Fifteen days from Beijing's Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Great Wall and hutongs, by high-speed train to Xi'an's Terracotta Army, then by air to Hangzhou via Puyuan's fashion ancient town, West Lake and Longjing tea, finishing in Shanghai before your return via Beijing.
Next Departure
3 Sept 2026
All departure dates
Dates refer to scheduled group departures; year 2026 where applicable — confirm at booking.
I designed Essentials as a broad China sweep — one itinerary that hits the icons so you do not have to choose Beijing or Shanghai alone on visit one. Expect full days; I have trimmed the fluff so the highlights stay honest.
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Fifteen days from Beijing's Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Great Wall and hutongs, by high-speed train to Xi'an's Terracotta Army, then by air to Hangzhou via Puyuan's fashion ancient town, West Lake and Longjing tea, finishing in Shanghai before your return via Beijing.
Single supplement: NZD $695
Official guides and destination hubs to help you prepare—visa timing, seasons, and places on this route.
Group departures from New Zealand (dates as published). Contact us to reserve a seat or request a private departure.
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
signature · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
discovery · China
Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City (or substitute Jingshan Park & Prince Gong's Mansion if tickets unavailable), Beihai Park, and the Great Wall
Hutong pedi-cab tour with family visit and Silk Market
High-speed train G89 Beijing–Xi'an (second class)
Terracotta Warriors with Circle Vision and Bronze Chariot; optional Tang Palace banquet show
Xi'an City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda Museum, and Muslim Quarter (Huimin Street)
Flight to Hangzhou and Tongxiang — Puyuan Fashion Ancient Town (Song-style waterways)
West Lake boat tour, G20 Hangzhou International Expo Center, Meijiawu Longjing tea, Qinghefang Ancient Street
Shanghai: Yuyuan Garden, Bund, Nanjing Road, Lujiazui skyline corridor, World Cultural Heritage Art Exhibition Centre
Meals: Meals on board
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Breakfast
Route visualization for planning — watch how you'll travel through each destination.
Interested in China Discovery — Best of China? We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Claire & Tom Mackenzie
Wellington, NZ
Beijing to Xi'an on the Bullet Train — The Perfect 10 Days
“The visa-free entry for Kiwis (it came in mid-2024) made booking so much easier than we ever expected — no embassy queues, no paperwork, just flights booked and off we went. Baker's itinerary was brilliantly paced: three days in Beijing (Forbidden City, hutong evening walk, Great Wall at Mutianyu at sunrise), then a bullet train to Xi'an for the Terracotta Warriors and the Muslim Quarter's lamb skewers. Two of the world's great historical capitals in ten days. Couldn't have asked for more.”
Michael & Bev Larsen
Dunedin, NZ
Great Wall at Dawn, Terracotta Warriors After Lunch — Incredible
“As Dunediners, we're no strangers to spectacular scenery — but nothing prepared us for standing on the Great Wall with mist rolling through the valleys below. Lisa matched that moment perfectly with our private guide at the Terracotta Warriors pit two days later. The scale is genuinely hard to believe until you're standing in front of it. The Xi'an Muslim Quarter lamb skewers and pomegranate juice were the perfect ending to a brilliant day. Ten days, two ancient capitals, zero complaints.”
Fiona Hewitt
Auckland, NZ
Solo Kiwi Traveller — Visa-Free Entry Made This Finally Happen
“I'd been putting off China for years, mostly because of the visa process. Then visa-free access opened for NZ passport holders in mid-2024 and I had no more excuses. Baker sorted the rest: a great small group for the Beijing–Xi'an itinerary, a private morning at the Wall before the tour buses arrived, and a Xi'an family dinner that turned into a two-hour dumpling lesson. I've been talking about this trip non-stop since I got home. The no-visa thing genuinely is a game-changer for Kiwis.”
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per personEverything you need to know about traveling to China with CTS
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