13-Day Private Tour: Beijing – Xi'an – Chengdu – Guilin – Hong Kong
13-Day Private Tour: Beijing – Xi'an – Chengdu – Guilin – Hong Kong
This 13-day suggested itinerary is an in-depth discovery of Chinese cuisine from the north to the south and from modern to rural areas, covering the representative destinations where different styles of cuisine originated from.
The itinerary below is only one possibility. Tips to tailor-make your trip are offered as inspiration. Send us details of your preferences and our travel experts will customize this trip to suit your interests, tastes, and budget.
Tour "Wow" Points
Get off the Beaten Path to Find Hidden Halls and Interesting Stories in the Fobidden City
Follow your personal guide to explore the emperors' Forbidden City. Visit the halls which are skipped by most of the tourists and listen to the stories which are never told by other guides.
Enjoy Peking Roast Duck of a Time-Honored Brand
Feast your eyes and stomach with the most famous Beijing dish in a courtyard restaurant. Walk into the kitchen for roasting ducks.
Explore a Top-Ranked Section of the Great Wall
Make the most of your time to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. Walk leisurely through the watchtowers and enjoy a superb view of the Wall snaking across the mountains.
Witness the World-Famouse Terracotta Army and Create a Warrior by Yourself.
You will not only see the life-size warriors at the site, but also get opportunity to know how ancient craftsmen made them. Your guide will unveil some secrets of the world wonder and share his/her insight from a local people's point of view.
Challenge Yourself to Take a Food Adventure in the Muslim Quarter
Try some delicious traditional food and special snacks that have gone viral.
A Morning Date with Active Pandas
It is best to go early in the morning to see the pandas feeding at around 9:30am, which is their most active time of the day.
Unmask the Secrets of Sichuan Cuisine and Cook Representative Dishes Yourself.
Visit Sichuan Cuisine Museum, where you can engage all your senses to experience Sichuan cuisine. Also to a street food hunting in the most famous alley in Chengdu
Explore the Amazing Homeland of Chinese Ethnic Minority and Learn to Cook Their Traditional Food.
Visit the Longji Rice Terraces Where the Chinese ethnic minorities live. Enjoy lunch with a Zhuang family who invite you into their home. Learn how to stuff and cook rice inside a bamboo tube
Taste Hong Kong-Style Dim Sum Recommended by the Michelin Guide
Follow your local guide to find and taste the most famous snack loved by locals in the narrow lane.
Suggested Itinerary
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.
Welcome to Beijing! To ensure your arrival is stress-free, your private tour guide will meet you in the arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car.
Your luggage and hotel check-in will be taken care of.
Hotel options:
Penta Hotel Beijing (4-star)
Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (5-star)
breakfast & lunch
Begin your day at the world's biggest city square, Tian'anmen Square. Then visit the Forbidden City. Immerse yourself in the stories told by your knowledgeable guide, feel the dignified atmosphere, and admire the historical masterpiece from the smallest piece of brick to the magnificent palace.
It's time for a gourmet lunch and the first stop of your food tour lets you taste one of the most distinguished dishes of Beijing cuisine, Beijing roast duck.
The chef will slice the cooked golden duck by your table, so that you can watch his/her cutting skills of the thin crispy skin and firm meat. You will also learn how to eat it in the correct way.
If the Forbidden City is the epitome of what imperial life was like, the hutongs are the reflection of how the common people lived in old Beijing. After your meal, walk into a historical Hutong area to see the real life-link past of old Beijing.
The Forbidden Citybreakfast & lunch
Visiting the Temple of Heaven in the morning is an awesome idea, as you may meet some local people who are singing and doing their morning exercises, such as tai chi. This noble park was where ancient ceremonies were held annually hundreds of years ago by emperors to pray for good harvests.
Then travel to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Authentic food is offered in the nearby restaurant. Spend a memorable afternoon on this top-ranked and better preserved section of the Great Wall.
Enjoy a bird's-eye view of this endless wonder when you take the cable car, then touch the ragged walls and wander for a while along the stone trail that zigzags through different watchtowers.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
- The cable car ride up to a good section of the Great Wall is included. You may choose to descend by cable car or toboggan.
- Looking for different experiences of the Great Wall? We also offer a hiking tour to the wild Jinshanling section and a night tour to the romantic Simatai section.
The Great Wallbreakfast & lunch
Designed as an imperial summer retreat in the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace is stunningly combined with beautiful horticulture and landscaped gardens. Feel the breeze and clear your mind as you sit peacefully by Kunming Lake.
After lunch, you will be transferred to the airport for your afternoon flight to Xi'an, which has a history of 3,000 years.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
If you are interested in high-speed rail and want to experience the technological development of China, a high-speed train journey from Beijing to Xi'an is a recommended alternative to taking a flight.
It takes about 5 hours and reduces the cost slightly.
Hotel options:
Somerset Xindicheng Xi'an(4-star)
Wyndham Grand Xi'an South (5-star)
The Summer Palacebreakfast & lunch
Prepare to be amazed by a close encounter with the Terracotta Army. Unmask the mysteries of this underground army that dates back to 206 BC together with your professional guide.
You will experience more than a simple visit to the Terracotta Army Museum. Make clay warriors with your own hands under the guidance of a local skilled craftsman in a cave dwelling.
After lunch, discover the ancient city wall. Guarding the inner city for over 600 years, the city wall is the most complete city defense that still exists.
Visit the Muslim Quarter. Take a food adventure to try the most typical and popular Xi’an food, your guide will accompany you to forage some famous tastes, such as roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers), biangbiang noodles, steamed cold noodles and pita bread soaked in lamb soup.
The Terracotta Armybreakfast & lunch
Have a better understanding of Xi'an and China's rich history at Shaanxi History Museum.
Take a bullet train from Xi'an to Chengdu in the afternoon.
Hotel options:
Tibet Hotel Chengdu (4-star)
Sofitel Chengdu Taihe (5-star)
Shaanxi History Museumbreakfast & lunch & dinner
Chengdu is known as the home of giant pandas and is also the first place that you can get close to them. The first stop is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, home to nearly 50 giant pandas and red pandas. Go there early in the morning. This time of day is when they are most active.
After waving goodbye to the adorable pandas, it is time to start your food discovery experience. Your local guide will take you to the unique Sichuan Cuisine Museum, where you can engage all your senses to experience Sichuan cuisine, which is praised worldwide.
Under the guidance of the professional chef, learn what Sichuan cuisine is, taste authentic Sichuan snacks, and understand how chopped garlic and different kinds of peppers delicately mingle with other ingredients.
After unearthing the secrets of this cuisine, you are encouraged to cook three typical Sichuan dishes and invent your own recipe.
Sichuan Cuisine Cookingbreakfast & lunch
Visit the Jinsha Museum to discover the civilization in Chengdu area which has a history of more than 3000 years.
Explore an old alley by trying some typical Chengdu street food. Then experience the typical lifesyle of Chengdu in People's Park.Try a cup of tea and some snacks. Enjoy a relaxing moment before flying to Guilin.
Hotel options:
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel (4-star)
Shangri-La Hotel Guilin (5-star)
Street Food in Chengdubreakfast & lunch
Escape from the busy urban life and breathe in the fresh air at the Longji Rice Terraced Fields.
You may meet ethnic people who are dressed in their national costumes or are working in the fields as you hike up them.
Ethnic groups in this area share different ways of life with the majority. They are good at using local resources to make food: rice is cooked in a bamboo tube and minced tea leaves are mixed with flavorings.
Sit around a bonfire in a traditional kitchen and follow the host's example as you make bamboo tube rice. Enjoy a local meal cooked with fresh ingredients and taste some oil tea.
Making Bamboo Tube Ricebreakfast & lunch
Feast your eyes on the picturesque views on either the side of the Li River as you enjoy the highest level of cruise to ensure your comfort. Your guide will show you the best spots to take good photos.
The cruise arrives in Yangshuo at noon and you will be welcomed with the sight of the most beautiful countryside in China.
Pick whichever type of transport you prefer, whether it's a private car, bicycle, or moped, to embrace these natural surroundings.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
Yangshuo offers a relaxing atmosphere and various activities, such as a farming experience and rock climbing.
Hotel options:
Yangshuo Mountain Retreat (4-star)
Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel (5-star)
Cycling at Yangshuo Countrysidebreakfast & lunch
After a good night's sleep, start your day with a bamboo rafting tour.
Sitting back on a non-motorized raft that's steered along the Yulong River by a gondolier is the best way to enjoy the rural view and the tranquility.
Then take a flight at evening to Hong Kong, an oriental melting pot where Chinese and Western cultures meet.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
Taking a high-speed train to Shenzhen and then transferring in a private car to Hong Kong is a recommended alternative to taking a flight.
It takes about 6 hours and reduces the cost slightly.
Hotel options:
The Salisbury YMCA of Hong Kong Hotel (4-star)
The Harbour Plaza Hong Kong Hotel (5-star)
The Night View of Hong Kongbreakfast & lunch
You cannot miss out on trying dim sum, the highlight of Cantonese cuisine, so you will have lunch at a specialty dim sum restaurant. These small but delicate morsels are only your first bite of the flavor of Hong Kong.
Visiting to the street markets and trying the street food are the ultimate things to do in Hong Kong. Ladies' Market is a dazzling street market that may make you feel like you've been there before in an old Hong Kong movie scene.
Your guide is a walking map for foodies like you. Follow him/her and shuttle through the narrow lanes to discover the authentic street food. Try a piece of traditional snack and a bowl of refreshing drink that on the street food list of Michelin Guide Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Style Dim SumTrip Notes
Every element of the tour above can be tailored. Feel free to tell us your ideas and we will be happy to make adjustments for you.
1. Extend the Tour
- Chengdu: Add a day for the Panda Keeper Program in Dujiangyan Panda Base.
- Guilin: Add a day for a farming experience in Yangshuo, or see the Guilin city highlights and Daxu Ancient Town.
- Shanghai:Add 2 days to visit the Bund, Yu Garden, and Shanghai Tower.
- Suzhou and/or Hangzhou Add 1–4 days to visit the water towns, gardens, the Grand Canal, and West Lake.
2. Accommodation
Various types of accommodation are available, including famous 5-star hotel chains, 4-star hotels in the best locations, good value 3-star hotels, or boutique hotels that reflect the style of the region. Whatever your accommodation preferences are, our travel experts will seek out and find the perfect one for you.
Most hotels in China allow at most three people in one room. If there are more than three people in your group, we will check if there is family room available or do our best to arrange interconnecting rooms or adjoin rooms.
3. Transportation
China is a huge country, so to make your travel experience more efficient, we usually arrange flights to connect your destinations.
China's high-speed rail network is a fast-paced way to travel. We recommend taking high-speed trains for journeys of less than 6 hours to interested customers — please tell us if you are one of them.
4. Meals
Lunches at popular local restaurants are included for you so you can taste authentic Chinese food. Your guide will assist you with ordering the dishes.
We have left the evening meals for you to make your own arrangements, as having dinner is part of the cuisine discovery and you may want to explore all the options yourself.
Our tour guides are happy to make recommendations based on your taste preferences. If you want us to arrange a hassle-free dinner for you, let us know.
Vegetarian, halal, kosher, Indian, or gluten-free — all your dietary requirements can be taken care of by our experienced private guides. Let us know if you have any of these dietary requirements when you make your booking.
Comments
Post a Comment