Xi'an Tours from New Zealand

Xi'an group departures

Upcoming group departures from New Zealand that include Xi'an, as published on each tour page. Prices are per person; open a tour for room options and what is included.

China Discovery — A Tale of Two Cities — current itinerary

This day-by-day plan comes from the latest published tour record. China Discovery — A Tale of Two Cities (From NZD $3,480).

1. Day 1: Auckland — Beijing

   Depart Auckland in the evening on your international flight to Beijing. Dinner and breakfast served on board.

   Meals: Meal on board

2. Day 2: Arrival in Beijing

   Upon arrival in Beijing, your guide will meet you and transfer you to visit the Temple of Heaven — a 500-year-old complex of altars and pavilions set in sweeping gardens, where emperors once made offerings to the heavens. Continue to a tea factory before checking in to your hotel.

   Meals: Lunch

3. Day 3: Beijing

   Tour Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world. Enjoy a photo stop at the National Centre for the Performing Arts — the striking glass dome affectionately known as "The Egg". Afterwards, step inside the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex that served as home to successive emperors for more than 500 years. Continue to Beihai Park, an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City, and visit a silk factory before dinner. Tonight's optional excursion: an acrobatic show.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

4. Day 4: Beijing — Great Wall

   This morning, travel to the Great Wall — stretching almost 4,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the sands of Central Asia and rightfully crowned one of the ten wonders of the world. En route, stop at a jade carving factory to watch artisans at work. Return to the city and view the Olympic Park's Bird's Nest stadium and Water Cube aquatic centre from the outside.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

5. Day 5: Beijing — Hutong & Silk Market

   This morning, climb aboard a pedi-cab for a tour of the Hutong — Beijing's historic neighbourhoods of narrow alleyways and courtyard gardens. Experience local life with a visit to a traditional family home. After lunch, head to the Silk Market for some shopping.

   Meals: Breakfast

6. Day 6: Beijing — Xi'an by High-Speed Train

   Morning is free at your leisure. Check out by noon, then board Train G89 (departs 15:00, arrives Xi'an 19:12, 2nd-class seat or similar high-speed service). Your local Xi'an guide will meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel.

   Meals: Breakfast

7. Day 7: Xi'an — Terracotta Warriors

   This morning, visit the greatest archaeological discovery of the century: the Terracotta Warriors, a vast underground army of more than 2,000-year-old life-size soldiers interred with Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The visit includes the Circle Vision Movie and Bronze Chariot exhibition. Tonight's optional excursion: Tang Palace Banquet Song and Dance Performance.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

8. Day 8: Xi'an — City Wall & Big Wild Goose Pagoda

   Visit the ancient City Wall that encircles the historic centre of Xi'an, then continue to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda — the earliest and largest surviving square brick pagoda of the Tang Dynasty, and a landmark testament to the integration of Indian Buddhist architecture into Chinese culture following the spread of Buddhism to the Central Plains.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

9. Day 9: Xi'an — Small Wild Goose Pagoda & Huimin Street

   This morning, visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda Museum, then stroll through the vibrant Huimin Street — Xi'an's famous Muslim Quarter lined with street food stalls and artisan shops. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Beijing.

   Meals: Breakfast

10. Day 10: Beijing — Auckland

    Connect with your international flight from Beijing back to New Zealand.