17-Day VIP Private China Tour: A Multi-City Family Journey

Client Brief and Travel Requirements

Dr Pasricha had visited China before, so a standard first-time visitor itinerary was not appropriate. He wanted to return with his family and experience a broader side of China, including:

• A private multi-city China itinerary
• English-speaking local guides
• A comfortable pace suitable for a long-day journey
• A balance of history, nature and modern China
• Private guides and drivers throughout
• Higher-class rail and domestic flight arrangements
• Selected Indian meals & Chinese cuisine during the journey
• No compulsory shopping stops

Since the family had already experienced China before, the focus was not simply visiting famous attractions. The itinerary needed to provide deeper experiences while remaining comfortable and practical.

As an experienced China traveller, the client was looking for a more personalized return visit rather than a standard package tour.

Why It Was Challenging

Turning Seven Destinations into One Connected Journey

The route covered seven destinations, but each city had a different travel purpose.

• Beijing and Xi’an focused on China's historical heritage.
• Chongqing introduced a modern city shaped by mountains, rivers and unique urban development.
• Guilin, Yangshuo and Zhangjiajie provided the natural landscape experience.
• Shanghai completed the journey with a combination of traditional neighbourhoods and modern city life.

Dr Pasricha and family visiting Terracotta Army Museum during a private Xi'an China tour

The challenge was making these different experiences work together as one journey.

Pasricha family should feel they were travelling through one carefully planned itinerary, rather than joining seven separate city tours separately.

Managing Different Local Operations

A multi-city private tour involves many moving parts. For this journey, ChinaTourDMC managed:

• Local guides and drivers
• Hotels
• High-speed rail and domestic flights
• Airport and railway transfers
• Attraction tickets
• Scenic-area transportation
• Dining arrangements
• Inter-city handovers

Different teams supported different destinations, but all arrangements followed one central itinerary. This allowed the Pasricha family to travel with consistent service standards throughout China.

Planning Transportation Around Comfort

Transportation was an important part of the journey.

The programme included:

• Business-class high-speed rail where available
• First-class rail when business class was unavailable
• Business-class domestic flights
• Inter-city private vehicle transfers

Pasricha family were in the the business-class cabin of China’s Fuxing high-speed bullet train from Beijing to Xi'an

The purpose was not simply reaching the next destination, but ensuring that long-distance travel fitted naturally into the overall sightseeing schedule.

Creating a Practical Zhangjiajie Experience

Zhangjiajie required particular planning because its major attractions are spread across different areas.

Instead of trying to cover everything within one or two rushed days, the itinerary allocated three days for:

• Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
• Tianmen Mountain
• Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and Glass Bridge

Dr Pasricha and his family were in front of the entrance building for Tianmen Mountain Cableway, Zhangjiajie

This allowed the family to experience the destination at a more comfortable pace.