Grand Tour of China — 10-day multi-city journey

China contains multitudes, and ten days across four of its greatest cities gives a genuine sense of the sweep — from the Ming-dynasty grandeur of Beijing to the colonial-era glamour of Shanghai's Bund, the ancient warrior legions buried beneath Xi'an, and the frenetic vertical energy of Hong Kong. This is the tour for guests who want to understand China properly, not just pass through it. AMIST handles every transition so that nothing between the highlights demands effort.

Day-by-day

Day 1 — Arrival in Beijing. Flight from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk via connection. Airport transfer to the hotel in central Beijing. Rest of the day at leisure; optional Wangfujing pedestrian street evening walk. Welcome dinner at a Peking duck restaurant.

Day 2 — Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Jingshan Park. The ceremonial heart of imperial China. Morning at Tiananmen Square, then the full east-west axis of the Forbidden City — nine hundred rooms across seventy-two hectares, built in the early fifteenth century and home to twenty-four emperors. Afternoon in Jingshan Park on the artificial hill north of the palace for the definitive aerial view of the Forbidden City's golden rooftops.

Day 3 — Great Wall at Mutianyu. Day trip sixty kilometres north of Beijing to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall — the best-restored stretch, far less crowded than Badaling, with watchtowers strung across forested ridges at twelve hundred metres elevation. Cable car ascent, toboggan descent available. Afternoon return to Beijing; Temple of Heaven if time permits.

Day 4 — Summer Palace and 798 Art District; flight to Xi'an. Morning at the Summer Palace on Kunming Lake — the Qing-dynasty imperial retreat. Late afternoon flight to Xi'an (one hour). Hotel check-in. Evening walk on top of the fourteenth-century Xi'an City Wall, illuminated at night.

Day 5 — Museum of the Terracotta Army. The defining experience of any China itinerary. Three vaulted pits contain an estimated eight thousand life-size soldiers, horses, and chariots — each face individually modelled — buried since 210 BC with Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor. Afternoon at the Shaanxi History Museum, one of China's finest collections of Bronze Age and Tang-dynasty artefacts.

Day 6 — Xi'an Muslim Quarter and flight to Shanghai. Morning in the Huimin Quarter — the ancient street grid of the Tang-dynasty international city, still home to China's Hui Muslim community. The Great Mosque built in 742 AD, the covered spice bazaar, and lamb soup from a bowl of torn bread (paomo). Afternoon flight to Shanghai (two hours). Hotel check-in; evening on the Bund.

Day 7 — The Bund, Yu Garden, and Old Shanghai. Shanghai in a single day. Morning walking tour of the Bund — the mile-long Art Deco and Beaux-Arts riverfront facing Pudong's glittering towers across the Huangpu River. Afternoon in the Old Town around Yu Garden: a classic Ming-dynasty garden of pavilions, rockeries, and ornamental ponds, surrounded by the century-old Yuyuan Bazaar.

Day 8 — Pudong and optional day; flight to Hong Kong. Morning visit to the Shanghai Tower observation deck on the 118th floor for a bird's-eye view of the Yangtze delta megacity. Afternoon free for shopping (Xintiandi, Nanjing Road) or the French Concession neighbourhood. Evening flight to Hong Kong (two and a half hours).

Day 9 — Hong Kong: Victoria Peak, harbour, and Kowloon. Peak Tram to Victoria Peak for the iconic panorama of one of the world's great harbours. Afternoon in Kowloon: the Avenue of Stars on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the jade and spice markets of Mong Kok. Evening Star Ferry crossing the harbour at dusk, and the Symphony of Lights laser show from the Promenade.

Day 10 — Hong Kong free morning; departure. Farewell breakfast, optional morning at leisure (Ocean Park, Lantau Island Big Buddha, or Stanley Market), transfer to Hong Kong International Airport for the return flight.

What's included

Return airfare from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (economy class, included in package). All inter-city flights within China (Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai → Hong Kong). Nine nights in premium 4-star hotels: two nights in Beijing, two nights in Xi'an, three nights in Shanghai, two nights in Hong Kong. Daily breakfast and dinners on guided days. All ground transfers in private air-conditioned vehicles. Expert local guides at every city with Russian-language interpretation. All entrance fees for listed attractions (Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall cable car, Terracotta Army, Shaanxi History Museum, Shanghai Tower, Peak Tram). Russian travel insurance. AMIST representative coordination throughout.

Practical notes

• Duration: 10 days / 9 nights.
• Departures: October through April. Group departures 6–8 times per season; private departures year-round on request.
• From price: ₽185 000 per person (≈ $2 100) double occupancy. Single supplement on request. VIP upgrade (5-star hotels, business-class flights) available.
• Visa: Russia and China have a mutual 30-day visa-free agreement for ordinary passport holders as of 2023. AMIST verifies current entry requirements at time of booking. Hong Kong may have separate entry provisions.
• Fitness level: Moderate. The Great Wall involves significant climbing; Mutianyu cable car is included as standard. All other sites are paved and accessible.
• Group size: 6 to 16 guests. Private departures for 2+ guests available; pricing on request.
• Climate by city: Beijing in winter is 0–8 °C (layer up for the Wall). Xi'an similar. Shanghai mild. Hong Kong 15–22 °C. Spring (March–April) is optimal across all four cities.
• What to bring: Warm layers for Beijing and the Great Wall, comfortable walking shoes, a light jacket for Hong Kong evenings, universal power adapter.

Why we run it

China is a country our Sakhalin clients are curious about but hesitant to navigate alone — the scale, the language, and the logistics give even experienced travellers pause. The Grand Tour of China exists to remove every barrier. We pre-select the hotels for their location and quality, choose the Great Wall section that rewards the effort, and put a Russian-speaking guide at every transition point. The result is four cities in ten days that feels composed rather than rushed. This is our premium China flagship: the tour we recommend to guests who want to understand Asia's most consequential civilisation in a single, deeply satisfying journey.