Three Chinas in twelve gentle days — the neon-and-glass future of Shanghai, the floating sandstone pillars that inspired Avatar, and the wild river city of Chongqing. We built this one for families with kids: relaxed mornings, no forced marches, a full day at Disneyland, and the real wonders timed so the little ones still have energy when the big views arrive. Your guide and driver are local, English-speaking, and yours alone — never shared with strangers.
Why this 12-day journey
- 100% private — your family only, never thrown in with a group of strangers
- English-speaking local guides in every city, and a private vehicle throughout
- A full day at Shanghai Disneyland, the real Avatar mountains, and Chongqing’s neon riverfront in one seamless trip
- A professional Hanfu & Miao photo session for the family — worth $299, included free
- No shopping stops, no hidden commissions, ever
- Relaxed, family-friendly pacing, with deliberately soft arrival and departure days for the long flights
Your day-by-day
Day 1 — Arrive Shanghai: soft landing & the Bund at dusk
Met right at Pudong arrivals with a name board and a smooth private transfer — no taxi queue. We keep day one deliberately empty so the kids can sleep off the jet lag, then take an easy dusk stroll along the Bund as the Pudong skyline (the Pearl, the 632m Shanghai Tower) switches on across the river.
Day 2 — Classic Shanghai: Yu Garden, the Old City & French Concession
Yu Garden at opening, before the crowds — a 400-year-old maze of koi ponds and dragon walls the kids love. Soup dumplings in the Old City at a spot our guides actually eat at, then the leafy, plane-tree lanes of the French Concession at a bench-and-snack pace.
Day 3 — Shanghai Disneyland: a full family day
Your driver delivers you straight to the gate with pre-arranged tickets — no parking stress, no Metro with tired children. Your guide shares a locals’ playbook (which headline rides to hit before 10am, the best parade spot) then steps back so the family has its own day, on call by WhatsApp. Stay for the fireworks over the Enchanted Storybook Castle, or call the car early.
Day 4 — Fly to Zhangjiajie: a gentle arrival in the mountains
An unhurried morning, then a sensibly-timed ~2.5-hour flight south. Met by your local Zhangjiajie guide and settled in near the National Forest Park gate, where the air is cooler and the pace drops a gear. A warm Tujia-style welcome dinner, then an early night before the big mountain day.
Day 5 — The real Avatar mountains
The day you came for. Up the Bailong Elevator — a glass lift bolted to a 326m cliff — into the world of floating quartz-sandstone pillars that inspired the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar. Paved viewing platforms (Yuanjiajie, the ‘Avatar Hallelujah’ pillar) and park shuttles mean huge views with very little climbing for small legs.
Day 6 — Tianmen Mountain: cableway, glass skywalk & Heaven’s Gate
One of the world’s longest passenger cable cars (nearly 7.5km) glides up over the 99-bend road. The famous glass skywalks cling to the cliff — fully optional, with solid-floor paths alongside. Then Heaven’s Gate, the vast natural arch through the mountain; escalators inside mean the family reaches it without the 999-step climb.
Day 7 — Grand Canyon Glass Bridge + an easy canyon walk
The record-setting glass bridge — around 430m long, 300m above the canyon floor, with handrails the whole way and a non-glass route for anyone who’d prefer it. Below, a gentle, mostly downhill trail past waterfalls and shaded pools, ending with an optional little boat ride across the canyon lake.
Day 8 — Tujia & Miao culture + your free Hanfu/Miao photo session
A deliberately easy half-day in a Tujia/Miao village — embroidery, silver headdresses, a folk-song welcome, food the kids can help make. Then your signature moment, included free (worth $299): the whole family styled in flowing silks and silver and photographed by a real photographer against the Avatar peaks — your own xianxia fairytale scene to take home.
Day 9 — High-speed rail to Chongqing: Hongyadong by night
A smooth bullet train (~2.5–3.5 hours) — far gentler than another airport, and kids love it. Settle into this dramatic river city, then Hongyadong after dark: a stilted complex of traditional Bayu houses stacked eleven storeys up the bank, lit gold like a scene from Spirited Away, reflected in the Jialing River.
Day 10 — Chongqing icons: Yangtze cableway, Liziba train & Ciqikou
The Yangtze River Cableway across the water, then Liziba — where the light-rail metro runs straight through a residential apartment block (the kids won’t believe it until they see it). Old-town Ciqikou’s flagstone lanes, teahouses and street snacks, kept loose with plenty of rest stops.
Day 11 — Chongqing flavours: authentic hotpot & free family time
A slow buffer day — a real lie-in, an optional panda visit, or a quiet riverside walk. Then the Chongqing finale: authentic hotpot, the dish this city gave the world. Your guide books a respected local house and orders a split pot — fiery on one side, mild on the other — so kids and spice-shy adults feast happily alongside the brave.
Day 12 — Depart Chongqing: a relaxed goodbye
No early scramble. A full breakfast and an unhurried morning, then your private guide and driver see you off properly at the airport — not a kerbside drop — reachable by WhatsApp right up until you’re through security. Onward home with a camera full of skylines, floating mountains, silver headdresses and hotpot steam.
What’s included
- 100% private tour — your family only; private vehicle and English-speaking local guide throughout
- 11 nights comfortable 4-star hotels (Shanghai / Zhangjiajie / Chongqing) with daily breakfast
- All meals marked B/L/D in the day plan, at genuine local restaurants — including the split-pot hotpot dinner in Chongqing
- Professional Hanfu & Miao photo session for the family — worth $299, included free
- Domestic flight Shanghai–Zhangjiajie and high-speed rail Zhangjiajie–Chongqing
- All attraction tickets in the itinerary: Shanghai Disneyland 1-day, Yu Garden, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park + Bailong Elevator + park shuttles, Tianmen Mountain cableway, Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, Yangtze River Cableway
- Tujia/Miao village cultural visit
- All private airport/station transfers and meet-and-greet
- Personalised PDF itinerary within 2 hours of your enquiry; 24/7 emergency support throughout
Not included
- International flights to Shanghai and home from Chongqing
- China visa fees and travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not marked in the day plan (your guide always recommends and can book)
- Optional add-ons: Huangpu River night cruise, panda visit, upgraded photo packages (extra outfits / drone / family portrait)
- Personal expenses, shopping and gratuities — there are no shopping stops or hidden commissions on this tour, ever
- Hotel upgrades to 5-star or boutique (quoted transparently on request)
Accommodation
Well-located comfortable 4-star hotels throughout — central in Shanghai near the Bund, by the National Forest Park gate in Zhangjiajie, and riverside in Chongqing. Family or connecting rooms arranged where possible. Prefer more space and polish? We can lift any leg to 5-star city hotels or larger family suites and value-stack the difference transparently in your PDF — just tell us which cities matter most.
Price
From approximately $2,900 per person, based on two adults sharing a comfortable 4-star room. More travellers lower the per-person rate — a family of four lands meaningfully lower per head. Booked piece by piece (private guide and driver, eleven nights of hotels, the Disneyland and all attraction tickets, the flight and the bullet train, the included photo session), the same journey runs well over $8,000 for a family of four; with us, as one private package, it costs less and you skip every logistics headache. The exact, itemised per-person price is confirmed in your personalised PDF within 2 hours of your enquiry. Deposit ~$100 per person to hold your dates; balance on arrival. Cancellation: full refund 14+ days before departure, 50% refund 7–13 days before, none within 7 days unless force majeure.
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates, who’s travelling and what matters most, and our Zhangjiajie-based team will tailor this 12-day journey to your family — with a full day-by-day plan and pricing back to you within 2 hours. Prefer WhatsApp? Message us at +86 189 7441 2915.
What our guests say
Real guests, real words – translated from their original Chinese and Cantonese reviews. We never invent a review.
“We experienced Zhangjiajie in drizzle, mist and sunshine – and loved every minute. Special thanks to our guide A-Jing: professional, attentive, and he timed everything so well that whenever we were tired, he had already built in a rest stop. We will absolutely be telling our friends to visit.”
“An absolute joy – excellent value, and the guide service was thoughtful at every turn. Even the shuttle to the high-speed rail station was already included, so we never once needed a taxi. No surprises, no hidden costs.”
“Shiny looked after us so thoughtfully – everything perfectly arranged, and the commentary at every stop detailed and heartfelt. Our driver was first-rate too: steady, precise, always putting safety first. I will recommend them to my friends without hesitation.”
🔒 Only a ~US$100 per-person deposit to book – balance before you travel. Pay safely via PayPal, card (Stripe) or Wise, with full buyer protection. Free cancellation up to 14 days before departure.
Make it unforgettable – optional add-ons
Your private trip is yours to shape. Tell us when you enquire and we fold any of these into your itinerary and quote – no pressure, no fixed packages.
- Cultural experiences from $80 per person – Tujia home cooking, Miao embroidery, or a mountain-teahouse tea ceremony.
- Travel photography – a professional Hanfu / ethnic-costume photoshoot among the peaks; upgrade to Premium or Royal, add a drone session (+$200) or a family portrait (+$150).
- Slow it down – extra rest days, a private sunrise viewpoint, or a quiet local village most tours never reach.