Discover the Best of China on this fabulous 13-Day Shanghai Xi'an Zhangjiajie Guilin Chengdu Tour!
Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime 13-day China tour that takes you through the country's most iconic cities and breathtaking natural landscapes. This carefully curated China travel itinerary covers the best places to visit in China, including the futuristic skyline of Shanghai, the world-famous Terracotta Army in Xi'an, the surreal Zhangjiajie mountains that inspired Avatar, the scenic Li River cruise through Guilin's karst wonders, and the cultural heart of Sichuan in Chengdu. Perfect for first-time travelers or those seeking a deeper dive into China's rich history and scenic beauty, this Shanghai to Chengdu tour is the ultimate way to experience China's top highlights without the crowds of the Great Wall.
Code of Tour: SZW0000064
Length of Travel: 13 Days
Arrival City: Shanghai
Departure City: Chengdu
Price of Tour: Request
Features of Tour: an amazing China tour that will take you to explore the best China travel destinations you want to visit most.
The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the birthplace of the Hallelujah Mountain in the movie Avatar
Highlights
- The Bund: the soul of Shanghai where every building tells the story of Shanghai's century long vicissitudes.
- The Grand Tang Mall: the only large-scale Tang style architectural complex pedestrian street in China with the background of the prosperous Tang culture.
- The Terracotta Army: a vast collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang
- Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: a wonderland of towering sandstone pillars, lush forests and breathtaking landscapes that inspired the floating mountains in the movie Avatar.
- The Li River: an emerald river dancing through a vast range of karst peaks, which represents a very charming living Chinese watercolor painting
- The Leshan Giant Buddha: A 71-meter (233 ft) tall stone statue built during Tang dynasty in ancient China, the Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world.
- Sichuan Opera Face-Changing: an ancient Chinese dramatic art of the Sichuan opera in which the performers change vividly colored masks from one to another almost instantaneously with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head or wave of the hand.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Shanghai Arrival
- Day 2: Shanghai
- Day 3: Shanghai-Xi'an
- Day 4: Xi'an
- Day 5: Xi'an-Zhangjiajie
- Day 6: Zhangjiajie
- Day 7: Zhangjiajie
- Day 8: Zhangjiajie
- Day 9: Zhangjiajie-Guilin
- Day 10: Guilin
- Day 11: Guilin-Chengdu
- Day 12: Chengdu
- Day 13: Chengdu Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Shanghai Arrival
Attractions & Activities: the Bund
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: none
Upon arrival in Shanghai, the we will pick you up at Shanghai airport and arrange transfer to your hotel for check-in.
In the evening, we'll take you to the Bund to explore the soul of Shanghai, enjoying the night view of the Huangpu River.
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Shanghai, the magic city in China
Day 2: Shanghai
Attractions & Activities: the Shanghai Museum, French Concession, Xintiandi, Maglev Train
Accommodation: Shanghai
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
This day, you'll visit the Shanghai Museum to learn about Chinese history and culture, and you’ll also explore the French Concession, a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1943 that maintains the breath of history, and the Xintiandi, a vibrant pedestrian area known for its beautifully restored Shikumen buildings, boutique shops and stylish cafés.
In addition to those attractions, you’ll also be able to experience Shanghai's Maglev Train to feel the fastest speed on the ground.
Day 3: Shanghai-Xi'an
Attractions & Activities: the Muslim Street, the Grand Tang Mall
Accommodation: Xi'an
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
This day, you'll fly to Xi’an from Shanghai to explore the world-renowned ancient city of thousands of years history. After arrival in Xi'an, you can take a stroll through the Muslim Street, tasting local snacks. In the evening, you can explore the Grand Tang Mall - the only large-scale Tang style architectural complex pedestrian street in China with the background of the prosperous Tang culture - travelling back to the flourishing ancient China!
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The Grand Tang Mall, the largest-scale Tang style architectural complex pedestrian street in China
Day 4: Xi'an
Attractions & Activities: Terracotta Army, Huaqing Palace
Accommodation: Xi'an
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
This day, you're going to visit the Terracotta Army, a vast collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, which is hailed as one of the world's top ten treasure ancient tombs.
Also, you'll visit the beautiful Huaqing Palace (Huaqing Pool), which is a classy and sophisticated royal garden of the Tang Dynasty that is marked with the romantic & lasting love story of Emperor Xuanzong and his consort Yang Guifei.
The Terracotta Army, the eternal guardian of the emperor Qin Shi Huang
Day 5: Xi'an-Zhangjiajie
Attractions & Activities: none
Accommodation: Zhangjiajie
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
After visiting the ancient city Xi'an with rich history, you'll flight to Zhangjiajie to explore the very unique and wonder natural landscape of the world’s best.
Day 6: Zhangjiajie
Attractions & Activities: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie and Tianzi Mountain scenic areas)
Accommodation: Zhangjiajie
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
Venture amidst Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to immerse in the "Pandora Planet" in the move Avatar. The the UNESCO World Heritage Site includes Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie, and Tianzi Mountain scenic areas, featuring pillar-like mountains amidst drifting clouds and mist that appear like a fantastical fairyland.
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The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Tour
Day 7: Zhangjiajie
Attractions & Activities: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Golden Whip Stream and Zhangjiajie’s Ten-Mile Gallery)
Accommodation: Zhangjiajie
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
This day, you'll continue to explore Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, mainly its Golden Whip Stream and Ten-Mile Gallery scenic areas. The Golden Whip Stream is a 7.5 kilometers long stream meandering through a canyon that is one of the most beautiful valleys in the world. However, the Ten-Mile Gallery, as its name suggests, is a famous picturesque landscape belt that is endowed with rolling hills, endless fields, idyllic villages and clear rivers on both sides, therefore named Ten-Mile Gallery.
Day 8: Zhangjiajie
Attractions & Activities: Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park
Accommodation: Zhangjiajie
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
After exploring Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, you'll continue to explore Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. During the journey, you can climb the awe-inspiring Tianmen Mountain (aka. Heaven's Gate) that features a giant natural karst cave hanging in the middle top of the mountain, and you can also experience the thrilling Tianmen Mountain Cableway (which is claimed in tourist publications as the "longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world") and the ultra-thrilling 1,400 meters high Glass Skywalk around the side of the sheer cliff of the Tianmen Mountain.
The Tianmen Mountain, also known as Heaven's Gate Mountain
Day 9: Zhangjiajie-Guilin
Attractions & Activities: none
Accommodation: Guilin
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
Take HSR from Zhangjiajie to Guilin to start your journey in another wonderland on earth.
Day 10: Guilin
Attractions & Activities: the Li River, Yangshuo Western Street, Yangshuo's Ten-Mile Gallery
Accommodation: Guilin
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
In the morning, take a boat cruise along the picturesque Li River, an emerald river dancing through a vast range of karst peaks that appears just like a very charming living Chinese watercolor painting. Then, take a walk in Yangshuo West Street, which is the oldest street in Yangshuo with a history of more than 1,400 years, and which is also a fancy hub for eastern and western culture exchange.
In the afternoon, you can take a bicycle tour in Yangshuo's Ten-Mile Gallery. Different from Zhangjiajie's Ten-Mile Gallery, the Yangshuo's Ten-Mile Gallery is a world-famous picturesque landscape belt that features dramatic karst peaks, clear rivers and endless fields that all create a very charming Chinese watercolor painting.
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Guilin, known for its top-rated rivers and mountains
Day 11: Guilin-Chengdu
Attractions & Activities: cormorant fishing
Accommodation: Chengdu
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
After arrival in Chengdu, Sichuan, you can experience the very interesting cormorant fishing, which is a Chinese ancient skills passed down for thousands of years: upon the command of the falconer, the cormorants fly away and dive into the water; once they've caught fish and resurface, they swim back to the falconer's raft, fish in their mouth.
Cormorant Fishing, Shanghai Xi'an Zhangjiajie Guilin Chengdu Tour
Day 12: Chengdu
Attractions & Activities: the Leshan Giant Buddha, Sichuan Opera Face-Changing, tea ceremony
Accommodation: Chengdu
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
This day, you're going to take a cruise to see the Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world built during Tang dynasty in ancient China. After that, you can participate in a special tea ceremony to experience the leisure life of Chengdu in the tea. And you’ll also have a chance to watch the Face-Changing (Bian Lian in Chinese) of Sichuan Opera, an ancient Chinese dramatic art of the Sichuan opera in which the performers change vividly colored masks from one to another almost instantaneously with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head or wave of the hand.
The Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world
Sichuan Opera Face-Changing, a magic art in Sichuan Opera
Day 13: Chengdu Departure
Attractions & Activities: none
Accommodation: none
Meals: hotel breakfast (lunch and dinner at your own expense)
We'll transfer you to the airport for your departure, and tour happy tour will be successfully wrapped up.
Service Included
- Accommodation: 4 star hotels throughout the trip
- Daily hotel breakfast
- Excellent English speaking guide
- 5-19 seats vehicle for transportation
- Travel insurance package
- 2 bottles of mineral water per person per day
Service Excluded
- Lunch and dinner throughout the trip
- Domestic air tickets
- International transportation for arrivals and departures
- Chinese visa fees
- Tips for guides and drivers (suggested: 200 RMB/group/day for guide; 150 RMB/group/day for driver)
- Travel accident insurance
- Personal expenses
- Single room supplements
Group Tour Service Standards
- For groups of 2-4 people, there will be an English-speaking tour guide as driver.
- For groups of 5-10 people, there will be an English speaking tour guide and a Chinese driver.
Price Notice
Child prices: Children under 3 years old are free, children aged 4-6 years old are 50% of the adult price (Not occupying a bed), children aged 7-11 years old are 70% of the adult price (occupying a bed and tickets), and children aged 12 years and above are charged at the adult price.
Itinerary Notice
Our company reserves the right to adjust the order of the tour itinerary, but the content of the tour will not be reduced. If certain attractions cannot be visited due to force majeure or policy adjustments, our company has the right to cancel or replace them with equivalent attractions, and any fees for additional attractions will not be refunded.
