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.
14 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS · PRIVATE TOUR · NO SHOPPING
Beijing, Xi'an & Yunnan: 14‑Day Private Tour
Old towns first, then the climb to Shangri-La
At USD 3,890 each for two sharing a twin room, the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan private tour leaves international flights to you. After the capitals, Dali and Lijiang give way to Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri-La at about 3,300 metres. The altitude is a real part of the route.
Choose group size
Published price for selected groupUSD 3,090per 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
- 14 days / 13 nights
- Touring
- Guide and vehicle days confirmed in writing
- Stay
- 13 nights · scope confirmed in writing
- Price
- Published for 2, 4, 6 travellers
The shape of the journey
Old towns first, then the climb to Shangri-La
All 13 hotel nights include breakfast. The price covers local private guides and vehicles on touring days, transfers, named tickets, four train journeys, the drive through Tiger Leaping Gorge and two economy flights. At Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the high cable car depends on the day’s quota and weather.
- 01
The Stone Forest's limestone pillars
- 02
Erhai Lake and the Bai village of Xizhou
- 03
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain above Lijiang
- 04
Tiger Leaping Gorge on the way to Shangri-La
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.
Beijing gets three nights before this route turns southwest. - 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.
Terracotta Army, Pit 1 - 06Day 6
The economy flight from Xi’an to Kunming is about 2.5 hours. A Kunming driver meets you, and Green Lake Park is there for a short walk if the evening is free. Stay in Kunming.
Kunming Green Lake · Destination view - 07Day 7
The Stone Forest is about 1.5 hours by road from Kunming. Walk among its limestone pillars in the morning, return to Kunming, then take the booked train to Dali for about 2–2.5 hours. Sleep in Dali.
Stone Forest - 08Day 8
Follow Erhai Lake by vehicle, stopping where you want to walk or cycle a short stretch. Visit the Bai courtyard houses in Xizhou, then finish in Dali Old Town and stay a second night in Dali.
Xizhou’s Bai courtyard houses fit into the Erhai Lake day. - 09Day 9
Dali to Lijiang takes about 1.5–2 hours by the booked train. In the afternoon, the guide can take you through Dayan Old Town or quieter Shuhe. Stay in Lijiang.
Lijiang Old Town · Destination view - 10Day 10
At Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, start with Blue Moon Valley. The high cable car reaches the glacier park at about 4,500 metres when weather and ticket quota allow; if it is full or closed, take a lower cable car instead. Pass Baisha village on the way back to Lijiang.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 11Day 11
The northbound drive stops at Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. Its viewpoint is about 1,000 steps down to the Jinsha River; a paid escalator usually runs. With stops, Shangri-La at about 3,300 metres is roughly 5–6 hours away. Stay there tonight.
Tiger Leaping Gorge - 12Day 12
Shangri-La is already about 3,300 metres high, so we keep the walking gentle. Visit Songzanlin, Yunnan’s largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, and take a lakeside path in Pudacuo National Park. Dukezong Old Town is free time in the evening.
Songzanlin Monastery - 13Day 13
This is a travel day: the booked train back to Lijiang takes about 1.5 hours, then the economy flight to Shanghai about 3.5 hours. Stay in Shanghai before flying internationally the next day.
Shanghai skyline · Destination view - 14Day 14
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
The 13 nights are in breakfast-included twin rooms at the four-star standard (4 diamonds on Trip.com/Ctrip). They break down as Beijing 3, Xi’an 2, Kunming 1, Dali 2, Lijiang 2, Shangri-La 2 and Shanghai 1. Hotel names and room types are written into the confirmation before payment.
Guide, transport and admissions
In each city, an English-speaking local guide and vehicle are for your party on touring days. Transfers and named first-entry tickets cover the Stone Forest, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain with one cable car, Songzanlin and Pudacuo. The included crossings are second-class trains Beijing–Xi’an, Kunming–Dali–Lijiang and Shangri-La–Lijiang, a private vehicle via Tiger Leaping Gorge, and economy flights Xi’an–Kunming and Lijiang–Shanghai. Travel days use a driver at each end, while guides change by city. Korean-speaking guides cost the same where available.
Before you choose
How much does a Yunnan tour with Beijing and Xi'an cost?
Two sharing a twin room on the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan private tour pay USD 3,890 each, or USD 7,780 together. The per-person price is USD 3,290 for four and USD 3,090 for six. It covers 13 breakfast hotel nights, local private guides and vehicles on touring days, tickets including one Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car, four train journeys, the private drive to Shangri-La and two domestic flights. International flights and lunches and dinners are separate. We send a written quote for other group sizes.
Will the altitude be a problem?
Altitude matters on the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan route. Lijiang is about 2,400 metres, Shangri-La about 3,300, and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain glacier park about 4,500 for a brief visit. We keep the Shangri-La walking gentle. Ask your doctor before travel if you have a heart or lung condition.
When is the best time to visit Yunnan?
March–May and September–November are the clearer, more comfortable windows for the 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan route. Expect rain around Dali and Lijiang in summer, and cold in Shangri-La from December through February.
Can we skip Shangri-La?
The 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan private route can leave out Shangri-La. We can spend the freed night in Dali or Lijiang and arrange a flight out of Lijiang; we quote the changed itinerary before payment.
Who is this route for?
The 14-day Beijing–Xi’an–Yunnan route suits travellers who want mountains and old towns after the two capitals. It has more altitude and driving than the 14-day Beijing–Shanghai classic, which starts at USD 3,990 each for two. If Shangri-La’s 3,300 metres worries you, ask us for the version that stops at Lijiang.
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
- Oxygen canisters, horse rides and other optional extras at altitude
- 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.
- Jade Dragon Snow MountainPhoto by 钉钉 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Green Lake in KunmingPhoto by Daderot · Public domain
- Erhai Lake, DaliPhoto by Mx. Granger · CC0 1.0
- Lijiang Old Town rooftopsPhoto by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tiger Leaping GorgePhoto by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Songzanlin MonasteryPhoto by Chensiyuan · 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.