8 Days Classic China Tour, Beijing Xian Shanghai Tour

Tour Itinerary Expand All

Itinerary Expand All

Day 1Arrival Beijing

Transfer service to hotel

Meals: No Meals
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★

Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China. You will be greeted and met by TCT tour guide at the airport and transferred to your hotel, whenever your flight arrives in Beijing. After check-in, free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Beijing City View

Day 2Beijing

Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Panjiayuan Antique Market

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and start to explore the historical city of Beijing.

[09:30-12:30] You will reach the Tian’anmen Square, the largest public square in the world. Walk through the square and visit today’s highlight: Forbidden City , the largest and most complete ancient imperial palace in the world. Hike to Jingshan Park, where gives a nice panoramic view of the Forbidden City at the top of Coal Hill.

[12:30-14:00] Have lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant enroute.

[14:00-16:30] Visit Temple of Heaven, which was used to pray for harvest by the emperors. It is China's existing largest structure for sacrifice to heaven. Shopping time at Panjiayuan Antique Market and tea store.

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night show or the Peking duck dinner with your guide and ask for suggestions.

Forbidden City

Day 3Beijing

Mutianyu Great Wall, Olympic Park, the exterior of Bird Nest and Water Cube

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and start to explore the Great Wall.

[09:30-12:30] Drive to Mutianyu Great Wall, which section is more popular among foreign visitors. Upon arrival, you can choose to hike on the Great Wall, or take cable car up and walk around.

[12:30-14:00] Have lunch at a local Chinese restaurant nearby The Great Wall.

[14:00-16:30] Drive back to Beijing city, while you can take a nap in the car. Have a stop at jade store, and then visit the exterior Bird Nest and Water Cube, the amazing architectures that built for Beijing Olympic Games.

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night activities, such as foot massage, houhai night bars and Sanlitun bar street.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Day 4Beijing - Xian

Hutong Tour by rickshaw, Summer Palace, Departure to Xian by high speed train

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Somerset Xindicheng Xian ★★★★

[09:30-10:00] You will have enough time to pack up and check out. Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and have half day leisure tour in Beijing.

[10:00-11:30] Drive to Drum Tower area for taking a relaxing Hutong Tour by rickshaw , which is the way to know the Beijing local lifestyle.

[11:30-14:30] Drive to Summer Palace, which is the existing largest, best-preserved imperial garden in China. Boat ride on Kunming Lake is included. Lunch will be arranged at a nearby restaurant.

After lunch, be transferred to the railway station for the high speed train(about 5hrs) to Xian. Your Xian tour guide will wait for you at the station and help you to transfer to the hotel.

Hutong Tour by rickshaw

Day 5Xian

Terracotta Warriors, Bell Tower, Gao's Courtyard, Muslim Quarter

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Somerset Xindicheng Xian ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and start to explore the Ancient city.

[09:30-12:30] Drive to Terracotta Warriors and explore one of the world's most important archaeological finds, with troops, horses and carriages in battle formation. Shuttle bus will be arranged for your convenience. Then you will have a chance to visit pottery figurine factory, where you can learn how to make a pottery figurine.

[12:30-14:00] A chinese Lunch will be arranged nearby the scenic area of Terracotta Warriors.

[14:00-17:00] Afternoon visit the Bell tower, which is the largest bell tower in structure and shape and the best-preserved one in China. Then have a visit at Gao's Courtyard, which is a wonderful choice for you to appreciate ancient residences and explore local culture of paper-cutting and shadow puppetry. Continue to walk around Muslim Quarter and enjoy your shopping time there and you can also challenge the various local snacks.

[17:00-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night activities, such as Tang Dynasty Show with Dinner.

Terracotta Army

Day 6Xian - Shanghai

Ancient City Wall, Wild Goose Pagoda and north square, Hanyang Mausoleum, Fly to Shanghai

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel:SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

[09:30-10:00] You will have enough time to pack up and check out. Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and have one day leisure tour in Xian before leaving for Shanghai.

[10:00-12:30] Visit the Ancient City Wall, which represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls. Bicycle or sightseeing car will be arranged on the wall to go around. After that visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and you will have chance to watch the North plaza fountain show.

[12:30-16:30] After lunch, drive to Xian airport, on the way visit the Hanyang Mausoleum, the largest museum with largest floor space in China.

Fly to Shanghai. Your Shanghai tour guide will wait for you at the airport and help you to transfer to the hotel.

Xian City Wall

Day 7Shanghai

Jade Buddha Temple, the exterior of Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Old Street, The Bund

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Recommended Hotel:SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

[09:00-09:30] Our guide will meet you up at the hotel lobby and start to explore the Modern city of China.

[09:30-12:30] Visit Jade Buddha Temple, which is famous for the seated Buddha, encrusted with jewels, which is said to weigh 1,000 kg.Then visit the exterior of Oriental Pearl TV Tower, while walking on Riverside Promenade Bingjiang Da Dao. On the way, we will have a stop at silk museum.

[12:30-13:30] Have lunch at a local Chinese restaurant enroute.

[13:30-16:30] Visit Yuyuan Garden, which is a Chinese classic garden in city downtown, shopping time at Shanghai Old Street and Nanjing Road which is the earliest commercial street in Shanghai, you could look for some special souvenirs and silk product there. After that, enjoy a leisure walk along the Bund, famous for groups of buildings known as "a Gallery of world architecture".

[16:30-17:30] Back to the hotel, en route you can plan for the night Acrobatic Show, especially the ERA show, which is one of the most popular evening entertainments in Shanghai.

Yuyuan Garden

Day 8Departure Shanghai

Transfer service to airport or railway station

Meals: Breakfast

Free day at leisure and be transferred to the airport for return flight. We can arrange the Maglev train ride to Pudong airport if you are interested in, or we will drive you directly to the airport.

Service Ends

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Tour Price (US$ per person)

Hotel Class	Group Size	Dec. ~ Feb.	Mar. ~ Nov.
Economy Hotel ★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1564	$ 1645
Economy Hotel ★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 1177	$ 1257
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1626	$ 1757
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 1239	$ 1370
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$ 1877	$ 2189
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$ 1490	$ 1802

Price includes:

♦ Domestic flight or high-speed train as specified
♦ Private transfer between the airport or railway station, attractions, and hotels
♦ Private licensed English-speaking guide and driver service
♦ Hotel accommodation with daily breakfast on sharing basis
♦ All attraction entrance fees as specified
♦ Meals mentioned in the itinerary, Chinese local food
♦ China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance

Price excludes:

* International Air tickets or Train Tickets to enter or leave China
* Tips to your tour guide and driver on your own discretion
* China Entry Visa Fees
* Personal expenses
* Optional tours, meals, activities and services

Remarks:

※ Prices are valid from Mar 1, 2023 to Feb 29, 2024, except Chinese public holidays, local fairs or events.
※ TCT reserves the right to adjust the price caused by exchange rate
※ No guide on the flight and Yangtze River cruise.
※ Recommended hotels are subject to change in actual booking
※ Special requirements should be advised to TCT in advance.
※ TCT reserves the right of final explanation for any change due to the reasons beyond our control.

Useful Information

Traveler Reviews Feedbacks & Photos >>Feedbacks

5.0

snoopy10463

5.0

We booked our trip with Top China Travel a private tour and was amazing experience. We were 4 people , just ladies. It was very well organized, our Spanish guides in the different cities very good especially Leon in Xian, the best. They were very knowledgeable and took care of us. Every time we went to another city, they didn't leave us until the check-in at the different airports. Our agent Raylene did an excellent job, organizing our trip, she was on top of everything. Thanks Raylene for our unforgettable vacation.

Bonnygillis

5.0

We used Top China Tour for a recent trip which included Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. This was a small group with four to six members. Top China travel did an excellent job. The hotels were all in excellent locations and the service was top notch. The tour guides all spoke very good English and knew the history of all the many places we visited. I always felt very comfortable wherever we went. Everything was organized nicely. I highly recommend Top China Travel as they provided us with a very memorable trip!

FromRichmondVA

5.0

Almost every Guilin hotel can provide something like this tour, including a bus return with a couple of pleasant stops. The basic set up is hotel pickup, transport to a boat loading area, a flotilla of those boats going down the river, and then some time in Yangshuo. But be careful about the return. It is often an add on item for an additional cost, and the connection in Yangshuo can be a bit dicey if your boat happens to be going behind schedule. So book through your hotel and take a phone so you can contact the tour guide if you need to. But you might also want to stay overnight in Yangshuo. That's probably what I would do if I had it to do over.

Chris W

5.0

When planning our China trip we read many trip advisor reviews and noticed Janet Chan’s name came up a number of times so we asked for her to arrange our journey across this fascinating land. What a great choice we made, she listened and responded to our questions and arranged all our trip that went off without any problems. We didn’t want shopping nor group travel and she responded brilliantly. Two days hiking on the wall with fabulous guide Miko, in fact all our guides and drivers were just excellent. High speed train meant we saw lots of China’s varied countryside and went to some out of the way places. We can only say great things about TCT and especially Janet Chan if you are planning a trip. Thank you Janet for an exciting and memorable trip!
Chris n Jools Winstanley

tornadoetienne

5.0

We travelled to China for our honeymoon and selected Top China Travel as our travel partner when visiting Zhangjiajie and Guilin. From the moment we spoke to Vicky Lu (the travel advisor), we knew that TopChinaTravel was a reliable company to join. Victor, our guide in Zhangjiajie was excellent. He took us to the best spots and gave us some valuable tips in order to avoid queues and the masses. We spent 4 days in Zhangjiajie. It was raining heavily on the first day and we didn't get to see much, but Victor went out of his way and changed around the itinerary in order for us to see the attractions on other days. We really appreciated this! In Guilin we were met by another excellent guide Ms. Liu. She was very helpful and noted carefully our wants and needs. We were never met with a negative answer whenever and whatever we asked. On the whole, this was an adventour of a lifetime for both myself and my wife! We definitely recommend Top China Travel as a tour operator in China!

Luis Miguel P

5.0

I just did a 8 day tour going from Beijing,xian,Shanghai and it was fenomenal this company has an extraordinary service the hotels,restaurantes,sites,shows,etc.. were very good if you planing to go to china visite the TCT page to look for the best tour because they have many.You won't regret it

Patricia S

5.0

We only had a few days to get a taste of China and we couldn't be happier. We visited Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. In each city our guide had exceptional local knowledge. Our tour was not set in stone with the guides flexible to suit the needs of the group. We not only saw the sites but gained in depth knowledge about them. The drivers were amazing, negotiating the hectic traffic conditions we felt very safe in their care. The guides take a personal interest in their group and look after their every need. I booked the trip over the net and had fantastic communication from start to finish. TCT is great!

P F

5.0

Top China Travel Guide Jim in Beijing was an excellent guide for a solo tourist. He was attentive, passionate about Chinese history and very service oriented. He set the bar high for the following travel guides in Xian, Guilin and Shanghai. Overall the itinerary for my solo tour was amazing and I have so many awesome photos of my trip in China. Ask for Jim if you go to Beijing with TCT.

36debrae

5.0

Our family experienced Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai to the fullest; mostly due to Top China Travel. The arrangements, itineraries, logistics, guides, and drivers were of the highest professional standard.
Each day was special.
The personal attention given to our family by the guides, included making arrangements to attend an evening performance in each city.
We look forward to returning to China and will confidently work with Top China Travel in the future.

murukankl

5.0

I went to China with my family( wife & two children) for sightseeing on 16th June 2017 for a seven days itinerary in China, three days in Hongkong & three days in Singapore . We booked our flight, hotel rooms and train tickets by our self from UAE. Hotel booking we made through Booking.com . After evaluating the charges of various tour operators in China through internet ,we engaged TCT ( Top China Travel ) for our sightseeing arrangement in China – Beijing , Xian and Shanghai. We requested for one private vehicle and English speaking guide. One Miss. Joyce was our contact person in TCT. Thanks for Joyce, she arranged everything perfectly . We reached Beijing at 2300hrs and our guide Mr. Jack receive us at Beijing airport and adrop us in the Shangri-la hotel. They provided a six setter Toyota van exclusively for us . Jack stayed with us till we completed check in to the room. Jack speak good English and sound knowledge about all the monuments, shopping area, good restaurants in Beijing area. We spent three days in Beijing- Great wall in cable car, Summer palace, Lama Temple, Beijing Zoo to see Panda and went to Xian by fast train. Train tickets we purchased online and they deliver to our hotel one day prior to our arrival in Beijing. Fast train is very neat and tidy. Seat arrangements are similar to flight- two seat on each side. There is a shelf for storing large size baggage neat the entrance. Hand baggage could be stored in the overhead storage area .Train was moving at a speed of 280-315 Km per hour, but we don’t feel any vibration inside the train. Clean toilets are provided in each compartments. It is advisable to take fast train instead of domestic flights in China. Xian our Guide was waiting for us at railway station –Miss. Christina . She also was very professional ,sound knowledge of xian sightseeing places. She use to give us a perfect description /history of each monuments to us in the vehicle on the way to each location. Terracotta warriors, Xian museum , Art museum are main highlights of Xian. We went Xian to Shanghai in flight . our Guide Christina accompany us to air port till we receive our boarding pass. In china an English speaking guide is essential to support us everywhere , since local people cannot communicate in English- even at KFC very difficult to purchase food. But in Xian Air port ,our 1700 Hrs flight cancelled at 2300hrs and send us to a local hotel by airline. Next day morning they arranged flight Xian to Shanghai . As per our fellow passengers flight cancellation is quite normal in China. Hence Fast train is always better for domestic trip . Due to flight cancellation our sightseeing time was very limited in Shanghai. TCT Guide Mr.Mark tried his best to show us maximum locations. Miss.Joyce was in touch with us in Whatsup and extended her full support to make our trip comfortable. In Beijing and Shanghai we cancelled few prearranged sightseeing due to bad weather and lack of time. But TCT refund the charges for such cancelled sightseeing . It is really appreciated, normally tour operators will not refund . We paid 30% of TCT charges to them by TT from Dubai and remaining amount by Cash US$ at Beijing . Our hotel Shangri-la at HaiDian -Beijing was very good and Sheraton at Xian & Shanghai was also comfortable . Most of the hotels in China serve pork items ,was the only thing not comfortable for my family. It is worth visiting China and I can recommend TCT since they are very cooperative , professional and reasonable price . Best time to visit China is during spring –ie April- May

hahnss

5.0

During the last week in April and the beginning of May 2017, my wife and I toured southwestern parts of China - Guilin, Yangshuo, Xian, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai- in 8 days, starting from Hong Kong. The online booking process with Top China Travel ("TCT") went smoothly with a very knowledgeable and responsive (via e-mails) TCT sales representative, named Janet ("Dan Dan") Chan. It was a private tour with English-speaking guides in private vehicles and via air travels between cities (thus, a bit pricey). The guides all spoke excellent English and drivers were very helpful and courteous. The hotels and China domestic flights, arranged by TCT, were generally very good to excellent. The scenery in Guilin/Yanshuo and Zhangjiajie were breathtaking, although these popular tour destinations were very crowded, as expected. The foods were not as impressive as we expected, sometimes hampered by the language barrier in local Chinese restaurants. All in all, we enjoyed our trip very much, and can recommend TCT to our friends. Steve H.

Haider_SITTOUR

5.0

I have taken a 8 days tour program for one of my distinguished client from top china travel and it was the one of my best decision. A big thank to Ms Yocky for arranging such a nice tour program and the services that she and her team have provided to my client with such efficiency. undoubtedly, Top China Travel is one of the best tour operator in China. I highly recommend this tour operator for those who have plan to make their trip a memorable one.

Paige S

5.0

For my recent trip to China I used 'Top China Travel' to book and arrange for my private tour of three different cities in China; Shanghai, Xi'an, and Dunhuang. In each place I was met by a guide who spoke English and a driver. The agency booked all the accommodation, fights, and an itinerary which included the best tourist attractions in each city and two meals a day. My guides Larry, Miki, and Caroline not only showed me the cultural sites, they also explained the local customs, food and lifestyles. I stayed in great hotels, in fantastic locations in each city. I loved the food, people and saw some amazing sites. the whole trip seamed effortless for me and on my next trip to China I will use this agency to book my tour, I highly recommend Vicky Lu as your travel agent.

ULDan

5.0

We organised and booked our China tour (for myself and my wife) with Janet Chan from Top China Travel. We included Beijing , Xi'an and Shanghai. Janet is the best travel consultant we ever met. She is very professional, honest and always prompt in correspondence. All her suggestions proved really good and we achieved in our 8 days in China much more than we thought possible , way above our expectations, and absolutely stress free. Janet helped us promptly whenever necessary and all bookings (hotel, historical attractions, restaurants, intercity travels) maximized the available time and also allowed us to immerse not just in China's millennial history but also a bit in the local, normal people's life. All our guides were very good and helpful, and we felt treated like friends, not just customers, especially by Sisi (Beijing) and Vicky (Shanghai). We already plan our return to China for a longer holiday, and we will certainly book with Janet - Top China Travel again. Overall, a very satisfying experience.

carsomyrx

5.0

This fantastic tour covered the cities of Shanghai, Xian and Beijing. On Shanghai the tour guide was Daniel, who was really skilled and accurate, always making appropriate description and tips related to the surroundings. For Beijing, the guide was Dean, who had superb details on every historical details for every monument. Also, he was really helpful and was always checking to make the trip really smooth. This is by far one of the best experiences I ever had!

A TripAdvisor Member

5.0

I booked the 8 day Beijing, Xian and Shanghai tour. Merry was our guide in Beijing. She was great. Met us at airport. Was on time for all transfers and communicated everything to us ahead of time. We let her make the food choices for us after she enquirered what we like. She chose very well. The food was outstanding. She asked what we liked and catered our tour to our liking. We added to one day making it a 12 hour day. She was polite and professional throughout. We stayed at Howard Johnsons Paragon hotel. It wAs a nice hotel and the complimentary breakfasts were great. Off to the next portion of our trip.

Common2016

5.0

We used China Travel to visit Guilin from Hong Kong by train at very short notice - we've never done this before so a little nervous - we did this May 2017. We found all the staff and travel arrangements excellent. Everything flowed very easily. Staff were punctual and as helpful as can be. Unfortunately we don't speak any local languages so the very high standard of English spoken by all was very much appreciated. The itinerary suggested by China Travel was great - really fascinating. There is a small issue with amenities at the large 5* state run hotels in which we stayed - most notably the food minor stuff such as no good coffee! restricted range of foods and service in the cafes not really good, just a bit frowzy so not really what an international traveler may expect - but these hotels were very successful and popular with internal travelers - so I may be out of step here, also gym facilities restricted access and poor. But these are minor quibbles given how great the trip was. The bedrooms at these hotels were excellent. What I'd like to stress is how welcome we were made and how pleasant and relaxed and accommodating everyone we met with was. Well worth a visit and a trusted agent in our view.

pravin55

5.0

We travelled to china with TCT visiting Beijing, Xian and Shanghai, and had a wonderful time To begin with it was a pleasure interacting with our tour adviser LILY, who never got tired with our frequent change of program and dates.The arrangements were perfect, (the pickups and drops, the guides and other services).Being a vegetarian we were a bit apprehensive, but to our surprise it was also taken care very well. We have no reservations to recommend TCT and would love to take their services in future

Maciej_UW

5.0

The Top China Travel organised for 40 persons a tour in Guilin, Beijing, Xi'an area and especially in Gansu province. All things e.g. transport (flight, train tickets, bus) accommodation and guide service was professional, also in the remote area of Badain Jaran Desert or Qilian Mountain in Gansu province where organisation of the trip for a big group is not always easy. Months of contact with TCT office (responsible Janet Chan) was professional, reliable and always fast so all details were clear before the group departure. During the trip the the guide/office work was also excellent which is important for big groups (but also for small groups or family). The trip was without major problems. The smaller one, which always can happen, was resolved fast by the TCT (Janet Chan). That proves the high quality of the Tour Operator. I can recommend Top China Travel as an reliable Tour Operator for groups or individual travellers to organise a tour in most known China tourist spot but also to more remote areas. Maciej

geeta a

5.0

I booked my trip with Top China Travel,extremely professional and prompt.I was guided by the guides Cathy in Xian and Eric in Beijing,very knowledgable,knew the English language very well,knew history,stories,always ready to help with any of my problems that I feel I was travelling with companions.I was very happy and I know you