China · private travel · one local team
A country this large needs a point of view. We build a private route around the people travelling, the season and the parts of China you actually want to remember — then hold the trains, cars, guides and small decisions in one thread.
Share your group size and travel month for a free first route idea. No payment or booking commitment.
The short answer
The right route depends on whether you want the imperial north, the food and pandas of the southwest, the gardens and water towns of the east, or a landscape trip through the south and west. We start with that decision before we place a single hotel or train.
Our job is to make a large country feel legible. We will tell you when Beijing and Shanghai are enough, when Xi’an earns the extra transfer, and when a beautiful idea is too far apart to be enjoyable in the time you have. The proposal grows from your brief, then every day is checked against the real map and the people travelling.
That is why the same headline destinations produce different routes for a couple, a family with grandparents and a company group. Private means the pace and the priorities belong to you.
Route shapes
Two cities, enough room to arrive.
Beijing + Xi’an for history, or Shanghai + Hangzhou for an easier first landing. Seven days can also make a calm Chengdu + Chongqing trip. We keep the arrival day light and give each city at least two proper mornings.
The classic first journey, edited.
Beijing + Xi’an + Chengdu works when pandas and the imperial story both matter. Beijing + Shanghai + Hangzhou is a gentler east-China version. The route is shaped around rail and opening times, with one deliberate slow afternoon rather than a new attraction every hour.
A country-sized trip with a human pace.
Add Shanghai after Chengdu, or trade one city for Guilin, Zhangjiajie or Yunnan. Four stops are possible when the group is comfortable with transfers; otherwise three regions give more time for food, neighbourhoods and the landscape between the headline sights.
These are starting shapes, not fixed packages. A route can become slower, more comfortable or more ambitious after we know your flights, passports, ages and walking comfort.
Before adding another city
A useful itinerary shows where the time goes, including arrival and departure. These questions help turn a list of destinations into a route you can enjoy.
A route finishing in Shanghai is different from one requiring a return to Beijing. Include the return move, luggage, check-in and an appropriate connection buffer before fixing the final day. Flight times can change which city deserves the first or last night.
See a fourteen-day route with nights and transfers counted →
For the Great Wall and pandas, start by testing Beijing and Chengdu. For history, Beijing and Xi’an may be the stronger pair. A landscape region should replace a less important stop when days are limited. With children or grandparents, protect rest time before adding a third base.
A published train or flight duration is only one part of the move. Packing, city traffic, security and the trip to the next hotel also take time. Keep the arrival evening light, and put a major reserved visit on a day when the group is already settled.
What to confirm before booking
A suggested route helps you choose. The agreed written plan explains the actual arrangements for your dates and party.
Check hotel names, nights, room types and occupancy; airport or station transfers; vehicle size and service days; guide language and accompanied days; rail or flight reservations; entry arrangements; and any included meals or activities. A free afternoon does not automatically mean the guide and car remain on call.
Connecting rooms, child restraints, dietary requests, specific entry periods, a cooking class or a celebration arrangement depend on the selected supplier. The plan should distinguish what is confirmed, what has only been requested and what alternative applies if it is unavailable. Separate activities may require additional supervision or staffing.
Check the position on international flights, entry documents, travel insurance, personal spending, meals outside the plan and optional activities. Do not assume an item is covered because it appears in an example itinerary. Review the agreed booking and change terms before confirming arrangements.
For entry requirements, start with the China visa-free guide; for the planning and booking process, read our frequently asked questions.
Choose by the China you want
The imperial north
Begin with the Forbidden City and the Wall, then add Xi’an when the Terracotta Warriors belong on the first trip. The north rewards early starts and a little room around the major sights.
The living southwest
Pandas, tea, hotpot and highland water. This is our home ground, with the strongest local detail and the easiest access to a slower, food-led route.
The east, refined
Useful for a first landing, business extension or a couple who wants city energy without giving up gardens, tea hills and water-town evenings.
The landscapes south and west
Choose these when the landscape should carry the trip. Distances matter more here, so we build the route around the season and the amount of road time your group actually enjoys.
Built for real groups
Families and grandparents
Shorter walking loops, child seats, early meals, rest points and a hotel location that saves a transfer each day. We ask about mobility and food before the route is written.
Couples and celebrations
A slower morning, one well-chosen table, a proposal or birthday moment held quietly, and enough empty space for the trip to feel like yours.
Business and groups
Transfers, bilingual support, meeting-day buffers and a private extension after the working part. The organiser should be able to attend the trip too.
When to go
March–May
A strong window for Beijing, Shanghai, gardens and family routes. The south is green and comfortable; mountain areas still need a careful temperature check.
June–August
Useful for longer trips and highland routes, with heat and rain in the cities. We put major sights early, then use museums, tea houses and slower afternoons.
September–November
Good light across much of China, with autumn colour in the north and southwest. National holidays need to be planned around, not discovered after flights are booked.
December–February
Fewer visitors in many headline sights, with cold in the north and comfortable options in the south. A winter route can feel exceptionally private when it is shaped around the weather.
Operated by Chengdu Everbright International Travel Service Co., Ltd. — licensed since 1987Travel licence L-SC-CJ00008See the paperwork →
Continue exploring
The imperial north, timed around opening hours and the crowds that come after.
Our home ground: pandas, tea, hotpot and the road into the highlands.
Comfortable-to-luxury planning, with the details held by one local team.
Plan with a clear brief
Beijing and Chengdu, with pandas, the Great Wall and arrival, transfer and rest days counted.
A daily plan for city walks, Guilin landscapes, slower mornings and a celebration with a weather backup.
Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai: see the daily plan and the choices that keep four stops comfortable.
Good to know
For a first visit, Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai make a useful 10–14 day spine: imperial history, the Terracotta Warriors, pandas and an easy final city. Seven days usually feels better with two cities, such as Beijing and Xi’an or Shanghai and Hangzhou. The right answer depends on your arrival airport, season and appetite for travel days.
Two cities feel generous in seven to ten days. Three is the sensible ceiling for most ten-day trips; four can work in two weeks when the rail connections are clean and the group accepts a few transfer days. We protect the mornings and build the route around real travel time instead of counting pins on a map.
Yes. A common shape is Beijing for the imperial north, Chengdu for pandas and food, then Shanghai for a final urban contrast. Xi’an can replace one city when history is the priority; Guilin, Zhangjiajie or Yunnan can replace a city when landscapes matter more. We test the sequence against flights, rail and the season before recommending it.
Yes. We adjust walking distance, stairs, meal timing, vehicle size and hotel location around the people travelling. Child seats, dietary notes, step-free access and gentler days are discussed before the route is fixed. A family trip is not a standard route with a child added at the end.
We plan at the comfortable-to-luxury end, with private vehicles, carefully briefed guides, design-led or international five-star stays and time protected for the parts that matter to your group. We do not sell a fixed luxury package: the standard is set by the brief, the season and the places you choose. See our luxury China travel page for the service details.
There is no single fixed inclusion list for a tailor-made trip. The agreed written plan should identify hotel nights and room types, transfer days, vehicle and guide coverage, transport reservations, entry arrangements and any included meals or activities. Check which items remain optional or unconfirmed. A route mentioned on this website is a planning example, not a booking confirmation.
Yes. Send your travel month, total days, group size and main interests, plus arrival and departure cities if known. We can discuss a free initial route direction and the main trade-offs. No payment is needed at this stage; detailed arrangements and reservations follow the agreed written plan.
Your brief
Send your travel month, total days, group size and two priorities. Add arrival and departure cities if known. We can discuss the city choices and trade-offs; no payment is needed at this stage.
Share your group size and travel month for a free first route idea. No payment or booking commitment.
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Explore a first route with a local planner before deciding on your trip.
Share your group size and travel month for a free first route idea. No payment or booking commitment.
