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.
8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS · PRIVATE TOUR · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai: 8‑Day Private Tour
Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai in eight days
This 8-day Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai private tour starts at USD 2,390 per person for two sharing a twin room; international flights are extra. It is the shortest way we run the three cities: three nights in Beijing, two in Xi’an and two in Shanghai, with a flight at the end instead of a six-hour train.
Choose group size
Published price for selected groupUSD 1,890per 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
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Touring
- Guide and vehicle days confirmed in writing
- Stay
- 7 nights · scope confirmed in writing
- Price
- Published for 2, 4, 6 travellers
The shape of the journey
Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai in eight days
Seven hotel nights include breakfast. The price covers local private guides and vehicles on touring days, transfers, named tickets, the Beijing–Xi’an high-speed train and the Xi’an–Shanghai economy flight. The Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and a rest day do not fit; the 12-day version has room for them.
- 01
The Forbidden City on your ticket date
- 02
The Great Wall at Mutianyu and a hutong walk
- 03
A full Terracotta Warriors day
- 04
Fly Xi’an to Shanghai instead of a six-hour train
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 seen from Jingshan on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 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.
Great Wall near Beijing - 04Day 4
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 - 05Day 5
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.
On Day 5, walk or cycle the wall after the Terracotta Warriors. - 06Day 6
If your flight leaves after lunch, the morning has time for the square around the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Xi’an airport is about an hour from the city, and the economy flight to Shanghai takes a little over two hours. A Shanghai driver meets you; the Bund lights come on after dark.
Shanghai city · Destination view - 07Day 7
Decide before booking how to spend the day. Stay in Shanghai with a guide for the Bund, Yu Garden and an old French Concession neighbourhood, or take the high-speed train to Suzhou for one garden and Pingjiang Road.
Day 7: stay in Shanghai with a guide, or take the train to Suzhou. - 08Day 8
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
Seven hotel nights include breakfast, in twin rooms at the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com/Ctrip): Beijing 3, Xi’an 2 and Shanghai 2. We confirm hotel names and room types before payment.
Guide, transport and admissions
Included: an English-speaking local guide and vehicle for your party in each city on touring days, all transfers, named first admissions, the second-class train Beijing–Xi'an and the economy flight Xi'an–Shanghai. Guides work city by city: on train and flight days, a driver takes you to the station or airport and another meets you on arrival. Korean-speaking guides can be arranged at the same price, subject to availability in each city.
Before you choose
How much is an 8-day Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai private tour?
The 8-day Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai private tour is USD 2,390 each for two sharing a twin room, USD 4,780 for the pair. Four travellers pay USD 2,030 each and six pay USD 1,890. Seven breakfast hotel nights, guides and vehicles in each city on touring days, entrance tickets, the Beijing–Xi’an train and the Xi’an–Shanghai flight are included. International flights, lunches and dinners are not. Other party sizes get a written quote.
Is eight days enough for Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai?
Eight days cover the core of the Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai route: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Terracotta Warriors and one full Shanghai day. What gets cut is the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and any spare day. The 12-day Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai private tour adds those from USD 2,880 each for two, and the 10-day route with the Li River starts at USD 2,990.
Why fly from Xi’an to Shanghai?
On the 8-day Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai tour, the reason is time. The high-speed train between Xi’an and Shanghai takes about six hours; the flight is a little over two, plus about an hour to Xi’an airport. That leaves a free morning in Xi’an or an evening at the Bund. If you prefer the train, tell us before booking and we will requote.
Can the tour start in Shanghai instead?
Yes. The 8-day Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai private tour can run in reverse if your international flight lands in Shanghai and leaves from Beijing. The nights in each city stay the same. The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays, so the Beijing days are set after the ticket date is confirmed, and the price is confirmed in writing for the direction you choose.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
The listed starting price is per person at the stated group size, with two sharing a room. Once we agree on the route and dates, we ask for each traveller’s passport name, number, expiry date and date of birth before Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors tickets go on sale. You receive the flights, trains, hotel choices and final 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-room supplement
- Checked baggage above the airline's included allowance
- The Day 7 option not chosen in writing
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.
- Forbidden City seen from JingshanPhoto by Pixelflake · CC BY-SA 3.0
- 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
- The Bund, ShanghaiPhoto by Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 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.