Classic China · Beijing — Xi’an — Shanghai
The first journey,
done properly.
The three cities that explain China — imperial Beijing, Tang-dynasty Xi’an and future-facing Shanghai — with the distances handled by high-speed rail, and each day paced for one great thing in the morning and one in the afternoon. If the trains are the point of the trip, China by Bullet Train runs the same three-city arc at 350 km/h, adding Chengdu.
Prefer paper first? Read the complete 10-day sample itinerary — every day written out with real prices, the same document we build for actual enquiries.
Day 3, just after the gates open — the early start is the whole trick.
Day by day
A sample route, not a script
Every departure is private, so think of this as a starting sketch we adjust around your pace and interests.
- Day 1
Arrive Beijing
Private airport welcome and transfer. No sightseeing today — a hutong courtyard dinner near your hotel, and an hour with your guide to set up mobile payments and the week ahead. Your guide is matched to your language — English or German as standard, French or Spanish on request and confirmed before booking.
- Day 2
Beijing — the Imperial axis
The Forbidden City, walked in through Tiananmen Square, with a guide who tells it as history, not a list of halls; the view over the rooftops from Jingshan hill; an unhurried walk through a living hutong with a long-time resident — the lanes and their stories are in our hutong guide.
- Day 3
Beijing — the Great Wall
Early departure for the Mutianyu section, arriving before the crowds. Afternoon back in the city: the Temple of Heaven in the hour locals use it, or the 798 art district if that’s more you.
- Day 4
To Xi’an by high-speed rail
Morning train west, first-class seats, station navigation handled. Evening walk in the Muslim Quarter — the city’s Silk Road heritage on a plate, and a first taste of the caravan story our Silk Road journey follows west.
- Day 5
Xi’an — the Terracotta Army
The warriors with real time to look, then the Ming city wall by bike before dusk. Dinner: a dumpling house that locals queue for.
- Day 6
To Shanghai
Morning flight (or rail, if you prefer the ground-level view). Arrive in time for the Bund at dusk — the twenty-first century on one bank, the nineteenth on the other.
- Day 7
Shanghai — yesterday and today
Yu Garden and the old town before the tour buses; the French Concession’s plane-tree streets on foot; an architecture thread from Art Deco to the Lujiazui skyline.
- Day 8
Shanghai — water and stone
Half a day in Zhujiajiao water town while the morning mist is still on the canals. Evening optional: jazz at the Peace Hotel, a Shanghai institution since 1929.
- Day 9
Shanghai, lived
Tai chi in Fuxing Park with the morning regulars, a wet market with your guide, and a hands-on cooking class — or a free day by design. Your call.
- Day 10
Depart
Private transfer to the airport, timed generously. We stay reachable until you’re home.
Photo: Picrazy2, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Your ride
Quiet, new-energy, and planned like everything else
Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Bene Riobó, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Indicative pricing
What a journey like this costs
| Party | Guide price, per person | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | €3,800 | Boutique 4-star hotels, one room |
| 4 travellers | €3,300 | Boutique 4-star hotels, two rooms |
| 6 travellers | on request | Rooming to suit your party |
Your payments, our terms: a €250 deposit per person locks your dates — full refund 45 days out, one free date change, balance only 60 days before travel. Insolvency insurance is not yet in place — see exactly how it works →
See this route priced for your dates — itemised quote within one working day →
Worried about the what-ifs? Illness, lost passports, missed trains — our written playbooks are public.
International flights from Europe typically add €700–1,100 return per person — our prices are land-only, so you book the fares that suit you.
Included
Nine nights’ boutique accommodation with breakfast · private guide matched to your language in each city · private car and driver for transfers and touring · first-class rail and domestic flight as described · all entrance tickets and reservations · daily support from our operations team · a working mobile payment setup and local SIM/eSIM advice.
Not included
International flights · lunches and dinners (your guide eats with you and orders for the table; we recommend budgeting €50–80 per person per day for very good meals) · travel insurance (required) · personal spending · gratuities, entirely at your discretion.
Curious what sits behind these numbers? The full write-up on how private-tour pricing in China actually works shows what the land price includes, why four travellers pay less than two — and the test we’d run on any quote, ours included.
Honest fit
Who this journey is not for
Anyone chasing maximum sights
Ten days, three cities, one great thing each morning and one each afternoon — that is deliberately unhurried. If success means six sights a day, you will find this pace slow, and a coach tour will beat us on speed and price alike.
Anyone watching every euro
Private means your own guide, car and bookings, priced accordingly. A seat on a big-group tour of the same cities runs well under half our price — and for some travellers that is honestly the right call.
Anyone who finds stairs a struggle
Jingshan hill, the Wall’s steps and the city wall by bike all assume you enjoy being on your feet. We happily re-plan around mobility needs, but the route as priced is a walker’s route.
Anyone who wants to improvise
Tickets here are real-name and released on fixed schedules, so trains, hotels and entries are booked the moment your dates confirm. If the joy is landing with no plan at all, you won’t use what we build.
Make it yours
Tell us your dates, and who’s coming.
We reply within one working day with honest thoughts on routing, season and what we’d change for you.
The memory this route is built to leave you with is Day 3: the Wall at opening hour, an empty ridge in both directions, the stone still cold under your hand — the 6am alarm earning its keep.
Coming this year, thinking about someday, or simply curious — all equally welcome, at any stage. Prefer your own email app instead of a form? hello@privatechinajourneys.com reaches exactly the same person.