China Ancient Culture with Silk Road

/5 935 Latest reviews

Tour Code: ODY-CN-039

Destination:Beijing, Urumqi, Kashgar, Turpan, Xi'an, Shanghai

Duration

13 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Classic

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About This Trip

You will get the opportunity to experience the must-see wonders of China and discover the exotic cultural relics along the famous Silk Road on this 13-day tour. Land in Beijing, you'll explore the world-famous Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Summer Palace. Then, set off for your Silk Road exploration. Go across the fascinating Kashgar's Sunday Bazaar and visit the 15th-century Id Kah Mosque. Take in the beauty of Southern Pasture before exploring Turpan's top sites, such as Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes, Flaming Mountain, Jiaohe Ruins, etc. Travel to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors before finishing in Shanghai.

Itinerary Summary

DAY PLACE HIGHLIGHTS
1 - 3 Beijing Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace
4 - 6 Kashgar Sunday Bazaar, Id Kah Mosque, Abakh Khoja Tomb, Karakul Lake
7 Urumqi Southern Pasture, Kazak Family Visit
8 - 9 Turpan Gaochang Ancient City, Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes, Astana Tombs, Flaming Mountain, Tuyoq Valley, Emin Minaret, Jiaohe Ruins
10 - 11 Xi'an Terracotta Warriors, Muslim Street, Ancient City Wall, Calligraphy Class, Hanyang Tomb
12 - 13 Shanghai The Bund, Yu Garden
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Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrive in Beijing

After your flight lands in Beijing, your tour guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel downtown. After checking in, you can rest at the hotel or explore Beijing at your own pace.

Beijing

Day 2: Beijing, the Forbidden City

Take a leisure stroll on Tiananmen Square before passing through Tiananmen Gate to reach the Forbidden City in central Beijing, the world's largest and best-preserved wooden building complex. It was also where grand ceremonies were held, and emperors and their wives lived in ancient China.

In the afternoon, head for the Summer Palace and experience a 15-minute boat ride on Kunming Lake. Stop at Longing Pearl Store if you want to know about pearls.

Optional: At night, a Chinese Kung Fu Show is recommended for you to enjoy Chinese martial art.

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Beijing

Day 3: Beijing, Great Wall of China

In the morning, pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven, where emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped Heaven and prayed for harvest and rain. Nowadays, it has become a good place for people to do morning exercise, and you can also join them. After that, drive to the majestic Great Wall at the Mutianyu section. Take a cable car up and hike along the wall to marvel at the tall, strong, and continuous fortification built as early as the 7th century B.C.

Be escorted back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

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Beijing

Day 4: Beijing - Urumqi - Kashgar

After breakfast, leave for the airport to catch the flight to Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China. Continue to fly to Kashgar, an oasis city in Xinjiang. After getting to Kashgar Airport, your private guide will meet you and escort you to the hotel for check-in.

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Kashgar

Day 5: Kashgar, Karakul Lake

Today, take a drive along Karakorum Highway (said to be the highest paved international road in the world) to Karakul Lake, which is about 200 km from Kashgar and at an altitude of 3,600 m. The lake is a salty and breathtaking alpine lake, surrounded by perennially snow-capped mountains, where you can relish beautiful and serene nature. In the late afternoon, you will pass by the Tomb of Mahmud Kashgari, a famous linguist from around the 11th century, en route back to Kashgar.

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Kashgar

Day 6: Kashgar - Urumqi

Visit the historic mosque in China - Id Kah Mosque, Abkh Khoja Tomb, and Sunday Bazaar. The bazaar has been a pivotal trading point along the Silk Road for over 2,000 years and is also one of the biggest markets in Central Asia. Later, head for the airport to take the flight to Urumqi, once a central hub on the Silk Road. Your local guide and driver will greet you and transfer you to the hotel in Urumqi to check-in.

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Urumqi

Day 7: Urumqi, Southern Pasture & Kazak Family Visit

Today, you will visit the Southern Pasture, Nanshan Yurts, and a local Nanshan Kazak family. These visits will allow you to immerse in the prairie's natural scenery, learn about nomadic people's living conditions, and have an insight into local life. Just get away from all the annoyance and enjoy the relaxing time here.

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Urumqi

Day 8: Urumqi - Turpan

After breakfast, set out for Turpan. Upon arrival, you will visit the Gaochang Ancient City, a precious cultural ruin with nearly 1,300 years of history. Next, explore the Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes, an excellent place to learn about Chinese Buddhist Culture. Then, pay a visit to the Astana Tombs, the Flaming Mountain, and the Tuyoq.

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Turpan

Day 9: Turpan - Urumqi - Xi'an

Today, start with a tour of the elegant, circular, and tapered Islamic Emin Minaret (Sugong Tower) made of wood and brick. Later, explore the natural fortress at Jiaohe Ruins and move to Karez Irrigation Site to marvel at one of the most excellent Chinese-engineered systems made 2,000 years ago.

Drive to Urumqi afterward for the flight to Xi'an. Upon arrival, be picked up and escorted to the hotel.

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Xi'an

Day 10: Xi'an, Terracotta Warriors

Explore the mysterious Terracotta Warriors discovered under the ground as the first stop of your Xi'an tour. You will be amazed at the large number of yellow clay ancient soldiers, horses, and chariots made in 200 B.C.

In the afternoon, drive back downtown and stroll on the well-known Ancient City Wall. Visiting Muslim Street and tasting local snacks will be the perfect end to the day.

Optional: We recommend Tang Dynasty Show as a night activity if you do not want to get back to the hotel too early.

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Xi'an

Day 11: Calligraphy Class, Xi'an - Shanghai

This morning, take part in a calligraphy class at Tangbo Art Museum to learn about the "Four Treasures of Study" of China. On the way to the airport, pay a visit to the pretty impressive Hanyang Tomb, the tomb of Emperor Jing, the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty.

After that, fly to Shanghai and be transferred to your hotel by your local guide and driver.

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Shanghai

Day 12: Shanghai, Yu Garden

Start Shanghai city sightseeing from the tour to Shanghai Museum. Move to Yu Garden, an extensive ancient Chinese-style garden built in 1559. By contrast with the imperial garden in Beijing, it is a private garden with the delicate and elegant architectural style of South China. Later, come to Yuyuan Market, a silk workshop and the former French Concession, and then end today's tour with a leisure stroll on the Bund.

Optional: After a full day's walking, you may enjoy watching an acrobatic show as a night activity to relax.

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Shanghai

Day 13: Depart from Shanghai

It is time to say goodbye to China. You will be taken to the airport for your international flight and bring the fantastic travel memory home.

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What Our Clients Say

"Great Customized Service", "Trip of A Lifetime", "Exceed All Expectations"

Richee Family Adventures

05 Aug 2025

Second Honeymoon My wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary by spending a few weeks touring around Asia. We loved how Odynovo worked with us to craft a tour of what we wanted to see and how we wanted to see it. This was our first time traveling with a private tour guide, and it was truly amazing. they took care of all transportation, tickets, and everywhere we went we had someone who not only spoke our language, but was also very well-versed in the places we were visiting. We saw Beijing and then took a bullet train to Xi'an. In both cities we had tour guides who had done this "a thousand times," and as a result knew all the tricks on where to take the best pictures, what lines to stand in, where to eat, and what not to waste your time seeing. At one point our guide pulled out ponchos from her backpack when it started to rain, while another helped us haggle for a good price on a new suitcase. We were surprised by how much we loved China, and it is safe to say that is because of the quality of service we got from Odynovo. Oh, and the hotels were great, too! In our first hotel my wife fell in love with her breakfast soup that she had to have every morning, while in Xi'an we were right around the corner from the Muslim Night Market and were able to get to it in less than 5 minutes of walking.We are already looking to see what tours we will be doing next through Odynovo, as the service was amazing, the quality was remarkable, and the cost was very worth it for what we received.
Shannon V

05 Aug 2025

Fabulous! We had a fabulous experience with our guide and Odynovo walking the Great Wall of China, and all other sites in Beijing. We loved our Peking duck dinner. It was fabulous. Thank you, Sammie/Jing for a great experience.
domotic d

05 Aug 2025

Beijing Beauty It started off with a friendly face at the airport, with Roy, our tour guide.The week has been such a pleasure and a treat. From adventures to The Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, to local markets, delicious Beijing food and roof top tea houses.Roy and our driver, Mr. Zhou, were prompt in picking us up and driving us around safely.The knowledge and fact about history and Beijing that Roy knows and explains is amazing and the fact he could answer my weird and inquisitive history questionsnwoth ease was a treat.He made it so easy to enjoy ourselves and absorb all that was around us, he even takes great photos too! 😊Polite, kind and thoughtful and ever patient in letting us take our time with things that interested us.I would highly recommend this tour and Roy again and again.
Zarah B

05 Aug 2025

Amazing travel experience My name is Zarah M. Babangida a Nigerian and i visited Beijing with my colleagues from the office. During our 5 day stay in Beijing, Ms. Eva Ma, was our Tour guide and from the minute we came through the Arrival Gate of the Airport, we were embraced by her alluring smile and warm welcome. She remained consistent with her warmth, a kind and intelligent professional who exuded unique passion not just for her job as a tour guide but, even more so as a proud Chinese woman. Her outstanding insight and knowledge of the sweet Chinese history and heritage left us in awe. I couldn't be more proud and thankful that she was assigned to our group and she made our stay exciting, fun-filled effortless and knowledge packed. I absolutely commend her dedication to work which she depicted throughout our stay. I recommend her to every visiting tourist because to know Eva, is to love her. If it were up to me, i will increase her bonuses or upgrade her salary as i am sure most tourists would want or revisit for her sake first and then perhaps other reasons.Thank you Eva and keep the passion up🙌.

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