13 Days China Silk Road Culture & Sightseeing Tour
Tour Overview
On the 13-day China Silk Road tour, you will be guided to cultural treasures and historical sites along the Silk route. In Beijing, explore the Forbidden City and the Great Wall; uncover ancient Buddhist grottoes in Datong, Wutaishan, and Luoyang; and admire the Ming-Qing buildings in Pingyao Ancient City.
In Xi’an, marvel at the Terracotta Army, while in Dunhuang, discover the Mogao Grottoes. Experience the rich heritage of China, from imperial palaces to sacred temples, Buddhist art, and ancient cities, getting an unforgettable Silk Road journey through time.
Highlights of this tour
- Glimpse China’s imperial history in the world’s largest palace complex – the Forbidden City.
- Hike or take a cable car to the scenic Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.
- Admire 50,000 Buddhist statues and carvings in the Yungang Grottoes.
- Explore the sacred Mount Wutai and its ancient temples.
- Stroll through the perfectly preserved Pingyao Ancient City.
- Encounter the 8,000 life-sized warriors at Terracotta Army.
- See the Buddha statues at Longmen Grottoes and experience the Kung Fu.
- Discover ancient Buddhist murals and statues at the Mogao Grottoes.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Beijing-Datong-Pingyao-Xian-Luoyang-Dunhuang
Travel Length: 13 Days and 12 Nights
Tour Code:
Group Size: Only your family or group
Suitable for: Culture & history lovers, seniors, families with kids
Departure: Any day you want
Your tour – quick look
Day 1-4 Arrival, Beijing Tour, High-speed Train to Datong
Visit the Tiananmen Square, explore Forbidden City and Summer Palace. Enjoy a Beijing Roast Duck Dinner. Hike the Mutianyu Great Wall with an optional cable car ride after visiting the Temple of Heaven. Hop on a rickshaw for a Hutong tour before take a high-speed train to Datong.
Day 5-8 Datong to Pingyao Tour, High-speed Train to Xian
Admire the largest and best-preserved grottoes in China, Yungang Grottoes, then take a ride to Wutaishan Mountain for visiting some Buddhist temples. Travel to Pingyao to explore the historical sites of Pingyao Ancient City and glimpse the lives of wealthy people of the Qing Dynasty at Wang’s Family Compound. Last, take a high-speed train to Xian.
Day 9-10 Xian and Luoyang Tour
Explore the highlights of the ancient two cities including Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Xian City Wall, Bell & Drum Tower Square, Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes.
Day 11-13 Dunhuang Tour, Departure
Experience desert fun in Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake, marvel at the amazing murals of Mogao Grottoes, and appreciate some cultural relics in Dunhuang Museum.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Beijing
After you arrive in Beijing, our local guide will meet you by holding a board with your name. Then transfer you to your hotel and have a good rest.
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 2 Beijing Highlights Tour
Explore Royal Heritage and Taste Authentic Beijing Duck
Today, the guided China Silk Road tour in Beijing takes you to explore three highlight sites in the city area: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Summer Palace. Tiananmen Square covers an area of 44 square kilometers and has several famous buildings on its sides.
The best-known one is the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. From the early Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, it functioned as the imperial city for 500 years. There are more than 70 courtyards and 9,000 rooms in Forbidden City.
After lunch, we will drive to visit the imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty – Summer Palace. It is located next to Yuanmingyuan Heritage Park and was built following the layout of West Lake in Hangzhou. In 1998, Summer Palace was selected as the World Cultural heritage site. In the evening, you will have Beijing Duck for dinner.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 3 Beijing Great Wall Tour
Hike on the Beautiful Mutianyu Great Wall
In the morning, your Beijing tour begins at the Temple of Heaven where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties prayed to Heaven for good harvest and peace. There are 92 old buildings and 600 rooms in the Temple of Heaven. In 1998 it was selected as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.
In the afternoon, drive for about 45 minutes to visit Mutianyu Great Wall. It is the most scenic part of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. If the hike is too much for you, cable car up and down the Great Wall is available and optional (at your own expense). After the Great Wall hiking tour, transfer you back to the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 4 Beijing to Datong Tour by High-speed Train
Discover the Lives of Locals in Beijing Hutong
After breakfast, be guided to visit the Lama Temple, and then hop on a rickshaw for a Hutong tour through the most characteristic, maze-like neighborhood. Later, take a 2-hour high-speed train towards Datong. Upon arrival, be met by your local driver and transferred to your hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Datong
Day 5 Datong to Wutaishan Tour
Marvel at the Ancient Grottoes and Historic Temple
Today, your China Silk Road tour will take you to explore Datong, which boasts numerous renowned attractions. First of all, head for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yungang Grottoes, the largest and best-preserved grottoes in China, comprising over 200 caverns, housing more than 50,000 Buddha Statues.
Then take a ride to Wutaishan Mountain. On the way there, pay a visit to the miraculous Hanging Temple on Mount Hengshan, which is hailed as one of the most spectacular and mysterious architectural miracles in history. Then stay overnight at Wutaishan.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Wutaishan
Day 6 Wutaishan Mountain Tour, To Pingyao
Explore the Rich Buddhist Heritage of Mount Wutai
After breakfast, be led to visit Xiangtong Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China with a dazzling Bronze Hall with ten thousand gleaming Buddha statues. Then, follow your guide to explore more monasteries on Mount Wutai, one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains.
Then, transfer you to Pingyao, and on the way stop to visit the Qiao Family Compound, which is one of the largest surviving Ming and Qing dynasty residences in China. Stay overnight at Pingyao.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Pingyao
Day 7 Pingyao Ancient City Tour
Explore the Historical Sites of Pingyao Ancient City
Today you will spend a whole day at the Pingyao Ancient City, one of the most well preserved ancient county towns in China. Pingyao Ancient City is renowned for its over 2,700 year history and rich cultural heritage. Follow your tour guide to explore the architectural complex within the city, including city walls, streets, alleys, shops, and temples.
We mainly visit Rishengchang Former Bank, the first bank in China, and your tour guide will explain how it developed. Ming-Qing Street is the busiest commercial center of Pingyao Ancient City, founded in 1856. The shops on both sides of the street have typical Ming and Qing style architecture, with a total length of over 400 meters, preserving various commercial relics such as banks and pawnshops.
Finally, visit the City God Temple where you can admire Qing Dynasty murals and sculptures. After the visit, return to the hotel to rest.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Pingyao
Day 8 Pingyao to Xian Tour by High-speed Train
Glimpse the Lives of Wealthy People of the Qing Dynasty
After breakfast, begin your today’s Pingyao tour at the Wang’s Family Compound, the residence of Family Wang, a successful business family in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The whole family compound covers an area of 250 thousand m2 and enjoys the fame of the Forbidden City of Folk Residence.
Then we will move to visit Shuanglin Monastery. A Buddhist temple with more than 1,000 years of history. The highlights in the monastery are Chinese scholar treed planted in the Tang Dynasty, tablets carved in the Song Dynasty, Bell cast in the Ming Dynasty, and colorful sculptures and ancient buildings that survived feudal dynasties.
At last, transfer you to the train station for a high-speed train to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian, meet the local driver and be transferred to hotel. The rest day is free for you.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Xian
Day 9 Xian Essence Tour
Marvel at the Life-size Clay Soldiers
After breakfast, board the car and drive for about 1 hour to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. You will visit the Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3, and the Bronze Chariot Exhibition Hall in the museum. The thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and horses will surprise you with the super-high technique.
After lunch, go back to the downtown area to visit the 600-year-old Xian City Wall. The existing City Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty and the construction lasted 4 years. It is the best-preserved city wall in China. After that, take a walk in the Bell & Drum Tower Square – Muslim Quarter Area to enjoy the colorful night view of the ancient city and explore local food in the best-known food street.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
Day 10 Xian to Luoyang Tour by Bullet Train
Learn about the Amazing Chinese Kung Fu
In the early morning, our driver will meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer you to North Xian Station for the bullet train to Luoyang.
The private guide in Luoyang will pick you up at the train station and escort you to visit the two most highlight sites there: Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes. Shaolin Temple is a world-famous Buddhist temple and the Shaolin Kongfu wins more fame for the temple.
In the afternoon, continue your Louyang tour at one of the four greatest Buddhist grottoes in China – Longmen Grottoes. The first grottoes here were excavated in the 5th century and the excavation lasted for 400 years. The Buddha figures were made in various sizes that ranged from 2cm to 17.4 meters. After the visit, take the bullet train back to Xian.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Xian
Day 11 Xian to Dunhuang Tour by Flight
Explore Echoing-Sand Mountain with Optional Camel Ride
After breakfast, your driver in Xian picks you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport for a flight to Dunhuang. The Silk Road tour in Dunhuang starts at the Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake Scenic Area. Since ancient times, it was known for the co-existence of the desert and the lake. No people traveling to Dunhuang skip it. You can experience the camel ride (at your own expense) or sand slide in the desert. After the visit, drive you to Dunhuang hotel for check-in.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 12 Dunhuang Highlights Tour
Appreciate Buddhist Art in Mogao Caves
After your hotel breakfast, we will drive for about 30 minutes to the world’s cultural heritage site – Mogao Grottoes. There are 735 grottoes, 4.5 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay Buddha statues preserved here. In the early 1900s, the cave for preserving Buddhist sutra was discovered by chance, and 50 thousand cultural relics were brought to public view.
After that, pay a visit to the Dunhuang Museum to appreciate some cultural relics unearthed in Dunahung and learn about the local area’s history.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 13 Departure from Dunhuang
Please enjoy your free time before departure. The guide and driver will pick you up at the confirmed time and escort you to the airport/train station for departure. This is the end of your 13-day China Silk Road tour.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
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