5 Days Beijing and Xian Tour by bullet train

The fastest way to grasp China’s imperial past is to pair Beijing and Xi’an. This five-day private tour does exactly that, linking the two cities by bullet train and packing in the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Terracotta Warriors, and several lively old neighborhoods.

I like the door-to-door transfers and the fact that guides meet you in both cities. I also like the train ride itself: 1,216 kilometers in about five hours, far more comfortable and practical than losing a day to a long road transfer. The main drawback is that hotels and meals are not included, and the schedule is full enough to leave little spare time.

Key points to know before booking

• Mutianyu gives you a full five hours at the Great Wall, with a choice between hiking and taking the cable car.
• Beijing and Xi’an are connected by high-speed train, with private station transfers at both ends.
• The price includes guides, entrance fees, bottled water, and transport, but not accommodation, lunch, or dinner.
• Day 1 and Day 5 are packed sightseeing days, while Day 3 is mostly a transfer day.
• Named guides associated with Lily’s team include Vivian, Michael, Cathy, Jackie, Victoria, Eric, Cecelia, Julie, Cindy, Lucy, and Rebecca, though your guide will depend on availability.
• You need moderate physical fitness, especially for the Great Wall, city wall, and long museum visits.

Why this Beijing and Xi’an pairing works

Beijing gives you the grand imperial story. Xi’an adds the older military and archaeological chapter, from the First Emperor’s underground army to the city walls and Muslim Quarter.

You also get two different ways to move through China. In Beijing, private vehicles handle the daily sightseeing. Between cities, the bullet train covers the long distance in roughly five hours. At Xi’an North Railway Station, a local driver meets you and takes over the ground transport.

That arrangement matters. You do not have to work out a taxi from an unfamiliar railway station or carry the full burden of navigating two major cities. Lily’s Private Tours also handles the one-way train ticket and requires passport details for every participant, which is standard for Chinese rail bookings.

The tour costs $1,018.67 per person. That is not a budget package, especially since you still pay for hotels and food. But the price covers private transfers, private guiding, entrance tickets, bottled water, and the long train connection. For a couple or family that values help with transport and timing, the cost can make sense. Solo visitors should compare it with joining group day trips, since the private format generally offers better control but less cost sharing.

The tour is commonly booked well ahead, with an average lead time of 104 days. That is a useful hint for anyone planning around peak travel dates or wanting specific guides and train times.

Day 1: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and temple rituals

Your first day begins with hotel pickup at 9:00 a.m. at Tiananmen Square, the vast ceremonial heart of modern Beijing. You spend about 30 minutes here before walking onward toward the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square is more than an open public space. It sets the scale for Beijing’s political and imperial center, with broad sightlines and very little shelter from the sun. Keep your water handy, wear comfortable shoes, and expect security procedures in central Beijing.

The main event is the Forbidden City, where you spend about two hours. This immense palace complex was the home of China’s emperors and remains one of the country’s most important historic sites. The tour includes admission, and having a guide helps give meaning to the succession of gates, courtyards, halls, and ceremonial spaces.

Two hours is enough for a focused first look, but not enough for every corner. You will see the major imperial setting without turning the day into an exhausting architectural marathon. If you enjoy detailed museum visits, you may wish for more time here. If you prefer a clear overview, the allotted visit keeps the pace manageable.

After lunch on your own, the itinerary continues to the Temple of Heaven for about an hour. The temple complex was used by emperors to pray for good harvests. Its purpose gives the site a different mood from the Forbidden City, since the focus shifts from royal residence to ritual and the relationship between ruler, heaven, and agriculture.

The final stop is a 30-minute hutong walking tour. These traditional alleyways offer a more ordinary view of Beijing, with residential lanes replacing monumental plazas. This short visit cannot cover hutong life in depth, but it gives you a useful contrast. You see where daily routines took place close to the grand imperial center.

The day combines ceremony, architecture, and local streets. It is also a demanding start, with plenty of walking and several major sites. I would wear shoes with good support and avoid treating the free time around meals as a chance to add another major attraction.

Day 2: Mutianyu and the Summer Palace

Pickup begins earlier on Day 2, at 7:30 a.m. That early start is worthwhile because the Great Wall is outside central Beijing and the visit is given a generous five-hour window.

At Mutianyu, you can choose to hike up to the wall or take a cable car and then walk along the battlements. The choice makes this section more flexible than a fixed walking tour. You can set your own effort level, though the tour still calls for moderate physical fitness.

A cable car reduces the climb, but it does not turn the visit into a flat stroll. The wall includes steps and uneven surfaces. If you hike, allow your legs plenty of time and bring water. If you choose the cable car, you still need to walk on the wall to see the watchtowers and surrounding views.

Five hours is a strong feature. It gives you time to move at a reasonable pace instead of rushing from one viewpoint to the next. It also makes the Great Wall the main experience of the day, rather than a quick photo stop squeezed between other attractions.

After Mutianyu, you visit the Summer Palace for about an hour. This former imperial garden offers lakeside scenery, pavilions, and a softer setting after the stone steps of the wall. The one-hour visit is enough to see the main character of the grounds, but the complex is large, so you should not expect an exhaustive walk.

The return to your hotel comes after the Summer Palace. Since the day combines an out-of-town excursion with another major site, you may feel tired by evening. That is not a flaw, but you should plan a quiet night rather than a packed dinner reservation across town.

Day 3: The bullet train from Beijing to Xi’an

Day 3 is the least active sightseeing day and the most important logistics day. Your Beijing hotel pickup is scheduled for two hours before the train, followed by drop-off at Beijing West Railway Station.

The train journey takes about five hours. That is a long ride, but it is also a sensible use of time. You avoid the fatigue of a full-day road journey and get a direct connection between two major cities. The total distance covered by rail is about 756 miles.

Your local driver meets you at Xi’an North Railway Station. The transfer arrangement removes one of the most stressful parts of a cross-city move, especially if you are carrying luggage or arriving after a long morning.

The tour information does not list sightseeing for this day, so treat it as a travel day. Accommodation in Xi’an is not included, and you arrange your own hotel. Make sure your Beijing and Xi’an lodging details are supplied correctly for the pickup and drop-off service.

The train ticket is one-way from Beijing to Xi’an. If you continue elsewhere after Day 5, you will need to arrange that next leg yourself.

Day 4: The Terracotta Warriors and Xi’an’s old walls

Pickup begins at 9:00 a.m. for the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. You spend about two hours at the site, which displays the famous clay soldiers, horses, and military formations created for China’s First Emperor.

This is the reason many people add Xi’an to a Beijing trip. The scale of the archaeological site is hard to understand from photographs alone. Rows of figures give the museum an unusual combination of art, military planning, and ancient burial practice.

Two hours provides a solid visit without making the museum feel endless. A guide is especially useful here because the figures can look similar at first glance, while the differences in faces, clothing, rank, and posture reward explanation.

The next stop is the Xi’an City Wall, followed by Shuyuanmen Culture Street. The combined visit lasts about two hours. The wall gives you a broad view of the old city and a sense of Xi’an’s fortified design. You can walk along the top, though the amount of walking may depend on how your guide organizes the stop.

Shuyuanmen adds a more street-level side of the city, with cultural shops and traditional-style surroundings. It is a useful change after the museum’s controlled indoor setting.

Hotel drop-off follows. As on the Beijing days, meals are not included, so you can choose your own restaurants. The private format is helpful here because the guide can direct you toward the next part of the city, but the tour does not promise a food tasting or restaurant meal.

Day 5: Shaanxi treasures, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and street food

The final sightseeing day starts at 9:00 a.m. at the Shaanxi History Museum. You spend about two hours viewing more than 370,000 artifacts collected from Shaanxi Province, including bronze objects, pottery figures, and murals.

This museum adds context to the Terracotta Warriors. Instead of seeing one famous archaeological site in isolation, you get a wider look at the objects and cultures connected with the region. Two hours is enough for a useful introduction, though anyone who reads every label may want more time.

Next comes the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, with about an hour at the site. The pagoda is one of Xi’an’s best-known landmarks and gives the day a clear religious and architectural focus. It is a shorter stop, so you should expect an overview rather than a long temple visit.

The Bell Tower follows, with about 30 minutes. Built at the center of Xi’an roughly 600 years ago, it remains one of the city’s defining sights. The stop is brief, but its central location makes it an efficient way to understand the layout of the old city.

The final stop is the Muslim Quarter, where you have about 30 minutes to browse local snacks and souvenirs. This is the most informal part of the schedule and a chance to see Xi’an through its food and street life. Thirty minutes is short, especially if you want to sample several snacks, so think of it as an introduction rather than a full food walk.

Hotel drop-off comes at the end of the day. Since this is your last scheduled touring day, the private vehicle and guide make it easy to return to your accommodation without arranging another transfer.

What the private format adds

The private setup is the clearest reason to choose this tour instead of piecing together separate excursions. Only your group takes part, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included in both cities.

That flexibility has practical value for families. The supplied details include families traveling with young children and older parents, including one 76-year-old participant. The tour still requires moderate fitness, but private guiding can make it easier to adjust the pace, take short breaks, or handle a minor transport problem.

Lily’s team has used guides including Vivian in Beijing, Michael and Cindy in Xi’an, and Cathy, Jackie, Victoria, Eric, Cecelia, Julie, Lucy, and Rebecca in other arrangements. Guide assignments are not guaranteed in advance, but the company’s service is built around local guides in both cities. English ability and guide quality matter greatly at the Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors Museum, and Shaanxi History Museum, where context makes the visit far more rewarding.

A minor transportation hiccup has been resolved quickly in at least one family booking, which is worth keeping in mind. Private tours do not eliminate every delay, but having one contact, Lily, and local staff in both cities gives you a clear path when plans need adjusting.

What is included, and what you still pay for

The package includes:

• Bottled water
• Professional guides
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Private transfers
• Entrance fees
• One-way high-speed train ticket from Beijing to Xi’an

You still need to budget for:

• Hotels in Beijing and Xi’an
• Lunches
• Dinners
• Any personal purchases

At $1,018.67 per person, the tour is best judged as a private service package rather than as a simple sightseeing ticket. The train alone is not the main cost. You are paying for planning, station transfers, private vehicles, admission fees, and guides across two cities.

For families, older couples, or first-time visitors who do not want to manage Chinese rail stations and city transport, that help may justify the price. Independent visitors who are comfortable arranging hotels, rail tickets, taxis, and separate guides can likely build a lower-cost trip, but they will take on much more planning.

Who should book this five-day tour?

I would recommend it most strongly for first-time visitors to China who want the major sights with little transport stress. It also fits families, multigenerational groups, and anyone who prefers a private guide over a large coach.

You should be comfortable with early starts, museum time, city walking, stairs, and a full schedule. Mutianyu is the biggest physical test, but the Forbidden City, city wall, and large museum halls also require time on your feet.

This is not the right choice if you want long unscheduled afternoons, a food-focused trip, or hotel and meal costs bundled into one price. The Muslim Quarter stop is short, and the hutong visit is brief, so the tour offers samples of local life rather than extended neighborhood exploration.

Cancellation and booking details

You receive confirmation when you book. Passport name, number, expiry date, and country are required for every participant because of the train ticket arrangements.

A full refund is available when you cancel at least six full days before the start time. Cancellation two to six full days ahead receives a 50 percent refund. Within two full days, there is no refund, and changes are not accepted. The cut-off follows local time.

Child pricing applies only when the child shares with two paying adults. You should also provide dietary requirements at booking, even though meals are not included.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want the essential Beijing and Xi’an sights in five days and value having a guide, driver, train ticket, and station transfer organized for you. The strongest features are the five-hour Mutianyu visit, private service, and efficient rail connection between the cities.

Skip it if you want a slower trip or need a package that includes accommodation and food. For the right person, the $1,018.67 price buys real convenience across a complicated route. Just arrive ready for long sightseeing days, and leave some energy for the Great Wall.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately five days, covering sightseeing in Beijing and Xi’an plus the high-speed train journey between the cities.

Is the tour private?

Yes. This is a private activity, and only your group participates.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included in Beijing and Xi’an.

Is accommodation included?

No. You must arrange and pay for your hotels in Beijing and Xi’an separately.

Are meals included?

No. Lunch and dinner are not included.

Is the train ticket included?

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

How long is the train journey?

The bullet train journey takes about five hours and covers approximately 1,216 kilometers.

What fitness level is needed?

A moderate level of physical fitness is recommended. The itinerary includes walking at the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Xi’an City Wall, museums, and historic sites.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can receive a full refund by canceling at least six full days before the start time. Canceling two to six full days ahead provides a 50 percent refund. Cancellations less than two full days before the start time are not refunded.