13 Days Beijing, Pingyao, Xi’an & Tibet Train Tour

Beijing → Great Wall → Pingyao Ancient City → Red Lantern Streets → Xi'an → Terra Cotta Warriors → Qinghai-Tibet Railway → Lhasa → Sera Monastery

1. Day1

   Arrive Beijing — Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven

   Meals NoneOvernight Beijing hotel

   Arrive in Beijing. Visit Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven — the circular ceremonial altar where Ming and Qing emperors made offerings to heaven for good harvests. Extraordinary architecture in a vast parkland setting.

2. Day2

   Beijing — Great Wall, Forbidden City

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Beijing hotel

   A full day on Beijing’s two defining monuments. The Great Wall at Badaling — snaking across rugged mountain ridgelines, one of the great engineering feats of the ancient world. The Forbidden City — 9,999 rooms within towering vermillion walls, the imperial heart of China for five centuries.

3. Day3

   Bullet Train to Pingyao — Ancient Walled City

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Pingyao traditional courtyard hotel

   Board the high-speed bullet train to Pingyao (approximately 2.5 hours from Beijing). Pingyao’s ancient city walls — built in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty — enclose a remarkably intact historic town of cobblestone lanes, traditional courtyard residences, red lanterns strung between grey-tile rooftops, and centuries-old shop fronts. Walk the full circuit of the city walls at sunset.

4. Day4

   Pingyao — Rishengchang Exchange House, County Government Office

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Pingyao traditional courtyard hotel

   A slow morning exploring Pingyao’s old streets. The Rishengchang Exchange House — founded in 1823 — was China’s first financial institution and the origin of the Chinese banking system; its restored offices and vaults offer a fascinating window into Qing Dynasty commerce. The old County Government Office nearby is one of China’s best-preserved ancient administrative buildings.

5. Day5

   Bullet Train to Xi'an — Terra Cotta Warriors

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Xi'an hotel

   Morning bullet train to Xi’an (approximately 2 hours). Head directly to the Terra Cotta Warriors — the underground mausoleum of China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang, guarded by 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, horses, and chariots arranged in precise battle formation. Each warrior’s face is individually sculpted. The scale and craftsmanship, 2,200 years after burial, is extraordinary.

6. Day6

   Xi'an — Ancient City Walls, Muslim Quarter, Big Wild Goose Pagoda

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Xi'an hotel

   Rent a bicycle and ride the full circuit of Xi’an’s ancient city walls — 14 kilometres of battlements offering panoramic views over the old city. The Muslim Quarter below is a labyrinth of food stalls, mosques, and market lanes, famous for hand-pulled noodles, pomegranate juice, and crunchy sesame flatbreads. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built in 652 AD to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India, rises above the southern quarter of the city.

7. Day7

   Bullet Train Xi'an → Xining (Connecting Point) — Board Tibet Train

   Meals Breakfast

   Morning bullet train from Xi’an to Xining (approximately 2 hours) — the mandatory gateway to Tibet by rail. From Xining, board the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in the evening. The train departs into the darkness of the plateau, climbing steadily through the night.

8. Day8

   On the Qinghai-Tibet Railway — Arrive Lhasa

   Meals NoneOvernight Lhasa hotel

   The plateau crossing unfolds in full daylight: vast open grasslands, wild yak herds, Tibetan antelope, nomad encampments, and the Tanggula Pass at 5,072 metres — the world’s highest railway pass. Arrive Lhasa in the evening.

9. Day9

   Lhasa — Rest and Acclimatize

   Meals BreakfastOvernight Lhasa hotel

   A full day of rest at 3,600 metres. Drink water, eat lightly, move slowly. A short evening walk through the old Tibetan quarter is all that is recommended.

10. Day10

    Lhasa — Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street

    Meals BreakfastOvernight Lhasa hotel

    The three essential sites of Lhasa: the imposing Potala Palace with its gilded chapels and Dalai Lama history, the sacred Jokhang Temple with its precious Jowo Rinpoche statue, and Barkhor Street’s living pilgrim circuit of prayer wheels, incense smoke, and Tibetan market stalls.

11. Day11

    Lhasa — Sera Monastery, Tibet Museum

    Meals BreakfastOvernight Lhasa hotel

    Morning at Sera Monastery for the famous afternoon monk debates (15:00–17:00, except Sundays) — one of Tibet’s most vivid cultural spectacles. Tibet Museum for exhibits on Tibetan history, traditional art, and Buddhist culture.

12. Day12

    Lhasa — Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Gyantse (Day Trip)

    Meals BreakfastOvernight Lhasa hotel

    The classic day trip west of Lhasa: Kampala Pass and the vivid turquoise panorama of Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier at the roadside, and Gyantse’s extraordinary Kumbum Pagoda with its seventy individual chapels. Return to Lhasa in the evening.

13. Day13

    Lhasa Departure

    Meals Breakfast

    Transfer to Lhasa airport or train station for departure. This 4-day Lhasa example can be extended to include Everest Base Camp, Shigatse, or any other Tibet destination. Contact us to design the right itinerary for your schedule.

    Meals: Breakfast Tibet Permit — Required for All Visitors Every visitor to Tibet must hold a Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit. It is mandatory, cannot be obtained on arrival, and differs by nationality. We handle the full application once you book — please allow at least 15 days before your departure date.