Will a sleep holiday cure my insomnia?

Not on its own. Sleep often improves on a good holiday and slips back at home. What the trip does is get you a proper assessment and start CBT-I, the first-line treatment, in person. CBT-I usually runs over several weeks, so it continues by video or a digital programme after you return.

What if jet lag makes my sleep worse at first?

That's expected, and the routes are designed around it. The first two days are light, with daylight at the right times, and the clinic visits and your first CBT-I sleep window come after you've begun to adjust.

Do I need an overnight sleep study?

Most people with straightforward insomnia don't. The physician adds a home sleep test or overnight polysomnography if they suspect sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder. Loud snoring, gasping or heavy daytime sleepiness are reasons to test.

I take sleeping pills. Is that a problem?

No, but bring the exact name and dose and don't stop them suddenly. Any change is planned with the physician and coordinated with your prescriber at home.

How much does a sleep wellness tour cost?

It depends on the route, the hotels and which sleep program and tests you need. Send us your dates and a short description of your sleep, and we'll reply with an itemised quote.

Yes. Many people travel with a partner, which also helps, because partners often notice snoring or breathing pauses. Your partner can join the sightseeing and, if they want, have their own assessment.

Photo: Rod Waddington · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sleep wellness tours · 2026

Sleep tourism,
with real sleep medicine.

Six slow-travel routes that pair a proper sleep assessment at a Chinese hospital with quiet places to stay: tea hills, water towns, karst rivers and mountain monasteries. A holiday on its own won’t fix chronic insomnia. A diagnosis and the right treatment, started while you travel, can.

Plan my trip

Routes

Six routes,
built around better nights.

Longjing tea village in Hangzhou: terraced tea fields climbing a misty hillside above white village houses

Hangzhou 杭州 · 6 days / 5 nights

Hangzhou · Tea Hills + CBT-I Start

Lake walks at dawn, tea hills by day, a real sleep plan by the end.

Sleep program: Assessment + CBT-I start

View route

Aerial view of Wuzhen water town: a canal lined with grey-tiled old houses, a pagoda behind

Shanghai & Wuzhen 上海 · 乌镇 · 6 days / 5 nights

Shanghai + Wuzhen · Sleep Clinic & Water Town

Big-city sleep specialists first, then nights by the canal.

Sleep program: Sleep assessment

View route

Granite peaks and pine-covered cliffs of Huangshan, with drifting cloud and a blue sky

Huangshan 黄山 · 7 days / 6 nights

Huangshan · Mountain Air & Ancient Villages

Assessment in Hangzhou, then cloud seas, pine forests and silent villages.

Sleep program: Assessment + CBT-I start

View route

Li River winding past green karst peaks and farmland near Yangshuo, seen from a hilltop

Guilin & Yangshuo 桂林 · 阳朔 · 7 days / 6 nights

Guilin & Yangshuo · Karst River Slow Travel

Sleep care in Guangzhou, then river days among the karst peaks.

Sleep program: Assessment + TCM & acupuncture

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Clear turquoise water lapping a sandy shore at Yalong Bay, Sanya, with green islands on the horizon

Hainan 海南 · 7 days / 6 nights

Hainan · Winter Sun & Sleep Clinic

Bright winter mornings, warm sea, and a sleep plan to take home.

Sleep program: Assessment + CBT-I start

View route

Mount Emei's sheer cliff summit rising above a sea of clouds at dawn, a temple on top

Chengdu & Mount Emei 成都 · 峨眉山 · 7 days / 6 nights

Chengdu + Emei · Sleep Centre & Monastery Calm

A major sleep centre, slow teahouse afternoons and a sacred mountain.

Sleep program: Assessment + CBT-I start

View route

Not sure which route fits?

Tell us how you sleep, how long you have and what you enjoy. We'll recommend a route and sleep program — free, within 48 hours.

Help me choose Get a free quote

Sleep programs

Three levels of sleep care.

Diagnosis

Sleep assessment

Consultation with a sleep physician, validated questionnaires, sleep-diary review and screening for sleep apnoea and other causes. A home sleep test or overnight polysomnography is added only if indicated. You leave with a written diagnosis and plan.

Recommended

Assessment + CBT-I start

Everything in the assessment, plus one or two in-person sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), the first-line treatment. Your first sleep window is set during the trip, and the course continues by video or through a digital programme at home.

Add-on

Assessment + TCM & acupuncture

The assessment and CBT-I start, plus a consultation and several acupuncture sessions at a TCM hospital. Trial evidence for acupuncture is promising but not conclusive, so it is offered alongside first-line care, not instead of it.

Every route can use any program. The evidence behind each treatment is set out in our insomnia treatment guide.

Compare

All routes at a glance

Route	Setting	Sleep program	Best for	Length
Hangzhou · Tea Hills + CBT-I Start	West Lake & Su Causeway · Longjing tea villages · Yunqi bamboo path	Assessment + CBT-I start	Chronic insomnia; first-time visitors who want a calm city	6 days / 5 nights
Shanghai + Wuzhen · Sleep Clinic & Water Town	The Bund at morning · Wuzhen Xizha (West Scenic Zone) · Wuzhen Dongzha (East Scenic Zone)	Sleep assessment	Unclear causes; possible sleep apnoea; insomnia with anxiety	6 days / 5 nights
Huangshan · Mountain Air & Ancient Villages	Huangshan scenic area · Hongcun village · Xidi village	Assessment + CBT-I start	Stress-related insomnia; active travellers	7 days / 6 nights
Guilin & Yangshuo · Karst River Slow Travel	Li River cruise · Yulong River bamboo rafting · Countryside cycling	Assessment + TCM & acupuncture	Insomnia + TCM interest; travellers who want nature and quiet	7 days / 6 nights
Hainan · Winter Sun & Sleep Clinic	Yalong Bay · Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone · Luhuitou Park	Assessment + CBT-I start	Winter blues and poor sleep; older travellers; families	7 days / 6 nights
Chengdu + Emei · Sleep Centre & Monastery Calm	Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding · People's Park teahouse · Mount Emei	Assessment + CBT-I start	Complex or long-standing sleep problems; culture lovers	7 days / 6 nights

How it works

Sleep sets the pace.

Days 1–2

Settle in first

Jet lag disrupts sleep for everyone, so the first days are kept light, with daylight timed to help your body clock shift.

Day 2–3

Assess on a rested day

A sleep physician reviews your sleep diary and questionnaires, screens for sleep apnoea and other causes, and books an overnight or home test only if it is needed.

Rest of trip

Start treatment, keep it going

CBT-I, the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, starts in person and continues by video after you fly home. TCM or acupuncture can be added on request.

Snoring or exhausted during the day?

That can be sleep apnoea, not insomnia. Any route can include a home sleep test or a full overnight study at a hospital sleep centre.

Ask about a sleep study Sleep apnoea care

FAQ

Sleep wellness tours — answered.

Will a sleep holiday cure my insomnia?: Not on its own. Sleep often improves on a good holiday and slips back at home. What the trip does is get you a proper assessment and start CBT-I, the first-line treatment, in person. CBT-I usually runs over several weeks, so it continues by video or a digital programme after you return.
What if jet lag makes my sleep worse at first?: That's expected, and the routes are designed around it. The first two days are light, with daylight at the right times, and the clinic visits and your first CBT-I sleep window come after you've begun to adjust.
Do I need an overnight sleep study?: Most people with straightforward insomnia don't. The physician adds a home sleep test or overnight polysomnography if they suspect sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder. Loud snoring, gasping or heavy daytime sleepiness are reasons to test.
I take sleeping pills. Is that a problem?: No, but bring the exact name and dose and don't stop them suddenly. Any change is planned with the physician and coordinated with your prescriber at home.
How much does a sleep wellness tour cost?: It depends on the route, the hotels and which sleep program and tests you need. Send us your dates and a short description of your sleep, and we'll reply with an itemised quote.
Can my partner come?: Yes. Many people travel with a partner, which also helps, because partners often notice snoring or breathing pauses. Your partner can join the sightseeing and, if they want, have their own assessment.

Pick a route,
we’ll handle the rest.

Tell us your dates, who’s travelling and how you sleep. We’ll match the clinic and sleep program, then send an itemised quote.

Plan my trip Insomnia treatment guide

Sleep tourism,
with real sleep medicine.