A journey worth looking closer at.
Arrive in Beijing
Welcome to Beijing, where the first chapter of your journey begins. Your arrival transfer takes you from the airport to the hotel, giving you time to settle in after your flight and adjust to the local rhythm. The day is reserved for arrival rather than scheduled sightseeing, so you can ease into the journey before discovering the capital's palaces, lanes and northern hills.
Please select your tour date according to the day you arrive in Beijing, and share your flight details with Gala Holidays so the transfer can be coordinated.
Imperial Beijing and hutong lanes
Step into imperial Beijing at the Forbidden City, where monumental gateways, broad courtyards and richly colored palace roofs create a powerful sense of ceremony. As you move through the complex, the scale of the architecture offers a striking introduction to the capital's historic character. This is a day for noticing both the commanding vistas and the smaller details within them.
A hutong rickshaw ride brings a contrasting view of Beijing: narrower lanes, courtyard walls and a more intimate urban landscape beyond the palace precinct. Together, these experiences reveal two distinct faces of the city. If Forbidden City admission tickets are unavailable, the palace visit is replaced by Prince Gong's Mansion and Beihai Park.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Leave the city for the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where ancient ramparts trace the contours of the surrounding hills. Watch how the wall rises and falls with the ridgelines, and take in the changing relationship between stonework, watchtowers and open mountain scenery. The appeal lies in the sweep of the landscape as much as in the details along the wall itself.
Later, view the Bird's Nest stadium from outside. Its interlaced modern structure provides a memorable contrast to the day's ancient fortifications, bringing together two very different expressions of Beijing's identity. The stadium stop is an exterior visit; the day's sequence follows local operating arrangements.
Temple of Heaven • Fly to Chengdu
Begin with the Temple of Heaven, whose graceful forms and carefully ordered spaces offer a quieter counterpoint to Beijing's palace courts and defensive walls. Take in the architectural balance, the relationship between the buildings and their setting, and the ceremonial atmosphere that gives this landmark its distinctive character. It is a fitting final perspective on the capital before your journey turns toward Sichuan.
Continue to the airport for the itinerary's flight from Beijing to Chengdu, followed by a transfer to your hotel. The change of city opens a new chapter of pandas, historic shrines and atmospheric streets. Flight arrangements and the day's timing are confirmed with your final travel details.
Pandas, Wuhou Shrine and Jinli
Discover a gentler side of China at Chengdu's Panda Base. Observe the giant pandas in their surroundings and enjoy the simple pleasure of watching these distinctive animals move, rest or feed as their natural daily routines allow. Their unhurried presence sets an appealing tone for a day that also explores the cultural character of Chengdu.
Continue to the Wuhou Shrine Museum, where the city's historical associations come into focus through its buildings and setting. Finish with Jinli Street, whose traditional architectural atmosphere brings a different sense of texture and bustle. Pandas, heritage and street life combine into a varied portrait of Sichuan's capital; animal activity varies naturally during the visit.
Dujiangyan and Blue Tears Light Show
Travel to Dujiangyan for a day that introduces another side of the Chengdu region. Water and the surrounding landscape are central to its identity, creating a setting in which human ingenuity and natural forces are closely connected. Take in the area's character and appreciate how this water-shaped environment offers a different experience from the shrines, streets and panda encounters of yesterday.
The day's itinerary also includes the Blue Tears light display, bringing a change of mood as illuminated water becomes the focus. The contrast between daytime surroundings and the lighting experience gives this excursion its distinctive arc. Return to your Chengdu hotel; viewing arrangements and timing for the lighting display depend on local operation.
High-speed rail to Chongqing
Travel from Chengdu to Chongqing by high-speed train, with second-class seating included for this rail segment. On arrival, the landscape changes from the feel of the Sichuan capital to a city shaped by slopes, rivers and buildings arranged at surprising levels. The afternoon's visits introduce that distinctive setting through three very different perspectives.
Explore Ciqikou's old-town lanes, then take in Hongyadong's layered hillside architecture. Continue to Chaotianmen, where the riverside setting opens up the scale of the city beyond its close-set streets. The combination of old lanes, architectural layers and broad river views gives your first day in Chongqing a strong sense of place.
Liziba, Shibati and Longmenhao
Chongqing is a city best understood through its changes of level, and today's route makes that character particularly vivid. View Liziba's celebrated train-through-building scene from outside, observing how transport and urban architecture occupy the same dramatic hillside setting. The visit is for exterior viewing, rather than a promised ride through the building.
Continue to Shibati, where steps and sloping streets emphasize the city's vertical rhythm, and then to Longmenhao Old Street. These districts offer a more intimate counterpoint to Chongqing's large-scale skyline: passages, building fronts and changing views that reward closer attention. Together, the three stops reveal how everyday city space has adapted to the mountain terrain.
High-speed rail to Zhangjiajie • Tianmen Mountain
Board the high-speed train from Chongqing to Zhangjiajie, with second-class seating included, and continue the journey from a mountain-built city into a region renowned for its dramatic natural scenery. Today's visit to Tianmen Mountain provides the first encounter with this new landscape: bold mountain forms, changing perspectives and a sense of scale that makes the shift from city to nature especially memorable.
Allow the surroundings to draw your attention outward as the day unfolds. The exact visiting sequence is coordinated around the rail journey and local operations. Later, settle into your Zhangjiajie hotel for a two-night stay, with tomorrow dedicated to the national forest park and its extraordinary pillar-like peaks.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Spend the full day in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, where vertical rock formations and wooded slopes create a landscape with an almost architectural presence. Notice how isolated pillars, clustered peaks and the spaces between them change as your viewpoint moves. The striking silhouettes are only part of the experience; textures, vegetation and the scale of the surrounding terrain add further depth.
A full day gives this scenery a central place in your journey, rather than reducing it to a brief stop between cities. Light, cloud and visibility vary naturally, altering the mood of the mountain views. Return to your Zhangjiajie hotel after the day's sightseeing, carrying a very different image of China from its palaces and urban waterfronts.
Grand Canyon, Huanglong Cave • Fly to Shanghai
Explore two further dimensions of Zhangjiajie's landscape at the Grand Canyon and Huanglong Cave. The canyon presents the openness and scale of the terrain, while the cave draws attention inward to a very different world of rock forms and enclosed spaces. Moving between them makes the day's sightseeing particularly varied, extending your mountain experience beyond the forest park's distinctive skyline.
After the visits, continue to the airport for the itinerary's flight to Shanghai. Your arrival transfer takes you to the hotel, marking the transition from dramatic natural scenery to the gardens and waterfront of the final stage. Sightseeing order and timing are coordinated with the confirmed flight schedule; additional bridge, lift or cable-car experiences are not separately specified here.
Yu Garden, the Bund and Shanghai skyline
Discover Shanghai through a sequence of contrasting settings. Begin at Yu Garden, where carefully composed water, stone and traditional architecture invite a closer, more contemplative way of looking. The succession of garden views offers an intimate introduction before the day opens onto the much broader panorama of the Bund.
Along the Bund, the waterfront creates a meeting point between the city's historic urban face and its modern skyline. View the Oriental Pearl Tower from outside and appreciate its distinctive silhouette as part of that wider scene. Tower admission is not included in this stop. Garden detail, riverside architecture and contemporary forms together make a richly varied day in Shanghai.
High-speed rail to Suzhou
Board the high-speed train from Shanghai to Suzhou, with second-class seating included, and exchange the metropolitan skyline for the artistry of a classical garden. At the Humble Administrator's Garden, water and architecture work together to shape an unfolding sequence of views. Pavilions, landscaped spaces and framed perspectives encourage you to notice how each part relates to the whole.
The experience is as much about looking slowly as it is about moving through the garden: a reflected roofline, a change in perspective or the balance between open water and built form. Spend the night in Suzhou, allowing this garden-city chapter to have its own place within your wider China journey.
Jinji Lake • Return to Shanghai
Visit Jinji Lake for a broader, more open view of Suzhou after yesterday's classical garden. Here, the expanse of water and its surrounding urban setting create a different expression of the city: spacious horizons, changing reflections and the relationship between waterfront life and contemporary development. It is an appealing contrast to the garden's carefully framed scenes.
Later, return to Shanghai by high-speed train, with second-class seating included. Settle into your hotel for the final night of the journey, carrying with you the contrasting impressions of Suzhou's garden artistry and lakeside scale. The return rail journey brings the route neatly back to Shanghai ahead of tomorrow's airport transfer.
Depart Shanghai
Enjoy breakfast before your arranged transfer to Shanghai airport. Your journey closes with a final change of pace, bringing together the places, landscapes and city scenes you have encountered along the way. Please keep your confirmed flight information available so that the departure transfer can be coordinated with your travel arrangements.
No additional sightseeing is scheduled today. If you would like to extend your stay or arrange onward travel, Gala Holidays can discuss those options separately before your booking is finalized.
Your Day 1 arrival dates.
2026
October
November
December
2027
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
These are the listed arrival dates. Availability, operation and the final fare are subject to confirmation. Choosing a date does not confirm a booking.
Your journey, clearly priced.
All amounts are in USD. Adult tour prices are per person based on double occupancy. Tips and service are separately listed; please confirm the complete payable total before booking.
| Fare item | Low season · Nov 15–Mar 29 | Mid season · Mar 30–Jun 30 / Sep 1–Nov 14 | High season · Jul 1–Aug 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult tour fare · per person, double occupancy (USD) | US$2,998 | US$3,198 | US$3,248 |
| Child age 12 or under · with bed (USD) | US$2,998 | US$3,198 | US$3,248 |
| Child age 12 or under · no bed, no breakfast (USD) | US$1,998 | US$2,198 | US$2,248 |
| Single supplement (USD) | US$720 | US$760 | US$840 |
| Tips and service fee · per person (USD) | US$250 | US$250 | US$250 |
| Pre/post hotel · per room per night (USD) | US$118 | US$118 | US$118 |
| Extra transfer · per person per trip, minimum 2 (USD) | US$30 | US$30 | US$30 |
Cancellation schedule
- More than 30 days before departure: no charge.
- 20–29 days before departure (inclusive): 20% of the total tour cost.
- 8–19 days before departure (inclusive): 40% of the total tour cost.
- 1–7 days before departure (inclusive): 60% of the total tour cost.
- On the departure date: 100% of the total tour cost.
The cancellation table does not specify exactly 30 days before departure; request the applicable written term before payment.
What to expect along the way.
Included in the tour fare
- Listed accommodation or comparable hotels, listed scenic entrance tickets, local vehicle services and specified meals.
- Second-class high-speed train tickets for the rail segments explicitly shown in the itinerary.
- Tour guide services in Chinese or English except on private airport/station transfers and high-speed rail journeys.
- One bottle of water per person per day.
- Travel-agency liability insurance is listed; Gala Holidays will confirm the applicable coverage before booking.
Excluded or separately payable
- A US$250 per person tips and service fee is listed separately from the tour fare; ask whether payment is mandatory.
- Optional local programs, additional hotel nights and additional transfers at the prices listed below.
- International airfare, visas, other travel insurance and any item not expressly listed as included; please confirm domestic-flight fare inclusion before booking.
Optional experiences
- Sichuan Opera face-changing show · CNY ¥280 per person.
- Chongqing Two-River Night Cruise ticket · CNY ¥280 per person.
Good to know before booking
- If Forbidden City admission tickets are unavailable, the visit is replaced by Prince Gong's Mansion and Beihai Park.
- The Oriental Pearl Tower and Liziba train-through-building stops are exterior viewing only.
- Private airport/station transfers and high-speed rail journeys are not accompanied by a tour guide.
- Itinerary order, hotels and meals may be adjusted to actual operating arrangements. Listed hotels may be replaced by similar properties.
- Prices and departures are subject to confirmed availability. Please request a quotation for August 31, which is not assigned a seasonal rate.
- Please obtain written confirmation of cancellation charges exactly 30 days before departure. Domestic-flight fare inclusion must also be confirmed before booking.