China’s past still walks beside the present. It lingers in palace courtyards, along mountain ridges of the Great Wall, and in stories shared across village kitchens. Led by your hand-picked Signature Guide, travel from Beijing’s imperial heart to the restored streets of Pingyao and onward to Xi’an, once the eastern gateway of the Silk Road. Walk quiet sections of the Great Wall, hear the memories of a village elder, and stand before the Terracotta Army with an archaeologist. With a curated Signature Day and characterful stays throughout, this journey brings China’s history into vivid focus.
Venture to the very heart of each destination on our Signature Collection, where every journey is shaped by our unrivalled local connections and insider expertise. Step beyond the ordinary with private invitations, rare encounters, and experiences few will ever share. So when someone says, “I’ve been there,” you’ll simply smile, knowing you’ve experienced it differently.
Signature Day: Experience our distinctive Signature Day, choosing between a visit to Liang Village and lacquer master Geng Baoguo, a walk through Pingyao’s historic city, a traditional dough-sculpture workshop, or the ancient residences of the prominent Wang family
Signature Stay: Follow in the footsteps of world leaders with a stay at the historic Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel, part of this trip’s refined accommodation portfolio
Signature Guide: Let your handpicked Signature Guide lead you to the country’s soul — sharing their home, heritage, and heart
Activity Areas
Culture
Region & Country & City
Beijing, China, The Great Wall, Xi'an
Included in the Price
Elegant, hand-picked hotels and a Signature Stay in the historic Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel - All breakfasts, six lunches, seven dinners, featuring restaurants that capture the authentic cuisine of China - Your preferred Signature Day experience, selected and prebooked ahead of travel - Named Signature Guide with outstanding knowledge and guest satisfaction - Complimentary transfers on arrival and departure, plus transport throughout - Gratuities for local support staff so every detail of your journey feels effortless
Not Included In The Price
Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations.
Map
Itinerary
Day 1 Settle into Beijing’s historic hutongs | Welcome reception in a 700-year-old temple
Welcome to Beijing, where our journey begins. Complimentary arrival transfers bring you to Blossom House Beijing Houhai, a refined courtyard hideaway beside historic lakes.
Those arriving early can join a paper-cutting workshop (available to prebook on request). This 1,500-year-old Chinese folk art shapes intricate designs from folded paper, reflecting symbolism, ritual, and everyday life.
As night falls, join your Signature Guide for a welcome reception and dinner. At Hemu Gui, within the 700-year-old Hong’en Temple, enjoy Beijing’s celebrated roast duck alongside creative interpretations of local cuisine, served in a setting where centuries-old architecture frames the start of our journey.
Day 2 Enter the Forbidden City | Walk through the restored Qianlong Garden
Step into the Forbidden City as its gates open. Crossing the Golden Water Bridges, we enter the vast imperial complex that shaped China’s political and ceremonial life for centuries.
We join a specialist guide to explore the Eastern Route, a treasure trove of imperial history, art, and architecture. Our journey takes us to the magnificent palaces and halls, plus the the beautifully restored Qianlong Garden − a secluded retreat created for an emperor preparing for retirement. Reopened after years of meticulous conservation, its pavilions, corridors and courtyards form a “garden within a garden”, where lacquered interiors, silk murals and poetic inscriptions reflect Qianlong’s personal vision of life beyond the throne.
Later, we stand in Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest squares, before leaving the capital for the mountains. By evening, the Great Wall rises along distant ridges, where we settle into our hotel and share a dumpling-making dinner with a local family.
Day 3 Walk the Great Wall | Share a farmers’ lunch atop the battlements
Signature Experience: Step onto one of the most atmospheric sections of the Great Wall at Jinshanling. From the East Gate, our route follows watchtowers and stone steps that climb steadily along the ridgeline. The walk leads through quiet stretches of wall, punctuated by sweeping views across the surrounding hills. At Xiliang Brick Tower, local farmers serve a freshly prepared lunch − a simple yet memorable meal enjoyed high above the valleys below.
After returning to the hotel for a restful afternoon, those wishing for more adventure may continue to the wilder Gubeikou section of the wall for a second, optional hike. Dinner tonight is a home-cooked feast at the guesthouse of Mr Zhu, a longtime Jinshanling resident, who's ready to share his unique insight of village life at the foot of the Great Wall.
Day 4 Climb toward Wangjing Tower | Practise Tai Chi on the Great Wall
A short drive brings us to the Simatai section of the Great Wall, which has seen far less restoration than other parts of the New World Wonder – providing a real sense of history.
Our walk ascends toward Wangjing Tower − the Viewing Beijing Tower − following a route that reveals the wall’s dramatic alignment along mountain ridges. After descending, we celebrate with lunch prepared by a local family, enjoyed from a terrace facing the wall.
Signature Experience: Later, we return to the Jinshanling section, where a village official shares the story of how nearby communities helped protect and rebuild this section during the late 20th century. As the afternoon softens, a Tai Chi master introduces the graceful movements of this centuries-old practice.
For dinner, join a local chef at our hotel for a live cooking demonstration, uncovering the art and secrets behind classic Chinese dishes.
Day 5 Visit a village beneath the Great Wall | Meet a centenarian storyteller
Leaving the mountains, we travel to Beigou village near Mutianyu. Here, we are welcomed into the home of a village elder, whose stories reveal the profound changes witnessed across a lifetime in rural China.
Lunch is served at the Brickyard, a heritage hotel in a once-abandoned glazed-tile factory. Here, we enjoy a generous, shared meal shaped by northern Chinese home cooking. The courses are plentiful, inviting conversation and time to settle into the slower rhythm of the countryside. With only a light dinner available this evening, this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a more substantial meal.
After, we continue to Beijing’s Qinghe station and board the train to Pingyao. A transfer to the Old Town brings us to the electric shuttle, which carries us to our courtyard hotel, arriving late evening.
Day 6 Signature Day | Choose how to experience Pingyao’s living heritage
Today is your Signature Day, where you can select an authentic, curated experience to connect deeply with Chinese culture. You could:
Visit Liang Village’s fortified manors before meeting lacquer master Geng Baoguo, guardian of Pingyao’s 1,200-year lacquer tradition.
Walk Pingyao’s ancient city wall and banking halls, then enter the Confucian Temple and county yamen to understand imperial governance.
Shape coloured dough into symbolic figures during a hands-on workshop covering the traditional folk art of Mian Su, learning the meanings of zodiac animals, blessings and longevity.
Visit the Wang Family Courtyard, a vast complex of Ming and Qing residences where carved gateways, halls and courtyards reveal elite clan life.
By evening we gather once more, sharing a tea ceremony that introduces China’s black and green teas before a dinner featuring Pingyao’s famed sliced noodles.
Day 7 Travel to Xi’an | Walk the ramparts of the ancient city wall
Board the fast train bound for Xi’an, once the capital of 13 dynasties and a crossroads of the Silk Road.
After lunch, we walk along the Ming-era city wall. From this vantage point, tiled rooftops and busy avenues stretch across the modern city. Later we enter the Muslim Quarter, where the Great Mosque reflects centuries of cultural exchange between China and the Islamic world.
Dinner is an exploration of sophisticated Shaanxi cuisine at 13 Dynasties Restaurant before we retire to our Signature Stay, the historic Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel.
Day 8 Stand before the Terracotta Army | Dine on Shaanxi cuisine in Xi’an
Signature Experience: Encounter one of archaeology’s most extraordinary discoveries: the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Accompanied by senior archaeologist Mr Shen, step into the vast excavation halls where thousands of life-sized soldiers emerge from the earth in silent formation. Standing at the edge of the great pit, the scale becomes unmistakable — ranks of warriors stretching into the distance, each face, armour and stance individually crafted more than two millennia ago, as if still guarding their emperor.
Lunch is served nearby at a family-run restaurant before we return to Xi’an for a relaxed afternoon.
This evening, gather for a farewell dinner at Ming Jia, celebrating Shaanxi’s culinary traditions and reflecting on the remarkable journey we have shared.
Day 9 Say a fond farewell to China
After breakfast, take a final moment to reflect on the journey – from imperial palaces and ancient city walls to quiet villages and the mountain ridges of the Great Wall.
Your complimentary transfer will take you to the airport for onward travel. If you have time before departure, linger a little longer over tea or a final stroll through Xi’an’s historic streets.
This chapter may have come to an end, but China has countless more stories waiting to unfold.
