Cruise · Trafalgar Tours · 13 nights

Best of China with Yangtze Cruise

Expert Travel Director and professional Driver travelling with you throughout
Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted by the team
Audio headsets provided for flexible sightseeing at your own pace

$8,733 pp twin share

13 nights

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Best of China with Yangtze Cruise Guided Tour

Best of China with Yangtze Cruise Guided Tour Map 2027

Cruise Snapshot

13 Nights

A 14-day small group journey through China, moving between Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shanghai by train, rickshaw and Yangtze cruise

Walk the Great Wall and explore the Forbidden City in Beijing
See the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and giant pandas in Chengdu
Finish in Shanghai with the Bund and views from Jin Mao Tower

Trip Details

Departs: 31 March 2027
Returns: 26 October 2027
Embarks
Operator: Trafalgar Tours

Travel through China on this Small Group tour, moving between cities and river landscapes by high-speed train, rickshaw and a cruise along the Yangtze. In Beijing you’ll walk the Great Wall, explore the Forbidden City and share a Be My Guest experience with a local family. A Small Group Exclusive tea session in a hutong tea house lifts the lid on Chinese tea culture. In Xi’an you’ll see the Terracotta Warriors, then in Chengdu visit the panda base and learn Sichuan recipes at a cuisine museum. Your journey finishes in Shanghai where you see the Bund, take in the views from Jin Mao Tower and stay at a Stays with Stories hotel in Jing An.

$8,733

pp twin share

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When & how much

Departures & Pricing

Departs

31 March 2027

Returns

26 October 2027

Duration

13 nights

From pp twin share

$8,733 pp

31 Mar 2027 - 13 Apr 2027
from $10,916 pp twin share *
14 Apr 2027 - 27 Apr 2027
from $10,916 pp twin share *
21 Apr 2027 - 04 May 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
12 May 2027 - 25 May 2027
from $10,916 pp twin share *
19 May 2027 - 01 Jun 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
02 Jun 2027 - 15 Jun 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
30 Jun 2027 - 13 Jul 2027
from $9,694 pp twin share *
14 Jul 2027 - 27 Jul 2027
from $8,733.20 pp twin share *
28 Jul 2027 - 10 Aug 2027
from $9,694 pp twin share *
25 Aug 2027 - 07 Sep 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
08 Sep 2027 - 21 Sep 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
15 Sep 2027 - 28 Sep 2027
from $10,916 pp twin share *
06 Oct 2027 - 19 Oct 2027
from $9,115.70 pp twin share *
13 Oct 2027 - 26 Oct 2027
from $10,916 pp twin share *

* Prices and category availability are subject to change without notice.

Upgrades, transfers, accommodation and more can be quoted on enquiry — call 1300 414 198.

Day by day

Itinerary

1
Say Ni Hao to China
Welcome to Beijing, China’s political and cultural heart and home to over 21 million people. After landing you’ll transfer to your hotel and meet your Travel Director and fellow small group travellers. This evening you come together for dinner of typical northern Chinese dishes.
2
Discover the Icons of Beijing
Join your small group and Travel Director for a city tour. You’ll stand in Tiananmen Square, see the Great Hall of the People and walk through the gates of the Forbidden City. Later you visit the Temple of Heaven and see how locals use the surrounding park. This evening is free. You might ride the subway to explore the city further, browse Wangfujing’s snack street or walk past the illuminated landmarks along Chang’an Avenue. Or you may choose an Optional Experience to see the Legend of Kung Fu Show.
3
Journey to the Great Wall
This morning you’ll join your Travel Director to walk the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China, then visit a jade workshop to see how craftsmen cut and polish this prized stone. The afternoon is free in Beijing. You might visit the Summer Palace or climb Jingshan Park for views across the city. Or you could choose an Optional Experience traditional foot massage, rooted in Chinese reflexology and popular in Beijing after long days on your feet. In the evening you’ll share a Peking duck dinner, the city’s signature imperial dish. After dusk, join your Travel Director for a stroll through Qianmen night market.
4
Explore Beijing’s Hutong and Onwards to Xi’An
You’ll ride by rickshaw through Beijing’s hutong lanes to see traditional courtyard homes, then enjoy a Small Group Exclusive visit to a small tea house for an introduction to Chinese tea. Later you’ll join a local family for a Be My Guest experience and taste home-style Beijing dishes. In the afternoon you board a high-speed train to Xi’an and watch the landscape change outside your window. This evening is free. You might walk the ancient city walls, visit the Drum and Bell towers or try Xi’an’s famous dumplings, or choose an Optional Experience walk through the Muslim Quarter night market with tastings and local beer.
5
Marvel at the legendary Terracotta Warriors
You’ll travel outside Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, standing in silent ranks after more than two thousand years. On the way back towards the city you’ll stop for a Chinese noodle lunch, tasting one of the region’s staple dishes. Later, visit the Wild Goose Pagoda and its surrounding temple complex, an important landmark on the old Silk Road. This evening is free. Take a chance to relax at the hotel or grab some food with your fellow Small Group travellers, or choose an Optional Experience Tang Dynasty Show with dinner.
6
Take the bullet train to Chengdu
Start your day right with a Dive into Culture experience, joining a Local Specialist for a tai chi lesson in a city park and learning the slow, focused movements locals practise every day. Later, board a high-speed train to Chengdu. After arrival and hotel check-in the afternoon is free. You might visit People’s Park for tea, wander Kuanzhai Alley or Jinli Ancient Street, or try classic Sichuan dishes in a local restaurant. In the evening you can explore at your own pace or choose an Optional Experience Sichuan Opera performance, with music, costume and the famous face-changing scenes.
7
See the Giant Pandas and Discover the Cuisine of Sichuan
You’ll visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding with a Local Specialist on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, seeing how teams care for these endangered animals as you watch pandas rest, play and feed in leafy enclosures. Later, in Chengdu, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and the cradle of Sichuan cuisine, you’ll head to the Sichuan Cuisine Museum for a Dive into Culture cooking class. You’ll learn to balance bold Sichuan flavours as you chop, stir-fry and season classic dishes, then sit down with your Small Group to enjoy the dinner you’ve helped prepare.
8
Board your Yangtze River Cruise
You’ll start the day with a walk through Chengdu’s People’s Park, passing Chinese gardens, the lake and busy tea houses where locals spend their free time. Later you’ll take the train to Chongqing. Join a city orientation with your Travel Director, stopping for a photo at Liziba, where the monorail runs straight through a residential building, before walking through the Jiefangbei area around Kuixinglou and Daijiaxiang. In the evening you’ll see Hongyadong lit up above the river then sit down to a Chongqing hotpot dinner at a local restaurant. Afterwards you’ll board your Yangtze River cruise, settle into your cabin and step out on deck to see the city lights along the river before your journey upstream.
9
Cruise the Great Yangtze River
Take a shore excursion to Mountain Shuanggui near Fengdu. Depending on river conditions, an alternate excursion may be substituted to Shibaozhai, with its impressive wooden pagoda. You may choose to visit Fengdu’s ‘Ghost City’ on an Optional Experience. Explore eerie temples and shrines depicting China’s vision of the afterlife and hear the legend of two officials-turned-immortals. This evening, another Optional Experience awaits. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms retells the epic battle for dominance between three kingdoms, with stunts, acrobatics and cutting-edge visual effects. Feel the excitement and intensity of the Three Kingdoms era come to life in this thrilling open-air show.
10
Sail through the Imposing Three Gorges
Wake up to another day on the Yangtze. This morning, choose one of two Optional Experiences: visit the White Emperor City, where rulers and poets once admired Qutang Gorge, or head to Chijia Mountain’s peak for sweeping views from the top of the Qutang Gorge. Return to your cruise and journey through Qutang Gorge’s towering cliffs, past Wu Gorge’s misty peaks, and into Xiling Gorge’s dramatic landscapes. Swap the ship for a small motorboat this afternoon and explore the Goddess Stream, gliding past sheer limestone cliffs covered in lush greenery—you’ll gain another perspective on this mighty river. Back on board, a Captain’s Farewell Dinner and show of local music, singing and dancing round off your final night on the river.
11
Onwards to Shanghai
Make an early start and head up to the top deck of your Yangtze cruise ship to see the vast Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower project built over several decades. Later you’ll disembark and fly to Shanghai, then ride up to the 88th floor of Jin Mao Tower for panoramic city views. This evening you’ll check in to your Stays With Stories hotel, The Kunlun Jing An, one of the first Chinese designed five-star hotels and once a base for visiting dignitaries. Your evening is free. You might find a local spot for classic Shanghai dishes or explore the bars and restaurants nearby, or choose an Optional Experience dinner at Spacelab, a space-themed restaurant where dishes arrive via looping metal tracks.
12
Discover Vibrant Shanghai
Join a city tour of Shanghai, starting at the Bund to see its historic riverfront buildings set against the modern skyline. You’ll visit a silk factory to learn how silk is produced, then walk through Yu Garden with its classical pavilions, ponds and rockeries. There is free time in the Old Town to find your own lunch and explore the lanes. Later you’ll visit the Jade Buddha Temple to see its carved statues and active worship halls before heading back to the hotel. This evening, settle into an performance by the world-renowned Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe.
13
Discover Shanghai Your Way
Today, you’ll have a full day to explore Shanghai as you please. You might return to the Bund, shop along Nanjing Road, wander the lanes of Tianzifang or cross to Pudong to walk between its towers. You can also choose one of today’s Optional Experiences. Visit the Shanghai Museum and former Jewish Ghetto to see key artworks and streets linked to the city’s 20th century history. Or travel out to Zhujiajiao water town, crossing stone bridges and narrow lanes before lunch in a local restaurant. Tonight, sit down to dinner and raise a glass with your small group to your journey through China and along the Yangtze.
14
Farewell to China
Check out of your hotel this morning, and transfer to the airport for your onward journey. Say goodbye to your Travel Director and Small Group, taking with you the sights of China’s cities, the Yangtze River and the moments you’ve shared along the way.