Sichuan Essence Expedition: Pandas & Peaks
A 13-Day Journey Through Beijing, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, and Hong Kong
Itinerary Overview
This 13-day adventure takes you through China's most spectacular landscapes and historic sites, from the imperial grandeur of Beijing to the surreal peaks of Zhangjiajie, the ancient wonders of Xi'an, the serene beauty of Guilin, and the vibrant energy of Hong Kong.
Day 1: Arrival in Beijing
After arriving in Beijing, proceed independently to your selected hotel.
Transportation Information: - From Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK): - Metro: Take Capital Airport Express to Beixinqiao station → transfer to Line 5 to Puhuangyu Station → walk 15 minutes southwest from Exit D to your hotel (approximately 1.5 hours, CNY 29) - Online Car-hailing: Approximately 1 hour without traffic (CNY 150) - From Daxing International Airport (PKX): - Metro: Take Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao station → transfer to Line 19 to Jingfengmen station → transfer to Line 14 to Jingtai station → walk 10 minutes southeast from Exit B to your hotel (approximately 1 hour, CNY 39) - Online Car-hailing: Approximately 45 minutes without traffic (CNY 170)
Essential Tips: - Visa: Apply for a tourist visa in advance as China's visa-free transit is limited to 240 hours - App: Download Alipay for QR code payments, metro access, ride-hailing, and translation - Plug Converter: China uses 220V with Type A, I, and C sockets
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)
Day 2: Beijing Mini Group Day Tour: Temple of Heaven, Hutong Alleys by Rickshaw, and Summer Palace
Join a classic Beijing mini group day tour starting with the Temple of Heaven, China's largest sacrificial complex where emperors once prayed for bountiful harvests. Explore the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests and Circular Mound Altar, connected by a bridge reflecting traditional Chinese cosmological beliefs.
Note: Key historical sites are closed on Mondays, with visits replaced by Beihai Park.
Experience authentic old Beijing through a rickshaw ride through Hutong Alleys, passing peaceful quadrangle courtyards and local life. Visit the Lama Temple (Yonghe Lamasery), an imperial Tibetan Buddhist temple housing the world's largest sandalwood Buddha statue.
Conclude at the Summer Palace, featuring Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with over 14,000 vibrant paintings in the Long Corridor depicting folk tales and historical figures.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)
Day 3: Beijing Mini Group Day Tour: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Mutianyu Great Wall
Begin at Tiananmen Square, China's political core, then proceed to the Forbidden City, one of the world's largest and best-preserved wooden complexes with nearly 10,000 rooms. Your guide will lead you through key palaces including the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Travel 1.5 hours to the Mutianyu Great Wall, dating back to the 6th century AD and restored during the Ming Dynasty. Hike this architectural wonder with over 20 beacon towers and lush forest coverage. Cable car, ropeway, and slideway options are available (USD 14-28).
Return to downtown to explore Hutong Alleys, including Tobacco Pipe Lane (Yandaixie Street) with its restaurants and souvenir shops, and Houhai Lake Bar Street where traditional tea shops blend with modern bars.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Beijing Temple of Heaven (3 stars)
Day 4: Beijing to Xi'an by High Speed Train
Take the pre-booked high-speed train from Beijing to Xi'an independently.
Transportation to Beijing West Station: - Metro: Walk 15 minutes northeast from hotel to Puhuangyu station → Line 5 to Ciqikou station → transfer to Line 7 to Beijing West station (45 minutes, CNY 4) - Ride-hailing: Approximately 50 minutes (CNY 50)
After the 4.5-hour train journey, proceed to your Xi'an hotel: - Taxi: Approximately 1 hour (CNY 50) - Metro: Take Line 2 to Beidajie station → walk 5 minutes south from Exit C
Free Time Suggestions: - Visit the Bell Tower to admire intricate eaves and traditional attire - Explore the Muslim Quarter for signature grilled salt-seasoned meat and beer
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Days Inn City Centre Xi'an (3 stars)
Day 5: Xi'an Mini Group Day Tour: Terracotta Army Museum, City Wall & Muslim Quarter
Visit the Terracotta Army Museum, housing over 8,000 terracotta soldiers buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Explore three main burial pits and view a special exhibition featuring a general with a colorful floral waist belt preserving 2,200-year-old pigments.
See the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built in honor of monk Xuanzang who collected Buddhist texts from India. Climb Xi'an City Wall, China's best-preserved city fortification, with optional cycling along its 14-kilometer loop.
Conclude at the Muslim Quarter with diverse multiethnic street foods like Beef Potstickers and mung bean pastries.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Days Inn City Centre Xi'an (3 stars)
Day 6: Xi'an to Zhangjiajie by Flight
Morning Free Time Suggestions: - Shuyuanmen Ancient Cultural Street: Explore arts, crafts, calligraphy, jade carvings, and paintings - City Wall Park: Relax along the moat watching locals exercise and play traditional instruments
Afternoon Flight to Zhangjiajie: - Transportation to Xi'an Airport: - Taxi: 1 hour (CNY 120) - Metro: Walk to Beidajie station → Line 2 to Xi'an North Station → transfer to Line 14 to Airport West Station → Exit C (1.5 hours)
After the 1.5-hour flight, take a ride-hailing service to your Wulingyuan District hotel (1 hour, CNY 120).
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Santo Damingo International Hotel (3 stars)
Day 7: Zhangjiajie Mini Group: Forest Park, Yuanjiajie, Hallelujah Mountain, Yangjiajie, Tianzi Mountain
Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, inspiration for the movie 'Avatar'. Take the eco-bus to Bailong Elevator, the world's fastest outdoor sightseeing elevator, ascending 335 meters in 88 seconds.
Explore Yuanjiajie Scenic Area with towering karst sandstone columns, including Hallelujah Mountain (Qiankun Pillar), Back Garden, and Enchanting Platform.
Visit Yangjiajie Scenic Area featuring dramatic stone walls forming a "Natural Great Wall," then proceed to Tianzi Mountain, the park's highest peak, to see Imperial Brush Peaks, Flower Fairy Peaks, and Dianjiang Terrace. Descend by cable car.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Santo Damingo International Hotel (3 stars)
Day 8: Zhangjiajie Mini Group: Glass Bridge in Grand Canyon, Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate)
Discover Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon with its waterfalls, streams, and caves. Experience the Glass Bridge, the world's highest and longest of its kind, suspended nearly 100 stories above ground.
Visit Tianmen Mountain, famous for Tianmen Cave (Heaven's Gate), a wind-eroded limestone arch. Climb 999 steps to the cave, then take a 7-level escalator to the mountaintop featuring a Glass Skywalk.
Ride the world's longest cable car (7.2 kilometers, 28 minutes) offering views of mountain roads with 99 curves, rice paddies, and cityscapes.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Santo Damingo International Hotel (3 stars)
Day 9: Zhangjiajie to Guilin by High-Speed Train
Take the pre-booked high-speed train from Zhangjiajie to Guilin independently.
Transportation to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station: - Ride-hailing: 40 minutes (CNY 100)
After the 7-hour journey, take a taxi to your Guilin hotel (15 minutes, CNY 15).
Free Time Suggestions: - Visit Elephant Trunk Hill with over 70 poetic inscriptions - Evening walk along Binjiang Road to see Sun and Moon Pagodas - Explore Zhengyang Road Pedestrian Street for Rice Noodles (CNY 10 per serving)
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Guilin City Center (3 stars)
Day 10: Guilin Private Guided Tour: Li River Cruise to Yangshuo, Countryside Biking Experience
Embark on a 4-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo, winding through karst peaks, villages, and bamboo groves. The best views appear near Yellow Cloth Shoal, featured on the CNY 20 bill. Watch fishermen on bamboo rafts with trained cormorants.
Disembark around 14:00 for a countryside bicycle tour through green rice paddies and past grazing buffalo. The cycling lasts approximately two hours, with private car support available.
Return to Guilin hotel in 1.5 hours.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Guilin City Center (3 stars)
Day 11: Guilin to Hong Kong by High-Speed Train
Take the pre-booked high-speed train from Guilin to Hong Kong independently.
Transportation to Guilin West Railway Station: - Taxi: 30 minutes (CNY 30)
After the 3-hour journey, proceed to your Hong Kong hotel: - Ride-hailing: 10 minutes (HKD 70) - MTR: Exit West Kowloon station → walk to Austin station → Tuen Ma Line to Hon Man Tin station → Kwun Tong Line to Mong Kok station → Exit A2 (30 minutes, HKD 5)
Hong Kong Tips: - Payment: Major credit cards widely accepted; withdraw HK dollars for small vendors - Transportation: Purchase Travel Octopus Card (HKD 39) for MTR, buses, and trams
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Iclub Mong Kok Hotel Hong Kong (3 stars)
Day 12: Free Day in Hong Kong
Suggested Itinerary: - Morning: Visit Victoria Peak via Peak Tram to Sky Terrace 428 for panoramic harbor views (HKD 168) - Transportation: Mong Kok station → Tsuen Wan Line to Admiralty station → walk to Peak Tram Terminal (25 minutes, HKD 15.5) - Afternoon: Ride historic tram along Purple Line from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan (2 hours, HKD 3) - Evening: Explore Victoria Harbor markets, try local snacks (HKD 30-150), and take Star Ferry to admire illuminated skyline - Return: Whampoa station → Kwung Tong Line to Mong Kok station → Exit A2 (30 minutes, HKD 6)
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Iclub Mong Kok Hotel Hong Kong (3 stars)
Day 13: Departure from Hong Kong
Your 13-day China tour concludes today. Proceed independently to Hong Kong International Airport for departure.
Transportation Options: - Taxi: 25 minutes (HKD 300) - Metro: Walk to Olympic station → Tung Chung Line to Tsing Yi station → transfer to Airport Express to Airport station (50 minutes, HKD 80)
Meals: Breakfast