Beijing & Xi'an
Imperial China: Beijing, Shanxi & Xi'an
Beijing · Datong · Taiyuan · Xi'an
Next: March 2027Max 20Flights incl.
From, per person
NZ$3,290
Grand China: Beijing, Xi'an & Yunnan
Beijing · Datong · Xi'an · Kunming · Lijiang · Shangri-La · Dali
From, per person
NZ$5,490
Duration18 days
Group sizeMax 20
FlightsIncluded from AKL
GuideEnglish-speaking
Activity levelModerate
Overview
Imperial capitals and Himalayan foothills in 18 days
Our most complete China journey. The imperial sights of Beijing, Shanxi and Xi'an, followed by a domestic flight south to Yunnan for Lijiang, Shangri-La and Dali.
The Great Wall and the Forbidden City
The Terracotta Warriors
Lijiang and Shangri-La
Domestic flight between Xi'an and Kunming included
Itinerary
Day by day
- DAY1
Check in at Auckland International Airport and board your flight to China, connecting to your first destination. Our team will be in touch before departure with your flight details and pre-departure information.
Meals: Not includedOvernight: On board - DAY2
Welcome to China's capital. You'll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest or take a first walk through the city.
Meals: Not includedOvernight: Beijing, 4-star hotel - DAY3
Spend the morning inside the Forbidden City, home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Walk through the Meridian Gate, across the Golden Water Bridges and through the great halls of state to the Imperial Garden, with your guide explaining court life along the way. The afternoon is free, with optional visits to the Temple of Heaven, a hutong walk or a Peking duck dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Beijing, 4-star hotel - DAY4
Travel north to Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved and most scenic sections of the Great Wall. A cable car takes you up to the wall, leaving plenty of time to walk between the watchtowers. Return to Beijing for a free evening.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Beijing, 4-star hotel - DAY5
Take the high-speed train to Datong (about two hours). This afternoon, visit the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 50,000 Buddhist statues carved into the sandstone cliffs 1,500 years ago. In the evening, explore the restored walls of Datong's old town.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Datong, 4-star hotel - DAY6
Visit the Hanging Monastery, built into a sheer cliff face more than 1,400 years ago and unique for combining Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian shrines. Time permitting, stop at the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the oldest wooden pagoda in China. Later, take the train to Taiyuan.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Taiyuan, 4-star hotel - DAY7
Explore Jinci, a temple and garden complex of ancient halls, springs and thousand-year-old trees. In the afternoon, take the high-speed train to Xi'an (about three hours), capital of 13 dynasties.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Xi'an, 4-star hotel - DAY8
Today is devoted to the Terracotta Warriors, the clay army buried with China's first emperor more than 2,200 years ago. Return to the city for a free evening; the Muslim Quarter and the Grand Tang Everbright City are lively places to try local food.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Xi'an, 4-star hotel - DAY9
Walk or cycle along the Xi'an City Wall, the most complete ancient city wall in China, with views over the old city and its Bell and Drum Towers.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Xi'an, 4-star hotel - DAY10
Arrive in Kunming, the City of Eternal Spring, and visit the Yunnan Ethnic Villages, where the architecture, music and crafts of Yunnan's many ethnic groups are on show. The evening is free.
Meals: Not includedOvernight: Kunming, 4-star hotel - DAY11
Take the high-speed train to Lijiang. Explore the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of canals, stone bridges and Naxi wooden houses, and visit the Mu Mansion, the former palace of the local Naxi rulers. In the evening, watch Lijiang Golden Sand, a performance of Naxi music and legend.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight: Lijiang, 4-star hotel - DAY12
Stop at Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world, where the Jinsha River forces its way between two snow-capped ranges. Continue up onto the Tibetan plateau to Shangri-La and visit Songzanlin, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, followed by the old town of Dukezong.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight: Shangri-La, 4-star hotel - DAY13
Walk the boardwalks of Pudacuo National Park among alpine lakes and old-growth forest, then stop at the grasslands of Napa Lake. Return to Lijiang via Yuhu, a stone-built Naxi village at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight: Lijiang, 4-star hotel - DAY14
Visit Lashi Lake, a wetland where Naxi villages and grazing horses sit beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Drive to Dali and visit the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, symbol of the ancient Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight: Dali, 4-star hotel - DAY15
A day on the shores of Erhai Lake, with the Cangshan range rising behind. Visit the waterside town of Shuanglang and the whitewashed lakeside village known as Dali's Santorini. An optional lake cruise includes the Bai three-course tea ceremony.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerOvernight: Dali, 4-star hotel - DAY16
Visit Xizhou, a Bai village with more than a hundred historic courtyard houses, and ride through the surrounding rice fields. After lunch, explore Dali Old Town before the train back to Kunming.
Meals: Breakfast, LunchOvernight: Kunming, 4-star hotel - DAY17
Enjoy a final breakfast before a private transfer to the airport for your flight home to Auckland.
Meals: BreakfastOvernight: On board - DAY18
Arrive back in Auckland, with plenty of stories to tell.
Meals: Not included
What's included
- Return economy flights from Auckland, including taxes
- All domestic flights and high-speed trains shown in the itinerary
- 4-star hotels, twin share (5-star where stated)
- Daily breakfast and the meals listed in the itinerary
- English-speaking local guides throughout
- Private coach and airport transfers
- Entrance fees for all sightseeing listed
- Small group of no more than 20 travellers
Not included
- Chinese visa (New Zealand passport holders currently travel visa-free for up to 30 days)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Single supplement
- Optional activities and meals not listed
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Personal expenses
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