Self-Launched 2 Weeks in China: Beijing to Shanghai via Xi'an, Chengdu & the Yangtze

Land at Beijing Capital or Daxing airport and take the Airport Express + metro (about £4) or a DiDi ride (£12–18) to a hostel or budget hotel near Dongsi or Nanluoguxiang. Get a Chinese SIM/eSIM set up, download Alipay or WeChat Pay and link a card — almost everything in China is cashless. Evening wander in the hutongs and a cheap noodle or jianbing dinner.

🚌Airport Express train + metro ~£4

🛏Hutong-area hostel private or 3-star boutique hotel (e.g. around Dongsi/Nanluoguxiang), ~£30/night

• →Hutong evening wander
• →Set up Alipay/WeChat Pay and local eSIM

Book Forbidden City tickets online in advance (they sell out; passpas or the official WeChat mini-program, ¥60/£7) — bring your passport. Walk Tiananmen Square first, spend 3 hours in the palace, then metro to the Temple of Heaven park (¥35/£4) where locals do tai chi. In the evening catch an acrobatics show at the Red Theatre (tickets from ¥180/£20 via Klook or the box office).

🚌Metro day pass ~£2

🛏Same hostel/boutique hotel, ~£30

• →Forbidden City entry £7
• →Temple of Heaven £4
• →Chaoyang Theatre or Red Theatre acrobatics £20

Take the 916 Express bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou (¥12/~£1.40), then a shared local minivan to Mutianyu (¥30/~£3.50). Buy the cable car/chairlift round trip on site (¥120/~£13) and hike between towers 14 and 20. Return to the city for a self-guided hutong walk around Nanluoguxiang and Shichahai; rent a bike or take a pedicab for the full rickshaw feel. Optional stop at the Olympic Park (Bird's Nest) on the metro line 8 on the way back.

🚌Public bus + shared minivan ~£6 return

🛏Same hostel/boutique hotel, ~£30

• →Mutianyu Great Wall entry £5
• →Cable car round trip £13
• →Hutong walk / pedicab £8

Morning at the Summer Palace (¥30/£3.50) — metro line 4 to Beigongmen, walk the Long Corridor and Kunming Lake. Late afternoon take the G-series high-speed train Beijing West to Xi'an North, 4.5–5.5 hours (second class ¥515/£56, book on Trip.com 2–3 weeks ahead). Check into a guesthouse inside the City Wall near the Muslim Quarter.

🚌High-speed train Beijing–Xi'an 2nd class ~£56

🛏Xi'an hostel private or boutique guesthouse inside the City Wall, ~£26/night

• →Summer Palace £3.50

Bus 306/游5 from Xi'an railway station to the Terracotta Army (¥7), entry ¥120/£13 — go at opening to beat the tour buses. On the way back stop at the artisan workshops near the museum and try throwing a mini warrior yourself (walk-in, ~£8). Afternoon: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and its fountain square. Evening: Tang Dynasty Music & Dance Show at the Shaanxi Grand Opera House (from ¥220/£24, book via Klook), with dumpling dinner nearby on the way.

🚌Public bus to Terracotta Army ~£3 return

🛏Same Xi'an guesthouse, ~£26

• →Terracotta Army £13
• →Mini warrior workshop £8
• →Wild Goose Pagoda £6
• →Tang Dynasty dance show £24

Early morning tai chi or shadowboxing with the park regulars at City Wall Park (free). Rent a bike on top of the Ming City Wall (¥45/£5 for 2 hours) and ride the full 14 km loop. Free entry to Shaanxi History Museum (reserve online; closed Mondays). Spend the afternoon grazing the Muslim Quarter — roujiamo, biangbiang noodles, yangrou paomo — roughly £10 for a full food crawl. Climb the Bell or Drum Tower at dusk (£5).

🚌Walk + metro ~£2

🛏Same Xi'an guesthouse, ~£26

• →City Wall bike hire £5
• →Shaanxi History Museum (free, reserve ahead)
• →Bell/Drum Tower £5
• →Muslim Quarter food crawl £10

Morning G-train Xi'an North to Chengdu East, about 3.5–4 hours (2nd class ¥263/£29). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Chunxi Road or the Kuanzhai Alleys. Easy afternoon: People's Park teahouse (¥20 for bottomless green tea), watch the matchmaking corner and ear-cleaning, then stroll the Wide and Narrow Alleys at dusk. Sichuan hotpot dinner, ~£10.

🚌High-speed train Xi'an–Chengdu ~£29

🛏Chengdu hostel private or 3-star hotel near Chunxi Road, ~£25/night

• →People's Park teahouse £2
• →Wide and Narrow Alleys stroll

Be at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for the 7:30am opening (entry ¥55/£6, taxi ~£4) — pandas are most active before 10am. Book the ticket on WeChat or via Klook. Afterwards visit the Du Fu Thatched Cottage (¥50/£5.50) and the Sichuan Museum next door. Late afternoon: a Sichuan cooking class (around £28 via GetYourGuide) or a Sichuan opera face-changing show at the Shufeng Yayun teahouse (from ¥150/£16).

🚌DiDi/taxi + metro ~£5

🛏Same Chengdu hotel, ~£25

• →Panda Base £6
• →Du Fu Cottage £5.50
• →Sichuan opera face-changing show £16

Morning high-speed train Chengdu East to Chongqing North, about 1.5 hours (¥154/£17). Spend the afternoon on Chongqing's famous sights: Liziba monorail station where the train runs through a building, Kuixing Tower viewing platform, and the illuminated Hongya Cave (free). Board your downstream Yangtze cruise in the evening — book directly with a cruise line (Century Cruises, Victoria Cruises or Yangtze Gold) or via a consolidator like Trip.com; 3-night Chongqing–Yichang in a standard balcony cabin runs roughly £210–260 per person including all meals.

🚌High-speed train Chengdu–Chongqing ~£17; cruise fare covers the rest

🛏Yangtze cruise cabin (4-5 star river ship), included in cruise fare

• →Liziba monorail viewpoint
• →Kuixing Tower
• →Hongya Cave
• →Captain's welcome party

Full board on board. Morning shore excursion to Fengdu Ghost City temple complex (usually included or ¥100/£11 extra depending on line) — a hillside of Ming and Qing temples dedicated to the afterlife. Afternoon on deck as the river narrows. Some ships include the 'War Fire of the Three Kingdoms' or a similar live show; if not, it's around ¥150/£16 to add. Watch the sunset from the top deck with a drink.

🚌Included in cruise

🛏Yangtze cruise cabin

• →Fengdu Ghost City excursion £11
• →Live show (optional) £16

The signature day: sail through Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and later Xiling Gorge. Transfer onto a small sampan on Shennv (Goddess) Stream for a close-up of the cliffs and hanging coffins (typically included or ¥150/£16). Optional shore stop at Baidicheng or the White Emperor City. All meals on board.

🚌Included in cruise

🛏Yangtze cruise cabin

• →Three Gorges sailing
• →Shennv Stream sampan tour £16

Disembark early and take the included coach excursion to the Three Gorges Dam visitor centre and viewpoint (free with dam entry ~£6 if not included). Transfer to Yichang East and take the 5-hour high-speed train to Shanghai Hongqiao (¥458/£50), or fly Yichang–Shanghai Pudong in about 2 hours from ~£60 if you find a cheap fare. Check into a budget hotel near the Bund or in the French Concession.

🚌High-speed train Yichang–Shanghai ~£50 (or ~£60 flight)

🛏Shanghai hostel private or budget hotel near People's Square/Bund, ~£32/night

• →Three Gorges Dam excursion £6

Morning at Yu Garden (¥40/£4.50) and the surrounding bazaar; queue early for the Shanghai Museum (free, reserve online). Lunch on soup dumplings — try Jia Jia Tang Bao or a century-old spot for pan-fried shengjian bao (~£6). Afternoon stroll the Bund, then take the Huangpu River sightseeing ferry (¥2 public ferry, or ¥120/£13 for the tourist cruise; the public ferry is the local hack). Evening: skyline views from the Lujiazui riverside, free.

🚌Metro + public ferry ~£3

🛏Same Shanghai hotel, ~£32

• →Yu Garden £4.50
• →Shanghai Museum (free)
• →Huangpu public ferry £1
• →Optional tourist cruise £13

Last dumpling breakfast, optional wander through Tianzifang or the former French Concession, then take Metro Line 2 (or the Maglev + metro combo, ¥50/£5.50) to Pudong or Hongqiao airport for your flight home.

🚌Maglev + metro to airport ~£5.50

🛏—

• →Tianzifang / French Concession wander