Two-Week Journey Through the Silk Road - Travel China Guide - China

Two-Week Journey Through the Silk Road

5.0Based on

Carbon neutral

14 daysDuration

Private TourPrivate experience, no group joining

1 - 85 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Relaxed

Minimal physical effort, perfect for travelers seeking an easy-going experience.

Starts

Beijing, China

Ends

Shanghai, China

1 other person is considering this tour right now.

Highlights

Travel through the Silk Road. Learn more about Chinese civilization

See the must-see sights of Beijing, including the Great Wall & Forbidden City

Marvel at the majestic Terracotta Army of Xi'an

Visit the famous Kashgar Sunday Market and learn more about local life

Itinerary

Retrace the footsteps of ancient traders on the Two-Week Journey Through the Silk Road, a 14-day guided tour through China’s most storied regions. Begin in Beijing, exploring landmarks like the Great Wall and Forbidden City, before flying west to Urumqi and Kashgar—the latter famed for its bustling Sunday Bazaar and centuries-old Id Kah Mosque. Continue to Turpan and then Dunhuang, where the splendid Mogao Caves showcase millennia of Buddhist art. The journey culminates in Xian with a visit to the awe-inspiring Terracotta Army, then wraps up in Shanghai, a city where tradition and innovation collide. The unique selling point of this tour is its sweeping panorama of both China’s ancient legacies and its dynamic present, offering travelers a rare and immersive Silk Road experience.

day 1 - Beijing arrival

Our guide will meet you outside the customs area at the airport in Beijing and drive you to your hotel in the city. Check in on arrival. You are free for the rest of the day.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Pentahotel Beijing

day 2 - Beijing city tour

Take a trip to the world-famous Tian'anmen Square. Your next destination this morning is the Forbidden City. Sit down for an a la carte lunch at a fine-dining establishment that serves authentic Chinese food. Explore the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Pentahotel Beijing

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 3 - Great Wall tour

After breakfast, you will visit the well-preserved Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. You can book the round-trip cable car to the monument if you want to. On the way back to the city, we will drive by the Bird's Nest and stop over there for a while so that you can take some photos. You are free for the rest of the day.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Pentahotel Beijing

Meals:Breakfast

day 4 - Summer Palace tour & fly to Urumqi

Visit the Summer Palace in the morning. After that, board a flight to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Our guide will be waiting for you outside the arrival hall of the airport and escort you to your hotel.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Excemon Xinjiang Yilite Hotel

Meals:Breakfast

day 5 - Urumqi – Kashgar by airplane

Board the morning flight to Kashgar, the pearl on the ancient Silk Road, and transfer to your hotel on arrival. After a short rest, its time to visit the famous Sunday Bazaar, a local market that is considered to be the largest in northwest China.

Traders from home and abroad come to this place to buy and sell different kinds of goods. The bazaar opens everyday in Kashgar, but the one on Sunday is the liveliest, as the whole community comes together.

Accommodation:5 Star Hotel at Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 6 - Kashgar tour – Urumqi (flight) & drive to Turpan

Visit the Id Kah Mosque, a 500-year-old mosque that holds special significance among locals. Just a few minutes' walk away is Kashgar's old street, a maze of narrow alleyways and traditional houses built with bricks and earth.

Your last stop in Kashgar will be the Abakh Khoja Tomb, an ancient Islamic building complex and a cemetery where five generations of famous Islamic masters were buried. See the largest dome in Xinjiang to the east of the cemetery.

Board your flight to Urumqi. Our guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to Turpan by car. Check into your hotel in Turpan on arrival.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Huozhou Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 7 - Turpan sightseeing tour

Visit the ruins of Jiaohe, located in one of the most important towns along the ancient Silk Road, in the morning. Although 2,000 years have passed, the former glory of Jiaohe can still be seen in the ruins.

Your next destination is the largest ancient pagoda in Xinjiang, the Sugong Pagoda, a 44-metre-high Islamic pagoda that is over 200 years old. Head for Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Cave, a cluster of caves with thousands of Buddhist murals. The last stop will be the hottest place in China, the Flaming Hill, which is located to the north of the ancient Silk Road where summer temperatures can be as high as 47.8 ℃.

Accommodation: Hotel at Huozhou Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 8 - Turpan tour – Dunhuang (high-speed train)

See the famous Karez wells, part of a gigantic, underground irrigation system built by the people of ancient Xinjiang. Over 1,100 Karez wells in Turpan have provided water to this hot and dry region during the past 400 years.

Afterward, you will board a high-speed train to Liuyuan Railway Station. Meet your guide on arrival and drive to Dunhuang. It takes around two hours to reach Dunhuang from the station by car.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Dunhuang Hotel - Building No. 8

Meals:Breakfast

day 9 - Dunhuang sightseeing tour

Visit the famous Mogao Caves, adorned with a large number of Buddhist murals and statuary. Continue to the Dunhuang Museum, which preserves numerous artefacts associated with the Silk Road.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Dunhuang Hotel - Building No. 8

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 10 - Dunhuang city tour & flight to Xian

Visit one of the most famous attractions along the Silk Road, the Echoing-Sand Mountain, named after the sound that one hears while sliding down the slope. Enjoy a short camel ride along the mountain to reach Crescent Lake, a body of water in the middle of the Gobi Desert.

Board your flight to Xian. Your tour guide will meet you on arrival and escort you to the hotel.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Holiday Inn Xian Big Goose Pagoda

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 11 - Terracotta Army Museum

Your Xian travel starts from the world-famous Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. See warriors, horses, chariots and a variety of weapons that were painstakingly excavated in what is considered to be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

Continue to the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. Then there is a guided visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a Tang Dynasty architectural masterpiece that has been standing for over 1,300 years now.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Holiday Inn Xian Big Goose Pagoda

Meals:Breakfast

day 12 - Xi'an tour & flight to Shanghai

Head out to see the famous City Wall of Xi'an. Then we will take you to visit a local family. Get in touch with the people and learn more about their culture. Enjoy your lunch with them. After that, its time to board a flight to Shanghai.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Ocean Hotel Shanghai

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 13 - Shanghai city tour

Start the day with a visit to the Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden. We will then take you to a popular local restaurant for lunch. After enjoying the lunch, it is time to take a short cruise trip on the Huangpu River. Then you will have some free time to explore the Bund area on your own.

Afterwards, we will visit an old street in the city where you can take a leisurely stroll before heading back to your hotel.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel at Ocean Hotel Shanghai

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 14 - Shanghai departure

We will drive you to the airport for your flight home. We hope you enjoyed our dedicated service.

Meals:Breakfast

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What's Included

Meals: 10 breakfast and 6 lunchPickup and drop-off serviceDomestic airfare & train tickets as per the itineraryDrivers & air-conditioned vehicles for sightseeing toursHotel accommodation based on twin room sharingProfessional, English-speaking tour guidesEntrance fees to the monuments and museums as per the itinerarySingle room supplement for solo travelers

What's Excluded

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25,000+ trip reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.

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Excellent based on 821 customer reviews from

CGB

Easy, secure booking process. Trip itinerary was laid out in detail and very specific. I’m a solo traveler and appreciated that it was clear to me exactly how much the single supplement was and not a problem for the tour.

20 hours ago

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