Destinations / Asia & Middle East
Put together personally by Yari Steennot
China
Emperors, karst peaks and the Yangtze: a private journey from Beijing to Shanghai by bullet train
Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.
My recommended route through China, fully arranged for you as a private trip: from the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Summer Palace in Beijing to the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, the karst peaks of the Li River at Yangshuo and Guilin, the Yangtze metropolis of Wuhan and modern Shanghai. You travel as a couple, a family or with friends, largely by high-speed train, and a private driver is waiting in every city. You start whenever you like and change the route however you like.
Highlights
- A full day at the Summer Palace, plus the Forbidden City and the hutongs of Beijing
- Walking the Great Wall at Mutianyu
- The Terracotta Army, cycling Xi'an's city wall and the fountain show at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Li River boat trip among karst peaks
- Three nights in Yangshuo: by electric scooter and bamboo raft along the Yulong River, and an evening boat in Guilin
- Wuhan: the Yellow Crane Tower and an evening cruise past the illuminated skyline on the Yangtze
- Shanghai's Bund and the gardens of Suzhou
- Crossing the country by high-speed train
Day by day in the brochure (PDF)
For information only, not an offer yet
What I will arrange for you after launch
You travel, I arrange everything. You travel privately: no group and no fixed guide tagging along.
- Airport pickup and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
- All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Budget, Comfort or Premium.
- Transport on the ground with a private driver and private transfers; domestic flights or trains where that makes sense.
- The activities and entrance fees on the route. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
- Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
- A personal intake, at your home or by video.
- A WhatsApp line with me, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
- A call-back after your trip.
- Your international flight: after launch I will also book your flight for you. Prices on the site exclude the flight.
Travel whenever you like
Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 17 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.
This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.
Price by level and transport
You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.
Estimated prices per person, based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. Travelling solo, count on a supplement of roughly 65%. With four travellers the price per person drops by roughly 14%.
If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.
More about self-drive and the private driver on this route
Self-drive (not available on this route)
We do not offer self-drive in China. A Belgian or international driving permit is not valid there (you need a temporary Chinese licence), road signs and navigation are largely in Chinese only and the distances are huge. The high-speed train is faster and more comfortable, and a private driver is waiting for you in every city.
Private driver
Between cities you travel by high-speed train with reserved seats (one domestic flight Xi'an – Guilin). In Chinese cities the metro is often the fastest and most efficient way to get around. That is why in Budget and Comfort you take the metro where it is convenient: from Beijing airport to your hotel, to the Summer Palace, from Xi'an station to your hotel and to and from Wuhan station. In Premium a private driver takes you on those legs, but you can choose the metro too: in China the metro is often faster. For the out-of-town excursions (the Wall, the Terracotta Army, the Li River, Xingping and Guilin) and the other transfers a private driver takes you at every level. Drivers rarely speak English: that is why I give you address cards in Chinese, and you can always call me or send me a WhatsApp. In Shanghai you take the metro from the station to your hotel at every level, and on the last day the metro and the Maglev to the airport. You pay metro tickets with the transport QR code in Alipay or at the ticket machine. Within the cities you get around easily on foot, by metro or with Didi.
Flight & price
After launch I will also book your flight for you. The prices on this page exclude the international flight.
Flight Brussels–Beijing, returning from Shanghai, not included: allow about € 600–880 p.p. depending on the month (July and August are the most expensive). After launch I will find you the best flight with your proposal.
Indicative price (estimate) per person based on 2 travellers, excl. international flight. This is not an offer: nothing is being sold yet. Indicative price (estimate), not an offer. In high season the price can be higher, in low season lower. All prices are indicative estimates, not an offer. Nothing is being sold yet; after launch you receive a no-obligation proposal with the price of that moment.
Travelling responsibly
This trip uses high-speed trains instead of domestic flights wherever possible (only Xi'an – Guilin is flown because the train takes approx. 10 hours). In Yangshuo you stay in a small hotel with local staff and explore by electric scooter and bamboo raft instead of by car. We work with local drivers and, if you want one, local guides, and I recommend family restaurants, so your money ends up locally.