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Why Travel with Discover Beijing Tours
Unique Experiences
Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.Well-Selected Local Guides
Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and attentive — your personal local guides will share interesting stories, insider information, and even create unexpected highlights!Your Booking is Risk-Free
Cancel up to 24 hours before the travel date in advance for a full refund
21-Day China Tour with Silk Road
This 3-week tour offers a unique blend of China’s iconic attractions and the historic Silk Road. Perfect for first-time visitors to China looking to explore the renowned Silk Road, this itinerary includes the most sought-after destinations among European and American travelers, as well as key stops along China’s Silk Road.
Spanning from east to west, this tour covers a wide range of locations across northern and central China. Our itinerary provides the most efficient and cost-effective route to connect these destinations seamlessly.
The itinerary outlined below serves as a starting point for your journey, but can be customized to suit your schedule and interests. Contact your personal travel advisor to create a personalized itinerary tailored just for you.
- Make sure everyone bring passport with
- Full names and passport numbers are required to book tickets for attractions.
Itinerary Quick Look
DAY 1 Beijing – Temple of Heaven- Tiananmen – Forbidden City
On the way, your guide will keep you entertained with fun facts and trivia about the city and its countless sights. Once arrival in Beijing, your tour will start from the Temple of Heaven. The magnificent and colorful Temple of Heaven was where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would make offerings to heaven and pray for full harvests.
Then, you will stop at a local restaurant for a traditional Chinese lunch. Afterwards, you will explore the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City area. Spend about 2 to 3-hours to explore the palace and learn the detailed history and stories with your knowledgeable tour guide. After that, your will be transferred back to your hotel in Beijing. (Please book your own hotel in advance)
Day 2: Summer Palace – Great Wall
Check out of your hotel in the morning to begin your tour. Your first stop will be the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is the best-kept existing royal garden in Beijing. With a concentration of the best of ancient buildings as well as styles of gardening, it is a virtual museum of traditional Chinese gardening.
Then after about a 1-hour drive to the Great Wall at the Mutianyu section, stop at the local village for a delicious Chinese lunch. Then, set off on a 30 minute journey along the scenic mountains and villages to the Great Wall as your guide explains the stories and histories of the the Great Wall. Have plenty of time to enjoy the surrounding mountains and ride in a cable car or ski lift with toboggan at your discretion.
DAY 3 Xi’an | Xi’an City Highlights
The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses
Meet up at the lobby of your Xi’an Downtown hotel in the morning, greeting by your knowledgeable and friendly personal guide then transferred by an air-conditioned vehicle to the world-famous Terracotta warriors museum. Terracotta warriors, known as “the Eighth Wonders of the World”. Your tour guide will explain the related histories and stories on the way, feel free to ask questions if you have. The museum divided into three sections: No.1 Pit, No.2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit. The original site was found by four local farmers while drilling a well in 1974 and now it has turned into the most important attraction in Xi’an. Stroll around the museum and get rich information from your tour guide.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta)
Enjoy a delicious lunch in a local restaurant, then drive to Xi’an city and visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. As the symbol of the old-line Xi’an, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Originally built in 652 of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Big Wild Goose Pagoda functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang, who travelled along the Silk Road for 17 years and traversing 100 countries, finally arriving in India. He obtained Buddha figures, 657 kinds of sutras, and several Buddha relics. Stroll around the area with your tour guide, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Da Ci’en Temple, and different halls, squares and gardens. Get rich information about the ancient Silk Road, Buddhism in China, histories and stories about this UNESCO attraction. Feel free to ask questions if you have.
Muslim Quarter
Afterwards, heading to Muslim Quarter, It is the hub of the Muslim community in Xi’an City, Follow your tour guide to stroll around the Muslim food and souvenir market. Try delicious local snacks if you want at your own cost. After the tour finished, you will be transferred to your hotel in Xi’an.
DAY 4 Xi’an to Zhangye | Xi’an City Highlights
In the morning, have a walk on the ancient city wall. And then pay a visit to Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
DAY 5 Zhangye
Zhangye Danxia Geopark
Your guide will pick you up from your Xi’an city hotels lobby and take private vehicle to the Railway Station. You will take the morning train to Zhangye which takes about 4 hours. Once arrived, enjoy a local lunch before explore the park. The Danxia Geopark was developed about 200 million years ago , it was mainly constituted by red gravel, sandstone and mudstone, with the imprint of a clear arid, semi-arid climate. Known for its colorful rock formations, it has been voted by Chinese media outlets as one of the most beautiful landforms in China. Accompanied by your tour guide, take park’s battery bus and stop at 2-4 different sightseeing platforms, enjoy amazing view of the nature and take many photos.
Dafo Temple of Zhangye
Next, explore Dafo Temple. The temple, also known as “Wofo Temple” (Sleeping Buddha Temple), it is very famous because it contains the biggest indoor sleeping Buddha in China. The temple was originally built in 1098, it was rebuilt many times in history, the temple now still preserved its original main buildings: Giant Buddha Hall, Buddhist Classics Hall, and Clay Pagoda. Stroll around the halls and courtyards with your tour guide, learn about the history of the Buddhism, its belief, people and soul. After the tour finished, your tour guide will take you to Zhangye Railway Station for your train back to Lanzhou (approx. 4hours). Once arrives, your driver will pick you up at Lanzhou Railway Station and transfer you back to your hotel in Lanzhou City.
DAY 6 Jiayuguan – Dunhuang
Jiayuguan Heritage Scenic Resort
After breakfast in your hotel, meet your tour guide and driver, heading to Jiayuguan Heritage Scenic Resort.
Jiayuguan Fortress
Start your exploration with a visit to the Great Wall Museum, learn the history and stories about the Jiayuguan Fortress and Great Wall. Jiayuguan Fortress is considered as “the Impregnable Pass under Heaven”. It is the most magnificent and best-preserved pass among one thousand passes along the Great Wall of China. It was located at a traffic fort along the Silk Road which is the world’s oldest trading route, connecting China, Central Asia and Europe.
Xuanbi Great Wall
After lunch in the local restaurant, explore Xuanbi Great Wall in the afternoon. As the northern extension of Jiayuguan Fortress, it is an important part of ancient military defense system. First built in 1539, it was made of gravels and loess on the spot. Accompanied by your tour guide, hiking up to the wall, enjoy amazing views of the surroundings and mountains. Afterwards, you will heading to Dunhuang by private vehicle. (4 hours drive)
DAY 7 Dunhuang
Mogao Caves
After breakfast in your hotel, meet your tour guide and driver, start your tour with a visit to the Mogao Caves Digital Exhibition Center. Watch two documentary movies, get to know the history, culture and art about Mogao Caves. Afterwards, follow your tour guide to discover the charms of this UNESCO world culture heritage site. Mogao Caves are the world’s largest, most richly endowed, and longest used treasure house of Buddhist art. They are located at a strategic point along the Silk Road, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences. The carving of the caves started in 366 AD and continued for about 1,000 years. 492 caves are presently preserved, housing about 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures which are well-known for their statues and wall paintings. As you explore the caves, your guide will point out the meaning of different wall paintings which aspects of medieval politics, economics, culture, arts, religion, ethnic relations, and daily dress in western China.
Mingsha Shan – Echoing-Sand Mountain
Enjoy lunch in the local restaurant, then heading to Echoing-Sand Mountain. The sand of the mountain has many colors ranging from red to yellow, green, black and white. When there is strong wind, the sands will be blown up and make loud sound, hence the name. Stroll around the area to enjoy the surroundings. You can choose to go up to the dune to enjoy amazing view of the desert and Crescent Moon Pool.
Crescent Moon Pool
Move on to Crescent Moon Pool. Just like its name indicates, the Crescent Pool is in a natural shape of half-moon. The pool was surrounded by Echoing Sand Mountain, it was considered as “the first spring in desert”. According to historical record, the lake has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. Your wonderful tour will ends here, your tour guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in Dunhuang (booked on your own) or Dunhuang Railway Station to your next destination.
DAY 8 Turpan
You will embark on a train journey to Turpan. Then heading directly to Turpan, it will take about 3 hours.
The 3 hours ride towards Turpan is itself a fabulous sightseeing trip through Mr.Tianshan. You will passes a giant wind-farm,saltwater lakes, different rivers, and mountain pastures. The professional tour guide will give you an explication of the Silk Road and the related Chinese history and culture on the way. Sit back and enjoy the sceneries along the way.
You can chose 2-3 attractions according to your interested in Turpan, feel free to discuss with your tour guide, and your guide will put together an itinerary for you.
• Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. It is a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century. They are high on the cliffs of the west Mutou Valley under the Flaming Mountains, and most of the surviving caves date from the West Uyghur kingdom around the 10th to 13th centuries.
• Emin Minaret (Su Gong Ta),the largest extant old tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic tower among the hundred famous towers in China. Right beside the minaret stands Su Gong Ta Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Xinjiang. The grand mosque can accommodate 1000 people despite the inconspicuous appearance.
• Karez irrigation system which is unique to this part of the world. The system is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Here you can learn how the locals have irrigated a dry climate like Turpan for hundreds of years.
• Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)–the capital of the Anterior Jushi Kingdom. Like a willow leaf, the ancient city of Jiaohe has a history of 2300 years. Jiaohe ancient city was considered as the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world. It was listed as the World Heritage by UNESCO on June 22, 2014.
• Flaming Mountains, which are barren, eroded, red sandstone hills. It is the hottest place in China with the highest temperature around 47.8 °C (118 °F) and surface temperature over 70 °C (158 °F) in summer.
• Astana Tombs which served mainly as the cemetery for the descendants of Chinese settlers in Gaochang from the 4th century to the first half of the 8th century.The complex contains over 1,000 tombs. Due to the arid environment many important artifacts have been well preserved at the tombs, including natural mummies.Your tour also including a delicious local lunch.
Your full-day tour will end with drop-off at your Urumqi Hotel.
DAY 9 Turpan to Urumqi | Turpan Museum and Erdaoqiao Market
You would start your visit to the Mogao Caves after breakfast. These caves are an important cultural and historical landmark, offering insights into ancient China’s artistic and religious heritage.
After exploring the Mogao Caves, you would visit the Dunhuang Research Institute, where experts analyze the murals and you could choose a mural sample to create your own mud slab copy to take home.
In the late afternoon, you would experience riding on a camel in the Singing Sand Dunes.
DAY 10 Urumqi to Kashgar | Kashgar Highlights
Your English speaking guide and private car will pick you up at 10:00am in your Urumqi hotel’s lobby. Your exploration begins with a visit to the Red Hill, which is a symbol of Urumqi. Walk around the park and finally go up to the peak of the hill to enjoy the birds view of the Urumqi city.
Continue to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum (Close on Monday). Your private guide will provide history and background information of the exhibition which including a very famous mummy exhibit.
Next, heading to Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar, it is the prefect place to experience the local life and mouthwatering food. A delicious lunch in the Urghur restaurant is included. Afterwards, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Urumqi. (Please book your own hotel)
DAY 11 Kashgar
Your English speaking guide and private car will pick you up at 8:00am in your hotel’s lobby.Then heading directly to the Karakul lake which is about 200km away from Kashgar. It will take about four hours.
You will heading to the Karakul Lake via China-Pakistan Karakorum Highway.The Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of Pakistan and China. It was started in 1959 and was completed and opened to the public in 1979.It is one of the highest paved roads in the world, passing through the Karakorammountain range, at an elevation of 4,714 metres (15,466 ft).Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. On the way you will pass through some small villages, the stunning scenery along the way almost completely unspoiled,sit back and enjoy the sceneries along the way.
At an altitude of 3,600 m, Karakul Lake is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir, Tian Shan and Kunlunmountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztagh Ata (7,546 m), Kongur Tagh (7,649 m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travellers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue.
Here you will have enough free time to enjoy the scenery in the area,and you also have the option to ride the horse to enjoy the area.You will enjoy the stunning scenery and no other tourists! It is definitely an experience of a lifetime!
While the lake and mountainside is very beautiful and picturesque, it was more the experience of meeting the local Kirghiz people who constantly moving from pasture to pasture.Your lunch will be hold in their yurt where you can enjoy all the charms of a nomadic lifestyle.
Your full-day tour will end with drop-off at your Kashgar hotel.
DAY 12 Kashgar to Chengdu
You would use day 15 as a traveling day. It takes about 4½ hours to fly from Kashgar to Chengdu.
DAY 13 Chengdu | Lovely Pandas
Wenshu Yuan Monastery
Start your private tour of Chengdu with hotel pickup at your preferred time. Your knowledgeable guide transfers you by private vehicle and introduces you to several landmarks, shopping area and things to do in Chengdu City, discuss with your guide then decide the places you want to go. Typically you will start your tour with the visit to Wenshu Yuan Monastery. Wenshu yuan Monastery is the best-preserved Buddhist temple in the city with hundreds of bronze, wooden and stone statues, and Buddhist relics. Since the Tang (618-907) dynasties, over 500 pieces of painting and calligraphy by celebrities have been stored here. Stroll around the courtyard with your tour guide, get to know about the Buddhism in China, see how locals pray here with incense. Admire different culture relics and explore its exquisite garden and solemn halls.
Wuhou Memorial Temple
Then, move on to the Wuhou Memorial Temple which was built in the 6th century in memory of the Emperor Liu Bei and the Prime Minister Zhuge Liang of the Shu Kingdom. Follow your tour guide to explore important buildings including: the Temple of Liu Bei, the Temple of Zhuge Liang and Sanyi Temple, and the Tomb of Liubei. Get to know the histories and stories behind.
Kuanzhai Alley
Continue your visit to Kuanzhai Alley which is a popular entertainment and nightlife block, with traditional Chinese style buildings, Follow your tour guide, explore the area and get to know Chengdu’s folk culture, local life. Then, check out the Well Allay which shows the new life of Chengdu people, as well as the most open, most diverse, and most dynamic zone in the area.
Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (Xiongmao Jidi)
Enjoy a delicious Sichuan hotpot lunch or dinner (depending on your start time). It also can be changed to a regular Chinese meal. Then move on to Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Upon arrival, spend some leisure time to see the Giant pandas including new born babies, teenagers and adult pandas. Learn about the different stages of panda’s life from infancy to adulthood. Visit the research laboratory, the museum, the panda playground, the animal hospital, and the facility’s beautiful lake. You can take photos these enchanting and endangered creatures as they relax in their natural environment.
Chengdu Museum (Old Hall)
If you are museum person, you can choose to spend some time at Chengdu Museum, where you can learn the history of the city and the interesting Puppetry and Shadow Play.
Jinli Pedestrian Street
Finally, explore Jinli Pedestrian Street, once was one of the busiest commercial streets during the Shu Kingdom (221-263). Today, you can find boutique shops, modern bards and restaurants, and all types of local snacks.
Chengdu Renmin Park (Pass By)
Here, we listed more sites if you want to go: People’s Park is well-known for the Memorial to Railway Protection Movement, winding Gold Water Stream, Chrysanthemum Show, and time-honored teahouses. Qingyang Palace
Sichuan Museum (Pass By)
Sichuan Museum, the largest comprehensive museum in southwestern China, features 260,000 items in its historical collections and more than 60,000 relics.
Songxianqiao Curio Art City (Pass By)
You also can choose to explore a local fresh market, Antique market, doing massage, check out the local’s life in the park. Just feel free to discuss with your tour guide.
Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street (Pass By)
Feel free to choose the sites you want to go in Chengdu City, and your guide will put together an itinerary for you. The tour last between 6-8 hours, at the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Chengdu.
DAY 14 Chengdu to Zhangjiajie | Tianmen Mountain
Breakfast & LunchTake a morning flight to Zhangjiajie.
You would take the longest cable car ride in the world to the top of Tianmen Mountain, taking 30 minutes. Tianmen Mountain Glass Skywalk is one of the world’s highest observation platforms, jutting out from a sheer cliff at 1,430 meters above the ground. Through the glass walkway, you could see the hardy trees, karst cliffs, and long roads carved into the cliffsides.
Yuanjiajie – Tianzi Mountain Meet your tour guide at the hotel, train station, or airport, and head to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Experience Yuanjiajie, is one of the most popular attractions in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, which served as the inspiration for Hallelujah Mountain in the movie “Avatar”.
Upon arrival, start your adventure with a thrilling ride up the glass Bailong Elevator with a VIP ticket. With a ride on the highest and fastest sightseeing elevator in the world, reach the top of the mountain in 88 seconds and take in a spectacular view of the sandstone peak forest.
Spend 2 hours exploring the Pillar of the Southern Sky, the Platform of Forgetfulness, and step on the amazing “Bridge Under Heaven.” After lunch, take the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car down with groups of rockery hills passing by outside your glass window. After the tour, return to your hotel.
Day 15: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon – Glass Bridge – Baofeng Lake
Dare yourself to walk on the transparent Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge. Feel like flying above the ground on the world’s longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge. After crossing the glass bridge, you can choose to go on a zip line or slide to get to the bottom of the valley.
After lunch, continue your trip to Baofeng Lake which is an artificial reservoir created by blocking a gorge and building a dam. Enjoy a boat ride to marvel at unique stone hills and hear the melodious folk songs sung by local youth before heading back to the hotel.
Day 16: Tianmen Mountain – Tianmen Cave
Take the world’s longest cable car ride, the Tianmen Mountain Cable Car. Settle in for a 28-minute journey. Enjoy panoramic views of Zhangjiajie City, the 99 Bends (99 sharp curves on a road up to the mountain peak), and gorgeous landscapes.
Regarded as the soul of Zhangjiajie, Tianmen Mountain is the highest mountain in Zhangjiajie. Here, experience the sky walkway, built along the edges of the mountain’s summits, which is about 1.6 km long and 1,400 m high. Enjoy the stunning mountainous surroundings and snap amazing photos.
Then, take the escalator from the peak down to Tianmen Cave to see the giant hole in the mountain. Formed by natural pressing and collapsing into 131.5 meters high, 57 meters wide, and 60 meters deep, immerse yourself in the beauty of a rare wonder of the world.
Continue to walk downstairs along the super steep 999 steps with the highest inclination up to 45°, which is the only access to Tianmen Cave from the foot of the mountain for a lot of devotees worshiping there. Finally, take a cable car to descend the mountain.
Then take an evening flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, your private guide and driver would greet you at the airport and drive you to your hotel.
DAY 17
Shanghai Museum (Shanghai Bowuguan)
Meet your tour guide in the lobby of your Shanghai hotel, hop on your private air-conditioned vehicle, embark upon your customized tour of the city’s sights. Discuss the historical highlights and attractions you wish to see with your knowledgeable guide who will help you plan an itinerary according to your interests. Then, set off and explore. Typically, you will start with the Shanghai Museum. The museum is divided into eleven galleries and three exhibition halls. With bronze ware, ceramics, and painting and calligraphy as its distinctive collections, the museum boasts 120,000 pieces of rare and precious cultural relics in 21 categories.
Jade Buddha Temple
Then, move on to Jade Buddha Temple. You will see the White Jade Buddhas which were brought here from Burma in the nineteenth century. Stroll around halls and courtyards in the temple with your tour guide, learn the history about the temple and buddhism in China, see how the locals come to worship and burn incense.
Yu Garden (Yuyuan)
Enjoy lunch in the local restaurant, then explore the Yuyuan Garden. Yuyuan Garden is the largest ancient gardens with Ming and Qing style architecture. Follow your tour guide to explore the garden, learn how to form a perfect garden. Then visit the Old City God Temple, where various of local snack shops and streets are scattered around.
The Bund
Continue to the Bund, where you will see amazing city skyline, including the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Tower and colonial buildings along the Huangpu River. Take a walk and stop for photos.
Former French Concession
Continue to explore the Former French Concession. Besides its historical and religious factors, Shanghai French Concession is also a fantastic place for spending leisure time. Follow your tour guide to wandering the narrow alleyways, dining and one of the million cafes or restaurants(at your own cost), or browsing through the endless art galleries and photographic studios.
Xintiandi
Finally, finish your tour in the lively nightlife district of Xintiandi. As a window to the past and the future, to China and the world, Shanghai Xintiandi’s Shikumen attraction was created by converting residential blocks into a multifunctional dining, retail and entertainment center flowing with restaurants, boutiques, cafes and bars of an international standard. Follow your tour guide and explore the area. If you have already visit some of those places above before, and want to do something different. Please feel free to discuss with your tour guide on where to go, you can choose these attractions or activities base on your interests: Shanghai Museum/ Pearl TV Tower/World financial center/Jinmao Tower After the tour, your guide will take you back to your hotel in Shanghai.
Discount available at low season, please send inquiries!
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