- Private Car & Flights
- 4-Star Hotels
- 1,518 m
- Beijing
- Apr–May & Sep–Oct
- Nature & Culture
- Daily hotel breakfast
- English
- Moderate to Strenuous
- 15 travellers
Overview
This 14-day tour is a classic route across three of China’s most distinctive regions: the imperial capital of Beijing, the sandstone peaks and river towns of the Zhangjiajie area, and the modern skyline of Shanghai. Domestic flights connect each stage, with a private car and English-speaking guide throughout.
Four days in Beijing take in the Great Wall at Badaling, an Imperial Court Banquet with costumed performances, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the historic lake district of Shichahai, the Temple of Heaven, the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium, and the contemporary Sanlitun district, along with an evening stroll down Wangfujing on arrival.
A flight brings you to Zhangjiajie, from where the route continues without backtracking through Furong Town, known for its waterfall-side stilt houses, and on to Fenghuang Ancient Town for a Tuojiang River night cruise, before returning to Zhangjiajie for a full day on Tianmen Mountain with its glass skywalk and the Tianmen Fox Fairy Show, and a full day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park with the Charming Xiangxi performance.
The trip closes with a flight to Shanghai, where the Bund’s illuminated skyline, Nanjing Road, Yu Garden and City God Temple, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and a day trip to the canal town of Zhujiajiao round out the itinerary. Throughout the trip you’re accompanied by an English-speaking guide and private car, with 4-star hotel accommodation for thirteen nights and daily hotel breakfast included.
Highlights
- Walk the Great Wall at Badaling and enjoy an Imperial Court Banquet in Beijing
- Explore the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the lakeside lanes of Shichahai
- Wander Furong Town and Fenghuang Ancient Town, with a night cruise on the Tuojiang River
- Spend a full day on Tianmen Mountain and watch the Tianmen Fox Fairy Show in Zhangjiajie
- Explore the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
- See the Bund lit up at night and stroll the canal town of Zhujiajiao in Shanghai
Itinerary
You are met on arrival and transferred to your 4-star hotel in Beijing. In the evening, take a stroll along Wangfujing, one of Beijing's oldest and busiest shopping streets, known for its department stores, snack alleys, and neon-lit storefronts.
📷 Wangfujing Street at night — Day 1 Alt text (EN): pedestrian shopping street neon lights night Wangfujing Beijing China Search prompt: Wangfujing pedestrian street neon lights night Beijing China
Spend the day at Badaling, the most visited and best-restored section of the Great Wall of China, around an hour's drive from central Beijing. Walk along the ramparts and watchtowers for sweeping views over the surrounding mountains. In the evening, enjoy an Imperial Court Banquet, a themed dinner-and-performance experience featuring Qing-dynasty-style cuisine and costumed court dance performances.
📷 Badaling Great Wall panorama — Day 2 Alt text (EN): Great Wall of China ramparts mountains Badaling section panorama Search prompt: Badaling Great Wall panorama mountains ramparts China
📷 Imperial Court Banquet performance — Day 2 Alt text (EN): costumed dancers palace style banquet hall performance Beijing China Search prompt: Beijing imperial court banquet costumed dance performance restaurant China
Begin at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, before crossing into the Forbidden City to explore its courtyards and halls, the former seat of the Ming and Qing emperors. In the evening, walk around Shichahai, a historic lake district lined with hutong lanes, where boat hire and lakeside bars are popular ways to spend the evening.
📷 Forbidden City courtyard — Day 3 Alt text (EN): imperial courtyard red walls golden roofs Forbidden City Beijing China Search prompt: Forbidden City courtyard red walls golden roofs Beijing China
📷 Shichahai lake district — Day 3 Alt text (EN): lakeside hutong lanes evening lights Shichahai Beijing China Search prompt: Shichahai lake hutong lanes evening Beijing China
Visit the Temple of Heaven, a Ming-dynasty complex of ceremonial halls where emperors once prayed for good harvests. Continue to the Bird's Nest, the striking steel-lattice stadium built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the evening, explore Sanlitun, Beijing's contemporary bar, dining and retail district.
📷 Temple of Heaven — Day 4 Alt text (EN): circular ceremonial hall blue roof Temple of Heaven Beijing China Search prompt: Temple of Heaven circular hall blue roof Beijing China
📷 Bird's Nest stadium — Day 4 Alt text (EN): steel lattice Olympic stadium Bird's Nest Beijing China Search prompt: Bird's Nest National Stadium steel lattice Beijing China
📷 Sanlitun in the evening — Day 4 Alt text (EN): contemporary bar dining district night lights Sanlitun Beijing China Search prompt: Sanlitun district night lights bars shops Beijing China
Transfer to the airport for the roughly 2.5-hour flight to Zhangjiajie. On arrival, check in to your hotel and rest after a day of travel.
📷 Zhangjiajie sandstone pillars on arrival — Day 5 Alt text (EN): sandstone pillar forest mist Zhangjiajie China skyline evening Search prompt: Zhangjiajie sandstone pillar landscape mist evening China
Transfer to Furong Town, a journey of around 2 hours, arriving in time to explore the ancient town after dark. Walk among its stilt houses built above the Furong waterfall, lit up for an evening stroll through the old streets.
📷 Furong Town waterfall at night — Day 6 Alt text (EN): stilt houses built above waterfall illuminated night Furong Town China Search prompt: Furong Town waterfall stilt houses illuminated night Hunan China
Spend the morning exploring Furong Town before transferring to Fenghuang Ancient Town, a journey of around 1.5 hours. In the evening, join a night cruise on the Tuojiang River, gliding past Fenghuang's illuminated stilt houses and stone bridges from the water.
📷 Furong Town waterfall by day — Day 7 Alt text (EN): waterfall stilt houses daytime Furong Town Hunan China river Search prompt: Furong Town waterfall stilt houses daytime Hunan China
📷 Tuojiang River night cruise, Fenghuang — Day 7 Alt text (EN): illuminated stilt houses river cruise Tuojiang Fenghuang China night Search prompt: Tuojiang River night cruise illuminated stilt houses Fenghuang China
Transfer back to Zhangjiajie by a direct route rather than retracing the outbound path through Furong Town, arriving in time to check in and rest before the more active days ahead. The rest of the day is free at your own pace.
📷 Zhangjiajie city in the evening — Day 8 Alt text (EN): Zhangjiajie city skyline dusk mountains China evening Search prompt: Zhangjiajie city skyline dusk mountains China
Spend the full day on Tianmen Mountain, reached by cable car for sweeping views over the forested valley below. Walk sections of the mountain's glass skywalk and visit Tianmen Cave. In the evening, attend the Tianmen Fox Fairy Show, an open-air musical staged in the canyon at the foot of the mountain.
📷 Tianmen Mountain cable car — Day 9 Alt text (EN): Tianmen Mountain cable car aerial view forested valley Zhangjiajie China Search prompt: Tianmen Mountain cable car gondola aerial valley forest Zhangjiajie China
📷 Tianmen Mountain Glass Skywalk — Day 9 Alt text (EN): glass skywalk cliff face Tianmen Mountain blue sky Zhangjiajie China Search prompt: glass cliff walkway Tianmen Mountain Zhangjiajie China tourists
📷 Tianmen Fox Fairy Show — Day 9 Alt text (EN): outdoor canyon stage performance Tianmen Mountain night lights Zhangjiajie Search prompt: outdoor musical performance canyon stage lights Tianmen Mountain Zhangjiajie China night
Spend the full day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, taking in its towering sandstone pillars along trails such as Golden Whip Stream and the Yuanjiajie scenic area, one of the park's most photographed viewpoints. Comfortable hiking shoes are recommended, since the paths include uneven stone steps and walkways. In the evening, watch the Charming Xiangxi performance, a Tujia and Miao song-and-dance show.
📷 Golden Whip Stream — Day 10 Alt text (EN): forest stream trail sandstone pillars Golden Whip Stream Zhangjiajie China Search prompt: Golden Whip Stream forest trail sandstone pillars Zhangjiajie China
📷 Yuanjiajie sandstone pillars — Day 10 Alt text (EN): towering sandstone pillars mist Yuanjiajie Zhangjiajie China forest Search prompt: Yuanjiajie sandstone pillar forest mist Zhangjiajie China
📷 Charming Xiangxi performance — Day 10 Alt text (EN): Tujia Miao ethnic dancers colorful costume stage performance Zhangjiajie Search prompt: Tujia Miao ethnic dance performance colorful costume stage Zhangjiajie China
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Shanghai (this route is flown rather than taken by train, since the direct high-speed rail journey would take around 7–9 hours compared to roughly 2.5 hours by air). After checking in to your hotel, head to the riverside in the evening to see the Bund's illuminated skyline.
📷 The Bund at night — Day 11 Alt text (EN): illuminated skyline riverside promenade The Bund Shanghai China night Search prompt: The Bund illuminated skyline night Shanghai China
Walk along Nanjing Road, Shanghai's best-known pedestrian shopping street. Continue to Yu Garden, a Ming-dynasty classical garden in the Old Town, and City God Temple next door, a lively bazaar area with traditional architecture.
📷 Nanjing Road pedestrian street — Day 12 Alt text (EN): pedestrian shopping street lights Nanjing Road Shanghai China Search prompt: Nanjing Road pedestrian shopping street Shanghai China
📷 Yu Garden — Day 12 Alt text (EN): classical Ming dynasty garden pavilion pond Yu Garden Shanghai China Search prompt: Yu Garden classical Ming dynasty pavilion pond Shanghai China
Visit the Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui, with its distinctive sphere-topped silhouette and views over the Huangpu River. In the afternoon, take a day trip to Zhujiajiao, a Ming and Qing-dynasty canal town about an hour from central Shanghai, known for its stone bridges and waterside lanes.
📷 Oriental Pearl Tower — Day 13 Alt text (EN): futuristic sphere tower skyline Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai China Search prompt: Oriental Pearl Tower Lujiazui skyline Shanghai China
📷 Zhujiajiao canal town — Day 13 Alt text (EN): stone bridge canal old buildings Zhujiajiao water town China Search prompt: Zhujiajiao water town stone bridge canal Shanghai China
Your private car transfers you to the airport for your onward flight home.
Includes
- Private transfer on arrival in Beijing and on final departure from Shanghai
- Private car for all in-destination transport throughout the itinerary
- Domestic flights: Beijing–Zhangjiajie and Zhangjiajie–Shanghai
- Cable car access on Tianmen Mountain
- Accommodation in 4-star hotels (13 nights)
- Daily complimentary breakfast provided by the hotel
- Imperial Court Banquet dinner and performance in Beijing on Day 2
- English-speaking guide service throughout
- Entrance fees for all named attractions, including the Great Wall (Badaling), the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Furong Town, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yu Garden, City God Temple and Zhujiajiao
- Tickets for the Tuojiang River night cruise, the Tianmen Fox Fairy Show and the Charming Xiangxi performance
- First-aid kit
Excludes
- International flights
- China visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Personal expenses and gratuities
- All meals except daily hotel breakfast and the Day 2 Imperial Court Banquet dinner
- Any optional activities or upgrades not listed in the programme
Frequently Asked Questions
A: This tour is rated Moderate to Strenuous, driven mainly by the Zhangjiajie days. Day 9 involves a full day on Tianmen Mountain, including walking sections of the glass skywalk, and Day 10 covers uneven stone steps and walkways through Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Comfortable, closed-toe hiking shoes are recommended for these two days. Travellers over 65 or with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions should consult a doctor before booking.
A: Most foreign nationals need a visa to enter China; requirements vary by nationality, so check current policy with your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate before travelling. China visa fees are not included in this tour and are the traveller's responsibility.
A: April to May and September to October are the two windows that suit all three destinations well, with comfortable temperatures in Beijing and Shanghai and clearer paths in Zhangjiajie. Summer (Jun–Aug) brings extreme heat and peak crowds to Beijing, hot and humid conditions to Shanghai, and Zhangjiajie's rainy season, while winter (Jan–Feb) is cold and dry in the north and can bring icy paths in Zhangjiajie.
A: It's a themed dinner-and-performance experience found at several venues in Beijing, where guests dine on Qing-dynasty-inspired dishes while watching live court-style dance and music performances, often with costumed servers. Some venues also offer optional Hanfu or Qing-style costume rental for photos; your guide will confirm the specific venue and any add-on options at the time of booking.
A: The outbound route runs Zhangjiajie → Furong Town → Fenghuang, so Day 8's return uses a different, more direct road back to Zhangjiajie rather than retracing the same route through Furong Town. This keeps the loop efficient and sets up the following two full days in and around Zhangjiajie's national forest park and Tianmen Mountain.
A: It's an evening boat cruise along the Tuojiang River in Fenghuang Ancient Town, passing beneath the town's illuminated stilt houses, stone bridges and riverside lanterns. It's a popular way to see Fenghuang's waterfront architecture lit up after dark, following your afternoon transfer from Furong Town.
A: There's no direct high-speed rail route that makes sense for a single travel day here — the train journey between Zhangjiajie and Shanghai takes around 7 to 9 hours, compared to roughly 2.5 hours by air. Flying keeps Day 11 to a manageable travel day, with time left in the evening to see the Bund lit up.
A: Day 5 covers a flight from Beijing to Zhangjiajie and a hotel check-in, so it's kept unhurried on purpose. This gives you time to rest after the four active days in Beijing, ahead of the multi-day loop through Furong Town, Fenghuang, and back to Zhangjiajie that follows.
