A big journey starts small · with Boutique China
From skyscrapers to ancient villages and tea gardens — eight days exploring two sides of China. Shanghai's hidden lanes and urban energy, Anhui's ancient villages, crafts and tea traditions, and Hangzhou's perfect balance of culture and nature.
8 guests max. Village lanes, a farm kitchen table and a craft bench only work at that size — and it means the group can turn down a lane because someone wants to.
US$2,960 per person (twin share).
Single room surcharge: US$520
8 days / 7 nights in hand-picked boutique stays — and four of those nights at the same hot-spring resort, so nobody repacks mid-trip.
All experiences & entries: a Huizhou craft workshop, the guided county market, Hongcun, a farm-to-table dinner at Nanping, a full day of tea, West Lake by boat and Lingyin Si.
Daily breakfast, seven lunches and three dinners — including the Xintiandi welcome lunch, the Nanping farm table and the farewell dinner in Hangzhou. Four dinners are left free on purpose.
High-speed rail between all three stops, private vehicle and driver on the village days, an English-speaking lead guide, a second tour leader and on-trip support throughout.
From Shanghai's skyline to rural Anhui's stone villages and Hangzhou's West Lake, this journey explores the contrasts that define China. Begin in one of the country's most dynamic cities, then slow down in Yixian, a county in the hills of southern Anhui where the Huizhou merchants built villages with their fortunes: whitewashed walls, black tiles, stepped gables, and waterways still flowing through the lanes.
Based for four nights at a hot-spring resort outside Hongcun, we explore the countryside beyond the guidebooks — a traditional ink-making and calligraphy workshop, the county market where locals shop, a farm kitchen in Nanping, and a full day following tea from the field to the cup. The journey finishes in Hangzhou, one of China's oldest cities, where West Lake and Longjing tea reveal another side of Jiangnan's timeless beauty.
| Days | Place | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai | Xintiandi Welcome Lunch & the Bund at Sunset |
| 2 | Shanghai → Yixian | French Concession, Jing'an Si & the Afternoon Train South |
| 3 | Bishan | Bamboo Forest Walk & a Huizhou Craft Workshop |
| 4 | Yixian → Hongcun → Nanping | Visit Local Market & Traditional Village (UNESCO Site) |
| 5 | Yixian | Tea Picking, Hand-Roasting & Tasting |
| 6 | Yixian → Hangzhou | West Lake by Foot and Boat, then the Night Market |
| 7 | Hangzhou | Lingyin Temple, the Longjing Tea Hills & Farewell Dinner |
| 8 | Hangzhou | Breakfast, Tour Ends |
Arrive in Shanghai and settle into your hotel, located just steps from People's Square and Nanjing Road. Start your journey with a welcome lunch in Xintiandi, one of Shanghai's most vibrant neighborhoods where historic Shikumen lanes meet modern city life. In the afternoon, join a guided walking tour from Xintiandi to the iconic Bund promenade, discovering the city's history, architecture, and hidden stories along the way. Stay for sunset as Shanghai's skyline transforms with evening lights, then end the day with a tasting of local snacks and Shanghai flavors.
After breakfast, join a guided walk through the French Concession — Shanghai's most elegant neighborhood, where tree-lined streets, historic villas, and hidden lane houses reveal the city's colonial-era past. Discover quiet alleys, beautiful brick residences, and the café culture that gives this area its unique atmosphere. Continue to Jing'an Temple, a golden temple of timber and incense surrounded by modern office towers — a striking contrast between old and new Shanghai. After lunch we leave for Anhui.
Start the morning with a gentle walk through a bamboo forest, surrounded by the peaceful landscapes of rural Anhui. After an authentic Anhui lunch, join a guided tour of Hongcun, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its traditional Huizhou architecture, waterways, and beautifully preserved village layout. Learn about the history, design, and way of life behind these iconic black-and-white dwellings. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your own pace in Hongcun.
Begin the day with a guided walk through a local county market — where southern Anhui residents come to shop for everyday ingredients. Explore stalls filled with bamboo shoots, river fish, preserved meats, and local specialties, including freshly fried hairy tofu and Huangshan shaobing. Lunch is kept intentionally light, saving room for the evening's highlight. In the afternoon, visit Bishan for a traditional ink-making and calligraphy experience, discovering the craftsmanship behind one of China's oldest art forms. End the day with a farm-to-table dinner in Nanping, prepared in the farm's own kitchen using ingredients grown and harvested locally.
Spend a day in Anhui's tea country, meeting local tea farmers and picking fresh leaves in the mountains, then following the journey from leaf to cup as you learn how the tea is traditionally made by hand and taste it in the village where it was grown.
Two hours by train brings us to Hangzhou, one of China's oldest cities and home to the legendary West Lake. After lunch by the water, join a guided walk along the willow-lined causeways before taking a boat onto the lake — the best way to experience the landscape that has inspired artists for centuries. Check in at our lakeside hotel on Nanshan Road, then enjoy dinner and the night market at your own pace.
Visit Lingyin Temple in the morning — one of China's oldest and largest Buddhist monasteries, hidden in a wooded valley beneath cliffs carved with ancient rock figures. Enjoy a traditional vegetarian lunch inspired by centuries-old temple cuisine, then head into the Longjing tea hills above West Lake. Walk through the terraces where China's most famous green tea is grown and finish with a cup of freshly brewed tea in the mountains. Farewell dinner in the evening.
After breakfast, transfer to Hangzhou East Railway Station or Xiaoshan Airport, timed to your onward connection.
Shanghai and Hangzhou are on everyone's list. The four nights in between are not — hidden Huizhou villages without ticket gates, a farm kitchen, a traditional ink workshop, and tea hills discovered through the people who keep these traditions alive.
Seven nights, chosen for where they place you: a new hotel minutes from Nanjing Road and People's Square in the heart of Shanghai, four nights at a hot-spring resort in the Huizhou countryside outside Hongcun, and a lakeside hotel on West Lake with its own private pier.
New in 2026, on Fuzhou Road three minutes' walk from People's Square — Chinese-inflected interiors, and Nanjing Road's pedestrian street a few minutes away, which is the walk down to the Bund.
Opened in 2023 in the countryside five kilometres from Hongcun — whitewashed Huizhou-style buildings around gardens, hot springs open to every guest, and a pool that looks across the valley to the hills.
On the east shore of West Lake — out the back gate and you are on the lakeside path, and the hotel's own pier puts boats straight onto the water. Courtyard gardens, and a breakfast room that looks at the lake.
In rare cases of limited availability, some stays may be replaced with hotels of equal standard.
Tell us a little about your trip and we'll be in touch within ~24 hours. A 20% deposit secures your spot; groups stay small.
