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Wexas Travel · Tailor-made rail journey

Best of China by Rail

Fifteen-day China circuit from Beijing to Shanghai by high-speed rail

Illustration of Best of China by Rail

Wexas Travel's Best of China by Rail is a 15-day tailor-made journey from Beijing to Shanghai, combining four high-speed train journeys in first class with private sightseeing at each stop. You depart London with complimentary airport lounge access and arrive in Beijing on Day 2, where a private driver and guide meet you. Over the next two weeks, you explore the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, the ancient walled city and lantern-lit streets of Pingyao, the Terracotta Army in Xian (with a Tang Dynasty feast and show), Buddhist temples and the Shaolin Temple near Luoyang, and Shanghai's museums and gardens before concluding with a day trip to Suzhou's Chinese gardens and Grand Canal. Accommodation is in typically 4-star hotels, and most days include private touring with lunch. The journey suits history lovers and repeat rail travellers seeking a privately guided experience with no independent navigation required.

What to know before you look closer

  • The package includes international flights from London; the rail component is part of a larger escorted itinerary rather than a stand-alone rail focus.
  • Hotel accommodation is listed as 'or similar' across all cities, so the final property may differ from those named depending on your chosen tier and availability.
  • Day 1 consists of an overnight flight; you arrive in Beijing on Day 2.

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Depart UK

    After making use of your complimentary airport lounge access, board your overnight flight to China.

  2. Day 2overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing

    Beijing

    You'll be met on arrival by a private driver, who'll bring you to your central and contemporary accommodation; the Deluxe spa option features a club lounge and city views.

  3. Day 3overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing

    Beijing

    Your private touring begins with Tiananmen Square's spectacular gates and Soviet severity before you uncover the citadel-clad treasures of the Forbidden City - the world's largest palace complex, and the Qing Dynasty's Summer Palace. It's a fascinating prelude to tonight's welcome feast - a traditional Peking duck dinner.

  4. Day 4overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing

    Beijing

    Exploring the Great Wall, your private driver and guide also mixing in the tree-lined Sacred Way's sculpted Ming tombs.

  5. Day 5overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing

    Beijing

    Visit the Temple of Heaven's great, UNESCO-listed tiers before a rickshaw ride sees you among the maze of hutong laneways that form Beijing's timber old town.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Pingyao Yunjincheng Hotel (Superior & Deluxe), Pingyao

    Pingyao

    After a private transfer, board your first high-speed rail journey, travelling in first class through China's rural heartlands to the ancient city of Pingyao. Visit the Wang Family Compound - an 18th-century residence formed of great courtyards, halls and alleyways.

  7. Day 7overnight: Pingyao Yunjincheng Hotel (Superior & Deluxe), Pingyao

    Pingyao

    Your private touring continues, your guide showcasing the city's World Heritage treasures - China's best-preserved ancient walled town, its lantern-lit lanes lined with historic towers, elegant courtyards and beguiling temples.

  8. Day 8railovernight: East House (Superior) or Wyndham Beijing (Deluxe), Xian

    Xian

    After breakfast, a private driver will see you to Taiyuan, pausing at the millennium-old Jinci Temple's classical gardens and carved dragon shrines, then the 17th-century Chang Family Compound, before boarding the high-speed train to Xian.

  9. Day 9overnight: East House (Superior) or Wyndham Beijing (Deluxe), Xian

    Xian

    Private touring focuses on the thousand-strong Terracotta Army, before taking in Xian's imposing city walls and China's largest mosque. Included dinner is a Tang Dynasty feast and accompanying show.

  10. Day 10railovernight: Ramada Downtown (Superior) & Luoyang International Hotel (Deluxe), Luoyang

    Luoyang

    A morning in Xian for the Provincial Museum and the 7th-century Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, before a first-class train trip to Luoyang bookended by private transfers.

  11. Day 11overnight: Ramada Downtown (Superior) & Luoyang International Hotel (Deluxe), Luoyang

    Luoyang

    Private touring showcases the city's dynastical might - where the first Buddhist temple was built on Chinese soil - and a Kungfu show in the UNESCO-listed Shaolin Temple, set to a mountainous backdrop.

  12. Day 12railovernight: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Superior) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Deluxe), Shanghai

    Shanghai

    Last private touring in Luoyang centres on the great Longmen Caves, where over 100,000 Buddha images are carved into cliff walls. Your last first-class train, bookended by private transfers, sees you to your central Shanghai accommodation.

  13. Day 13overnight: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Superior) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Deluxe), Shanghai

    Shanghai

    Private tours showcase the world-class Shanghai Museum, the spectacular Yu Garden and the ornate Jade Buddha Temple.

  14. Day 14overnight: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Superior) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Deluxe), Shanghai

    Shanghai

    Visit the ancient town of Suzhou, its exotic Chinese gardens, and enjoy a cruise along its Grand Canal, lined with pagodas and dotted with humpback bridges.

  15. Day 15

    Depart for UK

    After a final breakfast, a last private transfer will see you to the airport for your day flight home.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 3Private tour of the Forbidden City, the world's largest palace complex, followed by the Qing Dynasty's Summer Palace and a traditional Peking duck dinner.
  • Day 4Explore the Great Wall with your private guide, pausing at the tree-lined Sacred Way and its sculpted Ming tombs.
  • Day 6Board the first high-speed rail journey in first class through China's rural heartlands to Pingyao, then visit the 18th-century Wang Family Compound.
  • Day 9Private tour of the Terracotta Army, followed by a Tang Dynasty feast and accompanying show in Xian.
  • Day 11Visit the UNESCO-listed Shaolin Temple, set against a mountainous backdrop, and watch a Kungfu show.

Included

  • Complimentary UK airport lounge access
  • Return flights between London, Beijing and Shanghai
  • 13 nights accommodation in typically 4* (Superior) hotels on a B&B basis
  • First class train tickets for Beijing-Pingyao, Taiyuan - Xian, Xian - Luoyang & Luoyang-Shanghai
  • Private round trip transfers to/from the railway stations/hotels
  • Private sightseeing including lunch, highlights include: The Forbidden City and Summer Palace in Beijing, World Heritage sites of Pingyao, Terracotta Warriors of Xian, Buddhist temples, museums and ancient towns

Questions travellers ask

Is all train travel included in the price?
Yes. The price includes return flights from London, first-class train tickets for four high-speed rail legs (Beijing to Pingyao, Taiyuan to Xian, Xian to Luoyang, and Luoyang to Shanghai), 13 nights of accommodation, private transfers and sightseeing with lunch.
Will I have a guide throughout?
Yes. Wexas provides a private driver and guide throughout the entire journey, with private touring each day.
Which trains are used?
The journey uses China high-speed rail services, all travelled in first class.
What are the hotels like?
Accommodation is typically 4-star. Superior tier options include the Capital Hotel in Beijing and East House in Xian; Deluxe options include the Regent Hotel in Beijing and Wyndham Beijing in Xian. All hotels are on a bed-and-breakfast basis, though some meals are included as part of sightseeing.
How much walking is involved?
Days involve city walking tours, temple exploration, rickshaw rides in Beijing and a canal cruise in Suzhou. Your private guide will accompany you throughout and can adjust the pace.
What is not included?
Meals not listed as included, visas, travel insurance, personal expenses and tips are not included.

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