10-Day China Avatar Mountains Tour

Land at either Beijing Capital International Airport or Beijing Daxing International Airport, where a representative waits just beyond baggage claim with a name board. The drive into the city doubles as an informal introduction, with the guide pointing out landmarks and explaining how the capital is laid out. Check in at a four- or five-star hotel in the central districts, then keep the rest of the day free. Sleep off the flight, or take a short independent walk to a nearby street for a first bowl of noodles. No meals are provided today, so dinner is your own choice — your guide can suggest restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Overnight in Beijing.

Meet the guide in the lobby after breakfast and cross Tiananmen Square, whose scale only registers on foot, before entering the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate. Two to three hours covers the main halls and the quieter eastern courtyards. Lunch is not included — the guide arranges a local restaurant near the exit or you eat independently. In the afternoon drive west to the Summer Palace, walking the Long Corridor beside Kunming Lake and climbing to the hilltop pavilions. On the return leg, pause for photos at the Bird's Nest and Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics. Evening is free; dinner is at your own expense. Overnight Beijing.

Meals: Breakfast

An early start for the 70-kilometre drive north to Mutianyu, the quieter restored stretch of the Great Wall. A round-trip cable car lifts you onto the rampart, then you walk between Ming guard towers for roughly two hours, with steep ascents and uneven stone underfoot. Lunch is not included; most groups eat at a village restaurant below the wall. Back in the city by mid-afternoon, visit the Confucius Temple and the adjoining Imperial College Museum, once the empire's highest seat of learning. Finish with a wander through the surrounding hutong lanes, stopping for coffee or snacks in small shops. Return to the hotel, evening free. Overnight Beijing.

Meals: Breakfast

Check out and head to the Temple of Heaven park, where retirees practise taichi among the cypresses and the round Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests anchors the grounds. Late morning transfer to Beijing West Station for the high-speed train to Xi'an, a run of about five hours at 300 km/h — bring snacks, as lunch is not included and the onboard trolley is limited. A local guide meets you at Xi'an North Station and escorts you to a centrally located hotel. The evening is yours: walk to the illuminated Bell Tower area, sample hand-pulled noodles, or simply rest after the travel day. Overnight Xi'an.

Meals: Breakfast

Drive out to the Terracotta Army pits early to beat the coach crowds, spending the morning with the life-size infantry, chariots and bronze horses in Pits 1, 2 and 3. Lunch is not included; the guide suggests a restaurant on the return route. The afternoon brings the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where you can climb for views over the old capital, then the Great Mosque, hidden at the end of a lane in the old quarter, and the food stalls of the Muslim Quarter. Close the day at Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square. A Tang-dynasty dinner show can be booked at your own cost. Overnight Xi'an.

Meals: Breakfast

Morning on the Xi'an City Wall, the most complete of its kind in China at almost 14 kilometres around. Walk a section or rent a bicycle and circle the full circuit in about 90 minutes, looking down onto the moat and tiled rooftops. Lunch is not included — grab something near the South Gate before the airport run. An afternoon flight of roughly two hours connects Xi'an with Zhangjiajie; the guide meets you on arrival and the transfer to your hotel takes about 45 minutes through fast-growing resort country. Settle in, eat dinner independently in the town, and rest ahead of two full mountain days. Overnight Zhangjiajie.

Meals: Breakfast

Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park at the gate and ride the Bailong Elevator, a glass lift bolted to a cliff face, up to Yuanjiajie. Walk the rim trails to the No. 1 Natural Bridge under Heaven, the pillar formation that inspired the floating peaks in *Avatar*, plus the Hallelujah Mountain viewpoints. A shuttle bus links across to Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve for Helong Park, Xihai Stone Forest, Fairy Offering Flowers and Imperial Brush Peak. Lunch is not included; eat at the mountain food court or bring supplies. Descend by the Tianzi Mountain Cable Car, then take the mini train through the Ten-Mile Gallery before returning to the hotel. Overnight Zhangjiajie.

Meals: Breakfast

Ride the world's longest cable car up Tianmen Mountain, a 7.5-kilometre ascent that swings over the highway and cliffs for around 30 minutes. At the top, walk the glass-floored Sky Walk pinned to the rock at 1,430 metres, then move through escalator tunnels inside the mountain to Tianmen Cave, the natural arch pierced through the cliff, with its 999 steps dropping away below. Lunch is not included — eat at the summit or the base station. Descend by escalator and shuttle bus, then transfer to the airport for the flight to Shanghai, roughly two hours. A local guide meets you at the terminal and points out landmarks on the drive in. Overnight Shanghai.

Meals: Breakfast

Begin at the Shanghai Museum on People's Square, where bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy fill galleries holding more than 140,000 pieces (closed Mondays). Walk out to The Bund for the colonial waterfront facades and the Pudong skyline across the river, then follow Nanjing Road west through the shopping crowds. Lunch is not included; the guide points out a dumpling house near Yuyuan Garden. The afternoon takes in the Yu Garden's rockeries and pavilions, then the Yu Garden Bazaars. End with a slower wander along Sinan Road in the Former French Concession, under plane trees and past cafés. Overnight Shanghai.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, a driver and guide collect you from the hotel lobby and transfer to Shanghai Pudong International Airport or Hongqiao Airport, allowing time for check-in. The run from the city centre takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic, so departure times are set with a comfortable buffer. Travellers on late flights can leave luggage at the hotel and take a final short walk — the riverside promenade at The Bund is a 20-minute taxi ride away. No activities beyond breakfast are included today; the guide sees you to the terminal and the tour ends at the airport. No overnight stay is included tonight.

Meals: Breakfast