6 daysBeijing · Shanghai
Beijing & Shanghai in 6 Days
Two cities, one week, and the version of China most first-time visitors are looking for: imperial Beijing in the morning, neon Shanghai by night, with a private guide and driver the whole way.
China, planned by people who live here
Your China trip, designed around you
Private guides, hand-picked hotels and itineraries built one traveller at a time. No coaches, no fixed departures, no surprises.
★★★
4.9 / 5 from travellers in the US, UK, Australia & Germany
15 yrs
Planning China trips
180+
English-speaking experts
100+
Destinations covered
10,000+
Travellers hosted
Who we areMore about our team
Fifteen years of showing travellers the real China
Zhongyu Travel is a China-based travel company with our head office in Zhangjiajie and local teams in ten cities. We are not a reseller: the people who answer your email are the people who book your hotels, brief your guides and pick up the phone when your train is late.
Over 10,000 travellers have travelled with us since 2011 — families on their first trip to Beijing, photographers chasing light in Zhangjiajie, couples adding a week in Guilin to a Shanghai work trip. Most of them found us by word of mouth, which is the only marketing we have ever needed.
Signature itineraries
All China toursOur most-loved China tours
Six starting points, each one easy to stretch, shorten or reorder. Treat them as a first draft — nothing is fixed until you say it is.
6 days
8 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Shanghai
China’s Golden Triangle: Beijing, Xi’an & Shanghai
The classic first-timer route and our best-selling itinerary: the imperial north, the ancient capital of the Terracotta Army, and the most modern city in the country — all by high-speed train.
10 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Guilin & Yangshuo · Shanghai
Classic China in 10 Days: Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin & Shanghai
History in Beijing and Xi’an, then three days among the karst peaks of Guilin and Yangshuo. The most balanced two-week-shortened itinerary we run.
11 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Zhangjiajie · Shanghai
Beijing, Xi’an, Zhangjiajie & Shanghai in 11 Days
The golden triangle plus the sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar. For travellers who want the big sights and the big landscapes in one trip.
13 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Zhangjiajie · Chengdu
In-Depth China in 13 Days: Beijing to Shanghai via Zhangjiajie & Chengdu
Six cities, two weeks, and enough time in each to stop taking photographs and start noticing things. Pandas, pillars, palaces and the Yangtze.
17 daysBeijing · Xi’an · Chengdu · Shanghai
China Highlights with Tibet & the Yangtze in 17 Days
The full sweep: Beijing, Xi’an, Lhasa, Chengdu, a Yangtze cruise through the Three Gorges, and Shanghai. Two and a half weeks that covers the country’s range.
Why Zhongyu
Why travellers choose Zhongyu
China is not a country you can see properly from a coach window. We keep groups small, guides local and itineraries loose enough to change your mind.
01
Your own itinerary, not a template
Every trip starts from a blank page. Tell us your dates, pace and interests, and a specialist who has walked those streets builds the route around them.
02
Local offices, not a call centre
We run our own teams in Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu and Zhangjiajie — so the person on the phone knows the city you are standing in.
03
One price, no surprises
Hotels, private transport, guides, entrance tickets and meals are quoted together up front. No shopping stops, no commissions, no optional extras pushed on the road.
04
Someone on call the whole way
A 24/7 English-speaking line for the duration of your trip. Flight delayed, hotel not right, plan changed — one message and it is handled.
The team
A local team, on the ground in every city you visit
More than 180 English-speaking specialists — itinerary designers, licensed guides and drivers who have worked these routes for a decade or more. You will have one named contact from your first email to the day you fly home.
180+
Travel experts
10+
Local offices
24/7
On-trip support
Where to go
All destinationsStart with a city, build a route
Beijing
Imperial palaces, hutong lanes and the Wall — China’s capital does not do small.
Xi’an
The ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, and the Terracotta Army on its doorstep.
Shanghai
Art deco riverfront on one bank, 600-metre towers on the other.
Guilin & Yangshuo
Karst peaks, rice terraces and the Li River — China’s most photographed landscape.
Zhangjiajie
The sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar, plus a glass bridge over a 300-metre gorge.
Traveller stories
In their own words
★★★★★
“Travelled with two children aged 8 and 11. The pace was adjusted for them, the guides were patient, and there was always a bathroom and a snack within reach. That is worth more than any luxury hotel.”
★★★★★
“What made the difference was having one person to message the whole time. Our flight to Guilin was cancelled at 6am and by 8am there was a new plan, a new train and a driver waiting. No drama.”
★★★★★
“We had eleven days and a list of places that did not really fit together. Our specialist replanned the whole route twice without complaint, and the guide in Xi’an turned out to have a degree in archaeology. Best trip we have taken.”
Start here
Tell us what you have in mind
Send your dates and the places you would like to see. A China-based specialist replies within one working day with a draft itinerary — free, and with no obligation.
- A real person replies, not an autoresponder
- Draft itinerary and a clear price within 24 hours
- Free changes until the plan is right
- Prefer to chat? We are on WhatsApp