A Broad Taste of China
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.
Beijing-Xi'an-Chengdu-Guilin-Hongkong Tour Map
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.
breakfast & 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.
breakfast & 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)
breakfast & 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.
breakfast & lunch
Have a better understanding of Xi'an and China's rich history at Xi'an 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)
breakfast & 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.
breakfast & 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)
breakfast & 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.
breakfast & 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)
breakfast & 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)
breakfast & 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.
Trip 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.
Tour Price
Price includes:
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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The tour was of The Greta Wall of China
The tour was excellent. Selinda was very knowledgeable about all the aspects of our tour. Selinda was very interesting and knew so much Chinese history more
Mar 2024, Alice W
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Beautiful Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful guide, whose praises we can not sing loudly enough, was compassionate, caring, and overall endearing! His sense of ease and familiarity with each sight, which were unfamiliar wonders to us, provided a sense of peacefulness that facilitated full enjoyment - helped too by his punctuality and attention to detail. more
Feb 2024, apisn2023
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The Highlights and High Life of Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful tour guide, made our entire trip an absolute joy for us as he was extraordinarily caring, considerate, and generous. Having had the pleasure of taking in the sights of Beijing previously with another lovely guide, Angela, it was spectacular not only to show the family how fantastic the city is but also how high the quality of services provided by China Highlights are. Each day unveiled a new treasure, helpfully detailed by Ethan, and punctuated by delicious and varied local food. Our driver, Mr. Chen, was also a delight, and was equally as key to the overall experience as he was both attentive and almost mystically punctual! more
Feb 2024, Apis
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Great Time in Beijing
Our 4-day experience in Beijing was unforgettable. Our guide, Selinda, opened the doors to the city's millennia-old history and culture with her knowledge, kindness, and courtesy. We discovered magnificent places, tasted delicious food, and stayed in clean hotels, all accompanied by safe and reliable transportation service. We recommend traveling with China Highlights. more
Feb 2024, Nicola B
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3rd time the charm, is being charmed for the 3rd time.
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan Mueller
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3rd time the charm, is charmed for the 3rd time
The sites stay the same but each time we have done this tour, the tour guides manage to make it feel like it is the first time you are experiencing it. And, with the constant renovations, this time we were able to see previous areas that were unavailable the last time we came. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan M
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Great trip and experience!
From beginning to end, China Highlights was very courteous, responsive and attentive in planning and executing a great trip!Aspects and execution of the trip was as discussed and was an overall great experience. Our guide, Michael, was very kind and knowledgeable throughout the tour and would address all questions and help us take lots of photos. Would definitely travel with China Highlights again! more
Feb 2024, Karol
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3rd the charm is charmed for the 3rd time
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, jkjmueller
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1 Day in Beijing
Nice views, Not too much people, Jessi (guide ) so friendly and she have a great service & she knows the answer of all your questions more
Feb 2024, Fernando J
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Fabulous day!
Jesse He ,she is a nice tourist guide patience and take good care for us. We had a wonderful time in Beijing,we did the forbidden city and greatwall We love everything ! more
Feb 2024, Charon R
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs more
Jan 2024, Iriana Iriana
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An excellent day with Linda
Linda (Ling ling)is a great tour guide,provide a lot of knowledge and history of the great wall,and took us to taste very delicious food too,we had a very good time with her!highly recommend her! more
Jan 2024, Angeline Lim
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Great time in Beijing with Bruce
We stayed in Beijing for three days altogether. We went to the summer palace. the Tian'an'men square, the Forbidden City,the Temple of heaven and the Great Wall. Our tour guide Bruce is very friendly and speaks English fluently. He explained every scenic spot to us patiently and humorously. my family are very satisfied with his service. more
Jan 2024, Mayra C
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Bucket List Trip to China
My first stop in China was Beijing. Ethan was my guide there. Daily, they would pick me up and take me to the spots on the itinerary. He helped me plan outside activities like a Chinese acrobat show. He even walked me to my seat in my theater so I could easily find my correct chair. What was most helpful was Ethan waiting with me at the train station and even helping me on to my seat and giving the train attendant my meal order. Very little English was spoken by the train attendant. more
Jan 2024, Megan Sandbothe
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Great Wall at Jinshanling
We went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling which is a very beautiful place which is not that busy. In fact most of the time it felt like we were alone on the wall.The tourguide (Jack) was very knowledgeable and very friendly.A big thumbs up more
Jan 2024, Onno
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs. We had great 3 days in Beijing.We also visited Luoyang. Our travel advisor arranged a Business class seat for our high speed train to Luoyang. We were picked up at the station by our guide in Luoyang, Lisa. We then visited Dengfeng to see Songyang academy, shaolin temple, Luoyang grottoes. She also took care of us very well and very knowledgeable about the history. more
Jan 2024, lriana lriana
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing! more
Jan 2024, Lydia
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing more
Jan 2024, Explore49612084715
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Beijing
Fantastic couple days in Beijing. Thank you to my guide Mark who eloquently relayed stories about China history and culture. more
Jan 2024, Steve P
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Jack is an excellent guide
Jack is an excellent guide, very patient, punctual, wonderful command of english. I recommend him any day. more
Jan 2024, Brahma
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