About this tour
This is the Jiangxi that still looks like the postcards: whitewashed Huizhou walls, firewood stacked under the eaves, and the autumn harvest laid out to dry on the rooftops. Thanks to the high-speed line it also sits barely three hours from Shanghai — which is why four days is enough for the loop, rather than an expedition.
The route runs in one clean line. You leave Shanghai South at 11:12 on G1439, first class, and are in Wuyuan by half past two in the afternoon; from there a private car and an English-speaking guide carry you for the rest of the trip. Two nights in a Wuyuan boutique homestay give you Huangling's shaiqiu by day and the floodlit waterside town of Wunvzhou by night. On day three you ride the cable car up Lingshan, walk the gorge at Wangxian Valley after dark, and sleep inside Gexian Village. The last morning is village lanes, then the train out to Hangzhou.
We keep the group to a maximum of five and never mix parties — which matters on the Huangling cable car at ten in the morning, and matters again at dinner when you want to stop where you like.
Four days, five villages, one train ride out of Shanghai
The hillside village where the harvest is dried on bamboo racks across every roof — chillies, corn, chrysanthemum. Up by cable car, then Sky Street and the terraces.
A Huizhou-style waterside town rebuilt on the banks of the Xingjiang, with a pagoda, a light show and reflections on still water.
Granite peaks and improbable rock formations above the clouds, with elevated walkways instead of a long climb.
A gorge of waterfalls and old lanes, with wooden houses built into the cliff face — go late, stay for the illuminations.
Not a day visit: you sleep in the resort village at Xiancun Keyi Hotel, with the streets and performances on your doorstep.
G1439 in first class from Shanghai South to Wuyuan, G1616 back from Shangrao to Hangzhou — booked in your name, no scrambling for seats.
Full itinerary
First-class rail into Wuyuan, then Wunvzhou after dark
Pickup and transfer to Shanghai South
We collect you from your Shanghai address and drive you to Shanghai South Railway Station with time in hand for the platform.
G1439, first class, to Wuyuan
Three hours and twenty minutes south-west, past the edge of the Yangtze delta and into the hills. First class, seats together, booked in your names.
Met at Wuyuan Station, check in, rest
Your guide meets you off the train and the private car takes you to the homestay in the hills. Bags down, tea, and a slow hour before the evening.
Wunvzhou Resort, lit up
The rebuilt Huizhou waterside town on the Xingjiang: white walls and grey tiles, a pagoda reflected in the water, and a light show once it is properly dark. Dinner is your own — plenty of small kitchens along the lanes.
Huangling's shaiqiu rooftops and terraced fields
Drive to Huangling
Breakfast at the homestay, then the private car up into the hills — under an hour to the cable-car station.
Cable car up into the village
The gondola climbs over the terraces and drops you at the top of the village. From there: Sky Street and its lanes, the old houses, and the viewing platforms that look straight down the valley.
The shaiqiu displays
Round bamboo trays of chillies, corn, pumpkin and chrysanthemum laid out across the rooftops — the reason photographers come in autumn. Lunch in the village is your own; the local kitchens do a good stewed chicken.
Back down and a free evening in Wuyuan
Cable car down, car back to the homestay, and the rest of the day at your own pace — the old town of Wuyuan is a short ride away if you want it. Dinner on your own.
Lingshan by cable car, then Wangxian Valley after dark
Check out and drive to Lingshan
Bags in the car; about ninety minutes to the Lingshan Scenic Area, the granite massif that rises straight out of the plain north of Shangrao.
Lingshan: peaks, rock and sky walks
The cable car takes out most of the climb. On top: the strange stacked rock formations the mountain is famous for, the cliff walkways and, on a clear day, the whole plain below. Stairs are involved — take it slowly.
Lunch
At the base of the mountain or on the road east, depending on how the morning runs. Own cost.
Wangxian Valley
A gorge cut into the hills with waterfalls, old village lanes and wooden houses built out along the cliff face — one of the most photographed places in Jiangxi, and best walked slowly.
Stay on for the illuminations
The valley is at its best once the lights come on — the cliff buildings glow and the water turns gold. Dinner here, at one of the small restaurants in the valley, is own cost.
Check in at Gexian Village Resort
A short drive to the resort, then check in at Xiancun Keyi Hotel — inside the village rather than outside it, so the streets are yours in the morning.
Village lanes in the morning, Hangzhou by early evening
Gexian Village at your own pace
Breakfast at the hotel, then the village: traditional-style streets, landscaped water gardens and the old camphor tree hung with wishing ribbons. Performances run to the day's schedule — your guide checks what is on.
Check out and lunch
Bags out, a last lunch in the village — own cost — and time to buy whatever local produce you have been eyeing.
Transfer to Shangrao High-Speed Rail Station
About an hour and a half through the hills and down into the city, with time to spare before the train.
G1616 to Hangzhou
An hour and a half, second class, arriving at Hangzhou at 18:25. The tour ends when you step off the train — no Hangzhou sightseeing, hotel or transfer is included, though we can add any of them.
Times are the scheduled rail times for this route plus realistic driving and sightseeing allowances; rail times can shift by a few minutes depending on your date, and we confirm them with your tickets. In shaiqiu season and at weekends the Huangling cable car can queue — your guide adjusts the order of the morning around it.
Three nights, two very different villages
Gunai Lanshan Retreat designer homestay, then Xiancun Keyi Hotel at Gexian Village
The homestay is the quiet half of the trip: a small designer property in the Wuyuan hills, with rooms looking out at the ridges. Gexian Village is the theatrical half — you stay inside the resort so the lantern-lit streets are a two-minute walk from your bed.
- Twin or double room, two travellers sharing; family and triple rooms available for groups travelling with children
- Nights 1–2: Gunai Lanshan RETREAT Designer Boutique Homestay, Wuyuan · Night 3: Xiancun Keyi Hotel, Gexian Village Resort
- Breakfast is included; a second breakfast in a triple room is payable at the hotel
- Want an extra night in Shanghai before you start, or in Hangzhou at the end? We can book it — just not the transfers, which are only included as listed
What's included, and what isn't
✓ What's Included
- First-class high-speed rail, Shanghai South → Wuyuan (G1439, 11:12–14:32)
- Second-class high-speed rail, Shangrao → Hangzhou (G1616, 16:56–18:25)
- Private transfer from your Shanghai address to Shanghai South on day 1
- Private vehicle with driver throughout Shangrao, days 1–4
- English-speaking guide travelling with you the whole way
- 3 nights: 2 in a Wuyuan boutique homestay, 1 inside Gexian Village Resort
- Hotel breakfasts on days 2, 3 and 4
- All service fees and government taxes
— Not Included
- Entrance tickets and cable cars at Wunvzhou, Huangling, Lingshan, Wangxian Valley and Gexian Village — quoted separately, so you only pay for what you use. Ask us to add them
- Lunch and dinner throughout the trip
- The second breakfast in a triple room, payable at the hotel
- Travel to Shanghai before the tour, and onward travel from Hangzhou — we can book both
- Single-room supplement
- Personal expenses, tips and anything not listed as included
Good to know
Tickets, seasons & walking
- Rail seats are registered to your passport — send the details at booking and carry the same passport on the train
- Late October to early December is shaiqiu season at Huangling: the best photographs and the biggest crowds. Weekday departures queue far less at the cable car
- March and April bring rapeseed flowers to the Wuyuan terraces; summer is hot, wet and green
- Expect stairs at Huangling, Lingshan and Wangxian Valley. Nothing technical, but day 3 is the long one, and Wangxian Valley is deliberately walked after dark
- The hills are cool after sunset even in autumn — bring a layer
- Free cancellation up to 7 days before departure; ticket-loss charges apply only once rail tickets have been issued
Start, end & getting there
- Start: Shanghai South Railway Station, day 1 at 11:12 — pickup from your Shanghai address included
- End: Hangzhou, day 4 at 18:25 — the tour finishes on arrival; no Hangzhou sightseeing, hotel or transfer included
- Coming from Hong Kong? Fly or take the high-speed rail to Shanghai the day before — we can add a Shanghai night and an airport pickup
- This route pairs naturally with Huangshan or a Hangzhou stopover. Ask for a combined quotation
Frequently asked
Is this a private tour?
Yes. Only your party travels — 2 to 5 people, one vehicle, one English-speaking guide. We never add strangers to make up numbers, and the price per person drops as the group grows.
Are entrance tickets included?
The train tickets, the vehicle, the guide and the hotels are. Scenic-area tickets and cable cars are quoted separately so you only pay for the sights you actually visit — tell us at booking and we put them straight into your quotation.
When is the best time to go?
Late October to early December for the shaiqiu displays at Huangling, which is what most people come for. March and April are the rapeseed-flower weeks in Wuyuan. Summer is hot and wet; winter is quiet and often misty, which has its own appeal.
Can children join?
Yes — this route is often run for families, and the homestay and resort both handle triple and family rooms. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we arrange the rooming and the pace accordingly.
How much walking is there?
Moderate. Cable cars remove the big climbs at Huangling and Lingshan, but there are stairs and cliff walkways at both, and Wangxian Valley is a gorge walk. Day 3 is the longest day; day 2 and day 4 are gentle.
We are coming from Hong Kong — can you handle the whole thing?
Yes. We can add flights or high-speed rail from Hong Kong, a Shanghai night before day 1, and a Hangzhou night or a Huangshan extension at the end. Ask for one combined quotation.