Shanghai Xi'an Tibet Beijing Tour

Duration:
12 Days
Route:
Shanghai-Xi'an-Tibet-Beijing
Season:
Spring Summer Autumn Winter
Tour Type:
Private Tour Private escorted tour with guide & vehicle at your service exclusively and the itinerary can be tailor-made to your exact liking.

Overview

This China Tibet Tour is for you who are keen to experience Chinese ancient civilization as well as Tibetan religious culture. Your journey will start at the star city of China - Shanghai. In this prosperous city, you will walk along the Bund, visit the elegant Yu Garden, and the Jade Buddha Temple with two stunning Buddha statues presented by Burma. After two days of sightseeing in Shanghai, you will depart by plane to Xi'an, the ancient capital of 13 dynasties. In this archaeological treasure trove, you are going to visit the Muslim district of Xi’an and have a taste of local foods. On the next day, you will have a visit to the must-see spot, Terracotta Warriors, a vast collection of more than 7,000 vivid life-sized soldiers, horses, and chariots near the tomb of China's first Emperor. Then, you should prepare yourself for the sacred destination, “the roof of the world”, Tibet. On the snowy plateau, you will pay a visit to the splendid Potala Palace, busy Barkhor Street, Jokhang Temple, and Sera Monastery. After your Tibet trip, you will take a flight to Beijing, the majestic capital of China. In the centuries-old city, you will wander the largest public square in the world - Tiananmen Square, enter the glorious residence of Chinese Emperors - Forbidden City and end the remarkable journey at the most beautiful Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.

Day 1 Arrive in Shanghai

When you arrive at the airport in Shanghai, your tour guide and driver will greet you by holding your name sign at the exit, then drive you to the hotel. The rest of the day is yours to recover from the jet lag.

Stay overnight in Shanghai.

Day 2 Shanghai sightseeing

After having breakfast, you will start the tour in Shanghai. First of all, you will visit the Yu Garden -- It is a typical private garden in China with nearly 500 years of history, located in Shanghai old town. Then you will continue to the Bund, which is a Chinese historical and cultural block, also one of the landmarks of Shanghai. Most of the buildings here were erected before 1937. It used to be a British concession. Now it is called an exhibition of international architecture. At noon, you will have lunch at the local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you can wander around Nanjing Road, a must-see metropolitan destination where attracts thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world. Finally, you will see Jade Buddha Temple, of which the highlights are two precious jade statues of Sakyamuni.

Stay overnight in Shanghai

Yuyuan Garden
The Bund
Jade Buddha Temple
Nanjing Road

Day 3 Shanghai – Zhujiajiao – Shanghai

Today you are going to take a day trip from Shanghai to Zhujiajiao Water Town, which is a well-known tourist attraction in China.

Located on the outskirts of Shanghai, Zhujiajiao (Zhu Family Settlement) is an ancient water town with history more than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains. The village prospered through clothing and rice businesses. There are many ancient shops here, such as rice shops, banks, spice stores, etc. You can even see a Qing dynasty post office, which could bring you back to the old-time to feel the unique charm of China culture.

After having lunch at the local restaurant, we will drive back to Shanghai.

Stay overnight in Shanghai

Zhujiajiao Water Town

Day 4 Arrive in Xi'an - an Archaeological Treasure Trove

Leave for Xi'an by plane, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties dotted with archaeological sites. Transfer to your hotel, and relax before visiting the Muslim district of Xi'an in the late afternoon. You’ll watch Chinese Muslims prepare local cuisine and learn more about them. We’ve prepared a unique dumpling banquet for this evening, which features over 20 varieties of dumplings with rice wine and hot pot soup. Enjoy the feast this evening!

Stay overnight in Xián

Day 5 Xi'an Sightseeing

In the morning, we will drive to the Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses which is considered the Eighth Wonder of the World. It is a great chance for you to experience the profound and amazing history of the Qin Dynasty, the first United Dynasty in ancient China. It may give you an impressive image of the Period of the Warring States in ancient China. Here you can see life-sized warrior figures and horses with distinct facial expressions and positions. You may be surprised by the various kinds of ancient weapons that reflect the highly advanced technology in weapon-making 2,200 years ago.

Stay overnight in Xián

Day 6 Arrival in Lhasa (3650m)

This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. It usually takes around 1 hour to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, and do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 7 Lhasa City

In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it's a museum and world heritage site. 

In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
Barkhor Street

Day 8 Lhasa Sightseeing

In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Norbulingka
Drepung Monastery

Day 9 Travel to Beijing

Your flight will transport you to Beijing - the majestic capital of China. You’ll immediately see the astonishing contrasts of architecture and affected by the long history. For the rest of the day, you can wander around and explore this city on your own.

Stay overnight in Beijing

Day 10 Beijing Sightseeing

In the morning, we will set out to see the mysterious Forbidden City which is the world's largest imperial palace complex. Since it was built in Ming Dynasty, The Forbidden City was home for 24 emperors (from 1420 to 1911 AD). It's said to have 9,999½ forbidden imperial chambers. After that, you are moving to Tian'anmen Square with a great cultural significance which has been the site of several key events in Chinese history. Later, you can take a rickshaw going through a maze of Hutongs to explore old Beijing neighborhoods, discover the courtyard house of traditional Chinese characters.

Stay overnight in Beijing

The Forbidden City
Beijing Hutong
Tiananmen Square

Day 11 Beijing Sightseeing

You will have many interesting things to do today. In the morning, you are suggested to do Morning Exercises at the Temple of Heaven, which was founded in the early 15th century. Known as the Imperial Sacrificial Altar, Temple of Heaven always attracts numerous tourists. To avoid crowds and enjoy local people's morning exercises, we are going to this place in the morning. After visiting Temple of Heaven, we'll drive 2.5 hours to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where you can go through the watchtowers and enjoy breathtaking views as it snakes across the hills and mountains.

Stay overnight in Beijing

Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall
Temple of Heaven Park

Day 12 Depart China

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Our Service

INCLUSIONS

  • Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
  • All entrance tickets fee for tourist attractions listed in the itinerary;
  • Experienced local English-speaking tour guide;
  • Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size & season as itinerary needed including gas and parking fee;
  • All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel, or guesthouse. Please tell us your preference;
  • Breakfasts provided by hotels;
  • Pick-up & Drop-off service from Airport/railway station;
  • Travel Agency Liability insurance;
  • Government tax;
  • Express delivery fee of Permit (eg. SF. Express);
  • Food & lodgings for guide & driver;
  • Oxygen tank for emergency use;
  • Two bottles of mineral water per person per day.

EXCLUSIONS

  • International flight to and out of China;
  • Chinese Visa/China Group Visa; (Note: we could help you by providing the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies for your Chinese Visa or the invitation letter for your China Group Visa)
  • Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa; (We can help you book the domestic flight/train ticket at the BEST price. Please contact us for details.)
  • Meals are not included but we will recommend some good ones for you according to your requirements. Usually, it takes 3-10 USD per person for each meal.
  • While the gratuity for guide and driver is NOT mandatory, it is expected. Based on their service, you can tip them on the last day of the tour. Each of you is suggested to tip them 5-10 USD/day in total;
  • All the commission and tax charged by PayPal, Bank, and government when making payment. (e.g. PayPal --- 4.4%. Wire transfer --- 2%);
  • Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.
  • Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions.

You may also like

Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients

Loading ...
Failed to load data.