Signature China | 16 days

China Highlights in Style

A supplier-confirmed first-time China route through Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai, balancing headline landmarks, pandas, hands-on culture and mountain scenery.

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TOUR OVERVIEW

Classic China, paced with more breathing room.

This is the JadeDays broad-cover route for travellers who want the essential China story without the rough edges of a rushed package tour. The route moves from imperial capitals to pandas, sandstone peaks and a Shanghai finish, with confirmed hotels and practical support built around Australian travellers.

From A$8,995 per person

twin share · party of 3–6 · land only
Private party of 2 — A$11,995 pp

Duration: 16 days
Route: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Shanghai
Style: Fixed journey with guided touring
Pace: Balanced, family-friendly
Hotels: Premium 4-5 star or similar
Best for: First China trip, culture and scenery

What’s Included

Clear inclusions before quote confirmation

Included in the tour

Premium 4-5 star hotels or carefully selected equivalent stays, with breakfast.
Most lunches and dinners, as set out in the confirmed itinerary.
Private airport/rail transfers and guided touring according to the confirmed itinerary.
English-speaking local guides during scheduled sightseeing days.
Domestic transport planning between cities, with final train/flight choices confirmed before payment.
Core attraction tickets listed in the confirmed itinerary.
JadeDays pre-departure support for apps, payments, timing and local travel notes.

Not included

International flights to and from Australia.
China visa fees or passport-related charges where applicable.
Personal expenses unless specifically confirmed.
Optional activities, upgrades or route changes requested after confirmation.
Travel insurance.

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

A clearer day-by-day structure

Day 1 Arrival and a gentle Beijing landing Beijing

Morning: Arrive in Beijing, meet your private driver at the airport and transfer to a centrally located international hotel. The day is deliberately kept gentle for rest and jet lag recovery.

Afternoon: Rest after check-in, with an optional light walk around Qianmen or the Nanluoguxiang hutong area if everyone feels ready.

Evening: Welcome Peking duck dinner.

City: Beijing
Intensity: Light

Day 2 Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and cloisonne Beijing

Morning: Explore the Forbidden City with immersive English guiding. For families, the visit can be shaped around a light "mythical beasts treasure hunt" so the palace feels less abstract.

Afternoon: Continue to the Temple of Heaven, then add a cloisonne culture visit or hands-on heritage experience.

Evening: Easy stroll along Wangfujing pedestrian street.

City: Beijing
Intensity: Moderate

Day 3 Mutianyu Great Wall Beijing

Morning: Travel by private car to Mutianyu, a Great Wall section that usually feels calmer than the most crowded options. Use the return cable car and gentler walking sections for a safer, more comfortable day.

Afternoon: Continue the Wall visit with photo time, light history interpretation and optional cultural-creative stops before returning to Beijing.

Evening: Exterior visit to Olympic Park, the Bird's Nest and Water Cube.

City: Beijing
Intensity: Moderate

Day 4 Summer Palace, Longfu Temple craft and Lao She Teahouse Beijing

Morning: Visit the Summer Palace at a relaxed pace, focusing on Kunming Lake, the Long Corridor and the core garden views around Foxiang Pavilion.

Afternoon: Join a Longfu Temple intangible-heritage craft session around traditional Fanlihua, a paper-and-stick mechanism that unfolds into changing shapes such as flowers, bridges, fish, peacocks, qilin and bagua patterns.

Evening: Lao She Teahouse evening, combining tea, Peking opera excerpts, acrobatics, face-changing and old Beijing performance culture in a format that works even without Chinese fluency.

City: Beijing
Intensity: Easy

Day 5 High-speed rail into Tang China Beijing to Xi'an

Morning: Take the high-speed rail from Beijing West to Xi'an North, approximately 4.5 hours, then meet your local guide on arrival.

Afternoon: Visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda, connected with Xuanzang, Buddhist translation and Tang dynasty cultural exchange.

Evening: Grand Tang Mall with optional Hanfu styling for a more atmospheric evening walk.

City: Beijing to Xi'an
Intensity: Moderate

Day 6 Terracotta Warriors and Shaanxi history Xi'an

Morning: Visit the Terracotta Warriors with professional English interpretation, AR visual material where suitable, and an optional "young archaeologist" craft activity for families.

Afternoon: Explore selected highlights at Shaanxi History Museum, keeping the visit focused so it stays rewarding rather than exhausting.

Evening: Light stroll through the Muslim Quarter and a taste of northwestern street snacks.

City: Xi'an
Intensity: Moderate

Day 7 Xi'an city wall and Sichuan arrival Xi'an to Chengdu

Morning: Walk or cycle a suitable section of the Xi'an City Wall, adjusted to the group's stamina.

Afternoon: Take the high-speed rail from Xi'an North to Chengdu East, then transfer to your hotel.

Evening: Easy Kuanzhai Alley stroll and Chengdu food introduction.

City: Xi'an to Chengdu
Intensity: Moderate

Day 8 Sanxingdui and Dujiangyan Chengdu

Morning: Visit Sanxingdui Museum to see bronze masks, the gold sceptre, bronze sacred trees and the distinctive world of ancient Shu civilisation.

Afternoon: Continue to Dujiangyan, the UNESCO-listed irrigation system, with mostly gentle paths and a strong engineering story.

Evening: Chunxi Road or a Chengdu hotpot dinner, usually with a split-flavour pot for comfort.

City: Chengdu
Intensity: Moderate

Day 9 Pandas, Jinli and relaxed city time Chengdu

Morning: Visit the China Giant Panda Garden, with a focus on panda science, returned pandas and the care of older or injured animals. Morning visits usually offer the best panda activity.

Afternoon: Jinli Ancient Street and Three Kingdoms culture, with possible Sichuan opera mini-show elements such as face-changing or rolling lamp, plus a clay figurine craft moment.

Evening: Relaxed Taikoo Li city time.

City: Chengdu
Intensity: Easy

Day 10 High-speed rail to Zhangjiajie Chengdu to Zhangjiajie

Morning: Take the high-speed rail from Chengdu East to Zhangjiajie West, a more stable connection than relying on limited direct flights.

Afternoon: Meet your guide on arrival and transfer to the hotel in Wulingyuan or Zhangjiajie city, leaving time to settle into the mountain climate.

Evening: Light local mountain vegetable dinner or free rest.

City: Chengdu to Zhangjiajie
Intensity: Light

Day 11 Golden Whip Stream and Yuanjiajie peaks Zhangjiajie

Morning: Walk Golden Whip Stream inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, a flatter canyon trail with forest, water and wild macaques viewed from a safe distance.

Afternoon: Visit Yuanjiajie and ride the Bailong Elevator for the Hallelujah Mountain, First Bridge Under Heaven and Mihun Platform views, reducing the need for heavy hiking.

Evening: Huangshi Village viewpoint or an easier adjustment depending on stamina and weather.

City: Zhangjiajie
Intensity: Active

Day 12 Tianmen Mountain and folk evening Zhangjiajie

Morning: Ride the Tianmen Mountain cableway, then visit Tianmen Cave and the mountaintop scenery. The 999 steps can be adapted with escalator support or an easier route.

Afternoon: Continue Tianmen Mountain, with the glass walkway optional and limited to a flatter section if the group is comfortable with heights.

Evening: Watch the Charming Xiangxi folk performance.

City: Zhangjiajie
Intensity: Active

Day 13 Fly to Shanghai and walk the Bund Zhangjiajie to Shanghai

Morning: Breakfast and airport transfer. Flight schedule is confirmed closer to departure.

Afternoon: Arrive in Shanghai, check in and walk the Bund with English interpretation of the architecture and the city's international history.

Evening: Huangpu River night cruise.

City: Zhangjiajie to Shanghai
Intensity: Moderate

Day 14 Yu Garden, City God Temple and skyline views Shanghai

Morning: Visit Yu Garden and the City God Temple area for classical Jiangnan garden design, local atmosphere and traditional snacks.

Afternoon: Visit the Oriental Pearl Tower, with observation deck or city-history elements adjusted to the group's interests.

Evening: North Bund riverside dinner.

City: Shanghai
Intensity: Moderate

Day 15 Zhangyuan and West Bund art Shanghai

Morning: Explore Zhangyuan, where old Shanghai shikumen lanes meet modern boutiques, cafes, restaurants and design-led city life.

Afternoon: Follow a West Bund culture route, choosing one main museum such as West Bund Museum or Long Museum, then continue to Gate M West Bund Dream Center.

Evening: Dinner around Gate M West Bund Dream Center.

City: Shanghai
Intensity: Easy

Day 16 Flexible departure Shanghai

Morning: Free time for coffee, light shopping or final city photos near the hotel.

Afternoon: Private transfer to Pudong International Airport according to flight time.

Evening: Return flight and end of journey.

City: Shanghai
Intensity: Light

Route Map

Route, transport and overnight flow

A map-style view of how the journey moves across China. Transport labels show the planned connection between each city.

Fixed Journey

High-speed rail Flight Private transfer

Transport flow

01Beijing → Xi'anHigh-speed rail

02Xi'an → ChengduHigh-speed rail

03Chengdu → ZhangjiajieHigh-speed rail

04Zhangjiajie → ShanghaiFlight

Overnight rhythm

Beijing4NImperial sights and Great Wall
Xi'an2NTerracotta Warriors and Tang heritage
Chengdu3NPandas and Sichuan culture
Zhangjiajie3NAvatar peaks and Tianmen Mountain
Shanghai3NClassic and modern city contrast

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation

Every Jade Days journey is matched to a curated selection of refined hotels — from internationally branded five-star properties in major cities to character-rich retreats in smaller destinations. The hotels below are representative examples of where you may stay on this journey. Your final accommodation will be drawn from these or others of equivalent quality, selected to suit your dates, group and preferences.

Nights 4

Beijing Hotel NUO

Beijing

Nights 2

Crowne Plaza Xi'an

Xi'an

Nights 3

Wyndham Grand Chengdu East

Chengdu

Nights 3

Howard Johnson Neodalle Resort Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie

Nights 3

The Westin Bund Center Shanghai

Shanghai

Hotels are subject to availability and may be substituted for properties of equivalent standard.

DATES & AVAILABILITY

Your journey, on your dates

Every JadeDays departure is private — hosted for your own party of two to six, never merged with strangers. So there is no fixed departure list to fit around: this journey can begin in any month of the year, on the date that suits you.

Tell us when you would like to depart, and we will shape everything else around it — confirming hotels, guides and internal travel personally before your dates are locked in.

When would you like to depart?

Choose a departure date to see your return day.

The earliest selectable departure is 14 days from today.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Before booking

Is this the right journey for a first visit to China?

It's designed for exactly that. China Highlights in Style traces the classic arc — the imperial north, the ancient capital of Xi'an, Sichuan, the landscapes of Zhangjiajie and the modern energy of Shanghai — in one considered 16-day sweep. You see the breadth of the country without the rush of a coach-tour checklist: private pace, proper time in each place, and comfort throughout.

How do we cover the distances on this journey?

The long legs travel by a mix of internal flights and high-speed rail — China's rail network is an experience in its own right — and a private car and driver meet you in every city. Travel days are planned as part of the journey, not dead time between the good parts.

Zhangjiajie involves dramatic heights — what should we expect?

Zhangjiajie's sandstone pillars are best experienced from above, and the ascents are mechanical rather than muscular — cable cars and lifts do the climbing, and the viewing paths at the top are level and well-built. One honest note: some viewpoints are genuinely high, with wide-open views. Most guests find them exhilarating rather than frightening, but if anyone in your party is uneasy with heights, tell us — the day can be shaped around gentler vantage points.

When is the best time of year for this route?

Because the journey runs from the north down to central and eastern China, spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are ideal everywhere on the route — mild in Beijing, clear in the mountains, comfortable in Shanghai. Summer works well if you don't mind heat and livelier crowds at the major sights; winter brings crisp northern light and the quietest season of all.

Do we visit the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors?

Yes — both are woven into the journey: the Great Wall from Beijing, and the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, with proper time at each rather than a drive-past photo stop. The exact sections and timing are set out in the day-by-day itinerary on this page.

Questions about travelling in China?

Visas, payments, safety, food and how our private journeys work — answered in one place. Read the full FAQ →

From itinerary to booking

Choose a departure, then confirm the place with JadeDays.

This is one of the four fixed JadeDays journeys. Select a preferred date, then JadeDays confirms seats, hotel allocation, guide availability and the final quote before any deposit is paid.

Book This Journey

01Choose a departureSelect a departure date on this checkout page, then confirm traveller details with JadeDays.
02Confirm the final quoteA JadeDays expert checks the live hotels, guides, transport and any seasonal adjustments.
03Secure with depositPayment happens through a hosted Stripe-style checkout after the confirmed quote is clear.

Talk to us

Have a question about this journey?

Send JadeDays a note and we will help you understand dates, pacing, rooming and whether this route is the right fit.