Asia's continent-country
China is not a destination — it is twenty destinations bound together in ink. An entire dynastic empire fits within Xi'an, a neon megacity blazes in Shanghai, a wall visible from space crosses the mountains of Hebei, and Guilin's karst landscapes rise like sumi-e paintings. To travel here is to cross, simultaneously, the oldest continuous civilisation on earth and the economy that reinvents itself fastest.
China entered the curious traveller's world through the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and stayed for everything else. In the north, Beijing pulses between Ming-dynasty hutong alleyways and towers by foreign architects. In Xi'an, unified China begins — eight thousand terracotta warriors guard the first emperor's tomb. In Shanghai, the Bund narrates the twentieth century without opening a book. And between cities runs a bullet-train network that makes a three-capital itinerary in one week entirely possible. This is a destination that demands curation: it doesn't work on autopilot or in a sealed package. It works when someone applies discernment — the right climate window, trains reserved ahead, the right hotels and a cultural interpreter who understands four thousand years of codes. Done that way, China delivers the most memorable journey in any Asian itinerary.
The imperial capital, the financial megacity, the ancient capital, the gardens of the Yangtze Delta and a karst south of limestone mountains. Each region is a distinct journey; every combination bears the CocoVolare signature.
01 · Capital
4–5 nights
The city of layers
Beijing doesn't reveal itself quickly: a capital where the Ming imperial grid, Maoist squares and contemporary architecture shift centuries with every corner turned. The Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and hutong alleys barely three metres wide.
02 · Megacity
3–4 nights
China's great wager
If Beijing is memory, Shanghai is ambition. The art deco Bund along the Huangpu River, Pudong's skyscrapers risen in thirty years from what was once paddy field, the French Concession shaded by century-old plane trees and the finest fine dining in mainland Asia.
03 · Ancient capital
2–3 nights
The Chinese city
Xi'an is not just another Chinese city — it is the Chinese city. Unified China began here in 221 BC, and the Silk Road ended here too. It preserves the country's only intact medieval city wall, the Terracotta Army and a 1,300-year-old Hui Muslim Quarter.
04 · Gardens
2–3 nights
The Yangtze Delta
The Jiangnan — the Yangtze Delta — is classical China of brushstroke and poetry. Suzhou holds UNESCO-listed gardens and a living silk tradition; Hangzhou, West Lake, longjing tea and Buddhist temples. Canal towns with arched bridges lie between the two.
05 · Karst south
2–3 nights
Mountains in ink
Southern China is karst landscape: four-hundred-million-year-old limestone pillars that look like sumi-e paintings. The Li River navigable between Guilin and Yangshuo, Zhuang villages, cycling through rice paddies and the terraced fields of Longji.
A wall measured in thousands of kilometres. Four thousand years of unbroken civilisation and an economy that reinvents itself every decade. Three-metre hutong alleys beside fourteen-lane boulevards. Eight regional culinary traditions with entirely distinct vocabularies. China is not seen at first glance — it is traversed slowly, with respect and a voice to accompany it.
"China is not a destination — it is twenty destinations bound together in ink."· CocoVolare master document
Based on the main tourist corridor (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin), which covers 90% of itineraries. Our chart shows all twelve months with estimated cost, climate and calendar highlights. Marked in gold, the windows we recommend experiencing China with us — chosen for experience, not price.
China spans five climate zones: there is no single Chinese climate, there are Chinese climates. The chart shows all twelve months with estimated cost, temperature and iconic festivals. Marked in gold, the windows we recommend experiencing China with us.
Verified by our travel designers and updated for 2026. Browse by category.
Six signature itineraries to match your dates, pace and budget. Zero templates — each is rewritten 100% to your measure. Prices per person in double occupancy, boutique category, excluding international flights.
Beijing → Great Wall → Shanghai
China distilled but coherent, without losing the rhythm
The essential introduction to the country: the imperial capital with the Forbidden City and Great Wall, the bullet train as a masterclass in engineering and the Shanghai Bund at dusk. Ideal for couples and time-pressed travellers.
Arrival and check-in at the Rosewood Beijing or a converted courtyard house in the Dongcheng hutong. Walking tour through Nanluoguxiang and Wudaoying with an interpreter, stopping at the Drum Tower. Peking duck dinner at Siji Minfu and a calligraphy session with a master.
Forbidden City with a dedicated cultural interpreter, entering through the South Gate and exiting towards Jingshan Park for the aerial panorama. Lunch at Capital M overlooking Tiananmen. Temple of Heaven in golden light. Dinner at King's Joy.
Early departure to the Mutianyu section, guided tour with interpreter, descent by cable car or toboggan. Lunch at The Schoolhouse at the foot of the wall. Return to Beijing and afternoon bullet train to Shanghai. Check-in at The PuLi or Bulgari Shanghai.
Walk through the French Concession with an architecture guide: Wukang Mansion and streets lined with century-old plane trees. Reinterpreted dim sum lunch. Afternoon of contemporary art at West Bund. Cocktails at Bar Rouge and dinner at Mr & Mrs Bund.
Yu Garden at opening time, before the groups arrive. Free time for shopping in Tianzifang or spa at the hotel. Transfer to Pudong Airport for the international connection.
Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai
Three cities, three dynasties, three ways to read the country
The classic dynastic route: the imperial capital, the ancient capital of Xi'an with the Terracotta Army and the financial megacity of Shanghai. Living civilisation, archaeology and contemporary engineering in one well-measured week.
Arrival at Capital or Daxing airport, CocoVolare welcome with driver. Check-in at the Rosewood or Aman Summer Palace. Brief visit to Tiananmen Square at dusk. Light dinner at a courtyard restaurant.
Forbidden City with a dedicated cultural interpreter, minimum four hours. Lunch at King's Joy or TRB Hutong, both with Michelin recognition. Temple of Heaven and stroll through Beihai Park. Peking duck at DaDong or Siji Minfu.
Jinshanling section at sunrise with interpreter and light trekking. Gourmet box lunch on the wall. Return to Beijing, Summer Palace and Yonghe Lama Temple. Dinner at Capital M overlooking illuminated Tiananmen.
Domestic flight to Xi'an and check-in at the Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel. Lunch in the Muslim Quarter: roujiamo, biang biang noodles and Persian flatbread. Afternoon on the ancient city wall by bicycle and the Wild Goose Pagoda. Dumpling banquet dinner at Defachang.
Early access to the Terracotta Army with an archaeologist, before the mass groups arrive. Curated lunch. Flight to Shanghai and check-in at The PuLi or Bulgari Shanghai. Cocktails with Bund views.
French Concession with an architecture guide: Wukang Mansion and Tianzifang crowd-free. Yunnan cuisine lunch. Afternoon of contemporary art at the Long Museum or Power Station of Art. Dinner at Mr & Mrs Bund or 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana.
Yu Garden at opening time. Shanghai old town. Curated silk or tea shopping at Huxinting Teahouse. Transfer to Pudong Airport for the international connection.
Beijing → Xi'an → Guilin → Chengdu → Shanghai
Five Chinas in one journey — with room to breathe
The most complete itinerary in boutique format: the imperial capital, Xi'an's ancient capital, Guilin's karst landscape, pandas and spicy cuisine in Chengdu, and a finale in Shanghai. Ten days that honour the country's pace.
Airport welcome, check-in at the Aman Summer Palace. Afternoon hutong tour with interpreter and Tiananmen at dusk.
Forbidden City with a dedicated cultural interpreter. Michelin lunch. Temple of Heaven and Peking duck at DaDong.
Jinshanling section or restricted section with CocoVolare authorisation. Summer Palace in the afternoon. Night at the Rosewood Beijing.
Morning flight to Xi'an. Check-in at the Sofitel Legend. Muslim Quarter with interpreter and city wall by bicycle. Dumpling banquet.
Terracotta Army with early access and archaeologist. Flight to Guilin and check-in at the Banyan Tree Yangshuo amid rice paddies.
Boutique cruise along the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo, with a local cook on board. Yangshuo West Street at dusk.
Tai chi at dawn by the river with a master. Bicycle exploration through villages and rice paddies. Open-air dinner with a host family.
Flight to Chengdu and check-in at The Temple House. Stroll through the Wide and Narrow Alley neighbourhood. Chongqing-style hot pot in the evening.
Giant panda research base in the morning, when the pandas are most active. Sichuan cooking class and Sichuan opera with face-changing performance.
Flight to Shanghai. French Concession in the afternoon, the Bund at dusk. Farewell dinner at Mr & Mrs Bund. International connection.
Beijing → Xi'an → Guilin → Chengdu → Yunnan
Empire, karst, alpine nature and ethnic villages
The serious deep-China journey: the complete five-region itinerary plus Yunnan, with Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Tibetan monasteries of Shangri-La. Fourteen days for those who want to read the whole country.
CocoVolare welcome, check-in at the Aman Summer Palace. Afternoon hutong tour and Tiananmen at dusk.
Forbidden City with a dedicated interpreter. Temple of Heaven and Peking duck.
Jinshanling or restricted section with CocoVolare authorisation. Summer Palace.
Flight to Xi'an. Muslim Quarter and city wall by bicycle. Dumpling banquet.
Terracotta Army with early access and archaeologist. Flight to Guilin.
Li River cruise with cook on board. Yangshuo West Street.
Tai chi at dawn and bicycle exploration through villages and rice paddies.
Flight to Chengdu. Wide and Narrow Alley and hot pot in the evening.
Giant panda base in the morning. Sichuan cooking class and Sichuan opera.
Flight to Lijiang. Check-in at Amandayan or Banyan Tree. Naxi old town at dusk.
Guided trekking on the moderate section. Return to Lijiang and Naxi dinner in a courtyard house.
Transfer to Shangri-La. Songzanlin Monastery and Lake Pudacuo. Tibetan dinner with a host family.
Flight to Shanghai. Afternoon for the Bund, gardens and curated shopping.
Farewell dinner at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana or Fu He Hui. International connection.
Shanghai → Guilin → Beijing
Beginning the rest of your life between neon and ink
China at its most intimate: view suites in every city, a private rooftop dinner on the Bund, a private junk cruise at dawn on the Li River, calligraphy for two with a master and a finale at the Aman Summer Palace in Beijing. Every detail designed to celebrate.
Arrival and check-in with suite upgrade overlooking the Bund at the Peninsula Shanghai. Afternoon rest and sunset from a Pudong rooftop.
Walk through the French Concession with an architecture guide. Intimate lunch and couples' spa in the afternoon. Private rooftop dinner on the Bund with a violinist.
Yu Garden at opening time and old Shanghai. Free afternoon for curated silk shopping. Tasting dinner with Pudong views.
Flight to Guilin and check-in in a suite at the Banyan Tree Yangshuo amid rice paddies. Dinner beside the Li River.
Private Li River cruise at dawn on a classic junk, with tea on a bamboo deck. Afternoon cycling through villages. Romantic dinner.
Tai chi at dawn by the river with a master. Free afternoon and open-air dinner in a lantern-lit rice paddy with a host family.
Flight to Beijing and check-in with suite upgrade at the Aman Summer Palace, beside the Summer Palace walls. Pre-public access to the palace.
Forbidden City with a dedicated cultural interpreter. Afternoon calligraphy session for two with a master in a hutong. Peking duck dinner.
Great Wall at the Jiankou section with boutique camping: trekking, village lunch and dinner under the stars in an adapted stone cottage.
Restful morning at the Aman Summer Palace. Transfer to the airport for the international connection, or an optional extra night with a private suite dinner.
Beijing → Chengdu → Shanghai
Eight regional cuisines — table by table
An itinerary for serious food travellers: Peking duck and imperial cuisine in Beijing, Chengdu's fiery Sichuan cooking, spice-market tours with a chef and contemporary fine dining and xiao long bao in Shanghai. Well-designed, China is one of the world's great culinary journeys.
Arrival and check-in in a Dongcheng courtyard house. Late breakfast of jianbing at a morning market. Peking duck dinner at Siji Minfu, carved at the table.
Forbidden City with a cultural interpreter. Afternoon market with a home cook. Private imperial dinner in a restored Ming pavilion, with Qing court recipes.
Morning at Ghost Street for skewers and crayfish. Flight to Chengdu and check-in at The Temple House. Chongqing-style hot pot in the evening, fiery on two levels.
Chengdu spice market tour with a foodie guide: Sichuan pepper, dried chillies, star anise. Sichuan cooking class with a local chef: mapo tofu and kung pao chicken.
Morning giant panda visit. Flight to Shanghai and check-in at The PuLi. Xiao long bao dinner at Din Tai Fung or Jia Jia Tang Bao.
Shanghai fish market and Shanghainese lunch at Jesse. French Concession afternoon with third-wave coffee. Tasting dinner at Mr & Mrs Bund.
Yu Garden at opening time and tea at Huxinting Teahouse. Curated farewell lunch. Transfer to Pudong Airport for the international connection.
We tailor itineraries for honeymoons, families with children or teenagers, foodies, slow travellers, adventurers and the Silk Road route all the way to Dunhuang and Kashgar. Zero templates. A quote within 24 hours from a dedicated travel designer.
Start your quoteThese are not tours. They are private access, cultural interpreters who understand the imperial codes and a pace set entirely to yours. Ten experiences worth planning a journey around.
Fourteen kilometres of Ming city wall from 1370 — the only medieval wall in China that still encircles an entire historic centre. Ride by bicycle or tandem along the top, best at dusk.
Xi'an · dusk
The sacred complex where the emperor prayed for the harvest — perfect geometry in blue. Visit at 7am to find tai chi, Chinese chess and amateur orchestras playing in the gardens.
Beijing · morning
Yuan and Ming-era residential alleyways where daily life is as neighbourly as a village within a megacity. Walking tour or pedicab ride, and entry into an authentic siheyuan courtyard house.
Beijing · afternoonWalking Shanghai's art deco waterfront as Pudong lights up across the river: China's twentieth century visible in a single stroll. Close with dinner in a skyscraper overlooking the Huangpu.
Shanghai · dusk and nightSuzhou is China's classical garden capital, with nine UNESCO-listed gardens. Ming-dynasty landscaping of pavilions, ponds and scholar's rocks — best at opening time, before the groups arrive.
Suzhou · morning
The Hui community present since the Tang dynasty — 1,300 years of tradition. Beiyuanmen Street with intense street food, China's oldest mosque and spice bazaars.
Xi'an · night
A private session in a hutong studio: learning four characters with ink and xuan paper, sampling six teas and understanding a tradition that teaches you how to see. Off the usual circuit entirely.
Beijing · two hoursSailing the 83 km of karst landscape between Guilin and Yangshuo on a junk, between four-hundred-million-year-old limestone pillars. Best on a private boat with a cook on board.
Guilin to Yangshuo · full day
In March and April cherry trees blanket the gardens of Hangzhou and Suzhou, while pre-Qingming longjing tea is harvested on the West Lake hills — the most prestigious leaves of the year.
Hangzhou · spring
At 6:30am Chinese parks come alive: tai chi, grandparents dancing in squares, calligraphy written in water on the pavement. A class with a local master is the best possible way to begin the day.
Beijing or Shanghai · dawnEvery property is part of our private network with confidential rates. These are not simply "the most famous" in the country — they are the ones that open doors and understand the CocoVolare rhythm.
We work with additional properties in hutong courtyard houses, Yunnan lodges and Yangtze residences. The final selection depends on the travel profile.
Chinese gastronomy is not a single cuisine — it is eight. From Peking duck to a twelve-course menu synchronised with light and aroma, eating in China means entering a new culinary code every four hours of train travel. A pantry of four thousand years turned into memory.
Dongcheng · Beijing
Perfect Peking duck, carved at the table, with crisp skin and house-made pancakes. Modern atmosphere without tourist theatrics, steps from the Forbidden City.
Secret address · Shanghai
Three Michelin stars. Ten diners per night, twenty courses synchronised with light, sound and aroma. One of the most singular gastronomic experiences in the world.
Wudaoying · Beijing
High-end Chinese vegetarian cuisine beside the Yonghe Lama Temple, with Michelin recognition. Shiitake mushrooms in jujube consommé.
Yangfang Hutong · Beijing
A family restaurant recreating recipes from the last emperor's court, in a hutong house. Book two weeks ahead.
Tianping Lu · Shanghai
Home-style Shanghainese food in an intimate room. Its hong shao rou — braised pork belly in a deep red sauce — is emblematic of the Yangtze Delta.
Muslim Quarter · Xi'an
Since 1898. Yang rou pao mo — lamb soup with hand-crumbled flatbread — is the defining dish of the northwest capital.
A well-chosen moment turns a trip into a memory. We design your itinerary around the experience that matters most to you.
The country's most important celebration and the largest annual migration on the planet. Red lanterns, temple fairs and the symbolism of the new lunar year.
Monumental illuminated ice sculptures in Heilongjiang province, at 25 degrees below zero. An unrepeatable winter experience.
Cherry trees blanket the gardens of Wuhan, Beijing, Hangzhou and Suzhou. Three weeks of peak bloom in the Chinese spring.
China's national flower in the historic gardens of Luoyang, during the ideal season of clear skies and perfect photography.
Traditional dragon boat races on Chinese rivers and zongzi — sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves — in the fifth lunar month.
Full moon, moon cakes and family reunion. One of the most cherished celebrations in the Chinese calendar.
The founding of the People's Republic opens Golden Week, with mass domestic tourism. Beautiful to witness, best avoided for transfers.
The reds and golds of Wutai Shan, Anhui and Sichuan, and the rice terrace harvest of Yuanyang in Yunnan.
Real reviews from clients, rotating automatically.
Real stories from CocoVolare travellers in China. Rotating every 6 seconds. Pauses on hover.
We arrived at the Terracotta Army half an hour before opening, with an archaeologist from the museum itself. We stood alone in front of Pit One, looking at each face one by one. By the time the tour groups filed in, we had already truly experienced it. CocoVolare had timed it to the minute.
I was worried about China because of the language. The team had me set up with Alipay and an eSIM before I left, and in every city there was a cultural interpreter waiting for us. I never had to open a map or negotiate a price the entire trip. That invisible network changes everything.
Our Beijing interpreter didn't give us a postcard tour — he opened up the Qing dynasty codes inside the Forbidden City, took us to a real siheyuan house and sat us down to do calligraphy with a master. Four thousand years stopped being a statistic.
I travelled alone and never felt alone. The driver, the interpreter, even the team at the Banyan Tree in Yangshuo — by day three they knew my name. China turned out to be one of the safest and most comfortable destinations I have ever visited.
We had Peking duck in Beijing, hot pot at a home in Chengdu and a twelve-course menu in Shanghai. I thought I knew Chinese food. China showed me I hadn't tasted the most interesting part — there are eight entirely distinct cuisines.
No unnecessary disclaimers, no inflated marketing copy. These are the questions China travellers ask us most.
Tell us what excites you and we will have a tailor-made proposal in your hands in under 24 hours, with a dedicated travel designer.
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"I travelled alone and never felt alone. CocoVolare builds an invisible network that holds the whole trip together."· Carolina Vidal · Madrid
