Beijing to Hong Kong Express — Self-Launched

Land at Beijing Capital or Daxing and get to the centre by Airport Express (¥25 to Dongzhimen, then metro/taxi) or taxi (~¥100-130). Check into a hutong hostel or budget guesthouse near Dongsi or Gulou. Get a Chinese eSIM/SIM activated before or on arrival, install a VPN in advance, withdraw cash in CNY (useful for buses and small eateries) and set up WeChat Pay/Alipay with a foreign card. Evening: wander Nanluoguxiang and Gulou hutongs, eat zhajiangmian (noodles) for around ¥25.

🚌Airport Express ¥25 + metro ¥3-5; or taxi ~¥100-130

🛏Hutong hostel or budget guesthouse, Beijing (dorm £12-18 / private ~£30)

• →Nanluoguxiang & Gulou hutong walk (free)
• →Set up WeChat Pay/Alipay and metro card
• →Local noodle dinner

Take the 916 Express bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou (¥12, ~1.5 hrs) then a shared local minibus/taxi (¥30-60) to Mutianyu, or pre-book a shared shuttle/van via Klook (~£25-35 return). Entry ¥45; cable car up and toboggan down ~¥120 each (optional). Walk 3-4 towers of the best-restored section, ideally arriving early to beat tour buses. Back in Beijing for a dumpling dinner or an evening Beijing Opera/acrobatics show (¥120-180).

🚌916 Express public bus ¥12 each way + shared minibus ¥30-60, or pre-booked shared shuttle ~£30

🛏Hutong hostel or budget guesthouse, Beijing

• →Mutianyu Great Wall visit & entrance ¥45
• →Cable car up / toboggan down (~¥120, optional)
• →Beijing acrobatics show (optional)

Go early to Tiananmen Square (free, but you must register/pass a security check — bring your passport). Book Forbidden City tickets online 7 days ahead on the official site (¥60, sells out) and explore the palace complex north-to-south. After lunch on the east side, take metro to Temple of Heaven (¥15-34 combined ticket) and watch locals dance and play cards in the park. Collect snacks and water, then board the overnight hard-sleeper to Xi'an (Z-series, ~12 hrs, lower berth ~¥420 / upper ~¥280 — book on 12306 or Trip.com as soon as the 15-day window opens).

🚌Metro ¥3-5 per ride; overnight sleeper train to Xi'an ~£30-45

🛏Overnight hard-sleeper train (6-berth carriage)

• →Tiananmen Square
• →Forbidden City ¥60
• →Temple of Heaven ¥15-34

Arrive mid-morning, drop bags at a guesthouse inside the walls (easy walk or ¥15 taxi from Xi'an station) and eat roujiamo and biangbiang noodles in the Muslim Quarter. Rent a bike on the city wall (¥45 for ~2 hrs, or ¥100 for the full 14 km circuit) with photo stops at each gate. In the evening, explore the Muslim Quarter food streets, the Great Mosque (¥25) and the Bell & Drum Towers, then head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda for the fountain show.

🚌Taxi from station ~¥15; walk/metro around the walled city

🛏Guesthouse/hostel inside the city walls, Xi'an (dorm £10-15 / private ~£25)

• →Cycle the Ming city walls ¥45-100
• →Muslim Quarter food crawl
• →Great Mosque ¥25 (optional)
• →Big Wild Goose Pagoda area & fountain show

Take metro line 9 to Huaqing Chi then bus 613, or the regular tourist bus 5/306 (¥8-10) to the Terracotta Army site (¥120 entry — book online, and hire the ¥40 audio guide or a Klook/GetYourGuide small-group tour from ~£15). Give it 2-3 hours across the three pits, then return to Xi'an. Pick up supplies and board the evening hard-sleeper to Shanghai (~13-15 hrs).

🚌Bus 5/306 ¥8-10 to terracotta site; overnight sleeper train to Shanghai ~£30-45

🛏Overnight hard-sleeper train

• →Terracotta Warriors Museum ¥120
• →Audio guide or small-group guided tour (~£15)

Arrive at Shanghai station, take metro to a hostel near People's Square or the Bund (dorm £12-20, private ~£35). Afternoon self-guided walk: Nanjing East Road down to the Bund promenade, then ferry across the Huangpu for the Pudong skyline viewpoint (¥2 pedestrian ferry). At dusk, walk the French Concession's Tianzifang and Xintiandi areas for dinner and bars — the contrast of colonial streets and neon futuristic skyline is the highlight of the day.

🚌Metro from station ¥4-6; Huangpu pedestrian ferry ¥2

🛏Hostel/guesthouse near People's Square or the Bund, Shanghai

• →Self-guided Bund & Nanjing Road walk
• →Huangpu River pedestrian ferry ¥2
• →Tianzifang & French Concession wander

Free day in Shanghai. Shanghai Museum is free but requires advance reservation — go at opening. Spend late morning in Yuyuan Gardens (¥40) and the surrounding old-town bazaar lanes, snacking on xiaolongbao (soup dumplings, ~¥25 a steamer). Afternoon options: the Propaganda Poster Art Centre, the 1933 slaughterhouse for architecture, or a bike share (¥1.5/30 min via Alipay) along the Suzhou Creek, finishing with craft beer in Jing'an.

🚌Metro ~¥4-6 per ride, or shared bikes ¥1.5/30 min

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Shanghai

• →Shanghai Museum (free, reserve)
• →Yuyuan Gardens ¥40
• →Old town bazaar and xiaolongbao tasting

Morning for anything you missed: the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, a riverside run, or markets around Yu Garden. Late afternoon head to Shanghai South station for the overnight hard-sleeper to Guilin (~18 hrs on slower trains; the faster day options run via high-speed rail with a change). Book the sleeper in advance on 12306/Trip.com — Guilin trains are popular.

🚌Metro to station; overnight sleeper train Shanghai–Guilin ~£30-45

🛏Overnight hard-sleeper train

• →Free morning exploration
• →Local market shopping

Arrive Guilin and take the direct bus from the coach station to Yangshuo (¥30, ~1.5 hrs), or splurge on a Li River cruise from Zhujiang pier (¥215-270, 4 hrs) if it fits the timetable. Check into a hostel on West Street or in the quieter countryside just outside town. Afternoon: cycle or e-bike to Yulong River for bamboo rafting (~¥150-200), and catch the sunset from a karst viewpoint. Evening in West Street for beer fish (Yangshuo's signature dish).

🚌Bus Guilin–Yangshuo ¥30; bike/e-bike hire ¥30-60/day

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Yangshuo (dorm £8-14 / private ~£22)

• →Bus transfer to Yangshuo
• →Yulong River bamboo rafting (~¥180, optional)
• →Karst sunset viewpoint

Rent a bike (¥30-40/day) and follow the flat lanes north past rice paddies, water buffalo and farming villages towards Moon Hill — climb the ~800 steps for the classic karst panorama (¥20-30). Lunch at a farmhouse restaurant. In the afternoon, take a market-visit cooking class (book via Klook or a West Street school, ~£20-30) to learn beer fish and dumplings, or try a Tai Chi lesson (¥80-150). Optional evening: Zhang Yimou's Impression Liu Sanjie light show (~¥200).

🚌Bicycle hire ¥30-40

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Yangshuo

• →Self-guided countryside cycle ride
• →Moon Hill climb ¥20-30
• →Chinese cooking class with market visit (~£25)
• →Tai Chi or Impression Liu Sanjie show (optional)

Bus back to Guilin (¥30) and take a high-speed train to Shenzhen North (~3.5 hrs, second class ~¥250-280 — book ahead on Trip.com). At Shenzhen North hop on metro line 4 to Futian Checkpoint and cross into Hong Kong on foot (Lok Ma Chau/Futian port), then take the East Rail line into Kowloon. Check into a Mong Kok or Jordan guesthouse (dorms from £15-22), then head out for Temple Street Night Market, the Star Ferry (HK$4-5) and the Victoria Peak tram or the free Peak bus/walk if queues are long.

🚌Bus to Guilin ¥30; high-speed train to Shenzhen North ~¥260; metro + East Rail into Hong Kong ~£6

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Kowloon, Hong Kong (dorm £15-25 / private ~£45)

• →Shenzhen–Hong Kong border crossing on foot
• →Temple Street Night Market
• →Star Ferry crossing HK$4-5

Early dim sum breakfast in a cha chaan teng (~HK$60). Ride the Peak Tram up (HK$88 return) or walk the free Central–Mid-Levels escalator route to the Peak, then head to Sheung Wan for dried-seafood streets and coffee. If time allows, a ferry to Cheung Chau or Lantau's Big Buddha is an easy half-day. Depart from Hong Kong International Airport on the Airport Express (HK$115) or the cheaper A21 bus (HK$33) from Nathan Road.

🚌Airport Express HK$115 or A21 bus HK$33; Peak Tram HK$88

🛏—

• →Victoria Peak & Peak Tram HK$88
• →Dim sum breakfast
• →Sheung Wan street wander