8 Days Cheap Tour to China Most Popular Cities

Beijing, Xian, Shanghai

Traveler Reviews

Tour Code: TCT-Budget-01

Tour Type: Budget Tour

Tour Highlights:

The cheapest China triangle tour, covering Beijing, Xian and Shanghai

It suits for those tourists who has limited time, but also hopt to experience the long history and rich culture of China.

Be amazed by all the highlights and world wonders included in these 3 cities, like Great Wall, Forbidden City, Qin Terracotta Army, etc.

Best Travel Time: Suitable for the whole year, best from April to November.

Price from $ 708

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Tour Itinerary Prices & Includes Reviews Expand All

Itinerary Prices Reviews Expand All

Day 1Arrival Beijing

Private transfer service to hotel

Meals: No Meals
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★

Arrive in Beijing, the capital city of China, your local guide will be meet you at the airport and transfer to your hotel by private vehicle. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

The Turret of Forbidden City

Day 2Beijing

One day group tour: Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★
Note: Depart every day except Monday

Today, enjoy your full day Seat-in-Coach Tour (Bus Tour) that covers the most popular sites in Beijing city. The guide will pick you up from the hotel in the city center of Beijing, then start the tour by the 1st stop - the north part of Tian'anmen Square--- the biggest city center square in the world, where you can see the Tian'anmen Rostrum, the symbol of new China. Then we will walk forward to Forbidden City, which was the Imperial Palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and, it is one of the largest, and certainly the most completely restored, ancient architectural complex in the world. On the way to Temple of Heaven, you will have a chance to visit the Chinese traditional medicine culture. And then visit the magnificent Temple of Heaven . A Chinese lunch is arranged at the local restaurant en route and a short visit to a pearl free market not missed. Then move to the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer retreat for Emperors--- Summer Palace. The visit takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Transferred back to your hotels.

Temple of Heaven

Day 3Beijing

One day group tour: Ming Tombs (Dingling), Mutianyu Great Wall

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Recommended Hotel: Citadines Ritan Service Apartment ★★★★

You will take a Seat-in-Coach Tour (Bus Tour) to visit the must-see place in Beijing today. That is the Great Wall. The group tour guide will pick travelers from hotel to hotel between 07:00-08:00 each, then drive to the Great Wall. En route, the group will have a stop at Ming Tombs (Dingling). Dingling is the underground mausoleum of Emperor Wan Li. The Underground Palace Halls, a labyrinth palace building, were the first royal tomb excavated in accordance with plan in China. The visit at Ming Tombs finishes at about 11:00. Then we will drive to have a Chinese traditional lunch. We will have a stop (about 45 minutes) to have a shrot visit of Jade Carving Factory.
In the afternoon, we will start the visit at Mutianyu Great Wall , which has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall. It is known for its beautiful surroundings--- dense woods and rich pastures changing colors with the seasons of a year. Cable car is available at Mutianyu Great Wall as an option (excluding from the price). After tour, we will return to the downtown of Beijing. Then you will have a chance to enjoy the Chinese traditional Tea Ceremony. The tour is finished at about 18:00 by a drop-off at your hotel.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Day 4Beijing - Xian

Take high speed train to Xian, Free at leisure

Meals: Breakfast
Recommended Hotel: New Century Hotel Xian ★★★★

You will have a leisure morning in the morning, then be transferred to the train station for your High-speed train to Xian, where our guide is waiting for you at the exit of North Train Station. The guide will transfer you to check in hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Xian City View---Muslim Street

Day 5Xian

One day private tour: Terracotta Warriors, Xian City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square, Tangbo Folk Art Museum

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Recommended Hotel: New Century Hotel Xian ★★★★

You will have a full day to take a private tour to visit the world wonder --- Terracotta Warriors of 6,000 terra-cotta soldiers standing in battle formation guard the tomb of the very first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. After that drive back to downtown, where you will have trip along Xi'an City Wall. You can choose to explore it on foot or by riding a bicycle(optional on your own expense). Then have a photo stop at Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square. You will also have a chance to visit Tangbo Folk Art Museum where tourist can learn Chinese caligraphy or painting. You can also choose to enjoy Tang Dynasty Show with dinner as an optional activity to book with your local guide. Or you can also choose to explore the Muslim Quarter by yourself at night.

Terracotta Warriors

Day 6Xian - Shanghai

Take high speed train to Shanghai, Free at leisure

Meals: Breakfast
Recommended Hotel: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

Free at leisure before transfer to train station to take high speed train for Shanghai, which is the largest city and financial center of China. It is also the last stop of your China tour. Upon arriveing in Shanghai, you will be picked up b y our local tour guide and transferred to hotel for a rest.

Shanghai City View

Day 7Shanghai

One day group tour: Yu Garden,Confucius Temple, the Bund, Pearl Center, Xintiandi & Former French Concession, Jade Buddha Temple, Silk Museum, People’s Square, Shanghai Museum

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Recommended Hotel: SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund ★★★★

Be picked up at the hotel lobby at about 08:00 in the morning(from centrally located hotels), then start the by visit drive to visit Yuyuan Garden to enjoy the beauty of a traditional Chinese classic garden first. Then then move to Confucius Temple. The next stop is the Bund, one of the must-see spots in Shanghai, from which you could see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower just on the opposite of Huangpu River.

A Chinese lunch is arranged at local restaurant. our group move to visit Jade Buddha Temple and Silk Museum. Before a trip to Shanghai People Square, we will have a short stop at a fresh pearl store (30 minutes). At the square, we will have a visit to Shanghai Museum (audio guide is available as an option on your own expense), a large museum of ancient Chinese art in Shanghai. After a leisure strolling at the Old French Concession, you will be dropped off at your hotel about 17:30.

the Bund

Day 8Departure Shanghai

Private transfer service to airport

Meals: Breakfast

Feel at leisure until you are transferred to the airport for flight to next destination.

Service Ends

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Tour Price (US$ per person)

Hotel Class	Group Size	Dec. ~ Feb.	Mar. ~ Nov.
Economy Hotel ★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$790	$841
Economy Hotel ★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$708	$759
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$903	$984
Comfortable Hotel ★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$821	$901
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	2 ~ 5 pax	$1099	$1301
Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★	6 ~ 9 pax	$1017	$1219

Price includes:

♦ Private airport(railway station)-hotel transfer
♦ Domestic airfare or train fare if the tour has
♦ Hotel accommodation on twin sharing basis
♦ Sharing transfer service during Sit-in-coach tours
♦ English-speaking guide service
♦ Entrance fee to attractions listed in the itinerary
♦ Meals as specified in the itinerary

♦ China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance

Price excludes:

* International airfare
* Visa fee
* Tips for guides, escort, drives, bellman, etc.
* Personal expenses
* Optional tours, meals, activities and services

Remarks:

※ Prices are valid from Mar 1, 2019 to Feb 29,2020, except Chinese public holidays, local fairs or events.
※ TCT reserves the right to adjust the price caused by exchange rate
※ No guide on the flight and Yangtse Cruise
※ Recommended hotels are subject to change in actual booking
※ Special requirements should be advised to TCT in advance.
※ TCT reserves the right of final explanation for any change due to the reasons beyond our control

Useful Information

Traveler Reviews Feedbacks & Photos >>

5.0

Wesley O

5.0

I contacted Top China travel for a 13 day China vacation (Beijing/Xian/Yangtze River cruise/Shanghai) and right from the start Bonnie provided me with great choices and package options. Throughout the entire planning and even during the trip Bonnie was there for us following up and making sure everything was perfect. Thank you Bonnie for making our China vacation unforgettable.

pao t

5.0

Top China Tour-Joyce Tang was our tour coordinator and I can only have praises for her professionalism,her attention to details, and accommodations to make our lifelong dream of visiting china a memorable experience. Joyce listened to our needs and made recommendations and tailored the tour to fit our schedule. We spent 9 days visiting Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. The daily schedule was perfect which allowed us to see all the highlights as well as enough time to spend on our own to explore the local culture. I would not hesitate to contact Joyce for our next trip to China.

Kiwimac53

5.0

We were looking for a tour in SW China while in the area for work and found this one. While we wouldn't normally get a private tour but surprisingly it was actually cheaper than most of the group tours in the area and was great value. While I would usually rather keep one guide for the whole tour, as you get to know each other and they get to know what you are interested in, we changed guides 5 times during this trip (fortunately we had the same guide in Kunming at the start and end of the tour which was a real bonus as Murphy, our Kunming based guide, was excellent.) In this case changing guides had the advantage of local knowledge at each site so compensated for the change. Of the 4 guides we had 3 excellent and 1 very good with each of them working hard to look after us and make sure we enjoyed our trip. Vicky, our Dali based guide was also extremely good making our time there a highlight. The tour gives you 2 days at each base ie travel in the morning, have the afternoon and the next day touring the area then drive to the next base. We chose the driving tour as we feel it gives you a better experience of the area and you get to see the locals in action. All the drivers we had were great - they went out of their way to look after us and were very safe, which is saying something for driving in China. While all of the guides were very fluent in English none of the drivers could speak English which was a slight disadvantage as you didn't have the guides with you when traveling between bases but the friendliness and helpfulness of the drivers more than made up for this. The tour was very well organised and we knew what we were doing from the time we met our guide on arrival at the Kunming railway station to when we walked through security at the airport on our way out. The tour comes with 4,5 and 6 star accommodation choices and we went for the cheapest 4 star option. While the English at the hotels was limited the guides made sure we were checked in and out and took care of any issues (which were minimal). The 4 star option is largely "Chinese style" hotels ie designed for Chinese visitors with breakfast consisting of what many westeners would consider dinner style food but there was always eggs and toast for the less adventurous. The hotels were all clean and comfortable and generally very well located. The Hotel in Kunming (Jin Jang Inn) was a bonus as it seemed higher than 4 star and we stayed there both on our way in and out. As well as breakfast, lunch came with the tour which was enjoyable as the guides choose the restaurants so we got a variety. I got the feeling that most of the restaurants were owned by friends or family or there was some arrangement with the guide, but as you get to formally review each guide and the meals at the end of each stop they work hard to make sure you enjoy the meal and there was always an abundance of food. We tried a range of local cuisine and there was only one meal we didn't think was up to par. You get your own dinner which also suited us as there is invariably a range of restaurants or for the more adventurous there is the street vendors and you can choose what you want. The vehicles we were driven in were all very good- plenty of space and very comfortable. Being a private tour, while there was a set itinerary, which was diverse and very interesting with something for most people, the guides could tweak it to suit individual interests eg more time at one site and less at another. It is easy to get a bit templed out but overall the itinerary was a good mic of nature and culture. I would thoroughly recommend the tour and the company and we will be looking to the company if/when we go back - Guilin is next on the list as the guides were very happy to discus what they thought we would and wouldn't enjoy based on working with us on this tour,

angelalee79

5.0

My husband and I just returned from a vacation to China. We visited Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yangtze and Shanghai through Top China Travel (TCT). Yocky from TCT was our travel agent. She was excellent and prompt in answering our questions and help us tremendously in getting our visas. We were pleasantly surprised when she was there along with Lizzie our tour guide to greet us at Guilin airport. We really enjoyed her and Lizzie's company and their in depth knowledge of the city. All the hotels in each of the city we stayed were elegant and meals were delicious with a taste of local flavor. We can't say enough about Yocky and all the tour guides, Jennifer in Beijing, John in Xian, Lizzie in Guilin, & Chris in Shanghai. They were all top notch with their friendly attitudes, professionalism, attention to detail and their passion in the country's culture. We had a great time in China thanks to Top China Travel and their expert tour guides. I would highly recommend anyone interested in planning a vacation in China to use TCT as their agency of choice. Thanks to TCT for a most enjoyable and memorable vacation. AL

Linda S

5.0

The scenes were amazing. The boat was air conditioned, food was mediocre. A four hour tour that didn't disappoint. A short walk to the hotel.

David U

5.0

Janet Chan of TCT organized a fantastic trip that started at the Dongxi border crossing with Vietnam into Nanning, the Chenyang Bridge with the Dong minority people. Then we went on to the Longji Rice Terraces with the Ping An Zhuang minority. Overall these first few days were fantastic from both a tour and educational perspective. Following these stops, we went to Yangshuo, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. All the travel went flawlessly and the accommodations were great!

The best part of our time in Guangxi province was the excellent guide- Wendy! If you ever have a chance to request a guide- please ask for Wendy! Guides make a big difference in how you learn and appreciate the travel. I have a LOT of experience with different guides- I lead study abroad trips every year. Wendy is informative, energetic, great with the students, flexible, and a joy to work with. We were able to request Wendy as our guide, whom we had two years before on our previous study abroad trip.

Overall, our experience with TCT, Janet Chan, and Wendy Zhang was exemplary.

Anirudh_Goyal

5.0

We just got back from a week long trip in China covering Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu with TCT. We did Hangzhou and Shanghai on our own. TCT was suggested by a friend since his friend had used them before. My wife and I found Tina from TCT to be excellent and very helpful and accommodative in organizing our trip - including helpful suggestions on where to eat etc. she even organized our inter city travel tickets - we flew on China Eastern. Our guides in Xi'an (Paul) and in Chengdu (Lin) were simply fantastic. Paul was extremely professional, knowledgable and helpful. His explanations and English were super and he has lived in the US before. Lin was extremely friendly, kind and helpful - we had a fantastic time with her. Her English was super and we had a lot of fun in the trip. Both Paul & Lin are extremely good and enthusiastic about what they do and anyone having them as guides are very lucky - they even helped us in ordering food and interacting with the locals and adjust our itinerary. In Beijing you need to have strong legs and our guide Grace surely had them. Grace is friendly and energetic. The ground transportation used was excellent and the drivers were safe and courteous. Overall a great experience and would definitely recommend TCT. We stayed in the Shangri-la chain of hotels throughout our trip and they were simply fantastic - excellent service, breakfast, locations and room - really felt like a home. Absolutely no regrets in our choices for Our China trip.

tctchina2019

5.0

We were a bit nervous about using a company that none of our friends had used and therefore had no personal recommendation, but they were amazing. The hotels were great, what we saw was amazing and our private tour guide took us to the places we really wanted to visit. We had 2 days in Beijing and wished we had longer. There is so much history there and our guide, Jennifer, was so knowledgeable. She is a history graduate so knew her history. The Great Wall was as great as you can image it. Our guide took us to the Mutianyu area of the wall where there weren't too many tourists and if you walked a couple of miles or so you can get away from them so easily, especially early in the tourist season. I do wish we had a longer time on the wall but it was so much fun coming down from the wall on a toboggan slide! At Xi'an, where we had 2 days, our guide took us to meet one of the farmers who discovered the terra-cotta army and that made that visit even more special. Old Xi'an is also fascinating and worth walking around the wall or taking a bike ride on it. We didn't have as much time in Shanghai, so only really saw the Bund area. We went up the Shanghai World Financial Center but when we got to the top, It was in the clouds so couldn't see much, though when we went down a level the clouds had lifted and the view was amazing. We did do a night river cruise on the Huangpu river which was our favorite thing to do. Top China Travel really do know how to pack as much into your trip as possible. Our train or plane transfers were in the evening so we had the day to visit and our guides really did help us with everything we needed. Our drivers provided bottled water in their cars, and the driver in Chengdu even provided Wifi in his car. In Shanghai we ended up with 3 guides and our driver was a smoker and even though he didn't smoke while we were in his car, it really smelled of smoke, but that wasn't the case at the other places. Vicky was our tour consultant and we were able to meet her in Guilin which was so nice. She really did answer any questions we had and was able to upgrade us to a better room in Guilin as our first room was way too warm. Not only did she make sure that we had a great experience in her country but also helped us with getting our visas. We had an amazing experience and have recommended Top China Travel to our family and friends.

MadonnaUpstate_ny

5.0

Tour developer Yocky and tour guide Leo did a great job introducing me to these 2 cities. I loved the Acrobatic Show and also the night boat ride on the Huangpu. The skyline of Shanghai is a riot of color and movement at night! And the gardens! Leo's English was very clear and easy to understand. I also appreciated his willingness to "open up" and tell me a little bit about his family, his life,his history, his routine. I would recommend a private tour with a guide and driver and if you're in Shanghai ask for Leo to be your guide!

rr201410

5.0

We book a China Tour through TCT. We received great assistance during the planning phase when our trip advisor (Rebecca) gave as details of all the visits, shows and transportation between cities and was very attentive to our demands. The tour was great, run according to the script and we want to send our words of thanks and appreciations for the efforts, knowledge, flexibility and punctuality to our guides: Lily (1) in Beijing, Lily (2) in Xian, Jane in Guilin, David in Chongqing, Helen in Yichang, Ryan in Shanghai. Many thanks to TCT for the great tour of China.

Ruth288

5.0

The 8 of us just returned from an amazing trip to Beijing, Xi’an, Lhasa, Chengdu and Shanghai. I must admit we were a bit nervous, organizing the trip from afar. However Lily Li from TCT was in constant communication with me, answering all my queries with professionalism. We had exceptional tour guides and drivers all the way. The service ran like clockwork yet allowed flexibility in what we wanted. We are thrilled with our experience and will not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who are looking for small group tour, flexibility and good value for money. Thank you Lily from TCT.

Candi S

5.0

Raylene did a wonderful job organizing our tour to meet our time constraints. She answered all questions very efficiently. Our tour guide Rocco met us at the airport and the Driver was waiting near by. I have specific dietary restrictions and the guide was extremely helpful communicating that with the restaurants. The trip was so easy and we always felt safe. My husband and I are looking forward to booking a more extended trip in the future. There is so much to see and the food is wonderful!

Resort56712889221

5.0

I visited China by TCT in October 2018. The tour of Beijing, Zhangjiajie, Mt. Huangshan& Shanghai was very well arranged by TCT. Hotels, vehicles & other facilities provided were very good. Thanks TCT.

Rick U-C

5.0

I did this tour with my wife and our adult son in early February - in fact it was Chinese New Year's eve day. We enjoyed it. We did the three star version and were impressed with how easy the guide on the tour bus made it for us. She was attentive and her English was great. The three star boats are remarkably comfortable. We were expecting wooden benches, but the cabin was carpeted, well appointed, and very comfortable. We spent much of the trip on the deck looking at the scenery of the Karst Mountain Formations, which was pretty incredible. At the end of the trip, our guide offered another smaller river cruise that included a cave, but we chose to go off on our own. We rented scooters and had fund going out to see the huge Banyan tree outside of town. Our guide had given us clear instructions on how to find the hotel where the bus picked us up on time for a drive of a couple of hours back to Guilin.

عبدالرحمن ا

5.0

My trip with tour was beijing-xian-zhaj-chengdue -beijing . It was one of the amazing tour group that i ever had . I recomended rylen ,she was my best tour guide around china , she is an excelent follow up with all location and activities .

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