Blue Panda

China Grand Discovery

Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai in eleven days, with the high-speed trains and a domestic flight included.

10 nights · 9 to 19 December · from AED 16,799

Your 10-Night Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai Itinerary

Day by day, written for the way the place actually moves.

  1. Day 1

    Into Beijing

    The early flight lands mid-afternoon. Met, transferred and left to sleep off the journey.

    Day 1 of 11

  2. Day 2

    Imperial Beijing

    Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, then up Jingshan Park for the view back over all those roofs, finishing on Wangfujing.

    Day 2 of 11

  3. Day 3

    The Great Wall at Mutianyu

    An hour out of the city to the best-restored stretch of wall, with the cable car up and down and the ridgeline to walk in between.

    Day 3 of 11

  4. Day 4

    Temples, gardens and hutongs

    The Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and its lake, then the old lanes of Dongcheng, which is where Beijing still looks like itself.

    Day 4 of 11

  5. Day 5

    The train to Xi'an

    High-speed rail south, then the Muslim Quarter for the food stalls, and the Bell and Drum towers.

    Day 5 of 11

  6. Day 6

    The Terracotta Warriors

    The museum and its pits of soldiers, no two faces alike, and a workshop where you make a clay one of your own. Then the city wall and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

    Day 6 of 11

  7. Day 7

    On to Chengdu

    Another fast train, and an afternoon in a city that moves slower: Chunxi Street, Taikoo Li and tea houses that have no interest in hurrying.

    Day 7 of 11

  8. Day 8

    Pandas, and Sichuan

    The Giant Panda Research Base first thing, which is when they are awake, then a local park, the Kuan-Zhai lanes, and a Sichuan dinner that is included and will be spicier than you expect.

    Day 8 of 11

  9. Day 9

    Flying to Shanghai

    The internal flight east, then the Bund at dusk, with the old banking houses on one side of the river and the skyline on the other.

    Day 9 of 11

  10. Day 10

    Shanghai, properly

    Yuyuan Garden, the 118th floor of the Shanghai Tower, the plane trees of the French Concession, and a cruise up the Huangpu.

    Day 10 of 11

  11. Day 11

    A last morning, then home

    Time in the city before the evening flight back to Dubai.

    Day 11 of 11

Where You’ll Stay in Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai

  • Nights 1 to 4

    SSAW Garden Hotel, Beijing

    Four nights, in a Four Seasons City Queen room.

  • Nights 5 and 6

    Eastern House Boutique Hotel, Xi'an

    Two nights in an Elegant room.

  • Nights 7 and 8

    voco Chengdu Chunxi Road

    Two nights in a Deluxe room.

  • Nights 9 and 10

    Hengshan Garden Hotel, Shanghai

    Two nights in a Business room.

One Price, Everything In

Culture

China Grand Discovery

10 nights · 9 to 19 December

AED 16,799/ person

Indicative, based on two sharing. Your proposal confirms it against live rates.

What’s included

  • Return flights from Dubai, into Beijing and home from Shanghai
  • 10 nights in 4★ hotels with daily breakfast
  • High-speed trains Beijing to Xi'an and Xi'an to Chengdu, and the flight Chengdu to Shanghai
  • Private English-speaking guides throughout the sightseeing
  • A private car for every airport, station and sightseeing transfer
  • Entrance fees to everything named in the itinerary
  • The Mutianyu cable car both ways, the Terracotta Warriors and a clay warrior workshop
  • The Shanghai Tower observation deck and a Huangpu river cruise
  • The lunches named in the itinerary and the Sichuan dinner in Chengdu

Not included

  • China visa and processing charges
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals other than breakfast and those named in the itinerary
  • Optional sightseeing not named in the itinerary
  • Tips, personal expenses and anything not listed above

Frequently Asked Questions

If your question is not here, just ask. A real planner answers, not a form.

How does booking actually work?

You tell us roughly when and who is coming. A Blue Panda planner comes back with a proposal: the itinerary, the real price against live flight and hotel rates, and what is and is not included. A deposit secures it from that proposal. Nothing is charged before you have seen the figure.

Do I need a visa?

Entry requirements follow your passport rather than your UAE residency, so we confirm yours before anything is booked, and we prepare and submit the documentation as part of the trip.

Can the itinerary be changed?

Every package here is a starting point rather than a fixed product. Most trips we run end up differing from the page in at least one leg.

Is this suitable for older travellers or young children?

Yes, and the pace is built around who is coming. Tell us ages and mobility at the enquiry stage and the routing changes accordingly.

What if something goes wrong while we are away?

One Blue Panda planner is reachable in your timezone for the whole trip. The same person who planned it, not a call centre.