30-Day One Month in China Tour
A full month, taken slowly: Beijing · Xi'an · Gansu · Chengdu · Chongqing · Zhangjiajie · Guilin · Hangzhou · Shanghai. The whole country in one trip, without spending it in transit. Tour code: OM-30.
Suggested itinerary at a glance
| Days 1–4 | Beijing — Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall, Summer Palace, plus a free day |
|---|---|
| Days 5–6 | Xi'an — Terracotta Warriors, city wall, Muslim Quarter |
| Days 7–11 | Gansu — the Silk Road — Lanzhou, Zhangye Danxia, Jiayuguan Fort, Dunhuang with two nights for the Mogao Caves and dunes |
| Days 12–15 | Chengdu & Leshan — pandas, teahouses, hotpot, the Giant Buddha, and time to just live in the city a bit |
| Days 16–17 | Chongqing — the mountain city, Hongyadong at night, hotpot in its home town |
| Days 18–20 | Zhangjiajie — Avatar pillars, Tianmen Mountain, the glass bridge |
| Days 21–24 | Guilin, Yangshuo & Longji — Li River cruise, Yulong raft and cycling, a night near the rice terraces |
| Days 25–26 | Hangzhou — West Lake, tea villages, a slower couple of days |
| Days 27–30 | Shanghai & Suzhou — the Bund, Yu Garden, French Concession, Suzhou's gardens and canals, a free final day, depart |
Who a month is actually for
A month sounds indulgent until you put it on a map. China is continent-sized, and the shorter routes — good as they are — mean a new hotel every two or three nights. With 30 days the maths changes: four nights in Beijing instead of three, two nights in Dunhuang instead of a flying visit, a free day here and there where nothing is scheduled at all. It's the version people on a sabbatical, a long honeymoon, a retirement trip or a once-in-a-lifetime visit tend to choose. If you only ever do China once and you have the time, this is the one we'd point you at — and we'll also tell you honestly if a shorter route fits you better.
Tour highlights
Nothing important is rushed
The Wall, the Warriors, the pandas and the Mogao Caves each get a proper day, not a morning squeezed between trains.
The full Silk Road week
Lanzhou to Dunhuang town by town — Zhangye, Jiayuguan and two nights in Dunhuang, rather than flying in and out in a day.
Places the short tours skip
Chongqing's stacked streets, Leshan's Giant Buddha, the Longji rice terraces and Hangzhou's West Lake all fit, comfortably.
Free days, on purpose
Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai each carry unscheduled time. A month of wall-to-wall guiding would wear anyone out; this isn't that.
Day-by-day itinerary
This is a sample itinerary, so you can see what each day actually looks like — the scenery, the meals and where you sleep. On a private trip the order and pace are adjusted to your dates; your confirmed day-by-day plan, with named hotels, comes with your quote. Small-group departures follow this route, free days included.
- Day 1
Arrive in Beijing
Airport pickup and a gentle landing — check in, stretch your legs near the hotel, early night. The sightseeing starts tomorrow, once the flight is out of your system.
- Day 2
Forbidden City & hutongs
Tiananmen Square, then the Forbidden City's main halls and side courts. Afternoon in the hutongs by rickshaw and on foot, with a family courtyard visit.
- Day 3
Temple of Heaven & the Great Wall
Two of Beijing's greats, on separate unhurried halves: the Temple of Heaven at tai-chi hour in the morning, the Wall at Mutianyu after lunch — watchtowers and ridge lines over the hills. Peking duck dinner back in the city.
- Day 4
Summer Palace & a free day
The Summer Palace in the morning — Kunming Lake, the Long Corridor, the emperors' lakeside escape. The afternoon is yours: revisit whatever caught you, or, if you're walkers, add the wilder Jinshanling section of the Wall.
- Day 5
High-speed train to Xi'an
Bullet train west (about 4.5 hours). The city wall at sunset, and dinner in the Muslim Quarter — most people go back the second night too, and on this schedule, you can.
- Day 6
Terracotta Warriors
The Warriors in the morning, when your guide can actually get you close to the faces. The afternoon at your pace — the Shaanxi History Museum, or the wall's full loop by bike.
- Day 7
West to Lanzhou
Train along the corridor to Lanzhou, Gansu's capital on the Yellow River. The riverfront in the afternoon — the Mother River sculpture, the old iron bridge, the waterwheel park — and a bowl of the original Lanzhou beef noodles where they were invented.
- Day 8
Zhangye & the Danxia hills
On to Zhangye for the Danxia landforms in late-afternoon light — banded red, orange and yellow ridges that glow as the sun drops.
- Day 9
Jiayuguan Fort, then Dunhuang
Morning at Jiayuguan, the last great Ming fort, where the Wall ends at the desert — climb the gate towers and see the overhanging Wall section. Then the desert road west to Dunhuang, arriving as the heat comes off the day.
- Day 10
The Mogao Caves
A proper day for the Mogao Caves — nearly 500 caves of murals and painted statues, with tickets reserved well ahead and a guide who knows which ones to linger in. The evening is yours in Dunhuang's night market streets.
- Day 11
Dunes at dawn, then south to Chengdu
Up early for Mingsha Shan and Crescent Lake in the cool, quiet morning light — camels optional, views not. Then fly or train south to Chengdu (routing confirmed at quoting): desert behind you, green Sichuan ahead.
- Day 12
Pandas at opening
Into the panda base at opening time, while the bears are awake — wrestling, climbing, demolishing bamboo. Nothing else scheduled this morning; the pandas are the schedule.
- Day 13
Teahouse Chengdu
People's Park teahouse culture at full slow: jasmine tea refilled all afternoon, mahjong, ear-cleaners, the matchmakers' corner. The food streets in the evening — your guide orders across the menu so you taste the range.
- Day 14
Leshan Giant Buddha
Day trip to Leshan, where a 71-metre Buddha was carved into a river cliff over 90 years, starting in 713. The boat view first — the full figure only makes sense from the water — then the cliff paths down past his shoulders, if you want them.
- Day 15
A free day in Chengdu
Nothing scheduled, on purpose — a cooking class, the panda base again, or a very long lunch. Hotpot together tonight: this is its home turf, and your guide will calibrate the chilli honestly.
- Day 16
Fast train to Chongqing
About 1–1.5 hours by fast train to the mountain city, where you can enter a building at street level and walk out on the tenth floor. Hongyadong lit up tonight, stacked over the river like a cliff village made of light.
- Day 17
Chongqing, the mountain city
A full day in the vertical city: the Liziba monorail passing straight through a tower block, the old cableway views across the Yangtze, hotpot in its home town, and the alleys of the old city before the neon comes on.
- Day 18
To Zhangjiajie
Travel day east (train or flight, confirmed at quoting). Evening in Wulingyuan town, by the park gate — three days here, so mist doesn't ruin your one chance at the pillars.
- Day 19
The Avatar mountains
Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain: pillar forests rising through the mist, natural bridges, and the Bailong Elevator — the world's tallest outdoor lift — back down.
- Day 20
Tianmen Mountain & the glass bridge
The 7.5 km cable car up Tianmen, cliff-edge walkways and the 999 steps beneath the great natural arch — and the Grand Canyon glass bridge, 300 metres up, only if you fancy it.
- Day 21
To Guilin
South to Guilin (flight via a hub or train, confirmed at quoting). Evening around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes, pagodas reflecting in the water.
- Day 22
Li River cruise to Yangshuo
The four-hour cruise down to Yangshuo — karst peaks on both banks, water buffalo on the shore, and the bend from the ¥20 note. Check in at Yangshuo.
- Day 23
Yangshuo countryside
A raft on the Yulong River and cycling between the peaks and the paddies — rural China at bicycle speed, the way it should be seen.
- Day 24
The Longji rice terraces
Up into the hills to the Longji terraces — sculpted rice fields stacked to the skyline, Zhuang and Yao villages along the paths. Sleep up here tonight; the view from a guesthouse balcony earns its keep.
- Day 25
East to Hangzhou
Travel east to Hangzhou (flight or train, confirmed at quoting). A first evening stroll along West Lake once the day-trippers have gone — this is when the lake is at its best.
- Day 26
West Lake & the tea villages
A boat on West Lake in the morning, out to the islands and causeways. After lunch, the Longjing tea villages in the hills — pickers in the fields, and a tasting of the green tea the city is famous for.
- Day 27
To Shanghai
Short hop to Shanghai. The Bund at dusk for the full two-banks view — the trip's last skyline, and still the best one.
- Day 28
Suzhou day trip
Thirty minutes by high-speed train to Suzhou: a classical garden in the morning — rockeries, pavilions and ponds arranged like a painting you walk through — then canal streets and silk in the afternoon. Back in Shanghai for the night.
- Day 29
Shanghai old and new
Yu Garden and the old city, the French Concession on foot, and the Shanghai Tower before dinner. Soup dumplings at the source, obviously.
- Day 30
A free day, then home
The last day is yours — shopping, revisiting a favourite street, or packing slowly. Private transfer to the airport whenever your flight calls. A month ago you landed in Beijing; China makes sense now.
What's included
✓ Included
- Car, driver and English-speaking guide in each city and along the Gansu corridor (your own car on a private trip)
- 29 nights' hotels at your chosen tier
- All intercity trains and flights listed in the itinerary
- Mogao Caves timed tickets, reserved in advance
- Li River cruise, park entry and entrance fees for listed sights; meals as quoted
- WhatsApp support before and during the whole month
✕ Not included
- International flights to/from China
- China visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance — for a month, please make sure it covers the full trip
- Personal expenses, optional activities, guide/driver gratuities
Deposit & cancellation policy
Deposit & payment: a 10% deposit confirms your booking once you approve the itinerary. The balance is due 30 days before departure; bookings made within 30 days of departure require full payment to confirm.
- 30 or more days before departure: full refund, minus costs already incurred.
- 15–29 days before departure: 70% refund.
- 8–14 days before departure: 50% refund.
- 0–7 days before departure, or no-show: no refund.
- Issued flight, train and cruise tickets are refunded per supplier rules.
If we have to cancel your trip, you receive a full refund. Full terms are sent with your booking confirmation — see also the Booking & Refund Policy page.
Hotels & price
Price on request
Quoted individually for your dates and hotel level. Message us on WhatsApp for a free quote.
Includes first-timer support: visa-free check, payment setup help and WhatsApp support during your trip.
Quoted per trip. Over a month, hotel tier and season matter even more than usual, so a single headline price would be meaningless — tell us your dates and the sort of hotels you like, and you'll get one itemised figure for the whole trip, with named hotels, before you commit to anything. The price is for a private trip — if you'd rather join other travellers, ask, and we'll tell you what group options exist for your dates.
Tour FAQ
Can I do 30 days visa-free?
Some passports currently get up to 30 days visa-free — but 30 days is right on that limit, and how entry and exit days are counted matters. Don't book flights on an assumption: read the visa guide, then let us check your passport and your exact dates. If you need a visa, we'll say so early, while there's still time to apply.
Won't a month feel too long?
On paper, maybe. In practice the free days and the four-night stays stop it feeling like a tour and start making it feel like travelling. If you're unsure, the 21-day route is the same shape with the slack taken out.
Can I swap bits in or out?
Yes — this length is the easiest to shape. Common changes: more time in the southwest, dropping Hangzhou for an extra desert night, or adding a family visit or a specific town. On a private trip, the route above is a starting point; group departures follow the set route, with the free days built in either way.
When is the best month to take a month?
Mid-April to late May, or mid-September to late October, give you the best weather across the most regions in one trip — the desert and the south rarely peak at the same time, and those windows are the overlap. See the best-time guide.