How much does it cost?

From £4,190 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $5,660 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is this trip guided or independent?

It is fully guided. Wexas Travel provides private guides throughout, with private expert-led tours each day. Private transfers connect you to hotels and railway stations.

What standard of hotel will I stay in?

The Superior tier (from GBP 4,015) includes typically 4-star hotels on a bed and breakfast basis. The Deluxe tier costs more and places you in upgraded properties. Most stays are 3 to 4 nights in major cities; mountain villages have 1 night each.

What is included in each day?

Accommodation, first-class train tickets, private transfers, and private sightseeing with lunch included. Highlights include the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, rickshaw rides, Huangshan mountain cable cars, tea plantations, temple visits and canal cruises.

Wexas Travel · Tailor-made rail journey

Eastern China by Rail

Beijing to Shanghai by high-speed rail through mountains, villages, tea plantations

Wexas Travel's Eastern China by Rail is a 13-day tailor-made journey from Beijing to Shanghai that pairs China's great megacities with the rural heartlands in between. Starting in Beijing with four days of private guided exploration of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven alongside lesser-known hutong alleyways and the Ming Tombs, the itinerary then travels by first-class high-speed rail deeper into eastern China. Three nights centre on Huangshan's mist-clad mountain peaks, where cable cars lift you past dramatic rock formations and ancient villages like Hongcun, known for their traditional architecture and lake-side settings. A stopover in Hangzhou brings private canal cruises and tea plantation visits before the final leg by rail to Shanghai, where the Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden and a day trip to the water-town of Suzhou round out the journey. Private guides accompany you throughout, with lunch included daily and all transfers provided. The trip suits travellers seeking expert-guided comfort, cultural depth and the visual contrast between China's urban icons and its rural traditions.

Price history

Across 4 checks, this price has risen £175 since 4 Jul, to £4,190.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

2 readings are held out of the price above and this history: a extra. We only price on the operator's package from-price, read from its own page.

What to know before you look closer

Hotel selection depends on tier: Superior tier (from GBP 4,015) books 4-star properties; Deluxe tier costs more and places you in upgraded alternatives, marked 'or' in the operator's list (final hotel confirmed at booking)
Two nights are spent in mountain accommodation (Tangmo village and Huangshan Scenic Area) that is less luxurious than the Beijing and Shanghai city hotels
The trip includes flights and train travel but no current departure dates are published; confirm availability with Wexas Travel before booking

Day by day

The operator's published day-by-day is incomplete (day 7: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately; day 8: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately; day 9: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately; day 10: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately; day 11: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately; day 12: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately). Day counts and hotel changes are not calculated from it.

Day 1
Depart UK
Make the most of your complimentary airport lounge access before boarding your overnight flight to China.
Day 2overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing
Beijing
On arrival, a private driver will see you to your central accommodation.
Day 3overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing
Beijing
Begin your programme of private, expert-led tours with the imposing gates of Tiananmen Square and the world's largest palace complex - the Forbidden City.
Day 4overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing
Beijing
Alongside the imperial Summer Palace, the royal family's 15th-century Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall itself, discover the city's lesser-known jewels.
Day 5overnight: Capital Hotel (Superior) or Regent Hotel (Deluxe), Beijing
Beijing
After visiting the Sacred Way's Ming Tombs, enjoy a rickshaw ride through the old town's hutong alleyway maze, pausing to try traditional Beijing paper art and opera makeup.
Day 6railovernight: Tang Die Roaina Hotel (Standard / Superior), Tangmo village
Tangmo Village
Depart Beijing with a high-speed train trip to Huangshan, then a private transfer to Tangmo village. Join your guide to wander the village's thousand-year-old lanes, uncovering hidden pavilions and water-side houses, and try traditional paper craft and stone-tablet rubbings.
Day 7
Huangshan Scenic Area
Explore the 'Yellow Mountain' range, where dramatic rock formations are shrouded in mist. Begin with UNESCO-listed Hongcun village, perhaps on a lake-side bike ride, before a cable-car ride up into the mountains admiring viewpoints such as 'Fairy Maiden Peak' and 'A Monkey Gaping at the Sea of Cloud'.
Hotel options: Shilin Hotel (Standard) or Xihai Hotel (Superior), Huangshan Scenic Area
Day 8
Huangshan
A spectacular sunrise over Huangshan, then secret pavilions and viewpoints over great canyons before descending by cable car. Continue to the village of Lingshan, famous for its bamboo houses and 'Ancient Water Street'.
Hotel options: Parkview Hotel (Standard) or Crowne Plaza (Superior), Huangshan
Day 9
Hangzhou
Private transfers bookend your first-class trip to Hangzhou. Join your private local guide for a serene cruise on the willow-lined lake, pausing at hidden pagodas and temples ranked among the country's most sacred.
Hotel options: Zhongwei Sunny Hotel (Standard) or Indigo (Superior), Hangzhou
Day 10rail
Hangzhou to Shanghai
Further time around Hangzhou with your expert guide at the rolling Dragon Well Tea Plantation and a walk to Yellow Dragon Cave's rock formations, plus a stop at a traditional Chinese medicine shop, before your last train sprint to Shanghai.
Hotel options: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Standard) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Superior), Shanghai
Day 11
Shanghai
The world-class Shanghai Museum and its historic art collection, then the exotic Yu Garden and the ornate Jade Buddha Temple.
Hotel options: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Standard) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Superior), Shanghai
Day 12
Shanghai
A day trip to Suzhou, an ancient town famed for its waterways and home to one of China's four major gardens, with a cruise along its Grand Canal, admiring pagoda-dotted banks and hump-back bridges.
Hotel options: Golden Tulip on the Bund (Standard) or Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World (Superior), Shanghai
Day 13
Depart for UK
After a final breakfast, a private transfer will see you to the airport for your day flight home.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 5Rickshaw ride through the hutong alleyway maze of Beijing's old town, pausing to try traditional Beijing paper art and opera makeup
Day 7Cable-car ride up Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) past dramatic rock formations shrouded in mist, viewing named peaks such as 'Fairy Maiden Peak'
Day 8Sunrise over Huangshan followed by exploration of secret pavilions and viewpoints over great canyons before cable-car descent
Day 9Serene private cruise on Hangzhou's willow-lined lake, pausing at hidden pagodas and temples ranked among China's most sacred
Day 12Day trip to Suzhou for a cruise along the Grand Canal, admiring pagoda-dotted banks and hump-back bridges in an ancient waterway town

Included

Complimentary UK airport lounge access
Return flights between London, Beijing and Shanghai
12 nights accommodation in typically 4* (Superior) hotels on a B&B basis
First class train tickets between Beijing-Huangshan, Huangshan-Hangzhou & Hangzhou-Shanghai
Private round trip transfers to/from railway stations and city hotels
Private sightseeing including lunch, highlights include: The Forbidden City & Summer Palace in Beijing, rickshaw rides, visit a traditional village and local family, the mountain peaks of the Huangshan scenic areas, temples and tea plantations

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £4,190 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $5,660 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is this trip guided or independent?: It is fully guided. Wexas Travel provides private guides throughout, with private expert-led tours each day. Private transfers connect you to hotels and railway stations.
What standard of hotel will I stay in?: The Superior tier (from GBP 4,015) includes typically 4-star hotels on a bed and breakfast basis. The Deluxe tier costs more and places you in upgraded properties. Most stays are 3 to 4 nights in major cities; mountain villages have 1 night each.
What is included in each day?: Accommodation, first-class train tickets, private transfers, and private sightseeing with lunch included. Highlights include the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, rickshaw rides, Huangshan mountain cable cars, tea plantations, temple visits and canal cruises.