01Day 1
At the confirmed Beijing airport or station, your driver takes you straight to the hotel. We leave the first day clear after a long flight; sightseeing begins when you have slept.
17 DAYS / 16 NIGHTS · PRIVATE TOUR · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Yangtze Cruise & Shanghai: 17‑Day Private Tour
Three river nights break up the train journey between cities
A pair sharing hotel rooms and a standard balcony cabin pays from USD 4,690 each on the 17-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Yangtze–Shanghai private tour; international flights are extra. The three-night cruise runs downstream from Chongqing to Yichang, so the land route follows the sailing date.
Choose group size
Published price for selected groupUSD 3,790per person · 6 travellers · private tour package · 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
- 17 days / 16 nights
- Touring
- Guide and vehicle days confirmed in writing
- Stay
- 16 nights · scope confirmed in writing
- Price
- Published for 2, 4, 6 travellers
The shape of the journey
Three river nights break up the train journey between cities
Of the 16 nights, 13 are in breakfast-included hotels and three are aboard the ship. The price covers private local guides and vehicles on land touring days, transfers, named tickets, trains, the cruise with onboard meals, and the train or flight from Yichang to Shanghai. The ship and cabin are confirmed for your sailing.
- 01
A three-night downstream Three Gorges cruise
- 02
Qutang and Wu Gorges, the Lesser Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam
- 03
Chengdu pandas and a night in Chongqing
- 04
Four Shanghai nights with a Suzhou day
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
The drive to Mutianyu takes about 90 minutes. A cable car or chairlift is included one way, leaving you to walk the restored wall at your pace. The toboggan is an extra.
Four Beijing nights come before the train west to Xi’an. - 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.
Most of Day 6 belongs 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
We go to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding near opening, when the pandas are usually moving around. In the afternoon choose one plan before booking: Sanxingdui Museum, roughly an hour each way, or an easier walk around Wenshu Monastery.
Chengdu Panda Base - 09Day 9
It is about 1.5 hours by second-class high-speed train from Chengdu to Chongqing. Spend the afternoon around Jiefangbei and follow the riverside to Hongyadong after the lights come on. Sleep in Chongqing.
Chongqing city · Destination view - 10Day 10
Before boarding, there is time for the monorail at Liziba and the old hillside lanes. Boarding at Chaotianmen pier opens at about 18:00, dinner is served on the ship and it sails at about 21:00. If the water level or river control moves boarding to another pier, the cruise company runs a transfer from central Chongqing and your driver takes you to it.
Liziba monorail - 11Day 11
The included shore visit is usually Fengdu Ghost City in the morning; the rest of the day is on board. Stops such as Shuanggui Mountain and the evening show are paid options sold on the ship, and weather or the water level can change a stop.
Yangtze cruise ship example · Vessel confirmed for your sailing - 12Day 12
Around midday the ship sails through Qutang Gorge. In the afternoon the included side trip takes a smaller boat into the Lesser Three Gorges, and Wu Gorge follows from the deck. White Emperor City in the morning and the Mini Three Gorges are paid options.
Qutang Gorge on the Yangtze on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 13Day 13
Leave the ship at Maoping, just above the dam, at about 08:00 and visit the Three Gorges Dam. The cruise company’s coach reaches the cruise terminal in central Yichang at about 12:30, and we book the afternoon train to Shanghai, about six hours, or an evening flight from that time. Two paid add-ons sold on board get back later, at about 13:30 and 17:00; if you want one, tell us before we book. Lunch is on your own, and you reach Shanghai late.
Shanghai city · Destination view - 14Day 14
Start at Yu Garden and the old city with the guide. At the Bund, look across the river from the 1920s bank buildings to Pudong’s towers.
The Bund, Shanghai - 15Day 15
The high-speed train puts Suzhou about 30 minutes from Shanghai. Visit one garden confirmed for the day, walk the canal lanes of Pingjiang Road and return to Shanghai.
Humble Administrator’s Garden - 16Day 16
The guide walks you through an old French Concession neighbourhood in the morning. The afternoon is yours: a museum, some independent shopping or time to pack.
Former French Concession · Destination view - 17Day 17
Your driver takes you to the confirmed Shanghai airport or station. We leave the departure day free of sightseeing.
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
Of 16 nights, 13 are in breakfast-included hotels at the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com/Ctrip): Beijing 4, Xi’an 2, Chengdu 2, Chongqing 1 and Shanghai 4. The other three are in a standard balcony cabin on a five-star-rated Yangtze ship, normally with Gold Cruises. On the lowest cabin deck the balcony may be glassed in; a higher deck costs a little more. Hotel rooms are twin share; the ship, deck and cabin are set for the sailing date.
Guide, transport and admissions
On land touring days, your party has its own English-speaking local guide and vehicle. The price covers transfers, named first entries, second-class trains Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Chongqing and Shanghai–Suzhou return, plus the Yichang–Shanghai train or economy flight. The three-night ship booking includes the cabin, meals from dinner on boarding night to breakfast on the last morning, and three shore visits, usually Fengdu Ghost City, the Lesser Three Gorges by small boat and the Three Gorges Dam. Ship commentary follows the ship’s language programme. Land guides change by city, with drivers at both ends of train and flight days; Korean-speaking land guides cost the same where available.
Before you choose
How much does a China tour with a Yangtze cruise cost?
For the 17-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Yangtze–Shanghai private tour, two sharing hotel rooms and a standard balcony cabin pay USD 4,690 each, USD 9,380 together. The rate falls to USD 3,990 each for four and USD 3,790 for six. Included are 13 breakfast hotel nights, a three-night cruise with onboard meals and its included shore visits, local private guides and vehicles on land, tickets, high-speed trains and a train or flight from Yichang to Shanghai. Land meals and international flights cost extra; peak sailings can raise the total. Eight or more may depart on their own dates at USD 3,490 each. Other party sizes need a written quote.
How is this different from the small-group version?
Both 17-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Yangtze–Shanghai versions use a shared cruise ship. On land, the private guide and vehicle serve only your party on dates you choose, from USD 4,690 each for two. The 2027 small group costs USD 3,490 each with 8–12 guests, departing 19 May or 1 September on one fixed plan.
Which way does the cruise sail?
The Yangtze leg of the 17-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Shanghai private tour sails downstream from Chongqing to Yichang for three nights. Going upstream takes four nights, so we use the downstream sailing to keep the entire route at 17 days.
Is the cruise private?
The three-night Chongqing–Yichang Yangtze cruise is on a shared ship, with a cabin for your party and the ship’s own programme. The private guide and vehicle apply to the land touring days.
When does the cruise run?
We normally book Gold Cruises. In its 2026 timetable, downstream ships leave Chongqing from late February to late December, with five or six sailings a week from late March to mid-December and none from late December to late February. April–May and September–October are usually the most comfortable. The 2027 timetable is not final, so we check your date first and set the 17-day land days around a confirmed sailing; if a date has no Gold Cruises sailing, we offer another five-star line and put any difference in writing.
Can a child or a third person share our cabin?
Yes. On the 17-day Beijing–Xi’an–Chengdu–Yangtze–Shanghai tour, a standard cabin takes up to four people, children included. A third person or a child sharing the cabin pays a reduced cruise fare, and children under 2 pay only a small part of it. Hotel rooms for the same party are priced separately, and we send the whole quote in writing.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
The starting price is per person for the stated party size, with two sharing hotel rooms and a standard balcony cabin. We price the ship for your sailing date; it and the cabin, any peak-date difference and the final total appear in writing before payment. We ask for passport details before Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors ticket sales open.
Not included
- International flights to and from China
- Lunches, dinners and drinks on land (hotel breakfasts and onboard cruise meals are included)
- Travel insurance, visas, tips and personal expenses
- Room upgrades and public-holiday surcharges
- Single-room and single-cabin supplements (a cabin for one is charged at close to twice the shared per-person cruise fare)
- Cruise gratuities, paid shore options sold on board (such as White Emperor City and the dam's ship lift) and cabin upgrades
- Peak-date cruise surcharges above the base balcony cabin
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.
- Qutang Gorge on the YangtzePhoto by Tan Wei Liang Byorn · CC BY 3.0
- Temple of HeavenPhoto by xiquinhosilva / Xiquinho Silva · CC BY 2.0
- A Line 2 train at Liziba StationPhoto by David290 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yangtze River cruise shipPhoto by Gaynor · CC BY 2.0
- Wu GorgePhoto by Photnart · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Traditional buildings and pond in Yu GardenPhoto by King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Humble Administrator's GardenPhoto by Chainwit. · CC BY 4.0
- Pingjiang Road, SuzhouPhoto by kevinmcgill · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Former French ConcessionPhoto by Fabio Achilli · CC BY 2.0
- 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.