Hong Kong to Beijing: Food Stalls & Waterfalls – Self-Launched

Arrive in Hong Kong and check into a well-located budget hostel in Mong Kok or Kowloon. Get your bearings with a walk through the Temple Street Night Market, grabbing street food from the dai pai dong stalls — think fish balls, egg waffles, and stinky tofu. Pick up a local SIM card and an Octopus Card for seamless MTR travel throughout your stay.

🚌Airport Express from Hong Kong International Airport to Kowloon (~£9)

🛏Check In Mong Kok Hostel or similar budget hostel in Kowloon (~£18-25/night)

• →Temple Street Night Market
• →Dai pai dong street food crawl
• →Pick up Octopus Card from any MTR station (£10-15 deposit+credit)

Spend the day soaking up Hong Kong's iconic contrasts. Ride the historic Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for sweeping skyline views, then descend to explore the Wong Tai Sin Temple and the dense shopping lanes of Mong Kok's Ladies' Market. In the evening, cross the harbour on the Star Ferry to catch the Symphony of Lights show from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade.

🚌MTR Octopus Card for all local travel (~£3-5/day)

🛏Check In Mong Kok Hostel or similar (~£18-25/night)

• →Victoria Peak via Peak Tram (~£9 return)
• →Wong Tai Sin Temple (free entry)
• →Ladies' Market, Mong Kok (free to browse)
• →Star Ferry harbour crossing (~£0.40)
• →Symphony of Lights show, Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront (free)

Take the high-speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon station to Guangzhou South, then onward to Guilin by high-speed rail. From Guilin, jump on a local bus or shared minivan to Yangshuo (about 1.5 hours, £3-5). Check into a guesthouse on West Street and explore the buzzing night food market — try beer fish, a local Yangshuo speciality. Note: you will need a Chinese visa arranged in advance.

🚌Train + bus as above (total ~£46)

🛏Secret Garden Guesthouse or similar karst-view guesthouse in Yangshuo (~£15-22/night)

• →High-speed rail: Hong Kong to Guangzhou South (~£18, ~48 min)
• →High-speed rail: Guangzhou South to Guilin North (~£25, ~2.5 hrs)
• →Local bus: Guilin to Yangshuo (~£3, ~1.5 hrs)
• →Yangshuo West Street night food market

Hire a bicycle (£3-5/day) and cycle through the flat countryside past rice paddies, water buffalo, and the iconic karst limestone peaks. Visit Moon Hill and the Black Buddha Caves independently, or book a self-bookable guided cycle tour via GetYourGuide. In the afternoon, take a bamboo raft on the Yulong River for jaw-dropping scenery. Book a cooking class at a local school to learn to make Yangshuo dishes — many hostels offer these directly.

🚌Bicycle hire (~£4/day)

🛏Secret Garden Guesthouse or similar (~£15-22/night)

• →Bicycle hire and cycle through countryside (~£4)
• →Moon Hill hike (~£2 entrance)
• →Yulong River bamboo raft (~£10-15, bookable via local guesthouses)
• →Optional: Chinese cooking class with market tour (~£20-30, bookable via GetYourGuide)

Take a morning day trip to the Longji (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces from Yangshuo or Guilin — an unmissable landscape of cascading terraced hillsides and Zhuang minority villages. Return to Guilin and catch an overnight train toward Chengdu (or fly if time is tight — budget airlines like Air China often have fares from ~£40-70). Overnight train saves on accommodation.

🚌Overnight train Guilin to Chengdu (~£30-50 hard sleeper) or budget flight (~£40-70)

🛏Overnight train sleeper (saves on hotel night)

• →Longji Rice Terraces day trip from Guilin (entrance ~£8, bus ~£5 return)
• →Zhuang minority village walk
• →Board overnight train Guilin to Chengdu (~£30-50 hard sleeper)

Arrive in Chengdu in the morning. Check into a central hostel, drop your bags, and head straight for a traditional Sichuan hotpot lunch — Chengdu is the hotpot capital of China. Spend the afternoon wandering Jinli Ancient Street and People's Park, where locals play mahjong and sip tea in the teahouse gardens. In the evening, explore the Kuanzhai Alley food lane for street snacks and cold noodles.

🚌Subway from train station to city centre (~£0.80)

🛏Mix Hostel Chengdu or similar well-rated hostel (~£10-16/night)

• →Sichuan hotpot lunch (~£6-10)
• →People's Park teahouse (~£2-4 for tea)
• →Jinli Ancient Street (free to walk)
• →Kuanzhai Alley food exploration (free to explore)

Head early to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding — arrive by 8am to see the pandas most active during feeding time. Tickets can be booked in advance online (essential on weekends). In the afternoon, visit the Wenshu Monastery and browse the antique market nearby. Consider an evening Sichuan opera show at the Shufeng Yayun teahouse for face-changing performances.

🚌Taxi or Didi to Panda Base (~£5 each way)

🛏Mix Hostel Chengdu or similar (~£10-16/night)

• →Giant Panda Research Base (entrance ~£10, book via official site or Klook)
• →Wenshu Monastery (free entry)
• →Sichuan opera face-changing show (~£10-15 at Shufeng Yayun teahouse)

Take the high-speed train from Chengdu East to Xi'an North (~£30-45, approximately 3.5 hours). Check into a hostel in the Muslim Quarter area. In the afternoon, head straight to the Terracotta Warriors (Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor) — book a guided tour via GetYourGuide or Klook for context, or self-visit with an audio guide (~£5 hire). The site is about 1.5 hours from the city centre by public bus 306 (~£1).

🚌High-speed train + public bus 306 to Terracotta Warriors (~£1)

🛏Han Tang Inn or similar Muslim Quarter hostel (~£10-16/night)

• →High-speed train: Chengdu to Xi'an (~£30-45, ~3.5 hrs)
• →Terracotta Warriors (entrance ~£18, audio guide ~£5)
• →Self-guided or guided tour via GetYourGuide (~£25-35 including transport)

Rent a bike on top of the ancient Xi'an City Walls and cycle the full 13.7km circuit for panoramic views over the city (~£5 bike hire + £4 entrance). In the afternoon, take a day trip to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng (about 3 hours by coach, or stay in Xi'an and visit the Huaqing Palace hot springs instead). Return for a street food feast in the Muslim Quarter — lamb skewers, roujiamo (Chinese burger), and biangbiang noodles are essential.

🚌Local transport within Xi'an + optional coach to Shaolin Temple (~£15 return)

🛏Han Tang Inn or similar (~£10-16/night)

• →Xi'an City Walls cycling (~£4 entrance + £5 bike hire)
• →Optional day trip to Shaolin Temple, Dengfeng (~£15 coach + £12 entrance)
• →Muslim Quarter street food evening (budget £8-12)

Board the high-speed train from Xi'an North to Beijing West (approximately 4.5-5 hours, ~£45-65). Arrive in Beijing and check into a hutong courtyard hostel for the most atmospheric experience. Spend the evening exploring the hutong alleyways near Nanluoguxiang — a labyrinth of traditional courtyard homes now lined with independent cafes, craft beer bars, and street food stalls.

🚌High-speed train Xi'an to Beijing (~£45-65)

🛏Leo Hostel Beijing or similar hutong courtyard hostel (~£12-18/night)

• →High-speed train: Xi'an North to Beijing West (~£45-65, ~4.5-5 hrs)
• →Nanluoguxiang hutong evening stroll
• →Hutong street food and local bar scene

Start early at Tiananmen Square — one of the world's largest public squares and a powerful symbol of Chinese history. Pre-book tickets to the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) online well in advance as daily visitor numbers are capped. Spend 3-4 hours exploring the palace complex. In the afternoon, stroll through Jingshan Park behind the palace for sweeping rooftop views. End with dinner in the Wangfujing street food lane.

🚌Beijing subway day pass (~£3)

🛏Leo Hostel Beijing or similar (~£12-18/night)

• →Tiananmen Square (free entry, book timed ticket online if required)
• →Forbidden City / Palace Museum (~£10, must pre-book online)
• →Jingshan Park (~£1.50)
• →Wangfujing Snack Street food evening

Visit the Temple of Heaven in the morning — the perfectly preserved complex where emperors once offered prayers for good harvests. Watch local residents do Tai Chi and play traditional instruments in the park. After lunch, take the subway to the Summer Palace, a stunning imperial garden on the shores of Kunming Lake. Rent a rowboat on the lake for a unique perspective of the Longevity Hill pavilions.

🚌Subway (~£3)

🛏Leo Hostel Beijing or similar (~£12-18/night)

• →Temple of Heaven Park (~£5 park + temple combo ticket)
• →Summer Palace (~£5 entrance)
• →Rowboat hire on Kunming Lake (~£8/hr)
• →Evening stroll along Houhai Lake bar street

Take a direct bus or join a cheap shared minibus from Dongzhimen Bus Station to Mutianyu — one of the best-preserved and least-crowded Great Wall sections. The wall winds dramatically along mountain ridges with 22 towers to explore. Take the cable car up (~£10) and the toboggan run back down (~£6) for a fun descent. Spend 3-4 hours walking the wall. Return to Beijing in the late afternoon and celebrate your trip with a Peking duck dinner.

🚌Bus/minibus to Mutianyu and back (~£8-16 return)

🛏Leo Hostel Beijing or similar (~£12-18/night)

• →Public bus H23 from Huairou to Mutianyu (~£2 each way) or shared minibus from Dongzhimen (~£8 return)
• →Mutianyu Great Wall entrance (~£10)
• →Cable car up (~£10) + toboggan down (~£6)
• →Peking duck dinner in Beijing (~£12-18)

Final morning in Beijing — pick up any last souvenirs at Panjiayuan Antique Market (open weekends, best early morning) or browse the 798 Art District if you have time before your flight. Take the Airport Express from Dongzhimen station directly to Beijing Capital International Airport (~£4, ~20 minutes).

🚌Airport Express train to Beijing Capital Airport (~£4)

🛏Check out

• →Panjiayuan Antique Market or 798 Art District (free entry)
• →Airport Express to Beijing Capital Airport (~£4)