Itinerary
- Day 1
Shanghai
Settle into your Shanghai hotel and get ready for a 6 pm welcome meeting with your group. After that, the evening is completely yours to wander around the city. The lights are bright, the energy's electric, and you'll find food options on nearly every corner if you want to grab something casual.
Optional Activities
- Explore Shanghai's eclectic food scene
- Experience Shanghai's bright lights and frenetic pace
- Day 2
Shanghai
Your morning is flexible. Check out Shanghai First Food if you're interested in a massive food market, or visit the Propaganda Museum, Pearl Tower's observation decks, Yuyuan Gardens, or explore modern Pudong on your own. Around midday or early afternoon, join a cooking class with a local chef to learn how to make Shanghai dumplings, which you'll eat for an early dinner. Later on, your leader will walk you through historical Shanghai, showing you the Bund's art deco buildings and the French Concession's tree-lined streets. The rest of the evening is yours for more food exploring.
- Meals
- Lunch (Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao) prepared during cooking class), Dinner (Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao) from cooking class)
Included Activities
- Shanghai First Food visit
- Propaganda Museum
- Pearl Tower observation decks
- Yuyuan Gardens and Bazaar
- Shanghai dumpling cooking class
- Walking tour of historical Shanghai - Bund and French Concession
Optional Activities
- Rooftop bar drink overlooking the city (not included)
- Wangfujing Night Market exploration
- Ghost Street dinner
Landmarks/POIs Shanghai First Food Shanghai Propaganda Museum Pearl Tower Yuyuan Gardens and Bazaar The Bund French Concession - Day 3
Shanghai to Beijing
Catch a bullet train to Beijing in the afternoon. Once you arrive, there's a 6 pm welcome meeting at your hotel. Afterward, wander the Beijing streets at your own pace and get a feel for the city.
Optional Activities
- Explore Beijing streets
- Day 4
Beijing
Start by walking through Beijing's hutong neighborhoods and markets to see what Northern Chinese cooking uses in terms of ingredients and spices. Head to Tian'anmen Square and then spend time at the Forbidden City, a massive complex built over 500 years ago. For dinner, try authentic Peking duck at a traditional roast duck restaurant.
- Meals
- Dinner (Peking duck at a traditional kaoyadian (roast duck restaurant))
Included Activities
- Hutong neighbourhoods exploration
- Hutong market visit
- Tian'anmen Square visit
- Forbidden City tour
Landmarks/POIs Tian'anmen Square Forbidden City - Day 5
Beijing
Drive about 2 hours to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Spend your time walking along the wall, taking photos, and learning its history. The terrain gets steep in sections, so wear good shoes. You choose how far to go. Head back to Beijing by mid afternoon. Evening options include joining your leader at Wangfujing Night Market or eating at Ghost Street before catching a night train to Xi'an.
Included Activities
- Mutianyu Great Wall visit and exploration
Optional Activities
- Wangfujing Night Market walking tour
- Ghost Street dinner
Landmarks/POIs Mutianyu Great Wall - Day 6
Xi'an
Arrive in Xi'an around midday and get a quick orientation walk. The rest of the day is open for you to explore this ancient imperial capital. In the evening, head to the Muslim Quarter for a food crawl. Try beef or lamb kebabs, cold noodles, lamb soup, and various types of dumplings. This area is why Xi'an has a reputation for snacks.
- Meals
- Dinner (Food crawl in Muslim Quarter with beef or lamb kebabs, cold noodles, lamb soup, and steaming dumplings)
Included Activities
- Orientation walk
- Muslim Quarter food crawl
Optional Activities
- Free exploration of Xi'an
Landmarks/POIs Muslim Quarter - Day 7
Xi'an
Start early with local breakfast favorites like eight treasure rice porridge and hula soup. Travel about 2 hours into the countryside to visit the Terracotta Warriors. Walk through three main pits containing over 6,000 individually sculpted clay soldiers. Grab lunch at a local farmer-owned restaurant. Later, you can visit Xi'an's city walls or the Drum and Bell Towers. In the late afternoon, catch a bullet train to Chengdu.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Local Xi'an breakfast specialties including ba bao zhou (eight treasure rice porridge) and hula soup), Lunch (Farmer-owned restaurant lunch at Terracotta Warriors site)
Included Activities
- Local Xi'an breakfast specialties
- Terracotta Warriors archaeological site tour
Optional Activities
- Xi'an city walls walk
- Drum and Bell Towers exploration
Landmarks/POIs Terracotta Warriors Drum Tower Bell Tower - Day 8
Chengdu
Visit a market and work with a local chef to understand Sichuan cuisine's core elements while gathering ingredients. Take a cooking class and prepare lunch from what you make. Walk through central Chengdu, seeing Tianfu Square and then spending time at People's Park to experience the tea culture. You might try mahjong, badminton, or join locals singing and dancing. In the evening, explore Jinli Street to sample local snacks like sticky rice cakes, spicy chicken, sweet rice jelly, fried beef pancakes, and other specialties.
- Meals
- Lunch (Sichuan dishes prepared during cooking class)
Included Activities
- Market visit with local chef
- Sichuan cooking class
- Walking tour of central Chengdu
- Tianfu Square visit
- People's Park tea culture experience
Optional Activities
- Mahjong
- Badminton
- Singing and dancing with locals
- Jinli Street snack exploration
Landmarks/POIs Tianfu Square People's Park Jinli Street - Day 9
Chengdu
Visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base to see conservation efforts for this endangered species. Over 80 giant and red pandas live across 600 acres. You'll watch them play, eat bamboo, and climb around. During July through September, you might see newborn pandas in the nursery. After, enjoy lunch featuring Sichuan hotpot, a communal meal where everyone picks their own ingredients to cook in spiced broth.
- Meals
- Lunch (Authentic Sichuan hotpot (huo guo) - communal pot of spiced broth with individually selected ingredients)
Included Activities
- Giant Panda Breeding Research Base visit
Landmarks/POIs Giant Panda Breeding Research Base - Day 10
Chengdu
Your Real Food Adventure China tour ends today. There are no scheduled activities, so you're free to leave your accommodation whenever you're ready.
