11-Day China Explorer: Golden Triangle with Zhangjiajie

Upon your arrival at Beijing airport, your personal tour guide will welcome and take you to your hotel (1 hour). On the way, your guide will give you a brief overview of Beijing. After settling down in the hotel, you can take a break to recover from your long journey.

Start your China tour from iconic Tiananmen Square. Continue by visiting the Forbidden City. You will appreciate hundreds of examples of exquisite, ancient architecture and listen to the stories of royal families that have been handed down for generations.

Leave the emperor's huge courtyard, and then proceed to Jingshan Park where you will have a bird's eye view of the splendid royal palaces from the top of the artificial Coal Hill. Later, visit the UNESCO listed Temple of Heaven, the highest level of worship complex in ancient China.

The whole day journey will take you to the magnificent Jinshanling Great Wall. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Jinshanling section is an ideal place for you to enjoy peace and tranquility at the wall. You can take up to 3 to 4 hours of hiking on the wall, according to your interest and physical strength.

In the morning, visit the Summer Palace (15 minutes' boat ride on Kunming Lake is included) and enjoy the slow pace of the itinerary.

Later, visit a pearl store if you like. Afterward, go to the railway station for your high-speed train to Xi'an. On arrival, being picked up and transferred to your downtown hotel by your personal tour guide.

Drive about an hour to the Terracotta Warriors where you could take 2 to 3 hours to marvel at the thousands of vivid life-size clay troops. After that, stop at Xi'an Art Ceramics Factory to see how the astonishing soldiers, horses and chariots were made.

In the afternoon, go back to the city and explore the Muslim Street and the Great Mosque hidden in the bustling quarter.

Visit the Ancient City Wall with a history of 600 years, and take a bike tour on its top. It's best to test your bike and its brakes before you ride. Before heading to the airport stop by Hanyang Tomb where you can get a general understanding of people's life of the Han Dynasty.

Head to the airport for the flight to Zhangjiajie. Upon arrival, your private tour guide will meet you and accompany you to the hotel in Wulingyuan Scenic Area (around 50 minutes away).

The whole day's tour to Zhangjiajie National Park, including Yuanjiajie (with Bailong Elevator up), the First Bridge under the Sun, Fairy Maiden Present Flowers, Imperial Brush Peak, Mt. Tianzi (with cable car) and Ten-mile Gallery (with round-trip train ride).

As private vehicles are not allowed to drive into the park, your personal guide will accompany you to take the scenic area's shuttle bus from one spot to another. To avoid the crowds, the guide may adjust the schedule as necessary.

You will spend another full day exploring this vast forest park further. Walk for about 3 hours in the beautiful Golden Whip Stream Canyon in the morning. On the way, you may encounter some naughty monkeys. For your safety, it is not recommended to feed them or tease them.

In the afternoon, proceed to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon where you will be amazed by some unique cliffs, streams and lakes. Most importantly, if you are brave enough, you can have an adventure on the longest and highest glass bridge of the world.

Tianmen Mountain (Heaven's Gate Mountain in translation) is regarded as the symbol and soul of Zhangjiajie. It was the first recorded mountain in the history of Zhangjiajie. Today, take the longest cable car (30 min, 8 km) to the top of the mountain and enjoy its spectacular scenery.

Afterward, go to the airport for your flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival, your personal guide will meet you and take you to the hotel.

A leisure day for your own exploration of the city. It is highly recommended for you to enjoy the moment strolling on the Bund, see an abundant collection at the Shanghai Museum, and take a close look at local old people's recreational life at People's Park.

Time to say goodbye. When you are ready, your private guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to the airport for your return flight.