China: Cultural Sites & Epic Cities — Self-Launched

Land at Beijing Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX) and take the Airport Express + metro (£3–4) or a DiDi/taxi (£8–12) to a hostel in the Dongcheng area — good bases are around Nanluoguxiang or Yonghegong, where dorms run £10–16 and private doubles £25–35. Sort your essentials on day one: get a Chinese SIM/eSIM or data package so you can use Alipay and WeChat Pay (link a foreign card before you fly — almost nothing takes cash these days), and install a VPN before arrival. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Nanluoguxiang and Wudaoying hutongs, then eat a first-night bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste) for £3–5. No group welcome meeting required — but hostels here run nightly common-room dinners and walking tours if you want instant travel mates.

🚌Airport Express + metro from airport (~£3–4)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dongcheng hutong area (approx £12–16)

• →Airport Express into the city
• →Set up Alipay/WeChat Pay and local eSIM
• →Nanluoguxiang & Wudaoying hutong wander
• →Zhajiangmian dinner (£3–5)

Book Tiananmen Square entry in advance — it's free but requires a real-name reservation via the official WeChat mini-programme or a booking agent (bring your passport; security is airport-level). Do the square early (8–9am) before the crowds and heat, then walk north to the Forbidden City. If you want to go inside, tickets are timed and sell out days ahead — book on the Palace Museum's official site (£8, closed Mondays). Either way, climb Jingshan Park (£0.30) for the classic bird's-eye view over the golden roofs. Afternoon: Lama Temple (£3) and the Drum & Bell Towers area (£3–4 combined), then a cheap lunch of baozi and jianbing (£2–4). In the evening, grab a beer or two in a hutong courtyard bar (£3–5) — the self-launched equivalent of the operator's 'first night out'.

🚌Metro (¥3–6 per ride, ~£0.40–0.70); walking between sights

🛏Hostel dorm, Dongcheng (approx £12–16)

• →Tiananmen Square (free, advance reservation)
• →Forbidden City entry (£8, book ahead)
• →Jingshan Park viewpoint (£0.30)
• →Lama Temple (£3)
• →Drum & Bell Towers (£3–4)
• →Hutong courtyard drinks (£3–5)

Take a public bus 916 Express from Dongzhimen to Huairou (¥7/£0.80), then a local minibus or DiDi up to Mutianyu (¥10–20). Alternatively pre-book a shared shuttle from a hostel or Klook/GetYourGuide for £12–18 return if you'd rather not juggle connections. Entry to Mutianyu is £5; the cable car or chairlift up is £11–15 and the toboggan down the same — worth it for the views and the novelty. Hike the 5–6km between towers 14 and 6 along the ridge — this is the same stretch the group trip walks, with far fewer people than Badaling. Bring a picnic lunch (£3–4) and eat it on the wall. Head back to Beijing for the evening, then board an overnight soft-sleeper train to Xi'an from Beijing West (Z-prefix overnight, roughly £22–28 for a lower berth in a 4-berth soft sleeper; hard sleeper £15–18). Book on the official 12306 app or Trip.com 2–3 weeks ahead — this route sells out.

🚌Public bus 916 + minibus to Mutianyu (~£2); Z-class overnight train Beijing–Xi'an (£22–28)

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train (approx £22–28)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall entry (£5)
• →Cable car/chairlift up (£11–15)
• →5–6km wall hike between towers
• →Optional toboggan descent (£11)
• →Picnic lunch on the wall

Arrive into Xi'an around 7–8am. Drop your bag at a hostel near the Bell Tower or inside the City Wall (dorms £8–14, privates £22–30) and get breakfast — roujiamo (Chinese 'burger') and a bowl of hot soup for £2–3. For the Terracotta Warriors, take metro Line 9 to Huaqing Pool then bus 613, or the direct tourist bus 306/遊5 from Xi'an Railway Station east square (£1) — 1 hour each way. Entry is £13 and includes the three pits plus the bronze chariot hall; a self-launched option is to book a small-group English-guided tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (£25–35 including transport and entry) if you want the historical context the operator's guide provides — otherwise rent the audio guide (£5) and read up before you go. Back in the city by late afternoon, walk the Muslim Quarter food street at dusk: yangrou paomo, biangbiang noodles, lamb skewers and persimmon cakes all for £1–4 a pop (eat your way through for £8–10).

🚌Bus 306/tourist shuttle to Terracotta Warriors (~£1 each way); metro and walking in the city

🛏Hostel near Bell Tower, Xi'an (approx £12)

• →Terracotta Warriors entry (£13) or guided small-group tour (£25–35)
• →Audio guide (£5)
• →Xi'an Muslim Quarter food crawl (£8–10)
• →Roujiamo breakfast (£2–3)

Morning free for the highlight the operator leaves optional: hire a bike on top of the Ming-dynasty City Wall (£5–6 for two hours including entry to the wall) and ride the full 13.7km loop — flat, breezy and the best way to see old Xi'an. Alternatively start at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda or the Shaanxi History Museum (free with reservation) if you want a quieter morning. Grab lunch near the South Gate (£4–5), then take the metro to Xi'an North station for a G-series bullet train to Chengdu — 3.5–4.5 hours, £26–32 second class; book 1–2 weeks ahead on 12306 or Trip.com. Arrive Chengdu East, metro into town and check into a hostel around Chunxi Road or the Kuanzhai area (dorms £9–15, doubles £25–35). Evening orientation walk of Tianfu Square and a hotpot dinner with hostel-mates (£7–10) — Chengdu's version of the 'big night out', minus the set-menu mark-up.

🚌Metro in Xi'an; G-series bullet train Xi'an North–Chengdu East (£26–32, 3.5–4.5hrs); Chengdu metro

🛏Hostel, Chunxi Road/Kuanzhai area, Chengdu (approx £13)

• →Cycle the Xi'an City Wall (£5–6 hire incl. wall entry)
• →Optional Shaanxi History Museum (free, reserve ahead)
• →Bullet train to Chengdu
• →Tianfu Square evening walk
• →Sichuan hotpot dinner (£7–10)

Set an early alarm: the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding opens at 7:30am and the pandas are most active before 10am. Entry is £6 and you can buy tickets on the official WeChat account or at the gate; get there by metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue then the free shuttle, or a DiDi (£5–7, 30 mins). Factor in 3–4 hours including the red panda enclosure and the nursery. Back in town for a late lunch of mapo tofu or dan dan noodles (£3–4), then do the operator's afternoon circuit independently: Tianfu Square, People's Park (where you can join a bamboo-chair teahouse for £2–3 and watch the locals dance and play mahjong — the most Chengdu thing you can do) and the restored Kuanzhai Alley lanes. Evening: Sichuan opera face-changing show at a small teahouse venue (£12–20) if you fancy it, or just graze the Jinli night-market street food (£6–8).

🚌Metro Line 3 + shuttle or DiDi to panda base (~£1–7); metro around town

🛏Hostel, Chengdu (approx £13)

• →Giant Panda Breeding Center entry (£6)
• →People's Park teahouse (£2–3)
• →Kuanzhai Alley wander
• →Optional Sichuan opera face-changing show (£12–20)
• →Jinli street food (£6–8)

Check out and head to Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) or Shuangliu (CTU) airport via metro Line 10 or 18 depending on terminal (£1–2), or the airport shuttle bus (£2). If your flight is later, squeeze in a last bowl of noodles and a final wander through the Jinjiang riverside park. No group departure transfer needed, no tipping envelope to pass around — just make sure you've spent down your Alipay balance and topped up on any last souvenirs. If you're continuing on, Chengdu is a great launchpad for Chongqing (bullet train £14, 1.5hrs) or the Sichuan mountains.

🚌Chengdu metro Line 10/18 to airport (~£1–2)

🛏—

• →Final Chengdu breakfast
• →Jinjiang riverside walk
• →Airport metro transfer