8-Day Xian Luoyang and Beijing Tour with Shaolin Temple by High-Speed Train

Summary

DAY 1 Arrive in Xian
DAY 2 Xian: Terra-cotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Dumpling Banquet, Tang Dynasty Music & Dance Show
DAY 3 Xian--Luoyang by Train: Ancient City Wall, Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter, Take train to Luoyang
DAY 4 Luoyang: Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang Museum
DAY 5 Luoyang--Beijing by Train: White Horse Temple, Shaolin Temple, Take train to Beijing
DAY 6 Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
DAY 7 Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs
DAY 8 Beijing Departure

Day 1. Arrive in Xian

Your First Day in Xi'an

When you land at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, your guide waits at the arrivals exit with a welcome sign and drives you straight to your hotel in the city center. There is nothing scheduled for the rest of the day: you can rest after the flight, take a walk around the neighborhood, or ask your guide to point out a quiet place to eat nearby.

Day 2. Xian

Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses

After breakfast, your guide drives you out to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor to see the Terra-cotta Army. Thousands of life-size clay soldiers and horses, each with a different face, were buried beside Qin Shi Huang around 210 BC and were found by farmers digging a well in 1974. The figures are shown in the pit halls where they were excavated, alongside restored chariots and weapons.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

In the afternoon you visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the southern part of the city. It was first raised in 652 under the Tang dynasty, rebuilt under Empress Wu Zetian, and repaired again in the Ming dynasty. The pagoda was built to hold the Buddhist scriptures and statues the monk Xuanzang brought back from India, and its plain brick form has become a landmark of old Xi'an. It is a protected historic site.

    

A Xi'an Dumpling Banquet

Around six in the evening you are taken to a banquet hall for a dumpling dinner, a Xi'an specialty. Jiaozi are among the most representative dishes of northern Chinese cooking, and the banquet lays out many fillings with different vegetable, meat, and seafood combinations. Your guide helps you find your table before the meal is served.

    

Tang Dynasty Music and Dance

After dinner you watch a Tang Dynasty music and dance performance, a stage show that recreates the court entertainments of the 7th to 10th centuries. Xi'an was the Tang capital, then called Chang'an, and the dances, costumes, and live instrumentation draw on that period. When the show ends, your driver takes you back to the hotel.

    

Day 3. Xian--Luoyang by Train

The Ancient City Wall

Your first stop is the Xi'an City Wall, one of the most completely preserved city walls in China. It was built in the early Ming dynasty in the 1370s on the line of an earlier wall, and the brick rampart runs a full circuit of the old city, with a wide moat outside and gates, towers, and battlements along the top. You can walk a section of the wall for views over the rooftops inside the enclosure.

    

Bell Tower and Drum Tower

Next you head to the center of the old city to see the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. Both were first raised in the Ming dynasty; the Drum Tower stands a short way to the northwest of the Bell Tower, and the pair have long marked the crossing of the avenues that run out from the center. From the Bell Tower you can look down those main streets in four directions.

    

The Muslim Quarter

The last stop in the city is the Muslim Quarter, the old Hui neighborhood near the center. Its lanes are lined with food stalls and small shops known for snacks, noodles, dried fruit, spices, and hand-made goods. It is an easy place to walk, sample some street food, and pick up gifts before you are driven to the station.

    

Train to Luoyang

In the afternoon your guide takes you to the Xi'an railway station for the high-speed train to Luoyang. The ride is a little under two hours, and on arrival your Luoyang guide meets you and drives you to your hotel for the night.

Day 4. Luoyang

Longmen Grottoes

You begin with the Longmen Grottoes, carved into the limestone cliffs along the Yi River south of Luoyang. Work on the caves began under the Northern Wei at the end of the 5th century and went on for several hundred years, and the niches hold tens of thousands of Buddhist figures, from small carvings to the great Vairocana Buddha produced with the support of Empress Wu Zetian. The site is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage property.

    

Luoyang Museum

Afterward you visit the Luoyang Museum, the main historical museum of the city, set near the river. Its galleries follow the dynasties that made their capital here and display bronzes, jade, pottery, and Tang-era tri-color glazed ware, much of it from excavation sites around Luoyang and in the old town. It is a good place to put the sights you have seen into context before your guide drives you back to your hotel.

    

Day 5. Luoyang--Beijing by Train

White Horse Temple

In the morning you visit the White Horse Temple just east of Luoyang. Traditionally founded in 68 AD under the Eastern Han, it is regarded as the first Buddhist temple in China, and its name recalls the white horse that carried the scriptures and the first monks from the west. The run of courtyards and halls follows a Chinese temple plan, with halls added and rebuilt across later dynasties.

    

Shaolin Temple and Mount Song

After lunch you drive to the Shaolin Temple at the foot of Mount Song. Shaolin is a Chan (Zen) Buddhist monastery with roots in the 5th century and a long association with Chinese martial arts, and the Pagoda Forest beside it holds the tomb stupas of generations of abbots and monks. You visit the temple halls and the stone pagodas of the forest before leaving the mountain.

    

Bullet Train to Beijing

Your guide then takes you back toward the Luoyang station for the bullet train to Beijing. The high-speed journey runs roughly four hours, and on arrival your Beijing guide meets you at the station exit and drives you to your hotel.

Our Beijing Pick Up Sign "Beijing Private Tour"

Day 6. Beijing

Tiananmen Square

Your first full day in Beijing starts at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, named for the Gate of Heavenly Peace that fronts it. Monumental buildings line the open space, including the Great Hall of the People, and the gate once formed the ceremonial entrance to the imperial city. You make a short visit here before walking through toward the old palace.

    

The Forbidden City

Beyond the gate lies the Forbidden City, the imperial palace through the Ming and Qing dynasties. For nearly five centuries it was the residence of emperors and their courts, and its painted halls, courtyards, and yellow-tiled roofs now hold the collections of the Palace Museum. The complex is enormous, so your guide focuses on the central axis and a handful of key halls rather than trying to cover all of it. It is protected as a World Heritage site.

    

Temple of Heaven

In the afternoon you visit the Temple of Heaven in the south of the city, a complex first built in 1420 where Ming and Qing emperors held ceremonies to pray for good harvests. Its round timber halls and the raised walkway between them are landmarks of imperial architecture in China, and the surrounding park fills with residents exercising and playing games in the evening. The grounds are a World Heritage property, and your guide then drives you back to your hotel.

    

Day 7. Beijing

Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall

The day is spent at the Great Wall, reached by about a ninety-minute drive from the city. You go to Mutianyu, a restored section that is usually quieter than the more heavily visited Badaling. Steep stairways run between crenellated watchtowers built during the Ming dynasty, and a cableway can carry you up and back down. From the towers the wall climbs the ridgeline on both sides of the valley.

    

The Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way

On the way back you stop at the Ming Tombs, the burial complex of thirteen emperors of the Ming dynasty, set in a valley below the hills. The approach is lined by the Sacred Way, a processional road flanked on both sides by stone statues of officials, horses, camels, and elephants carved over five hundred years ago. You walk a stretch of the avenue before your driver takes you back to the city and your hotel.

Day 8. Departure Beijing

Departing Beijing

The morning is at your own pace until your driver collects you and takes you to the airport for your onward flight, which brings your eight-day tour to a close.

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. Cozy Ride: Enjoy the comfort and spaciousness of our air-conditioned car, offering scenic views. 2. Bilingual Expert Guide: Benefit from a personalized experience with a guide fluent in your language, catering to your needs. 3. Entrance Fees: Access all attractions and activities mentioned in the itinerary without worrying about additional entrance fees. 4. Seamless Transfer: Enhance your experience with convenient hotel or train station pickup and drop-off service. 5. Connect Seamlessly: Stay connected with complimentary onboard WiFi, allowing you to share your experiences in real-time. 6. City-to-City Train Tickets: Include the cost of train or flight tickets between the cities listed in the itinerary, ensuring a smooth and efficient travel experience. 7. Selected Hotels and Daily Breakfast: Experience a comfortable stay in handpicked hotels, each chosen for its quality and amenities. Enjoy a daily breakfast at the hotel, starting your day on a delicious note. 8. Complimentary Water: Receive a complimentary bottle of water for each person, keeping you refreshed throughout your journey. 9. Travel Agency Liability Insurance: Benefit from coverage under our travel agency liability insurance, providing added protection and peace of mind during your trip.

Price Excludes 1. Personal Expenses: This includes phone bills, laundry, additional tours, postage, and any entertainment fees not covered in the itinerary. 2. Meals: While meals are not included, our guide will recommend the best local food spots, giving you the chance to explore and choose based on your preferences. (Average cost per person for a regular meal at local eateries: 40RMB/6USD-80RMB/12USD) 3. Tips: Tips are not mandatory but are recommended for excellent service. If you feel satisfied with the service, you may consider leaving a tip. 4. Insurance: Insurance coverage for personal loss, illness, or damages incurred during your trip is not included. 5. Optional Activities: Any optional activities listed in the itine