Three cities. Your own China story.
Follow Beijing’s old lanes and creative garden details, Shanghai’s kitchens and riverfronts, and Chengdu’s tea and flavors. Two separate travel days connect the cities without packing a full experience into the same journey day.
Suggested itinerary · Subject to confirmation
Why we recommend this journey
A good starting point if you want history, contemporary city life and food in the same trip. Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu each get their own chapter, with two travel days between them. Choose this route if variety matters more than staying in one region.
Curious first-time visitors who want varied food, heritage and creative activities across three cities, with realistic space between destinations.
What makes this journey different
- See Beijing through hutong stories, northern food and a beginner-friendly garden sketch.
- Contrast Shanghai’s creative neighborhoods with Chengdu’s slower tea and kitchen days.
- Use two dedicated transfer days and customize any day, host or optional activity before booking.
Daily itinerary
Airport or station pickup, hotel check-in and time to settle in. We recommend arriving the evening before the first full experience.
Beijing
Hutong stories & courtyard life
Discover Beijing at street level. Wander the hutongs, understand courtyard living, and share a northern-style lunch, with stories that connect the old city to the present.
Your day, at a glance
Inside the hutongs
Meet in the old city and explore lanes on foot.
Lunch in the neighborhood
Taste northern Chinese dishes and talk about everyday Beijing.
Stories around the next corner
Continue through the neighborhood, finishing with tea around 15:30.
Private English-speaking host · Local lunch · Tea
Beijing
Dumplings and the stories between the lanes
Spend a day around the table and on foot. Explore old-city lanes, learn a little about dumpling traditions, and enjoy a proposed making session followed by a slow afternoon.
Your day, at a glance
A gentle hutong start
Meet over breakfast or tea and walk a compact route through the public lanes of Dongsi.
Fold, fill and share
Try a proposed dumpling session at an agreed venue, subject to availability; ingredients and allergens are confirmed in advance.
A walk after lunch
Explore another section of the neighborhood and finish with tea and stories about everyday family meals. Planned finish around 16:00.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Beijing
Beijing, one garden sketch at a time
Let a garden be your studio for the day. Walk the lakeside paths, notice small architectural details, and make a travel sketch with no drawing experience needed.
Your day, at a glance
See the garden slowly
Explore an agreed Summer Palace route, using a few easy looking exercises to notice shape and color. Entry depends on ticket availability.
A lunch break and a blank page
Pause for a simple lunch and try sketching a roofline or a painted detail in your notebook.
Find your favorite frame
Continue along the lakeside paths and choose a final view to draw, with plenty of breaks. Planned finish around 16:00.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Beijing → Shanghai
Intercity travel + free time
For Beijing to Shanghai and Shanghai to Chengdu, compare rail and flight options after dates are selected. Each change of city has its own travel day, including ground transfers and check-in; departure points and timings remain to be confirmed.
Travel, check in and enjoy a free afternoon if timing allows. You can request a short local experience in your planner.
Shanghai
Shanghai from breakfast to a long lunch
Begin with everyday breakfast and follow the city’s appetite into a home-style lunch. Explore a compact neighborhood route with tastings selected around your needs.
Your day, at a glance
A breakfast conversation
Choose a small set of confirmed breakfast stops and learn how the city starts its day.
Ingredients in the neighborhood
Explore a confirmed food market or shopping street, asking before photographing vendors.
A table for the afternoon
Share a Shanghai lunch with dishes and spice levels discussed beforehand, then finish with a gentle walk. Planned finish around 14:30.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Shanghai
From a small studio to the streets of Shanghai
Spend a day looking, making and wandering. A proposed beginner studio session becomes the starting point for exploring how creativity shows up in the neighborhood.
Your day, at a glance
Meet the neighborhood
Explore a compact Jing’an route and discuss the day’s creative focus over coffee.
Make something personal
Join a proposed paper or print workshop at an agreed studio, subject to availability. Materials and the activity are confirmed in your quote.
A maker’s afternoon
Share lunch and visit a selection of open shops and creative public spaces nearby. Planned finish around 16:00.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Shanghai
Two riverbanks, your own Shanghai story
See both sides of the Huangpu at street level. Connect public riverfront walks with a regular ferry crossing and make a personal photo story of the city.
Your day, at a glance
Begin on the Bund
Walk an agreed stretch of the Bund and notice the scale, rhythm and details of its buildings.
Cross with the city
Use a regular public ferry if operating, with transport and alternatives confirmed in advance, then pause for lunch.
A different horizon
Explore a compact public riverfront route on the Pudong side and experiment with reflections and skyline views. Planned finish around 16:00.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Shanghai → Chengdu
Intercity travel + free time
For Beijing to Shanghai and Shanghai to Chengdu, compare rail and flight options after dates are selected. Each change of city has its own travel day, including ground transfers and check-in; departure points and timings remain to be confirmed.
Travel, check in and enjoy a free afternoon if timing allows. You can request a short local experience in your planner.
Chengdu
Tea and trees, the Chengdu way
A full day with a gentle rhythm. Walk the park, discover what makes a local tea break feel different, and enjoy a Sichuan lunch with time to hear the city’s everyday stories.
Your day, at a glance
An easy park introduction
Explore public paths and observe morning activity respectfully, with participation only by invitation.
The tea break at the center
Settle into an agreed teahouse and compare a few tea styles. Any tasting choices are confirmed beforehand.
Lunch and a smaller loop
Share lunch and continue through a manageable nearby neighborhood route, with optional extra tea. Planned finish around 15:30.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Chengdu
Cook a little, wander a little, eat well
Turn food curiosity into something you can make. Explore ingredients, join a proposed beginner kitchen session, and leave time for a relaxed neighborhood afternoon.
Your day, at a glance
Meet the ingredients
Begin with an agreed market route or an ingredient introduction at the confirmed kitchen.
A small set of useful techniques
Join a proposed cooking session if a suitable venue is available. Dishes, equipment, allergens and materials are confirmed before booking.
Share the meal and the stories
Enjoy the results and take a compact neighborhood walk, with tea if you wish. A restaurant-based alternative can be quoted. Planned finish around 16:00.
Proposed private English-speaking local · Personalized day route and local stories · Meal, materials, tickets and transfers confirmed in your quote
Arrange departure after the last activity, or add a final hotel night if your flight leaves earlier.
Meet the people along your journey.
Browse their profiles and the local days they can host.
Liang
Architecture & everyday stories
Ruolan
Garden details & an artist’s eye
Junyi
Breakfast rituals & northern flavors
Anqi
Design details & creative neighborhoods
Yichen
Riverfront stories & street photography
Suxin
Home-style flavors & market conversations
Shuran
Tea, green spaces & gentle walks
Zhenyu
Sichuan ingredients & kitchen curiosity
Sample local profiles; the actual host and availability are confirmed before booking.
Stays & comfort
Breakfast and room type are confirmed with your hotel quote. Single rooms, twin beds and extra nights can be requested.
Beijing
Dongsi or the wider Shichahai / Gulou areaA comfortable central hotel with easy vehicle access; a courtyard-style property only if room comfort and access suit your needs
A central base works for old-city days. Any garden or museum journey is planned separately; hotel accessibility and room availability must be confirmed.
Suggested stayShanghai
Jing’an, Hengshan Road or the wider Wukang Road areaA neighborhood boutique hotel or a comfortable central hotel
Choose the exact base around your preferred walking distance, room needs and the confirmed activity venues.
Suggested stayChengdu
People’s Park or the central Wuhou-area neighborhoodsA comfortable central hotel or a smaller neighborhood hotel with convenient pickups
Request a quiet room and a base convenient for the confirmed teahouse and kitchen arrangements; no particular venue or room is reserved.
Suggested stayThe final night is optional, depending on departure time.
Drivers & transport
Intercity travel
For Beijing to Shanghai and Shanghai to Chengdu, compare rail and flight options after dates are selected. Each change of city has its own travel day, including ground transfers and check-in; departure points and timings remain to be confirmed.
Private driver
Request pickups and point-to-point transfers in each city, plus any separate garden or venue journey. A local provider and assigned driver are selected only after the final route, passenger count and accessibility needs are confirmed.
Vehicle & luggage
A suitable car or van is selected for your party and luggage. Child seats and step-free access can be requested.
Confirm driver name, contact details, vehicle, pickup location and service hours before arrival.
What your estimate covers
Only the experience estimate is shown here; this is not a total package price.
Sample itinerary with suggested services, to be confirmed in your final quote.
