Authentic China Experience with Guilin

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Authentic China Experience with Guilin

★★★★★

4.9/5 952 Latest reviews

Tour Code: ODY-CN-2305

Destination: Shanghai, Guilin, Xi’an, Beijing

Duration

12 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Classic

About This Trip

This 12-day tour of China will bring you to explore the top sites in the Golden Triangle and Guilin. Lost yourself in the UNESCO-listed Forbidden City and visit the Simatai Great Wall at night in Beijing. Watch the historical treasure of Terracotta Warriors and learn to make dumplings in a local family in Xi’an. Soak in the breathtaking karst landscape along the way of the Li River Cruise from Guilin down to Yangshuo. Take a city highlight tour in Shanghai, including visits to the Bund and one of the classical Chinese gardens – Yu Garden.

Itinerary Summary

DAY	PLACE	HIGHLIGHTS
1 – 4	Beijing	Forbidden City, Great Wall at Night, Temple of Heaven, Hutongs
5 – 6	Xi’an	Muslim Quarter, Terracotta Army, Underground Cave Dwelling, Tang Bo Art Museum with Calligraphy Class
7 – 10	Guilin	Longsheng Rice Terraces, Reed Flute Cave, Li River Cruise, Yangshuo Countryside Tour
11 – 12	Shanghai	The Bund, Urban Area Walking, Yu Garden

Itinerary

Welcome to Beijing! Upon landing, meet your personal tour guide at the airport’s arrival hall for a private transfer to your hotel. Your guide will briefly introduce the city en route and assist you with the hotel check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax after a long flight.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today is reserved for an impressive tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City at the very heart of Beijing. The former is the symbol of the political center of today’s China, while the latter was the power seat of ancient China for over 500 years. After strolling around the expansive square, your knowledgeable guide will lead you on an in-depth exploration of the world’s largest imperial palace to admire its stylized architecture and elegant gardens. Round off the day with a panoramic view of the stately Forbidden City from Jingshan Park.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

No Beijing tour is complete without a visit to the Great Wall. After breakfast, drive about 2.5 hours to Jinshanling, a photogenic section of the Great Wall far from the hustle and bustle of the city. As you walk on its half-restored and half-wild ramparts, get amazed by the watchtowers in varied styles and indulge in the mountainous scenery.

After that, a 20-minute drive will take you to your hotel in Gubei Water Town. You are then free to relax for a few hours before embarking on a guided night tour of the Simatai Great Wall. Ride a cable car ascending, walk up the path well-lit by lanterns to enjoy the special night scene and overlook the entire Gubei Water Town.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Spend this morning strolling around the water town before returning to downtown Beijing. The afternoon will go with a visit to the dignified Temple of Heaven, where emperors conducted ritual ceremonies to pray for good harvests. It is a genuinely perfect site full of history and architectural wonder, combined with the local atmosphere. After that, hop aboard a rickshaw and weave your way around Beijing’s historic Hutongs to see what a traditional residential area looks like. Following this, visit a local family living in a courtyard-styled house for generations.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

This morning, depart Beijing for Xi’an on a high-speed train reaching a maximum speed of 300 km per hour. On the 4.5 to 6 hours train journey, enjoy the fast-moving landscape and capture the smiling faces of the local people on board.

Upon arriving, your new guide will pick you up from the railway station and take you to your downtown hotel. Check-in and freshen up before heading out to explore the vibrant Muslim Quarter in the city center. Here, sample your way amongst restaurants and street stalls and visit the distinct Great Mosque with Islamic and Chinese architectural features. You will get an impression of the daily life of a Chinese Muslim.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Today’s highlight is the legendary Terracotta Warriors. You will be able to marvel at the grand array of thousands of life-size clay soldiers, horses, and chariots and immerse yourself in the rarely-known stories about the afterlife behind them. Continue to visit an underground cave dwelling, a particular residential form that can go back centuries. Before retiring to your hotel, step into the Tang Bo Art Museum to appreciate local artworks in varied styles and take a calligraphy lesson about holding a brush and writing Chinese characters.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Leave Xi’an behind this morning as you take the flight to the scenic Guilin in south China.

As you touch down, your local guide will greet you and accompany you to Jinkeng Rice Terraces. This is a man-made nature wonder dug by the Yao ethnic minority in Longsheng County. Settle into a comfortable lodge in Dazhai Village and spend the rest of today at leisure.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Wake up early this morning to watch the brilliant sunrise over the terraced paddy fields, with ample photo opportunities. After breakfast, drive about 2.5 hours back to Guilin and check into a downtown hotel.

This afternoon, follow your guide to explore the grotesque Reed Flute Cave before rambling around the central lakes – Banyan Lake and Cedar Lake.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is undoubtedly the essence of your Guilin tour. The 4 hours’ cruise starting from Zhujiang dock will treat you to breathtaking views of green pinnacles, crystal-clear water, and pastoral countryside scenery. A simple lunch will be served onboard.

Disembark in Yangshuo at around 1:30 pm, get to your hotel for check-in, and have the rest of the day at leisure.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Enjoy a countryside tour in the morning by private car or bicycle to fully enjoy the idyllic scenery and witness the locals’ farming life. Cycling will take around 2 hours. So please consider your interest and physical strength if you want to try this. After the tour, you will be transferred back to Guilin airport for your flight to metropolitan Shanghai.

Be collected from the airport on arrival and settle into your Shanghai hotel. The rest of today is on your own to relax or go around.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Start your day at the Bund, a waterfront area in the heart of Shanghai, and enjoy the beauty of its colonial buildings and skyscraper views. After that, spend about an hour walking along the Shanghai urban area. Like the locals, pass through Fuxing Park, Bugaoli, and a local market inside the street and get a taste of the daily life of the Shanghai neighborhood.

Try some local dim sum for a simple lunch, and then stroll around the Yu Garden. Near the classical garden is a bustling market – Yuyuan Market. After a short stopover at a silk workshop, you will end the tour with a great view of the beautiful skyline of Shanghai from the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

Free time for you to prepare to return home. After you are ready, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport for your departure flight.

🍽 Local dining

◷ Flexible timing

▱ Beijing

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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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Authentic China Experience with Guilin

About This Trip

Itinerary Summary

Itinerary

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