Destinations: Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen, Shanghai Museum, Zhujiajiao
China School Tour Beijing–Shanghai: Two Faces of China
This 9-day programme answers the classic first-timer question - "what is China?" - with both answers: the imperial capital and the future-facing metropolis. Starting in Beijing, students walk the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, ride the world's fastest high-speed rail, and end in Shanghai among the skyscrapers of Lujiazui, the treasures of the Shanghai Museum and a water-town day on the canals. The Beijing–Shanghai pairing is the most efficient route in China: no backtracking, two great gateways, and a rail journey that is itself a lesson in modern engineering.
Optional Extensions
Day 1 - Beijing Arrival: Meet your educator at the airport, transfer to the hotel, welcome dinner and a first evening walk through Qianmen's lantern-lit streets.
Day 2 - The Forbidden City: Guided morning through the palace - gates, terraces, halls and gardens - with the roof hierarchy and symbolism decoded as you walk. Climb Jingshan for the panorama; afternoon at Tiananmen Square and the National Museum's dynastic galleries.
Day 3 - The Great Wall: Mutianyu by cable car and on foot; an on-wall session on the Wall's construction and history; optional toboggan descent. Afternoon at the Olympic Park.
Day 4 - Temple of Heaven & Hutongs: Morning rituals at the Temple of Heaven; afternoon hutong rickshaw ride, courtyard visit and tea; evening Peking Opera performance at a historic theatre.
Day 5 - School Exchange & the High-Speed Rail: Morning inside a partner Beijing school (shadowing, joint activities, buddies). Afternoon: board the high-speed rail to Shanghai (about 4.5–5 hours) - a lesson in itself, as your guide explains the network that now links China's cities at 350 km/h. Evening on the Bund, with the skyline lit across the river.
Day 6 - Shanghai Museum & the Skyline: Morning at the Shanghai Museum, with its celebrated bronzes, ceramics and paintings. Afternoon to the top of a Lujiazui skyscraper - the Shanghai Tower or the Oriental Pearl - for the full-view lesson in modern urban China; walk the Bund at dusk.
Day 7 - STEM Shanghai: Morning at a robotics lab or on the maglev train (430 km/h); afternoon at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, where interactive exhibits cover space, robotics and the natural world. Evening: a group discussion comparing Beijing's imperial past with Shanghai's future.
Day 8 - Water Town Day: Full day at Zhujiajiao, the "Venice of Shanghai": gondola rides, stone bridges, rice-flour pastries and a silk or woodblock workshop. Farewell dinner with a group reflection session.
Day 9 - Departure: Free morning; airport transfer from Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao.
