11-Day China Panda & Emperor Highlights: Self-Launched Beijing to Shanghai

Land at Beijing Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX). Take the Capital Airport Express or Daxing Airport Express metro line into the city centre (~£3), or a DiDi (China's Uber) for around £10–13. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse near Dongsi, Zhangzizhonglu or Gulou — hutong-area hostels are characterful and well connected. Spend the afternoon acclimatising: set up WeChat, Alipay and a China SIM/eSIM (data is essential for bookings and payments), then wander Nanluoguxiang lanes and grab jianbing or noodles for dinner (~£4).

🚌Airport Express metro ~£3; metro ~£0.50 per ride

🛏Hutong hostel or budget guesthouse, Dongsi/Gulou area (~£18–22)

• →Airport metro into central Beijing
• →Set up WeChat Pay / Alipay and mobile data
• →Evening wander in Nanluoguxiang hutongs

Book Forbidden City tickets in advance (free but reserved via the Palace Museum WeChat mini-program; released 7 days ahead and sell out fast — bring your passport for the security check). Enter via Tiananmen Square (also requires an advance reservation), then spend 3–4 hours in the Forbidden City (~£7). In the afternoon take the metro to Tiantan Dongmen for the Temple of Heaven (~£4.50), watching locals dance and play cards in the surrounding park. Finish with a self-guided hutong walk — no rickshaw needed — around the Qianmen and Nanluoguxiang lanes, and optionally catch a kung fu show at the Red Theatre (~£20–25) if you want an evening event.

🚌Metro all day ~£1.50

🛏Hutong hostel or budget guesthouse (~£18–22)

• →Tiananmen Square reservation (free)
• →Forbidden City entry ~£7
• →Temple of Heaven ~£4.50
• →Self-guided hutong walk
• →Optional Red Theatre kung fu show ~£22

Do the Great Wall independently: take the metro to Dongzhimen then a public bus 916 Express to Huairou (~£2) and a local taxi/shuttle to Mutianyu (~£8 shared), or book a shared day-trip minibus via Klook/GetYourGuide if you prefer door-to-door (~£25–35 including entry). The Mutianyu entry plus round-trip cable car is about £16 total (cable car tickets sold at the gate or on Trip.com). Give yourself 3–4 hours walking between towers 14 and 20 — it's the quieter, more scenic stretch. On the way back, stop for a photo at the Bird's Nest and Water Cube in Olympic Park (exterior is free). Optional: a proper Peking duck dinner in the evening (~£12–15 per person at a mid-range restaurant like Siji Minfu).

🚌Bus 916 Express + shared taxi ~£10–15, or shared minibus ~£30

🛏Hutong hostel or budget guesthouse (~£18–22)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall entry ~£5
• →Round-trip cable car ~£11
• →Olympic Park photo stop (free)
• →Optional Peking duck dinner ~£13

Morning at the Summer Palace in northwest Beijing (~£4 entry) — walk the Long Corridor and up Longevity Hill; a Kunming Lake boat ride is about £4.50 if you fancy it. Grab lunch near the metro, then head to Beijing West Railway Station for the high-speed G-train to Xi'an — 4.5–5.5 hours in second class for roughly £50–55, booked on Trip.com or the 12306 app with your passport. Evening arrival in Xi'an; check into a hostel inside or near the City Wall (the Shuyuanmen and Muslim Quarter areas are lively). Dinner from the Muslim Quarter street stalls: roujiamo, yangrou paomo, biangbiang noodles (~£6).

🚌Beijing–Xi'an high-speed train ~£52 (second class)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Xi'an City Wall/Muslim Quarter (~£18–22)

• →Summer Palace entry ~£4
• →Long Corridor walk
• →Optional Kunming Lake boat ~£4.50
• →Muslim Quarter street-food dinner

Take the metro Line 9 + shuttle or the tourist bus 306 (green bus from Xi'an Railway Station, ~£1) out to the Terracotta Warriors (~£14 entry). Rent an audio guide or use a free phone guide — you don't need a private guide. Allow 3–4 hours across the three pits. Stop at one of the pottery workshops near the site to try making a mini warrior (~£6–10) if you want the hands-on version. Back in the city, walk or cycle the Ming City Wall (~£6 entry, bike hire ~£5 for 100 minutes) and loop past Bell Tower Square at dusk. Optional Tang Dynasty dinner show (~£30).

🚌Metro + local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Xi'an (~£18–22)

• →Terracotta Warriors entry ~£14
• →Pottery workshop ~£8
• →City Wall entry + bike hire ~£11
• →Bell Tower Square at dusk (free)

Explore the Muslim Quarter on foot and visit Gao's Courtyard (~£2) — check the times for its shadow-puppet performances, which are usually a few pounds extra. Walk to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Plaza for the free music fountain show (typically early evening, so do it before or after depending on your train time). Then take an afternoon high-speed train Xi'an–Chengdu, about 3.5–4.5 hours in second class for roughly £35–40. Arrive Chengdu, check into a hostel near Chunxi Road or Kuanzhai Alley, and eat your first proper Sichuan meal — mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork for ~£7.

🚌Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed train ~£37 (second class)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Kuanzhai Alley/Chunxi Road, Chengdu (~£16–20)

• →Muslim Quarter self-guided walk
• →Gao's Courtyard entry + shadow puppetry ~£4
• →Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Plaza (free)
• →Sichuan dinner

Get to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for opening (7:30–8:00am) — book the £6 ticket on the base's WeChat mini-program or Trip.com, and take metro Line 3 + bus or a DiDi (~£4). Pandas are most active before 10am. By late morning, head to Chengdu East or South station for a 1-hour bullet train to Leshan (~£7), then local bus 3 or a taxi to the Giant Buddha (~£10 entry). Walk the steep staircase down past the Buddha's head to its toes (1.5–2 hours), or take the river ferry for the full-frontal view (~£9). Return to Chengdu by train in the evening; optional Sichuan opera face-changing show (~£20).

🚌Metro/DiDi + Chengdu–Leshan return train ~£17

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Chengdu (~£16–20)

• →Panda Base entry ~£6
• →Leshan Giant Buddha entry ~£10
• →Optional river ferry ~£9
• →Optional Sichuan opera ~£20

A gentle day on foot in Chengdu. Start at People's Park, where you can sit in a bamboo chair at a Heming teahouse with bottomless jasmine tea (~£3) and watch the city go by — the classic Chengdu experience. Walk to Wuhou Shrine (~£5) and the adjoining Jinli Ancient Street for snacks and souvenirs. In the afternoon, either wander Kuanzhai Alley or visit the Jinsha Site Museum (~£7) if archaeology interests you. Finish with a Sichuan hotpot dinner — budget ~£10–12 with drinks — or a cheaper local chuanchuan skewer place for ~£6.

🚌Metro/walking ~£1.50

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Chengdu (~£16–20)

• →People's Park + teahouse tea ~£3
• →Wuhou Shrine ~£5
• →Jinli Ancient Street (free)
• →Optional Jinsha Site Museum ~£7
• →Hotpot dinner ~£11

Morning flight Chengdu–Shanghai on a domestic carrier (Sichuan Airlines, China Eastern, Spring) — book on Trip.com; one-way fares typically £55–90 depending on season and how far ahead you book. Budget airlines fly from Chengdu Tianfu to Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao. Alternatively a full-day high-speed train exists (~11 hours, ~£75) if you prefer rail and scenery. Land in Shanghai, take metro Line 2 or the Maglev from Pudong into town (~£6 for the Maglev), and check into a hostel in the Former French Concession or near People's Square (~£20–25 per night). Evening stroll along the Bund to see the Pudong skyline lit up — free and best after dark.

🚌Chengdu–Shanghai flight ~£65 + airport metro/Maglev ~£6

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Former French Concession/People's Square, Shanghai (~£22–28)

• →Domestic flight to Shanghai
• →Maglev or metro into the city
• →Evening Bund walk (free)

Do Shanghai's highlights by metro and on foot. Start with the Shikumen alleys of Xintiandi and Jing'an for the old lane-house architecture, then head to Yuyuan Garden (~£5) and the bustling Yuyuan Bazaar/Chenghuangmiao Old Street — go early to beat the crowds. Visit the Shanghai History Museum or the Shanghai Museum (free, book online) depending on what's open. In the afternoon, cross to Lujiazui and ride up the Oriental Pearl TV Tower's 259m sightseeing deck (~£20) — or the Shanghai Tower observation deck (~£25) for a taller view; both are bookable on Trip.com or Klook. Finish with a walk along the Bund and riverside dinner in Lujiazui or back in the French Concession (~£10).

🚌Metro day pass ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Shanghai (~£22–28)

• →Shikumen alleys walk (free)
• →Yuyuan Garden ~£5
• →Yuyuan Bazaar (free)
• →Shanghai History Museum (free/advance booking)
• →Oriental Pearl Tower deck ~£20
• →The Bund (free)

Breakfast at your hostel or a local congee/noodle shop, then take metro Line 2 or the Maglev to Pudong International Airport for your flight home (~£6). If your flight is later in the day, squeeze in a last wander around the French Concession's Plane Tree-lined streets or Tianzifang's craft lanes before heading out. Allow 2.5–3 hours at Pudong for international check-in.

🚌Metro Line 2 or Maglev to Pudong Airport ~£6

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Optional French Concession/Tianzifang morning walk
• →Transfer to Pudong International Airport