01Day 1
The departure-date booking includes one pickup from Beijing Capital or Daxing airport. Meet the guide and other guests for a short briefing at the hotel that evening.
14 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS · SMALL GROUP · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin & Shanghai: 14‑Day Small-Group Tour
Four 2027 departures; 8 guests to run, 12 at most
A twin-share place on the 2027 Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai 14-day small group starts at USD 2,890 per person; international flights are extra. It follows the 14-day private route on four fixed departures, with no more than 12 guests and an English-speaking local guide in each city.
Price per person
Published price for selected groupUSD 2,890per person · Twin share · small group · 8–12 guests, fixed dates · international flights not included
Prices are shown in USD. We confirm the payment currency, exchange rate and total in your written quote before you pay.
Request a quoteOr chat on WhatsApp
Need a different group size?We confirm room needs, luggage count and a suitable vehicle before sending a written quote.Plan this journey
- Journey
- 14 days / 13 nights
- Touring
- Guide and vehicle days confirmed in writing
- Stay
- 13 nights · scope confirmed in writing
- Price
- Per person, sharing a twin room
The shape of the journey
Four 2027 departures; 8 guests to run, 12 at most
Choose 10–23 April, 8–21 May, 11–24 September or 9–22 October 2027. We confirm the group once 8 people book and close it at 12. If it is still short of 8 at 45 days out, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept that price and keep the dates, or take a full refund of everything paid to us.
- 01
Departs 10 Apr, 8 May, 11 Sep, 9 Oct 2027
- 02
Runs at 8 guests, never more than 12
- 03
Full refund if the group does not run
- 04
Domestic flights and high-speed trains included
Day by day
See how each day unfolds.
Arrival, core touring and departure are shown day by day. Opening hours, named-entry tickets and local conditions may change the order. If anything important needs to change, we discuss it with you.
Beijing city · Destination view - 02Day 2
The guide takes you through the Tiananmen area and into the Forbidden City with the ticket issued for your date. The museum closes on Mondays, so we set the Beijing day order after the reservation is confirmed.
Forbidden City - 03Day 3
Mutianyu is about 90 minutes from Beijing by road. Take the included cable car or chairlift one way, then walk the restored wall at your own speed. Back in town, there is a short hutong walk near the Drum Tower.
Allow about 90 minutes on the road from central Beijing to Mutianyu. - 04Day 4
Morning is a good time for the Temple of Heaven: local residents are often exercising in the park. Then walk by the Summer Palace lake. We check seasonal boat operation on the day.
Temple of Heaven - 05Day 5
The confirmed second-class train to Xi’an takes about 4.5–6 hours. A driver takes you to the Beijing station and another meets you in Xi’an; leave the evening free after the crossing.
Xi’an city · Destination view - 06Day 6
Do not rush the Terracotta Warriors: the guide has the morning and early afternoon there. Return to Xi’an for the City Wall when the light softens; you can walk or cycle it. The Muslim Quarter is free time in the evening.
We leave the morning and early afternoon to the Terracotta Warriors. - 07Day 7
The second-class train from Xi’an to Chengdu takes about 3–4.5 hours. There is still an afternoon for tea in People’s Park and a walk along Kuanzhai Alley.
Jin River, Chengdu - 08Day 8
The group reaches the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding near opening, when pandas are usually most active. After lunch it drives about an hour to Sanxingdui Museum for the bronze masks, if the timed tickets are issued.
Giant panda at Chengdu Research Base on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 09Day 9
The confirmed economy flight from Chengdu to Guilin takes about 1.5 hours. Drivers handle both airport transfers. We leave the rest of the day open and stay overnight in Guilin before the river cruise.
Guilin city · Destination view - 10Day 10
The Li River boat takes about four hours from the pier to Yangshuo, between the karst peaks. Your main bags travel separately by road, so keep what you need on the boat with you. The rest of the Yangshuo day is free.
Li River cruise - 11Day 11
If the water level and operator allow, ride a bamboo raft on the booked stretch of the Yulong River. Afterward, see the countryside by bike or vehicle without a fixed walking target. Stay in Yangshuo.
Yulong River countryside - 12Day 12
First drive about 1.5 hours to Guilin airport, then take the confirmed economy flight to Shanghai, about two hours. A Shanghai driver meets you. If you still have energy, the Bund is lit after dark.
Shanghai city · Destination view - 13Day 13
With the group guide, start at Yu Garden and the old city, then cross to the Bund and a former French Concession neighbourhood. Make your own plans for the final evening.
The Bund, Shanghai - 14Day 14
On the last group day, one transfer to Pudong or Hongqiao airport is included. Extra nights in Shanghai can be arranged separately.
Shanghai city · Destination view
Day 1 · Arrive in Beijing
Travel made seamless
Hotels, guides and transfers work together.
Your hotel level, guided days, transfers, route transport and principal admissions are planned together. We check availability for your dates before payment.
Stay
The 13 hotel nights include breakfast: Beijing 4, Xi’an 2, Chengdu 2, Guilin 1, Yangshuo 2 and Shanghai 2. We use the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com, also called Ctrip) and name the hotels in your confirmation. USD 2,890 is per person sharing a twin room; a room alone adds a single supplement from USD 690.
Guide, transport and admissions
English-speaking local guides take the group around each city on touring days. The price includes a group vehicle, one Beijing airport pickup and one Shanghai airport drop-off on the group dates, named admissions, the Li River cruise and one Yulong River raft, second-class trains Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu, and economy flights Chengdu–Guilin and Guilin–Shanghai.
Before you choose
What happens if the group does not reach 8 guests?
For the 2027 Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai small group, we check numbers 45 days before departure. If fewer than 8 have booked, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept it for the same dates or take a full refund of everything paid to us. For two travellers, the private price is USD 3,990 each, against the USD 2,890 small-group price. Until we confirm the group, book international flights you can change or refund.
Can I join on my own?
Solo travellers can join the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai small group. The USD 2,890 price assumes two sharing; a room of your own costs a single supplement from USD 690. We do not assign strangers to share.
We are a group of 8 or more. Can we have our own departure?
Eight to twelve travelling together can book the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai route on their own dates at USD 2,890 per person. For 13 or more, ask us for a separate quote. We confirm the hotel rooms and tickets for those dates before booking.
How is this different from the private version?
On the Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai route, hotels and inclusions stay the same. The 2027 small group is USD 2,890 per person on fixed dates and has one Day 8 and Day 13 plan for everyone. Private dates and a guide and car just for your party start at USD 3,990 each for two travellers or USD 3,190 each for six.
Is there a tour leader for the whole trip?
The 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Guilin–Shanghai small group has no single leader travelling the whole route. An English-speaking local guide takes the group around each city; drivers handle station and airport handovers. There are no shopping stops.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
USD 2,890 is the per-person starting price for one place on a fixed departure, sharing a twin room. We need 8 booked guests to run and stop at 12. At 45 days out, if fewer than 8 have booked, we quote a private tour for your actual party size in writing. You can accept it for the same dates or take a full refund of everything paid to us. A party of 8–12 may choose its own date at the small-group price; ask us for a separate quote for 13 or more. The September departure is in Xi’an for the Mid-Autumn Festival on 15 September 2027, when trains and the Terracotta Warriors are busier. We confirm hotels, flights and the total in writing before payment.
Not included
- International flights to and from China
- Lunches, dinners and drinks (breakfast is included at every hotel)
- Travel insurance, visas, tips and personal expenses
- Room upgrades and public-holiday surcharges
- Single supplement, from USD 690
- Transfers on dates other than the group's arrival and departure days
- Checked baggage above the airline's included allowance
Confirmed in writing
- Your dates, arrival and departure details
- The hotel, room arrangement and vehicle for the actual group
- Bookable admissions and the final total before payment
Plan the destination
Check the route against the destination guides.
Use these city hubs and decision guides to test the route's stay base, gateways and day order before enquiring.
Destination hubs
Decision guides
Compare a related published route
Photo credits
The location-specific external photographs are credited below. Only conventional cropping, resizing and WebP conversion were applied; no generative edits were made. Adapted CC BY-SA photos are shared under the linked CC BY-SA license.
- Temple of HeavenPhoto by xiquinhosilva / Xiquinho Silva · CC BY 2.0
- Guilin city viewPhoto by Chlukoe · CC0 1.0
- Traditional buildings and pond in Yu GardenPhoto by King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chengdu Panda BasePhoto by George Lu · CC BY 2.0
- Sanxingdui MuseumPhoto by STW932 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Bund, ShanghaiPhoto by Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jin River, ChengduPhoto by tyrosin · CC BY 2.0
- Terracotta Army, Pit 1Photo by Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · CC0
- Great Wall near BeijingPhoto by Francesco Bini · CC BY-SA 4.0
All remaining photographs were selected from the Homeground project library and authorised by the site owner for this website. Only routine cropping, resizing and format conversion were applied.