A Taste of China

This evening, gather for a welcome dinner and your first taste of northern flavours, a relaxed moment that brings the group together and sets the tone for the journey. Outside, Beijing’s night glow feels both modern and quietly timeless, a soft hum of movement and light that hints at the days ahead.

Meals: (D)

Accommodation: Xi Zhao Temple Hotel

Tiananmen Square opens wide before the gates of the Forbidden City, drawing you through painted entrances, grand courtyards, and halls layered with imperial history. From nearby Jingshan Park, a sweeping view stretches across tiled rooftops and tree-lined avenues, suddenly making the city’s vast layout feel clear and connected.

Later, the mood shifts into the hutongs, where life unfolds at a more intimate pace. Bicycles glide past narrow doorways, voices drift from courtyard homes, and the gentle rhythm of neighbourhood kitchens fills the air. A late lunch with a local family brings warmth and authenticity, home-style dishes shared slowly around the table.

A rickshaw ride links the winding lanes together, turning the backstreets into a living story of old Beijing. In the evening, a traditional hot pot dinner completes the day, lively, comforting, and perfect for conversation around the table.

Meals: (B, L, D)

Standing among watchtowers and forested peaks, the sense of time and scale feels vast and quietly powerful, with mountain air and birdsong adding to the atmosphere.

Back in the city, the mood softens at the Summer Palace, where water, pavilions, and shaded pathways create a calm counterpoint to the morning’s grandeur. A gentle pause for tea or coffee in the gardens provides a perfectly placed moment of stillness, allowing the day to slow and settle.

This evening, Peking duck takes centre stage, crisp skin and delicate pancakes served with small rituals that make the meal feel celebratory. It’s a classic Beijing night, and the table often fills with shared favourites, laughter, and the growing sense that the journey has truly begun.

Meals: (B, D)

Locals gather for morning exercises and easy conversation, a gentle reminder that even Beijing’s grandest landmarks remain part of the city’s everyday routine. From here, the day turns deliciously local at Niujie Food Street, where the aromas are irresistible and the experience is as much about browsing as tasting, a place where curiosity is rewarded and simple bites carry real character.

In the afternoon, a cooking class in a hutong setting brings the city into your hands, turning ingredients and technique into something shared and memorable. It’s an experience that feels personal, a window into everyday flavour and the quiet pride that sits behind it. Dinner is part of the experience, warm and satisfying, and the evening ends with the easy contentment that comes from learning something practical, then enjoying it together.

Meals: (B, D)

Before departing, a visit to Maliandao Tea Street introduces a world where tea is both daily ritual and refined craft. A guided tasting reveals subtle differences in aroma, texture, and finish, offering insight into how region and tradition shape each cup.

Arriving in Xi’an, the atmosphere feels older and more grounded, the evening air carrying hints of spice and the soft glow of lantern-lit streets. At Gao Family Courtyard, a traditional cultural performance brings artistry and storytelling to life through shadow puppetry and calligraphy demonstrations.

Later, nearby Muslim Quarter invites gentle wandering, colourful stalls and fragrant snacks creating a lively scene perfect for exploring at your own pace. The evening remains at leisure, allowing time to settle in and feel the character of China’s historic western crossroads.

Meals: (B)

The vast scale of The Terracotta Army is as striking as the craftsmanship, and visitors often find themselves slowing down, allowing the atmosphere to speak for itself.

Back in the city, Shaanxi cuisine comes into focus through a cultural experience that connects flavour to place, revealing why this region’s food feels so hearty and satisfying. In the evening, dinner becomes an experience in itself, with a dumpling-making element that turns tradition into something shared, warm, and fun.

Optional this evening is the Tang Dynasty Show, a bright theatrical flourish that adds music, costume, and movement to Xian’s long story. Whether clients choose the show or a quieter evening, the city’s lantern-lit mood feels beautifully suited to reflection.

Meals: (B, D)

Arriving in Chengdu, the mood changes almost immediately: softer pace, greener corners, and a city famous for living well. Settle into the neighbourhood atmosphere around Kuanzhai Alley, where restored lanes, courtyards, and small shops create an easy sense of place.

The afternoon is unhurried, ideal for letting clients feel Chengdu rather than rushing through it. As evening comes on, lanterns and street aromas begin to build, hinting at the culinary adventures to come. It’s a transition day that still feels full of texture, carrying the story from ancient capital to modern food city with a smooth, natural rhythm.

Meals: (B, L)

Accommodation: Chuanxing Yinli Hotel (Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley)

At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, pandas wander through their peaceful surroundings with unhurried charm, whether eating bamboo, climbing lazily, or simply resting.

Afterwards, Wenshu Monastery offers a different kind of calm, its incense-scented courtyards and gentle rhythm providing a quiet pause that softly resets the senses. A vegetarian lunch nearby feels perfectly placed, fragrant, simple, and restorative.

Later, a tea break in a local park setting adds a peaceful moment that captures Chengdu’s relaxed way of living. As evening arrives, the city leans into its greatest strength: food.

An evening foodie tour becomes the highlight, weaving through alleys and side streets, visiting family-run favourites and street snack vendors, tasting bites that range from comforting to boldly spiced. Dinner is part of the experience, and the night ends with that happy, unmistakable sense of having discovered a city through its flavours.

Meals: (B, L, D)

A visit to the Sichuan Cuisine Museum brings the region’s food culture into focus, from traditional ingredients and technique to the small rituals that sit behind everyday dishes. A cooking element adds an enjoyable, practical layer, turning observation into participation and giving clients a memory they can recreate at home.

Later, the day widens beyond the city with time in a slower, more local setting, where everyday life feels closer and the rhythm is gentler, a welcome contrast to the bustle of markets and museums. Returning to Chengdu, the evening is at leisure, allowing clients to choose their own dinner depending on appetite and mood.

Optional tonight is Sichuan Opera with face-changing, a sharp, thrilling burst of performance that matches Chengdu’s playful spirit and adds a final flourish to the city’s most iconic evening tradition.

Meals: (B, L)

After settling in, begin exploring the classic heart of the metropolis, with time around Nanjing Road and the Bund, where heritage buildings face a skyline of glass and light. The contrast is immediate and exciting, and dusk here often feels cinematic, reflections stretching across water as the city turns on its evening glow.

An evening food tasting experience adds a delicious first impression of Shanghai’s dining scene, lighter, brighter, and more cosmopolitan than the regions before.

Optional tonight is a Huangpu River night cruise, a beautiful way to watch the skyline unfold from the water and to feel the scale of the city from a calm, floating vantage point. The evening remains otherwise free, perfect for a gentle wander and a first sense of Shanghai’s confidence.

Meals: (B)

Accommodation: Northern Hotel Shanghai

Begin at Yu Garden and the nearby bazaar, where carved pavilions, koi ponds, and winding lanes mingle with lively stalls and the tempting aroma of street snacks drifting through the air.

Lunch becomes a highlight with a hands-on soup dumpling experience, playful, delicious, and surprisingly satisfying, a direct connection to the city’s most iconic bite. In the afternoon, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower adds a bold skyline moment, and time in a lively market setting offers a final chance for quirky finds and small gifts that travel well.

As the light changes, Shanghai feels like a city constantly rewriting itself, yet always aware of its past. This evening, gather for a farewell dinner, a relaxed celebration of shared moments and regional flavours collected along the way.

Optional tonight is an acrobatic show, a fast, dazzling finale for clients who want one last burst of spectacle before the final morning.

Meals: (B, L, D)