Is this route right for you?
More space. More comfort. Your pace. This route is a starting point for travelers who want a manageable mix of sightseeing and time to explore. Tell us if food, hiking, museums or family time should lead the plan.
Your journey, day by day
Days 1–4 · Beijing with a private guide on key days
Allow a comfortable arrival and private guiding on the history-focused days. Split the Great Wall and imperial sights, leaving time for dining and a relaxed afternoon rather than treating comfort as a longer checklist.
Days 5–7 · Xi’an with relaxed transfers
Arrange the transfer around your preferred hotel check-in. Visit the Terracotta Warriors with context from a guide, then explore the old city at leisure. Discuss vehicle size and hotel location alongside room category.
Days 8–12 · Shanghai with room for personal interests
Finish with several nights in one well-located hotel. Choose a design walk, food experience or museum according to your interests. Leave a flexible day for shopping, rest or an optional excursion.
How the route fits together
The proposed order is Beijing → Xi’an → Shanghai. Compare rail and air options by door-to-door travel time, not just time on board. Avoid a demanding activity immediately after a long international flight.
Help you can add
You book hotels and most tickets yourself, and your personal travel concierge is on WhatsApp for questions along the way. If some days feel harder than others, have us arrange help just there:
- Arrival in Beijing: airport transfer, so you are met at arrivals instead of working out taxis and apps after a long flight.
- Forbidden City: attraction tickets, because entry needs a passport-based reservation that often sells out.
- Great Wall day: private driver, to reach Mutianyu or Jinshanling on your own schedule, without a tour bus.
- Beijing to Xi’an: train tickets, if you would rather not book through a Chinese app.
- Terracotta Warriors day: local guide for a day, who explains the pits and handles the transport out of the city.
- Shanghai: local guide for a day, for the old city, gardens and food, if you want the stories behind them.
- The whole trip: personal travel concierge, $9 a day: a real person to message when an app, a menu or a plan stops working.
Each add-on is quoted and booked on its own. Nothing here is a package.
Make it yours
Add rest days, shorten walks, change hotel style or focus on a special interest. Your concierge can adapt the route to your dates and pace with you.
Planning to follow this route? Get a free quick check of your version, or travel it with a personal concierge on WhatsApp for $9 a day.