Sichuan Flavors & Karst Wonders: A 10-Day Culinary & Nature Journey from Chengdu to Shanghai

Transport:  Arrive at Chengdu Tianfu/Shuangliu Airport →  Private transfer → Hotel

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in downtown Chengdu (Taikoo Li / Chunxi Road area recommended)

Meals: Evening Welcome Dinner — Authentic Sichuan cuisine (mild spice level to ease Italian palates)

Details: Afternoon arrival. Meet your private guide and driver at the airport. Given the long flight from Italy, the first day is intentionally relaxed. After checking in, take a short walk around the hotel neighborhood to get a feel for Chengdu's rhythm — a city known for being unhurried.

The Welcome Dinner is arranged at a refined Sichuan restaurant near Kuanzhai Alley. Sichuan and Italian cuisines share a philosophical common ground: both celebrate regional ingredients and bold simplicity. Start with approachable dishes like Kung Pao Chicken (mild version), Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi), and Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth (Kai Shui Bai Cai) — dishes that showcase Sichuan's depth beyond just spice. Pair with local craft beer or Qingcheng Mountain tea. This first meal sets the tone: Chinese food is not a challenge — it's a conversation.

Optional: Upgrade to premium vehicle (Mercedes E-class or higher)

Visa tip: Italian passport holders can use the 144-hour visa-free transit at Shanghai/Beijing ports — but this itinerary spans three cities and may not qualify. Recommend applying for a standard tourist (L) visa to avoid complications.

Transport:  Private vehicle all day

Accommodation: Same as Day 1 (Chengdu)

Meals: Lunch at Sichuan Cuisine Museum; Evening hot pot introduction

Morning | Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (08:30-11:30) Depart before 8 AM to catch pandas at their most active hour. Italians are captivated by pandas — these black-and-white creatures are among the most iconic "China-only" wonders. Walk along bamboo-shaded paths to observe pandas eating, playing, and lounging. The Red Panda area is equally charming. Highlights: Moonlight Nursery and Sunlight Nursery (baby pandas visible in breeding season).

Midday | Sichuan Cuisine Museum (12:00-15:00) — Core highlight Located in Pidu District, this is not a "look-don't-touch" museum — it's interactive, edible, and unforgettable. This is your strongest card for Italian guests.
Explore exhibits on Sichuan cuisine philosophy — "One dish, one style; a hundred dishes, a hundred flavors"
Watch the blindfolded silk-thin noodle slicing performance — a breathtaking knife skill demonstration
Hands-on cooking: Make a classic Sichuan dish (Mapo Tofu or Kung Pao Chicken) under a master chef's guidance
Street food buffet tasting: 20+ varieties including Zhong Shui Jiao (dumplings), Dan Dan Noodles, San Da Pao (glutinous rice balls), Husband-and-Wife Lung Slices, and more

Evening | Kuanzhai Alley & Hot Pot Introduction (18:00-21:00) Dinner booking at a Yuan Yang (mandarin duck) hot pot — half clear broth, half mild spicy broth. This gives Italian guests a safety option. Hot pot has no direct Italian equivalent, but explain it as "Chinese fondue" — a social dining experience where everyone cooks at the table. They'll get it instantly. After dinner, stroll through Kuanzhai Alley to experience Chengdu's nightlife — laid-back, colorful, very photogenic.

Transport:  Private vehicle all day

Accommodation: Same (Chengdu)

Meals: Lunch at Wenshu Monastery vegetarian restaurant or local Sichuan; Evening private dining

Morning | People's Park & Heming Teahouse (09:30-11:30) This is Chengdu at its most Italian — the art of doing nothing beautifully. Order a cup of gaiwan tea, sit in a bamboo chair, and watch locals play mahjong, chat, and get ear cleaning services. Italians will recognize this immediately — it's their hometown piazza aperitivo culture, translated into Chinese terms. Have a master ear-cleaner give interested guests a try (surprisingly popular with foreigners — they're amazed and delighted).

Midday | Wenshu Monastery (11:30-13:00) Chengdu's best-preserved Buddhist temple (1,400+ years). Visit the complex and experience the serenity of Chinese Buddhism. Your guide should prepare a comparative explanation between Buddhism and Catholicism (Italian guests are almost all Catholic). Lunch options: vegetarian meal at the monastery's restaurant or a nearby Sichuan restaurant.

Afternoon | Free time or Shu Brocade Experience (14:00-17:00) Two options:
Option A: Shu Brocade Museum (Shu Jiang Jin Yuan) — Chengdu's silk brocade tradition. Draw a cross-cultural parallel with Como's silk heritage in Italy. A sophisticated choice.
Option B: Free time — rest at hotel or explore Taikoo Li (IFS mall, Fangsuo Commune bookstore)

Evening | Sichuan Opera & Face-Changing Performance (19:30-21:00) Book VIP seats at Furong Guocui or Shu Feng Ya Yun for the famous Bian Lian (face-changing) opera. Italians have a deep appreciation for theatrical performance (opera tradition). The lightning-fast mask changes will leave them speechless. Reserve the dinner-and-show package for a seamless evening.

Optional: Photography companion — a dedicated photographer to capture cooking, cycling, bamboo rafting

Transport:  Chengdu fly to Guilin (2h) →  Private transfer → Yangshuo (1h drive)

Accommodation: Boutique hotel in Yangshuo (Yulong River area or West Street area recommended)

Meals: Lunch: Guilin rice noodles; Dinner: Yangshuo Beer Fish

Morning | Fly to Guilin (10:00-12:00) Check out, private transfer to airport.

Midday | Guilin rice noodles (12:00-13:30) Quick stop in Guilin city for Guilin Mifen (rice noodles) — think of it as China's version of rice-based pasta. Simple, comforting, and a great intro to Guangxi cuisine.

Afternoon | Yangshuo check-in & Yulong River Bamboo Raft (14:30-17:00) Upon arrival, head straight to the Yulong River for a bamboo raft ride. This is one of the most Italian-friendly experiences in the whole trip — floating silently on a bamboo raft, surrounded by karst peaks rising from the water. The pace is slow, the scenery is breathtaking, and it evokes the romantic feeling of a boat ride on Lake Como — but the landscape is entirely different and magical.

Evening | West Street stroll & Beer Fish dinner (18:00-20:30) West Street is a surprisingly cosmopolitan pedestrian street — cafés, galleries, souvenir shops. Italians won't feel disoriented here. But the must-eat is Yangshuo Beer Fish — the soul dish of the region.

Transport:  Private vehicle +  Bicycle/E-bike

Accommodation: Same (Yangshuo)

Meals: Lunch: farmhouse meal; Dinner: free choice

Morning | Li River Cruise — Yangdi to Xingping (09:00-12:00) The most photogenic stretch of the Li River, where the iconic scene on the 20 yuan note comes to life. Karst peaks rise in layers, mist hangs over the water — it's a photographer's dream. Italians, who appreciate composition and visual harmony, will see exactly why this landscape inspired centuries of Chinese painting.

Midday | Xingping Ancient Town & Farmhouse Lunch (12:00-14:00) Enjoy a farm-to-table lunch at a countryside family restaurant — free-range chicken, fresh river fish, seasonal greens. The freshness equals what Italians call "cucina povera" (peasant cooking at its best). Emphasize this alignment.

Afternoon | Yangshuo Countryside Cycling (14:30-17:30) Bicycle or e-bike ride through Yangshuo's iconic landscape — the Ten-Mile Gallery, Yulong River banks, rice paddies, and tiny villages. Your guide leads you away from bus routes onto quiet paths. Italians love outdoor activities, and this bike ride through karst scenery will be a highlight they talk about for years. Stop at roadside tea stalls to rest and interact with locals.

Evening | Free Recommendation: Impression Liu Sanjie — the outdoor water-light show directed by Zhang Yimou, set against the karst mountains. Or simply enjoy Yangshuo's quiet night.

Optional: Double cooking experience — add a farm cooking class in Yangshuo (Beer Fish making) to complement the Sichuan Cuisine Museum

Transport:  Private transfer to Guilin airport →  Fly to Shanghai (2.5h) →  Private transfer

Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Shanghai (recommend: Bund/Nanjing Road or French Concession area)

Meals: Lunch: airport or Guilin; Dinner: Shanghai local cuisine (Benbang)

Morning | Free time in Yangshuo (09:00-11:00) No rush. Italian guests will appreciate a slow last morning in Yangshuo — sleep in, enjoy breakfast with a view of karst peaks, take a final walk by the river.

Midday | Fly to Shanghai Private transfer to Guilin airport.

Afternoon | Arrive & check in (15:00-16:00) Arrive in Shanghai, check into hotel.

Evening | Shanghai Benbang cuisine (18:00-20:00) Shanghai's local cuisine — Hong Shao Rou (braised pork belly), Sweet & Sour Ribs, Eight-Treasure Duck, Yan Du Xian (bamboo shoot soup) — is gentle on Italian palates (not spicy, slightly sweet, rich in umami). Recommended restaurants: Lao Ji Shi or Rui Fu Yuan.

Optional after dinner: The Bund night walk — from Nanjing Road East to the Bund, facing the Pudong skyline light show. This opening to Shanghai hits immediately.

Transport:  Private vehicle +  Walking

Accommodation: Same (Shanghai)

Meals: Lunch: Nanxiang Steamed Bun or Benbang; Evening: Huangpu River cruise dinner

Morning | French Concession Walk (09:30-11:30) This is the Shanghai experience that resonates most with Italians. Plane trees, Art Deco villas, boutique cafés — the French Concession feels uncannily like Milan or Rome's better neighborhoods. Walk the route of Wukang Road → Anfu Road → Wulumuqi Middle Road. Your guide explains the history of Shanghai's French Concession and the cross-cultural encounters between China and Europe.
Stop at a café for an espresso — essential for Italian guests.

Midday | Yu Garden & Nanxiang Steamed Bun (12:00-14:00) Visit Yu Garden — Shanghai's finest Ming Dynasty Jiangnan garden. Compare Chinese and Italian garden philosophies: "borrowed scenery" and "harmony with nature" vs. Italian geometric symmetry. This intellectual framing makes Italian guests feel respected and engaged.
Lunch at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant inside the garden — xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). The first bite is always a delightful surprise: "How is the soup inside?"

Afternoon | Tianzifang or Xintiandi (14:30-17:00)
Option A: Tianzifang — shikumen (stone-gate) lane neighborhood turned artsy market. Great for photos
Option B: Xintiandi — more polished, covered shopping street with a comfortable walking experience

Evening | Huangpu River Dinner Cruise (18:30-20:30) A dinner cruise on the Huangpu River — dining with views of the Bund's colonial architecture on one side and Pudong's futuristic skyline on the other. This is the perfect visual finale.

Transport:  Walking +  Airport transfer

Accommodation: None (evening or next-morning flight)

Meals: Lunch: Italian/ fusion or continue Chinese exploration; Evening: Farewell dinner

Morning | Shanghai Museum (09:30-11:30) Shanghai Museum (People's Square) — world-class collections of ancient Chinese bronzes, ceramics, and paintings. Italians, coming from a country equally rich in ancient history, have deep respect for museum narratives. Alternative: Shanghai History Museum (inside Oriental Pearl Tower) for modern history.

Midday | Free lunch (12:00-13:30) Italian guests may appreciate a break with familiar food. Recommend: Lavila or Da Marco on the Bund for Italian cuisine in Shanghai. Or continue exploration with local noodles — Scallion Oil Noodles (Cong You Ban Mian).

Afternoon | Final free time (14:00-17:00) Shopping or rest. Recommended: Nanjing West Road shopping district, historic buildings on the Bund, or hotel packing.

Evening | Farewell Dinner (18:00-20:00) Book a view restaurant (Flair Rooftop, M on the Bund, or a restaurant in Three on the Bund / Five on the Bund). Toasts to the journey over the Pudong skyline. If the dinner cruise was already done, choose a fine-dining restaurant in the French Concession.

Night | Airport transfer Private transfer for departure.

Enjoy a relaxed final morning in Shanghai with breakfast at your hotel.

Depending on your international flight schedule, you may have some free time before departure. Take a final walk around the Bund area, enjoy a last cup of coffee at a local café, or complete some last-minute shopping for souvenirs and gifts.

At the appropriate time, your private driver will pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to Shanghai Pudong International Airport or Hongqiao International Airport for your international departure.

Your China journey comes to an end here. We hope the flavors of Sichuan, the landscapes of Yangshuo, and the vibrant energy of Shanghai leave you with unforgettable memories of China.