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, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14‑Day Small-Group Tour
Two 2027 departures, 8 guests to run and 12 at most
At USD 2,790 each in twin rooms, the 2027 Beijing–Xi’an–Zhangjiajie–Guilin–Shanghai 14-day small group excludes international flights. It leaves on 17 April or 16 October with 8–12 guests. The direct Zhangjiajie–Guilin train takes about seven hours, so one day is mostly travel.
Price per person
Published price for selected groupUSD 2,790per 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.
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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
Two 2027 departures, 8 guests to run and 12 at most
2027 departures, each 14 days: 17–30 April and 16–29 October. A twin-share place is USD 2,790. We confirm the group at 8 guests and close it at 12. If fewer than 8 have booked 45 days before departure, 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.
- 01
Departs 17 April and 16 October 2027
- 02
Runs at 8 guests, never more than 12
- 03
Full refund if the group does not run
- 04
Zhangjiajie, Tianmen Mountain and the Li River
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.
The group enters the Forbidden City on its booked ticket. - 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.
Terracotta Army, Pit 1 - 06Day 6
The economy flight from Xi’an to Zhangjiajie takes about 1.5 hours. From the airport, go straight to the hotel near the Wulingyuan park gates. Sightseeing starts the next day.
Wulingyuan peaks · Destination view - 07Day 7
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park takes a full day. The guide links Yuanjiajie’s sandstone pillars, the Bailong Elevator and part of Golden Whip Stream; the order changes with the weather and the queues.
Tianzi Mountain - 08Day 8
Tianmen Mountain starts from Zhangjiajie city. Up top are the cliff-side walkways and Tianmen Cave; whether the cable car comes before or after the mountain road depends on the ticket route issued for that date.
Tianmen Mountain’s cable car begins in central Zhangjiajie. - 09Day 9
The direct Zhangjiajie–Guilin high-speed train takes about seven hours. This is almost entirely a travel day; a Guilin driver meets the train and takes you to the hotel for the night.
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 karst scenery on this route. The photograph illustrates the place; access, weather and the final day order are confirmed for your dates. - 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
A room to yourself has a single supplement from USD 690; the USD 2,790 per-person group fare assumes twin sharing. Breakfast comes with all 13 hotel nights. Beijing gets 3; Xi'an, Wulingyuan, Yangshuo and Shanghai get 2 each; Zhangjiajie city and Guilin get 1 each. Hotels follow the four-star standard, rated 4 diamonds on Trip.com (Ctrip). We put the hotel names on your booking confirmation.
Guide, transport and admissions
Between cities, the fare covers the second-class train Beijing–Xi'an, the direct Zhangjiajie–Guilin train, and economy flights Xi'an–Zhangjiajie and Guilin–Shanghai. The named admissions include the Forest Park, Bailong Elevator and Tianmen Mountain cable car; the Li River cruise and one Yulong River bamboo raft are included too. On the group dates there is one Beijing arrival transfer and one Shanghai departure transfer. Touring in each city is with an English-speaking local guide and a group vehicle.
Before you choose
What happens if the group does not reach 8 guests?
For Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14-Day Small-Group Tour, we check numbers 45 days before departure. If fewer than 8 guests 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. The private price for two is USD 3,890 each, against USD 2,790 for a small-group place. Until the group is confirmed, book international flights you can change or refund.
Can I join on my own?
Solo travellers can join Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14-Day Small-Group Tour. The USD 2,790 fare assumes two sharing; your own room 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 Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14-Day Small-Group Tour on their own dates at USD 2,790 per person. For 13 or more, ask us for a separate quote. We check hotel rooms and tickets for those dates before booking.
How is this different from the private version?
Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14-Day Small-Group Tour costs USD 2,790 per person on fixed 2027 dates for 8–12 guests; the Day 13 Shanghai plan is set. Hotels, route and inclusions match the private version. The private tour lets your party choose dates and use its own guide and vehicle, from USD 3,890 each for two or USD 3,090 for six.
Is there a tour leader for the whole trip?
Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin & Shanghai: 14-Day Small-Group Tour has no single leader travelling the whole route. English-speaking local guides handle touring days city by city, while drivers handle the station and airport handovers. There are no shopping stops.
Clear before payment
What is separate—and what your written quote will confirm.
The USD 2,790 starting price buys 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 April group ends on 30 April, the eve of the May Day holiday, so book your flight home early. 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
- Grand Canyon Glass Bridge and other Zhangjiajie add-ons unless listed
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.
- Li River karst sceneryPhoto by xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0
- Wulingyuan sandstone pillarsPhoto by 颐园居 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tianzi Mountain panoramaPhoto by Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Traditional buildings and pond in Yu GardenPhoto by King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 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.