Arrive at Beijing Capital (or Daxing) Airport and transfer to your hotel in the central Dongcheng or Chaoyang district; settle in and refresh before a short orientation walk. Stop by a local cafe or teahouse such as Lao She Teahouse for a warm cup of jasmine or Pu'er while your guide outlines the week and highlights practical tips for public transit and etiquette.
Head into the nearby hutong neighborhoods around Shichahai and Nanluoguxiang for an immersive introduction to Beijing life — stroll narrow lanes, admire courtyard siheyuan architecture and visit a family-run courtyard to learn about traditional day-to-day customs. Break for a light lunch of jianbing or liangpi from a street vendor, then climb a nearby bell tower or take a rickshaw ride to get a sense of the city’s scale and the rhythm of local markets.
Enjoy a relaxed welcome dinner featuring Beijing specialties such as Peking duck at a well-regarded restaurant like Quanjude or Dadong, paired with seasonal vegetables and local beer or Baijiu. After dinner, take a short walk to Houhai lakeside for atmospheric lantern-lit views and optional live folk music at a teahouse, giving you a gentle, memorable first evening in the capital as you prepare for a full day of imperial sights tomorrow.
Begin the day with an early transfer to Tiananmen Square to beat the crowds and watch the flag-raising ceremony, then enter the vast Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate for a guided tour of the Palace Museum’s grand halls, imperial throne rooms and curated treasures. Pause for tea in the restored Hall of Preserving Harmony or nearby Huijiayuan Teahouse as your guide illuminates Ming and Qing court life and the symbolic architecture you’ve been introduced to in the hutongs.
After a leisurely lunch of Buddhist-style noodles or a warm bowl of zhajiangmian at a local restaurant, climb nearby Jingshan Park’s central peak for a panoramic view directly over the Forbidden City — an ideal spot for photos and to appreciate Beijing’s urban layout. Continue with a walk through the historic north-south axis past Imperial gardens and the Drum and Bell Towers, stopping at a museum shop to browse delicate cloisonné or silk replicas as mementos.
Return to the Dongcheng district for a relaxed dinner at a neighborhood restaurant serving homestyle Beijing cuisine — try shui zhuyu (water-boiled fish) or a selection of seasonal stir-fries — then take a gentle post-dinner stroll along the lantern-lit lanes of Nanluoguxiang or the landscaped routes around Houhai. If you’d like, catch a short Peking opera excerpt or an evening acrobatics performance at the Liyuan Theatre to round out a day steeped in imperial history and local cultural expression.
Set out after an early hotel breakfast for the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, where a scenic drive through rural Beijing gives way to restored battlements and sweeping mountain vistas; take the cable car or, for more exercise, hike up the stone steps to the watchtowers and walk a peaceful stretch of wall largely free of crowds. Your guide will point out Ming-era construction features and ideal photo spots — consider trying the toboggan ride down for a bit of playful fun before returning to the city.
After lunch at a countryside restaurant serving hearty northern fare (think liangpi salad or a platter of stir-fried seasonal greens), return to central Beijing to explore the UNESCO-listed Summer Palace — stroll past the Long Corridor, cruise a short loop on Kunming Lake by boat if weather permits, and admire the Marble Boat and imperial pavilions. Pause for tea at a lakeside teahouse where your guide will explain the garden’s symbolic landscapes and how emperors used the site for leisure and statecraft.
Back in Dongcheng, enjoy a relaxed dinner featuring lighter Beijing dishes such as hot-and-sour broth and braised aubergine at a neighborhood restaurant, then take a calming post-meal walk along the lakefront or through nearby hutongs to reflect on the day’s contrasts between imperial leisure and frontier defense. If you’re up for it, end the night with a short Beijing opera excerpt or an informal tea tasting to deepen your appreciation of local cultural traditions before tomorrow’s high-energy visit to the Forbidden City.
After an early check-out and transfer to Beijing South Railway Station, board a high-speed G- or D-series train to Xi'an (about 4.5-6 hours); enjoy window views of the North China Plain while your guide reviews tomorrow’s Terracotta visit and local customs. On arrival at Xi'an North or Xi'an Railway Station, transfer to your centrally located hotel near the Drum Tower to drop luggage, freshen up, and take a short orientation walk to get a first glimpse of the city’s mix of Tang-era foundations and modern development.
Spend the afternoon cycling or walking atop the well-preserved Ancient City Wall — enter at the South Gate (Yongning) or East Gate to explore crenellated ramparts, visit the Bell Tower museum for context, and pause at a shaded watchtower for photos that capture Xi'an’s historical grid. Afterwards, wander into the vibrant Muslim Quarter around Huimin Street where you can sample local snacks like roujiamo, yangrou paomo and biangbiang noodles, and browse stalls selling hand-carved lanterns and traditional Shaanxi sweets.
As dusk falls, dine at a popular courtyard restaurant in the Muslim Quarter or try a family-run eatery near the Great Mosque for authentic Shaanxi flavors accompanied by warm hospitality. Finish the night with a relaxed stroll back toward the lively Bell and Drum Towers — their illuminated silhouettes offer atmospheric views and a perfect way to settle into Xi'an before tomorrow’s Terracotta Army excursion.
Depart after an early hotel breakfast for the short drive to the Terracotta Army site at Lintong; explore Pit 1’s astonishing ranks of life-size soldiers, horses and chariots with your guide as they explain excavation history and Ming- and Qin-era military symbolism. Visit the on-site museum to view restored figures and multimedia exhibits, then stop by the conservation studio to see archaeologists at work and enjoy a relaxed tea break at a nearby café before returning toward the city.
After lunch at a local restaurant near the site—try a warming bowl of yangrou paomo or a plate of cold-sour liangpi—return to central Xi'an to visit the excellent Shaanxi History Museum, where curated Tang dynasty treasures, tomb figurines and Silk Road artefacts build on what you saw this morning and deepen your understanding of regional history. Spend time in the museum’s main galleries and the temporary exhibition space, and finish with a stroll through the adjacent Da Yi Alley to browse crafts and pick up a printed guide or replica as a keepsake.
For dinner, head to a well-regarded courtyard restaurant in the Muslim Quarter to savor local specialties such as biangbiang noodles and roujiamo while reflecting on the day’s discoveries; if you’d like, sample sweet persimmon cakes from a street vendor for dessert. Conclude the evening with a gentle walk beneath the illuminated Bell and Drum Towers or, for a cultural finale, attend a short Tang Dynasty music and dance performance at a nearby theatre to connect the museum exhibits with living artistic traditions.
After breakfast and hotel check-out, transfer to Xi'an Xianyang Airport or Xi'an North Railway Station for your choice of a morning flight or high-speed train to Shanghai; on the journey your guide will summarize Shanghai’s modern history and point out how the city contrasts with Xi'an’s ancient grid. Arrive at Pudong or Hongqiao, transfer to your Bund-area hotel to drop luggage and freshen up, then take a gentle orientation walk along the Huangpu River promenade to admire the colonial façades of the Bund and the futuristic skyline of Pudong across the water.
Enjoy lunch at a classic Shanghai bistro or the historic M on the Bund for views with your meal, then explore the Bund’s architectural gallery up-close—stop at the Peace Hotel’s Jazz Bar for a quick look and photo—and cross into the nearby French Concession to wander tree-lined lanes, boutique shops and Tianzifang’s art studios. Pause for a tea or coffee at a café on Fuxing Park and visit a former lane house (shikumen) to sense how local life adapted during Shanghai’s 20th-century transformations.
As dusk falls, return to Nanjing Road for lively window-shopping and the sensory bustle of China’s premier shopping street, then walk back to the Bund to watch the skyline illuminate; consider boarding a short Huangpu River night cruise for panoramic views of the lighting display. For dinner, choose a riverside restaurant serving Shanghai specialties—try xiao long bao, drunken chicken or Shanghai-style braised pork—followed by optional live music at a rooftop bar on the Bund to toast the city’s dazzling blend of old and new before a restful night in Shanghai.
Start the day with a visit to the classical Yuyuan Garden and the adjacent City God Temple bazaar, wandering its winding pavilions, rockeries and koi-filled ponds while stopping for a steaming basket of xiao long bao at the famous Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant. After exploring the elegant Ming-era garden, stroll through the covered food alleys to sample candied hawthorn and pick up lacquerware or tea as souvenirs, linking the day’s intimate cultural moments to the historical arc you’ve traced from Beijing and Xi'an.
Cross into the leafy French Concession for a relaxed luncheon at a café on Wukang Road, then wander past plane-tree lined boulevards to visit former shikumen lanes and the small but charming Shanghai Museum of Arts and Crafts or a contemporary gallery in Tianzifang to see how tradition meets modern design. Pause for tea at a renovated lane house café and, time permitting before departure, walk through Fuxing Park to watch local life—dancers, players and tai chi practitioners—offering a final, living portrait of Shanghai’s layered identity.
Gather your luggage and transfer to Pudong Airport (or Hongqiao Station) with a last leisurely dinner near the Bund or at the airport’s quality Shanghai restaurant, savoring one final plate of braised pork belly or drunken chicken and reflecting on the week’s contrasts between imperial courts, Silk Road treasures and cosmopolitan skylines. If your schedule allows a few last minutes by the Huangpu River, take in the illuminated skyline one more time before boarding, a fitting close to a journey through China’s past and present.