15 Days China Silk Road Adventure with Beijing and Shanghai
Tour Overview
This 15-day Silk Road China tour takes you through ancient cities, breathtaking natural landscapes, and historic sites. Starting in Beijing, you will visit landmarks like the Forbidden City and Great Wall. Travel west to Urumqi, Turpan, Dunhuang, and Jiayuguan – the most famous cities along the Ancient Silk Road – exploring the stunning Heavenly Lake, Jiaohe Ruins, and the Mogao Grottoes, Jiayuguan Pass.
Continue your Silk Road journey in Xian, where you will be guided to visit the world-famous Terracotta Army. End your tour in Shanghai, witnessing the modern skyline. Also, take a side trip to Suzhou for Chinese classic garden and water towns. Experience the rich cultural legacy of China Silk Road.
Highlights of this tour
- Explore the grand Forbidden City and learn its rich history from your guide.
- Hike the less-crowded Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.
- Embark on a cruise by the crystal-clear waters of Heavenly Lake.
- Discover the ancient Jiaohe Ruins to glimpse the thriving Silk Road city in the past.
- Marvel at the exquisite murals and sculptures in the Mogao Grottoes.
- Visit th westernmost point of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan Pass.
- Marvel at the world-famous life-sized Terracotta soldiers.
- Spend your leisurely time in Suzhou classic garden.
- Take a boat on the tranquil canals of Zhouzhuang Water Town.
- Enjoy the breathtaking views of Shanghai’s skyline from the Jinmao Tower.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Beijing-Urumqi-Turpan-Dunhuang-Jiayuguan-Lanzhou-Xian-Shanghai-Suzhou-Shanghai
Travel Length: 15 Days and 14 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 1-3 Arrival, Beijing Tour
Visit the Temple of Heaven, explore Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Summer Palace. See the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, then enjoy a Kungfu Show. Hike the Mutianyu Great Wall with a cable car ride.
Day 4 Flight to Urumqi
Fly from Beijing to Urumqi. Visit Heavenly Lake, enjoying a peaceful boat ride amidst stunning scenery of clear waters, snow-capped mountains, and lush trees.
Day 5-6 Turpan Tour, High-speed Train to Dunhuang
Travel from Urumqi to Turpan to the Jiaohe Ruins, Flaming Hill, and Grape Valley to explore the Silk Road and local agriculture. Visit Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves and Astana Tombs and then take a high-speed train to Dunhuang.
Day 7-8 Dunhuang Tour, High-speed Train to Jiayuguan
Explore Dunhuang’s Echoing-Sand Mountain, slide down the sand slope, and visit Crescent Lake. Then, tour the Mogao Grottoes and Dunhuang Museum. Travel to Jiayuguan by high-speed train to visit Jiayuguan Pass, Overhanging Great Wall, and the Wei-jin Art Gallery.
Day 9 High-speed Train to Lanzhou
Take a morning train to Lanzhou and be guided to visit Gansu Museum. Then take a walk along the bank of the Yellow River.
Day 10-12 High-speed Train to Xian, Xian Tour
Admire Buddha statues and murals of Bingling Temple before traveling by high-speed train to Xian. In Xian, explore the Terracotta Warriors, visit the Xian Ancient City Wall, and enjoy a Tang Dynasty Show with a dumpling banquet dinner. Also, go to some must-see places like Xian Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and Muslim Quarter.
Day 13-15 Flight to Shanghai, Shanghai & Suzhou Tour, Departure
Fly from Xian to Shanghai to visit Yuyuan Garden and the nearby bazaars, then enjoy panoramic views of Shanghai from the Jinmao Tower. Travel to Suzhou to the Net Master Garden, Ancient City Wall, and Grand Canal. Explore Zhouzhuang Water Town by gondola, then return to Shanghai.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Beijing
Explore the Royal Temple in the Qing Dynasty
Our driver and guide will wait for you at the airport terminal exit by holding a welcome sign with your name on it. Then you will be driven to the hotel. After a short rest, we will start your China tour in Beijing with the Temple of Heaven, the royal temple in the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912).
After the visit, go back to the hotel and enjoy your own nighttime.
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 2 Beijing City Highlights Tour
Visit the 600-Year-Old Royal Palace Forbidden City, Enjoy Kungfu Show
You will be picked up from the hotel after breakfast. Then you will visit the famous Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the heart of Beijing which covers an area of 44 hectares. The Chinese national flag rising and lowering each morning and evening is also regarded as an attraction by Chinese people.
The Forbidden City is the royal palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasty, built 600 years ago. Your tour guide will explain the construction history behind it to you.
After lunch, be transferred to Summer Palace, which was designed according to the layout of the West Lake in Hangzhou. At present it is the best preserved imperial park in China. Then, admire the Bird Nest and Water Cube from outside. This evening, we will see the Kungfu Show to appreciate authentic Chinese boxing. After the show, drive back to the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 3 Mutianyu Great Wall from Beijing
Take a Hike on the Less-crowed Great Wall
Today we will visit two sites in the skirt of Beijing. The first one is the DingLing Mausoleum, one of the 13 Emperors’ mausoleums in Beijing. Dingling Mausoleum is the joint tomb of Emperor Shenzong and his two Empresses.
After lunch, we will drive to Mutianyu Great Wall, a comparatively less tourist-trodden part of the 1,400-year-old fortification system. An easy, comfortable round trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery is included while a certain amount of time would be given for you to climb the wall. After hiking on the Great Wall, you will be escorted back to your hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Beijing
Day 4 Beijing to Urumqi Tour by Flight
Enjoy a Peaceful Boat Ride on Heavenly Lake
After breakfast, pick you up from hotel by Beijing driver and transfer you to airport for flight to Urumqi. Upon arrival in Urumqi, you will be met by local guide and driver and be directly transferred to visit Heavenly Lake and boat on the lake.
100 kilometers away from the city of Urumqi, Heavenly Lake gives the impression of nobleness, elegance, and beauty. Clear lake, snow mountains, and soaring trees compose the charming scenery of Heavenly Lake. It will make you totally relaxed no matter if you are sitting in a boat, walking in the mountains, or just standing by the lake. After that, drive you back to Urumqi and check in at the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 5 Urumqi to Turpan Tour
Explore an Important Town along the Ancient Silk Road
This morning, we will check out the hotel in Urumqi and drive about 2.5 hours to arrive at Turpan and start your Silk Road tour in South Xinjiang. Firstly, we will have an exploration of Jiaohe Ruins, which is one of the most important towns along the ancient Silk Road. It is also the largest, oldest, and best-preserved earth construction in the world.
The next stop will be the hottest place in China – the Flaming Hill, situated the north of ancient Silk Road. The temperature is so high that nothing grows on the hill. The record highest temperature of summer could reach 47.8 ℃ (118 ℉).
Then we will pay a visit to Grape Valley to see how grapes are grown and processed there. If you visit in August or September, you will have a chance to try some freshest grapes. At last, drive to the hotel in Turpan to check-in.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Turpan
Day 6 Turpan to Dunhuang Tour by High-speed Train
Appreciate Thousands of Buddhist Murals
In the morning, you will be transferred to visit Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Cave, a series of caves with thousands of Buddhist murals. The vivid murals show many Buddhist figures, stories, and social life about 1,000 years ago.
Afterward, continue to visit Astana Tombs which is known as the “Underground Museum of Turpan”. After that, be escorted to the train station for train to Dunhuang. Upon arrival in Dunhuang, met by local driver and be escorted for about 2 hours to a hotel in downtown Dunhuang.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 7 Dunhuang Highlights Tour
Slide down the Sand Slope and Visit the Colorful Mogao Grottoes
Meet our tour guide in the hotel lobby and begin your Dunhuang tour at one of the most famous attractions along the Silk Road – the Echoing-Sand Mountain. It surrounds Crescent Lake where the blown sand could make the sound just like that made by Chinese orchestral musical instruments when it is windy.
When you slide down the slope, you can hear the roaring echo of sand. On the bank of Crescent Lake, your eyes will be feasted on the crescent-shaped spring surrounded by the endless Gobi desert. It has not dried up over the past one thousand years and still gushes with fresh current.
After that, drive to visit Mogao Grottoes which display a very colorful and descriptive world in the paintings. It is known as one of the four most famous caves in China. At last, we visit the Dunhuang Museum to have a comprehensive knowledge of Dunhuang as then important point along the ancient Silk Road. After the whole day tour, go back to the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 8 Dunhuang to Jiayuguan Tour by High-speed Train
Explore the Westernmost Point of the Great Wall
In the morning, the local driver will escort you to the train station to catch the train to Jiayuguan. Arriving in Jiayuguan in the afternoon, enjoy your Jiayuguan tour with three attractions. The first one is Jiayuguan Pass, the very west starting point of the Chinese Great Wall. At the Overhanging Great Wall, you can see another face of the Chinese Great Wall.
Conclude today’s Silk Road tour package with the Wei-jin Art Gallery, which actually is a group of brick tombs from the Wei and Jin Periods. After all the visits, you will be transferred to Jiayuguan hotel for an overnight stay.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Jiayuguan
Day 9 Jiayuguan to Lanzhou Tour by High-speed Train
Visit Gansu Museum, Take a Walk along Yellow River
In the morning, your driver in Jiayuguan will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the morning train to Lanzhou. Upon arrival in Lanzhou, the local guide takes you directly to visit the Gansu Museum. The over 820 thousand pieces of collections will tell you past facts of Gansu Province and of the ancient Silk Road business route.
Afterward, we will take a walk along the bank of the Yellow River and at last transfer you to the local hotel for check-in.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Lanzhou
Day 10 Lanzhou to Xian by High-speed Train
Admire Buddha Statues and Murals of Bingling Temple
After hotel breakfast, we will go to visit Binglingsi Temple which is also known as Binglingsi Grottoes. There are 776 Buddha statues, over 1,076 square yards of murals, and 6 stone sculptures from 1,600 years ago waiting for your exploring.
After lunch, transfer to the train station and catch the bullet train to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian, a local private driver will meet you and transfer you to a hotel in downtown Xian to prepare for the coming China Silk Road travel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Xian
Day 11 Xian Terracotta Army Tour
Explore the Terracotta Warriors, Enjoy a Tang Show with Dinner Banquet
Our English-speaking Xian tour guide will pick you up from the hotel lobby in the morning. Then after a short visit to Terracotta Figures Factory which focuses on reproduction of Terracotta figures, you will be directly transferred to the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses. Known as “the Eighth Wonders of the World”, the museum shows a surprisingly high level of sculpture, which is the most significant discovery of the 20th century. The splendid scene and format will leave you with an impressive memory.
After lunch, continue visiting the Xian Ancient City Wall. It is the most completely preserved and the largest city wall in China, built for the military defense in the ancient time. Since it is cycling the city, visitors can ride a bike around the city wall.
In the evening, you will enjoy the dumpling banquet for dinner. The dumpling banquet will be both a view and taste feast. After dinner, watch the Tang Dynasty Show, the most favorable night activity for one’s Xian tour. At last, transfer you back to the hotel at about 21:30.
Meal: Breakfast + Dinner
Accommodation: in Xian
Day 12 Xian History Tour
See the Landmarks of the City and Learn about Muslim Culture
Today’s tour in Xian takes you on a guided tour of Xian Museum. The exhibition here is rich and diverse. Its basic display revolves around the history of Xi’an as the capital city, where you can see Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed pottery, gilded Buddha statues, and jade artifacts. In this scenic area, you can also admire the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, which dates back 1300 years.
Next, we will move to the landmark of Xian – Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is a worship place for Buddhists. The pagoda was originally built to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that Xuanzang brought back to China from India. Now the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has been built into a big Garden, where people can have a retreat.
Then move to visit Muslim Quarter, the most famous local food street where you will meet local snacks like casserole, Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup, Roujiamo, Cold Noodles, etc. Walking along the Muslim Quarter, we will arrive at the Great Mosque to see the perfect combination of Chinese architectural culture and Moslem religious culture.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Xian
Day 13 Xian to Shanghai Tour by Flight
Stroll through Yuyuan Garden, Witness the Skyline from Jinmao Tower
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to catch the flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, a local driver and guide will meet you at the airport and drive to the hotel.
After a short rest, we will visit Yuyuan Garden, where you can marvel at the stunning view of the garden and have the most local experience by strolling around the nearby Chenghuang Miao bazaars. Then, head to the Pudong Area to visit Jinmao Tower by taking the sightseeing elevator to the 88th story Observation Deck. On the Observation Deck, you will have a bird’s eye view of the Shanghai skyline landscape. After the tour, go back to the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Shanghai
Day 14 Shanghai to Suzhou Tour
Discover Suzhou Classical Gardens and Zhouzhuang Water Town
Pick you up from your hotel in the morning by guide and drive about 2 hours to Suzhou. Upon arrival in Suzhou, the first stop is Net Master Garden, the best and most celebrated model Ming Dynasty Garden in all of Suzhou. Then it’s on to view the Ancient City Wall and the Grand Canal.
After lunch, we visit the Zhouzhuang Water Town and board a Chinese-style gondola to cruise the waterways of the town. After your China tour in Suzhou, drive back to Shanghai afterward.
Meal: Breakfast + Lunch
Accommodation: in Shanghai
Day 15 Departure from Shanghai
According to the flight time, your private driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your homeward flight. Hope the 15-day Silk Road China trip leaves you with an impressive and pleasant memory.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
Recommended Other Silk Road Tours You May Like
8 Days Silk Road Xinjiang Tour with DunhuangKashgar – Dunhuang – Turpan – Dunhuang
10 Days Best Silk Road Tour from Lanzhou to KashgarLanzhou – Xiahe – Jiayuguan – Dunhuang – Turpan – Kashgar
