China by Rail, River and City

Highlights

• Stand on the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng.
• See Beijing’s imperial side at the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven, with time in the hutongs, the city’s old narrow lanes.
• Travel by bullet train to Xian and visit the Terracotta Warriors.
• Walk through Xian’s Muslim Quarter for street food and market stalls, then continue to Chengdu for teahouses, Tai Chi and daily life in People’s Park.
• Visit Chengdu’s Panda Conservation Centre before boarding your Yangtze River cruise in Chongqing.
• Sail through the Three Gorges, with shore visits and a quieter stretch of the journey between the major cities.
• Finish in Shanghai with a local breakfast walk, Yu Garden, the Bund and a Huangpu River cruise past Pudong’s lit-up skyline.

Beijing and the Great Wall

Begin in Beijing, where the tour opens with some of China’s most important imperial sites. Walk through the Forbidden City, once home to emperors and their courts, before seeing the lake, painted corridors and hilltop views of the Summer Palace. The visit to Huanghuacheng gives the Great Wall a more scenic setting, with mountain views and water below, while the hutongs show an older side of the capital through lanes, courtyards and local lunch stops.

Xian and Chengdu

The route then moves inland by bullet train to Xian, a former capital best known for the Terracotta Warriors. Seeing the soldiers across the excavation halls gives a real sense of the scale of the emperor’s burial complex, while the Muslim Quarter brings the city back to street level through food stalls, markets and evening atmosphere. Chengdu changes the feel again, with teahouses, public park life and the chance to see giant pandas feeding, climbing and resting in managed natural-style surroundings.

The Yangtze River

After Chengdu, travel to Chongqing and board your Yangtze River cruise for three nights. This part of the journey slows the travel days down, replacing city streets with river scenery, gorge walls and time on board between shore visits. The route includes the Three Gorges, one of the Yangtze’s most dramatic stretches, along with a side trip to Shennong or Goddess Stream and a visit to the Three Gorges Dam before continuing towards Shanghai.

Shanghai

Shanghai brings the tour to a modern finish, with old streets, classical gardens and riverfront views sitting close together. Start with a breakfast walking tour, sampling local morning dishes before visiting Yu Garden and the old town. Later, walk along the Bund, where historic waterfront buildings face the towers of Pudong, then see the city from the water on an evening Huangpu River cruise.

Terms and Conditions

International flights from Dublin to Beijing, departing 14-05-2027, with return flights from Shanghai. The Enchanting China tour is included from Beijing to Shanghai, with 15 nights in four-star accommodation, 15 breakfasts, eight lunches and five dinners. Included experiences feature Beijing, Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, bullet train travel to Xian, the Terracotta Warriors, Chengdu’s People’s Park, Chengdu Panda Conservation Centre, a three-night Yangtze River cruise, Three Gorges Dam, Shanghai, Yu Garden and a Huangpu River cruise. Based on two adults.

15 nights from €4,910 per person