:00 pm and then drive back to downtown Beijing.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

It is the farewell day! Before being transferred to the airport, you may have some free time to walk around and search for some small gifts for your friends.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Why Choose Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd.

12-Year TripAdvisor Award

Travellers’ Choice winner every year since 2013

No Commission Shopping

Zero shopping stops, zero pressure, zero hidden agendas

100% Private

Every tour is exclusively yours — no strangers, no shared buses

Expert Local Guides

Licensed, English-speaking guides with deep local knowledge

Real reviews from real travellers

  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eI highly recommend Inner Mongolia Jiuhong Travel Service Co., Ltd. The team is very easy to work with, has excellent ideas and the guides are knowledgeable and easy to be with. Very solid itineraries and execution — flexible, high quality, and great value for money.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    James T.
    Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe visited both Xi’an and Shanghai under Jiuhong’s arrangement and received the same first-class service in both cities. The guides were knowledgeable, flexible, and happy to discuss all aspects of modern China — giving insights difficult to obtain elsewhere. Strongly recommended.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Greenfly
    Couples · Verified · TripAdvisor
  • u003cemu003eu003cemu003eWe had a wonderful action-packed day. Fei Fei was amazing — her knowledge was very impressive and she was a real pleasure to be with. This was certainly the highlight of our stay in this beautiful city. Thanks so much.u003c/emu003eu003c/emu003e
    Ludovic V.
    Couples · London, UK · Verified · TripAdvisor

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