5 Days Beijing and Xian Tour by bullet train

The most useful feature here is the private, door-to-door format. In five days, you cover the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an City Wall, and more without arranging local transport yourself. I especially like the efficient bullet train between the two cities and the mix of grand monuments with hutong lanes and the Muslim Quarter. The main drawback is simple: the $1,018.67 price excludes hotels, lunch, and dinner, so your final cost will be higher.

I also like that this tour gives you separate guides in Beijing and Xi’an rather than asking one person to manage every part of the trip. Past guide teams have included Vivian, Cathy, Michael, Victoria, Jackie, Eric, Cecilia, and Julie, with strong praise for their English, care, and flexibility. You should still be ready for long sightseeing days, early starts, stairs, and plenty of walking.

Key points at a glance

• Mutianyu takes about five hours: You get the time needed to walk the wall or use the cable car and explore at a sensible pace.
• The Beijing to Xi’an train covers 756 miles: The journey takes about five hours and replaces a long road transfer.
• Your group stays private: Only your party participates, with private vehicles and hotel pickup and drop-off.
• The itinerary mixes famous sights and local districts: Hutong lanes, Shuyuanmen Culture Street, and the Muslim Quarter add everyday texture to the big monuments.
• The price covers key touring costs: Guiding, entrance tickets, bottled water, transfers, and the one-way high-speed train are included.
• The schedule is full: This suits people who want a strong first look at both cities, not those seeking a slow, flexible holiday.

Why this Beijing and Xi’an plan works

Beijing and Xi’an make a natural pair. Beijing gives you imperial palaces, ceremonial grounds, and the Great Wall. Xi’an shifts the focus to ancient tomb art, city defenses, historic trade routes, and Muslim food culture.

The tour is designed for a first visit. You do not spend days figuring out subway routes, ticket counters, or railway procedures. Your Beijing guide handles the sightseeing there, and a local driver meets you at Xi’an North Railway Station after the train ride.

That convenience has real value in China, where language, ticket rules, and large public sites can make independent planning tiring. The tradeoff is that you follow a set plan. You get the major sights, but you have less freedom to linger, shop, or change the order of the day.

The rating is listed as 4.9 from nine published ratings, and the strongest praise centers on organization, prompt communication, friendly guides, and care for families. One family also reported that a small transport problem was resolved quickly. That is useful to know, because a five-day, two-city schedule leaves little room for delays.

Day 1: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

Your first day begins with hotel pickup at 9:00 a.m. You start at Tiananmen Square, described in the tour plan as the largest public square in the world. The planned visit lasts about 30 minutes and has no separate admission charge.

This is a broad, formal space rather than a cozy sightseeing stop. It helps you understand the scale and political importance of central Beijing before you enter the imperial palace. Expect security procedures and a lot of open ground, so keep your passport handy and wear comfortable shoes.

From the square, you walk into the Forbidden City. The Palace Museum is scheduled for about two hours, with admission included. This is the visual center of the Beijing portion: courtyards, ceremonial halls, gates, and the long sequence of imperial spaces that once formed a restricted world at the center of the capital.

Two hours gives you a useful introduction, but it cannot cover every corner. I would treat the guide’s commentary as especially valuable here, since the palace can otherwise become a blur of roofs and courtyards. Stay near your guide and listen for explanations of how the complex functioned, rather than trying to inspect every building in equal detail.

The afternoon moves to the Temple of Heaven for about one hour. The emperors came here to pray for good harvests, and the site was built for ceremonies connected with heaven and agriculture. Its purpose gives the visit a different feel from the Forbidden City. Here, the focus is ritual and cosmic order rather than daily imperial administration.

You finish with a 30-minute hutong walking tour. This is one of the itinerary’s better choices. The narrow lanes offer a glimpse of older Beijing life and provide a change from monumental architecture. Thirty minutes is brief, so think of it as an introduction rather than a full neighborhood walk.

The day includes three major sights and a local-style district. That is a lot for a first day, but the sights are close enough in theme to feel coherent. You should expect a full day on your feet.

Day 2: Five hours at Mutianyu Great Wall

Pickup on Day 2 is early, at 7:30 a.m. The drive to Mutianyu is followed by about five hours at the Great Wall, which is the longest single stop on the tour.

That generous block of time matters. A rushed Great Wall visit can feel like a photo stop, but five hours gives you room to choose your pace. You can hike on the wall or take a cable car up and then walk along the battlements. The tour includes admission, while the details of any cable car use should be confirmed when booking.

Mutianyu is a practical choice for an international first visit, and the schedule allows you to see more than one viewpoint. You will need a moderate level of physical fitness, as the wall involves uneven surfaces, slopes, and steps. Even with the cable car, walking on the wall is not effortless.

Bring water, though bottled water is included, and use shoes with a firm grip. The tour does not specify a lunch stop, and lunch is not included, so ask how the midday meal fits into the day before departure. You do not want to discover that your only food plan is an unplanned purchase near the attraction.

After the wall, you visit the Summer Palace for about one hour. This former imperial garden gives you a softer contrast to Mutianyu’s stone fortifications. The grounds are known for gardens, water, and palace buildings, but one hour allows only a concise visit.

I like the pairing of these two stops. The Great Wall is the physical challenge and headline sight. The Summer Palace gives you a calmer look at imperial leisure and garden design. The limitation is the day’s length. After an early start and five hours at Mutianyu, your energy may be lower by the time you reach the palace.

Hotel drop-off follows the tour. Since the tour does not include meals or lodging, your evening is your own, but you should plan a simple dinner and rest before the train day.

Day 3: Beijing to Xi’an by high-speed train

Day 3 is mainly a transfer day. A vehicle collects you from your Beijing hotel two hours before your train and takes you to Beijing West Railway Station.

That two-hour margin is helpful. Railway stations are large, and you may need time for entrance checks and finding the correct platform. Your passport details are required at booking for every participant, so make sure the name and passport information you provide match your travel document.

The train ride covers about 756 miles, or 1,216 kilometers, in under five hours. The listing also describes the journey as about five hours. Either way, this is much more efficient than a long road journey and gives you a chance to watch China pass by from a comfortable seat.

The one-way high-speed train ticket is included. On arrival at Xi’an North Railway Station, a local driver waits for you and transfers you to your Xi’an hotel. The tour does not include the hotel itself, so you must reserve accommodation in both cities.

This is an important planning point. The tour provides the link between the cities, but not a complete hotel package. Check your Beijing departure date, Xi’an check-in date, and train timing carefully before you book separate rooms.

Day 4: Terracotta Warriors and Xi’an’s old defenses

Pickup begins at 9:00 a.m. The first stop is the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, with about two hours inside and admission included.

This is the reason many people add Xi’an to a Beijing trip. The museum protects thousands of life-size clay figures created for the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor to unify China. The scale of the excavated army is hard to grasp from photographs. The guide can help you understand the pits, the arrangement of the figures, and the work that continues around the site.

Two hours is enough for a strong introduction without turning the visit into an all-day museum session. You may still wish for more time if you enjoy archaeology, but the schedule has to leave room for the city itself.

Back in central Xi’an, you spend about two hours on top of the Xi’an City Wall and at Shuyuanmen Culture Street. The wall gives you a clear sense of the old city’s shape and defensive design. It is also a welcome change after the indoor museum visit.

The itinerary pairs the wall with Shuyuanmen, an area associated with calligraphy, traditional arts, and cultural shops. The two-hour block gives you time to walk and look around, though the exact balance between the wall and street depends on your guide and the day’s timing.

Hotel drop-off follows. Since this is a private tour, you can discuss your pace with the guide, but the listed stops still need to fit into the day.

Day 5: Museums, pagoda, bell tower, and the Muslim Quarter

Your final day begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Shaanxi History Museum. The museum holds more than 370,000 relics from Shaanxi Province, including bronze objects, pottery figures, and wall paintings.

This stop provides context that the Terracotta Warriors alone cannot. Xi’an was important across many periods, and the museum helps place the city’s artifacts within a wider story. Two hours is a solid amount of time for a guided overview, though museum admission arrangements can be worth confirming because popular museums sometimes control entry times.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda follows, with about one hour planned. The pagoda is one of Xi’an’s best-known landmarks and reflects the city’s connection with Buddhism and the wider movement of ideas along historic routes. The visit is fairly short, so you should expect to see the pagoda area rather than study every detail.

Next comes the Bell Tower for about 30 minutes. Built in the center of Xi’an roughly 600 years ago, it remains a useful orientation point for the modern city. The short stop works well as a photo and history break, but it will not feel like an extended monument visit.

The day ends in the Muslim Quarter for about 30 minutes. This is where you can sample local snacks or look for small souvenirs. The short timing is the clearest weakness of the Xi’an itinerary. Food streets are best enjoyed without staring at the clock, and half an hour leaves little room for serious eating.

Lunch and dinner are not included, so the Muslim Quarter is a natural place to buy food, but you should ask the guide how much time is truly available. If local snacks are a major reason you want Xi’an, you may prefer to return independently after the official tour ends, if your schedule allows.

Hotel drop-off completes the five-day service.

What the $1,018.67 price really covers

At $1,018.67 per person, this is not a budget sightseeing package. Its value depends heavily on how much you would otherwise spend on private vehicles, guides, entrance tickets, and the Beijing to Xi’an train.

Included costs are:

• Professional guiding
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Private transfers
• Admission to the listed attractions
• Bottled water
• One-way high-speed train tickets from Beijing to Xi’an

Not included are Beijing and Xi’an hotels, lunch, and dinner. That distinction changes the true trip budget. You must add two cities of accommodation, meals for five days, and any personal purchases.

The private format is likely to make the price more attractive for families or small groups, especially since group discounts are offered. A solo visitor pays the full per-person rate without sharing the vehicle cost, while a family can gain more value from having the same private service and flexible guide attention.

The included train ticket is also important. Buying the correct high-speed ticket and coordinating station transfers can be a nuisance, especially when you do not read Chinese. Here, that part is handled for you.

Guides, flexibility, and family fit

The provider uses different local guides in Beijing and Xi’an. Names associated with the guide team include Vivian, Cathy, Michael, Victoria, Jackie, Eric, Cecilia, and Julie. Feedback places particular emphasis on clear English, friendly care, quick replies from Lily, and flexibility when plans needed adjustment.

You should not assume you will receive a specific guide unless that is confirmed in writing. Still, the structure is sensible: local specialists know their own city, and a private guide can adjust explanations and walking speed for your group.

Families are a strong match for this tour. One family traveled with children aged seven and 20 months on a wider China trip arranged through the same company, and another family of six praised the Beijing and Xi’an guide teams. A 76-year-old parent also completed a private Beijing and Xi’an program with assistance from the company.

That does not make the itinerary easy. The Great Wall, city wall, palace grounds, and railway stations require stamina. If anyone in your party has mobility concerns, discuss the walking demands before booking. The tour asks for moderate physical fitness and does not promise wheelchair access or a fully step-free route.

What to arrange before you go

You need hotel addresses in both cities, accurate passport information for every participant, and a plan for meals. The provider requires each person’s passport name, number, expiry date, and country at booking.

I would also confirm the exact train departure, the Xi’an hotel pickup arrangement, and the cable car choice at Mutianyu. The advertised schedule gives the main framework, but private tours work best when small practical questions are settled early.

The tour starts at 9:00 a.m. overall, but Day 2 begins at 7:30 a.m., and Day 3 requires pickup two hours before the train. Keep those times in mind when choosing your hotels.

You can cancel for a full refund up to six full days before the start time. A cancellation two to six days ahead receives a 50 percent refund, while cancellation less than two days before the start time is not refunded. The cut-off uses local time.

Should you book this Beijing and Xi’an tour?

I would book it if you want the major sights of both cities in five days and value having transport, tickets, and local guides arranged in one private plan. The bullet train is a major advantage, and the itinerary includes the sights most first-time visitors hope to see.

I would hesitate if you want long meals, unplanned wandering, or a slow museum schedule. The plan is packed, hotels and meals are extra, and the 30-minute Muslim Quarter stop is too short for anyone who wants a serious food crawl.

For families, older relatives, and small groups, the private vehicle and separate city guides can justify the price. For solo visitors on a tight budget, independent planning may cost less. Before booking, ask for the exact guide assignments, train time, cable car details, and meal plan. If those pieces suit you, this is a practical way to connect two of China’s most important historic cities without losing days to logistics.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts approximately five days, covering Beijing and Xi’an.

Is the tour private?

Yes. Only your group participates, and private transfer service is included.

Is hotel pickup and drop-off included?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included in both cities, including transfer to Beijing West Railway Station and pickup at Xi’an North Railway Station.

Is the Beijing to Xi’an train ticket included?

Yes. One one-way high-speed train ticket from Beijing to Xi’an is included.

Are hotels included?

No. Hotel accommodation in Beijing and Xi’an is not included.

Are meals included?

No. Lunch and dinner are not included. You must arrange and pay for your own meals.

What information is needed at booking?

The passport name, passport number, expiry date, and country are required for every participant. Confirmation is provided at the time of booking.