Two Rivers, Two Thousand Years

Special Notes

A few things on this route follow the calendar, the season, or a booking system. Here they are, told straight.

• Booking & Real-Name Reservations — This tour is now available for booking. Reservation slots for the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China, and the Shanghai Museum will be verified according to your travel dates and included in the written quote and confirmation document, along with transport schedules and fees.
• The three timed reservations — the Forbidden City on day 8, the National Museum of China on day 10 and the Shanghai Museum on day 11. Admission to all three is included in the price. The reservation systems are name-registered and hard to use on an overseas mobile number, and the Shanghai Museum booking pages are only partly in English. Your quote states in writing who books each slot and what it costs. Where a slot cannot be secured for your date, we tell you before you pay and rearrange that day rather than sell you a closed door.
• Departure days — no Monday departures, because day 8 falls on the same weekday as day 1 and the Forbidden City closes on Mondays. No departures October 1 to 7, the national holiday week, when the Terracotta Warriors site and the Chengdu panda base run at their most crowded.
• December departures and the two outdoor items — the Mutianyu cable car and open chairlift on day 9 and the Xi'an City Wall ride on day 6 are outdoors, and their winter operating rules are being confirmed with the sites. For a December departure your quote states in writing what happens to each of those two items if the site suspends it on your day.
• Group — Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
• Cabin class — The specific train numbers, flight details, and cabin classes for the four high-speed rail legs and one domestic flight will be specified in the written quote and confirmation, based on your travel dates.
• Day 10 Schedule — The sequence of the Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, National Museum of China and the high-speed train to Shanghai on the day will be adjusted based on real-name booking time slots and actual train schedules; the confirmed itinerary will specify the arrangements for the day.
• Day 14 Schedule — The final day includes Foshan morning tea, Haixinsha, and the departure flight from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. We will verify your departure time before confirming your dates; if the flight is too early, morning tea will be moved to Day 13, and Day 14 will remain within Guangzhou.
• Security Check — On Day 10, security checks are required to enter Tiananmen Square; queue times depend on on-site conditions. Allow sufficient time for transfers between sightseeing spots and high-speed rail.
• Visa Office — Whether visa-free transit or a visa is required must be verified on a case-by-case basis according to the passport, travel dates, port of entry, and complete itinerary, in accordance with the official regulations in force at the time; a 14-day itinerary cannot be fulfilled solely under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
• US Passport — Entry eligibility for US passport holders must be verified against their actual visa, port of entry, and itinerary; a 14-day itinerary exceeds the 240-hour transit stay limit under visa-free transit. Required documents and processing times will be confirmed before booking.
• Guests already in China who qualify for transit visa policy — If you are entering China under the 10-day visa-free transit policy, this itinerary is not suitable for you, as the 14-day duration exceeds the policy's permitted limit. This is clearly stated prior to payment, and no exceptions can be made.
• Confirmation & Changes — Confirmation timelines and change/refund terms are being finalised with our on-the-ground partners. Until confirmed, each quote is issued in writing with its own specific confirmation deadline and applicable change and refund conditions. As this route includes four rail segments and one flight, any date changes will involve rail, airline and hotel inventory.