6 daysBeijing · Shanghai
Beijing & Shanghai in 6 Days
Two cities, one week, and the version of China most first-time visitors are looking for: imperial Beijing in the morning, neon Shanghai by night, with a private guide and driver the whole way.
Shanghai is the easiest Chinese city to like on a first visit: walkable, well signposted, and comfortable with foreigners in a way few places are. Two days handles the classics; add a third for a water town or the museums.
What to see
The Bund at both ends of the day
Colonial facades on one side, Pudong’s skyline on the other — best at sunrise, before the crowds.
Former French Concession
Plane trees, lane houses and the city’s best coffee, all walkable in an afternoon.
Yu Garden
Ming-dynasty rockeries and pavilions, with the frenzy of the bazaar right outside the gate.
Shanghai Tower observation deck
118 floors up, the fastest lift in the world, and a view that explains modern China in one glance.
Tours that include Shanghai
6 days
8 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Shanghai
China’s Golden Triangle: Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai
The classic first-timer route and our best-selling itinerary: the imperial north, the ancient capital of the Terracotta Army, and the most modern city in the country — all by high-speed train.
10 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Guilin & Yangshuo · Shanghai
Classic China in 10 Days: Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin & Shanghai
History in Beijing and Xi’an, then three days among the karst peaks of Guilin and Yangshuo. The most balanced two-week-shortened itinerary we run.