Essential China Self-Launched: Hong Kong to Yangshuo, Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai & Fujian — 27 Days

Land in Hong Kong, buy an Octopus card at the airport (or use a contactless card) and check into a hostel in Yau Ma Tei or Mong Kok. Ride the historic Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak late afternoon for the skyline view — buy the tram ticket direct or walk the free trail network instead. Come down for the 8pm Symphony of Light laser show at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, then graze your way around Temple Street Night Market (claypot rice, egg waffles, cheap seafood).

🚌Airport Express or A21 bus to Kowloon (~£12 one-way); walk and MTR in town (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok (~£18)

• →Ride Peak Tram to Victoria Peak for panorama
• →Avenue of Stars Symphony of Light show (8pm)
• →Temple Street Night Market street-food crawl

Easiest route: West Kowloon high-speed rail to Guangzhou South (~1hr, ~£25) then a second high-speed train to Yangshuo Station in Gongcheng county (~2.5hrs, ~£18), then a 45-minute bus/taxi into the town. Alternatively fly HKG to Guilin. This is a full travel day — arrive late, find a guesthouse in Yangshuo old town or on West Street, and eat local beer fish for dinner.

🚌Hong Kong–Guangzhou South–Yangshuo high-speed trains (~£43 total) + local bus (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse in Yangshuo old town (~£13)

• →Scenic high-speed rail through Guangdong and Guangxi
• →Evening walk along West Street
• →Try Yangshuo beer fish

Rent a bike from your guesthouse (~£4/day) and cycle out through the karst valleys to Chaoyang Wharf. Buy a Yulong River bamboo raft ticket at the jetty (~£20, 90 mins, shared 2-person raft over the low weirs) or take a public bamboo raft ferry for less. Cycle back through Aishan village and the Moon Hill viewpoint, with lunch at a farmhouse restaurant for £4-5.

🚌Bike hire (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse in Yangshuo (~£13)

• →Yulong River bamboo raft cruise
• →Bike loop through karst countryside and villages
• →Moon Hill viewpoint

Morning Chinese cooking class — book direct with a local cooking school via TripAdvisor/GetYourGuide (~£28, includes market visit and 3-4 dishes with lunch). Afternoon is free: swim or relax, or rock climb with a local guide on the karst walls (~£35 half-day, or £12 if you have your own gear and bouldering). Optional evening hot-cupping session (~£12).

🚌Walk/cycle (£3)

🛏Guesthouse in Yangshuo (~£13)

• →Yangshuo cooking class
• →Optional rock climbing or cave mud bath/hot springs at Moon Hill (~£20)
• →Optional karaoke night out

Take a public bus to Xingping (~£2) and walk the classic 20-yuan-note Li River viewpoint, then paddle-kayak a short stretch of the Li near Xingping (~£15 with a local operator). Afternoon hike or cycle to a riverside village, or rent a kayak independently. Cheap noodles and barbecue skewers on West Street in the evening.

🚌Public bus Yangshuo–Xingping (~£2) + local transport (£3)

🛏Guesthouse in Yangshuo (~£13)

• →Xingping Li River viewpoint hike
• →Kayak hire on the Li River
• →Village cycle and local market

Morning high-speed train Yangshuo → Guilin → Chongqing (~8-9hrs total, ~£65; book on Trip.com the day tickets release). In Chongqing, head to Chaotianmen Dock and book a short evening Yangtze/ Jialing river sightseeing cruise (~£12-25 for 1-2hrs) rather than the multiday cruise the original tour includes. Then walk to the floodlit Hongya Cave stilt-house complex for night views and hotpot dinner.

🚌High-speed trains to Chongqing (~£65); metro in town (~£3)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Jiefangbei (~£15)

• →Evening Yangtze River sightseeing cruise from Chaotianmen Dock
• →Hongya Cave night views
• →Chongqing hotpot dinner

Ride Line 2 to Liziba Station where the monorail runs straight through an apartment block (metro fare ~£1). Explore the Civil Air Defence / air raid shelter tunnels, walk to Eling Park for river views, and see the monumental People's Great Hall. Evening in Guanyinqiao for street food and the city's famous 3D skyline lights.

🚌Metro day pass (~£4)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Jiefangbei (~£15)

• →Liziba monorail-through-building
• →Underground air raid shelter visit
• →People's Great Hall and Eling Park
• →Guanyinqiao street food

High-speed train Chongqing North → Chengdu East (1.5hrs, ~£15, frequent). Check into a hostel near Chunxi Road, then practise slow travel: People's Park teahouse for a bamboo-chair tea, matchmaking corner people-watching, then Kuanzhai Alley for snacks (dan dan noodles, rabbit head if you're brave). Sichuan opera face-changing show if you want a big evening (~£20).

🚌High-speed train (~£15); metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm, Chengdu centre (~£11)

• →People's Park teahouse
• →Kuanzhai Alley snack crawl
• →Optional Sichuan opera and face-changing show

Be at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for opening (7:30am) — book the ticket online in advance (~£7) and get there by metro Line 3 + bus or a Didi (~£5). Pandas are most active before 10am; see the cub nursery too. Afternoon free: Wenshu Monastery teahouse, Jinli Street or a Sichuan cooking class (~£25).

🚌Metro + Didi to panda base (~£6)

🛏Hostel dorm, Chengdu (~£11)

• →Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre (early entry)
• →Wenshu Monastery teahouse
• →Optional Sichuan cooking class

High-speed train Chengdu East → Leshan (1hr, ~£7 each way), then bus 3 or 13 to the Giant Buddha scenic area. Buy the entry ticket (~£8) and either walk the cliff stairs down past the Buddha's feet (queues) or take the river boat for the full-frontal view (~£10). Back in Chengdu by evening — cheap hotpot for dinner.

🚌Return high-speed trains (~£14) + local bus (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Chengdu (~£11)

• →Leshan Giant Buddha (UNESCO)
• →Optional river boat view of the Buddha
• →Chengdu hotpot

High-speed train Chengdu East → Xi'an North (~4hrs, ~£35). Check in near the Bell Tower, then rent a bike on top of the Ming Dynasty city walls (~£6/hr) and ride the full 14km loop at golden hour. Evening: Bell and Drum Towers lit up, then eat your way through the Muslim Quarter — roujiamo, yangrou paomo, biangbiang noodles, persimmon cakes.

🚌High-speed train (~£35); bike hire (~£6); metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm near Bell Tower (~£11)

• →Cycle the Ming Dynasty City Walls
• →Bell & Drum Towers
• →Muslim Quarter street-food crawl

Bus 306/游5 from Xi'an Railway Station East Square to the Terracotta Warriors (~£1, 1hr) or Didi (~£12). Entry ~£13; hire an audio guide (~£4) or tag onto an English guide group. Spend 3-4hrs across Pits 1-3 and the bronze chariots. On return, visit the Big Goose Pagoda and catch the free evening music-and-light fountain show on the north square.

🚌Public bus (~£2) or Didi (~£12)

🛏Hostel dorm, Xi'an (~£11)

• →Terracotta Warriors and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
• →Big Goose Pagoda and fountain show

High-speed train Xi'an North → Zhengzhou East (~2hrs, ~£22), then bus or Didi to Dengfeng (~1hr, ~£4). Book a kung fu taster class at one of the many martial arts schools around Shaolin (walk-in or via Klook, ~£20-30 for 1-2hrs) and watch a training session at the tagou-style academies. Evening: cheap noodle dinner and a walk around the Songshan foothills town.

🚌High-speed train Xi'an–Zhengzhou (~£22) + bus (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse in Dengfeng (~£12)

• →Shaolin-style kung fu taster lesson
• →Watch a martial arts school training session

Take the local bus to Shaolin Temple (~£1). Temple entry ~£10 and watch the daily kung fu performance included with the ticket; the Pagoda Forest is the highlight. Hike up to Dharma Cave (Damo Dong) above the temple (~1.5hrs return) where Bodhidharma is said to have meditated. If you have energy left, Longmen Grottoes are 1.5hrs away in Luoyang (train ~£6, entry ~£10) — a full but rewarding day.

🚌Local buses (~£3) or train to Luoyang (~£8 return)

🛏Guesthouse in Dengfeng (~£12)

• →Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest
• →Hike to Dharma Cave
• →Optional Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang

Train Dengfeng → Zhengzhou → Beijing West (~4-5hrs, ~£38), then bus 916快 to Huairou and a local minivan to a wild, unrestored section (Jiankou/Mutianyu hinterland, ~£6). Camping on the wall is technically not permitted — most travellers do it discreetly with a guide or stay at a farmhouse below the wall and hike up for sunset and sunrise instead (~£20). Carry water and food; nothing is sold up there.

🚌Trains (~£38) + bus and minivan (~£8)

🛏Camping on the wall (own/rented kit) or farmhouse guesthouse (~£20)

• →Hike an unrestored section of the Great Wall
• →Sunset on the wall
• →Overnight camp or farmhouse below the wall

Sunrise on the wall, then back to Beijing by bus 916 (~£3). Book the Forbidden City ticket online in advance (~£8, sells out) with passport; enter via Tiananmen Square (free, security queue). Climb Jingshan Park (~£1) for the classic view over the golden roofs, then wander the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang. Peking roast duck dinner (~£12-18).

🚌Bus back to Beijing (~£3) + metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dongcheng (~£14)

• →Forbidden City
• →Tiananmen Square
• →Jingshan Park viewpoint
• →Hutong wander + Peking duck

Early morning at the Temple of Heaven park (~£4) where locals practise tai chi and dance; then Summer Palace gardens (~£6) or 798 Art District (free, galleries and coffee). Evening at the Chaoyang Theatre acrobatics show (~£18-25) — book via Klook or at the box office.

🚌Metro (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Beijing (~£14)

• →Temple of Heaven park
• →798 Art District
• →Summer Palace
• →Chinese acrobatics show

High-speed train Beijing South → Hangzhou East (~4.5-5hrs, ~£65). Afternoon arrival: check into a hostel near West Lake, walk the Su Causeway, and explore Hefang Street's old shops and snacks. Tea shops and lakeside bars in the evening.

🚌High-speed train (~£65); metro/bus (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm near West Lake (~£13)

• →Su Causeway walk on West Lake
• →Hefang Ancient Street

Late breakfast, then a public West Lake boat to Xiaoyingzhou island (~£6) for the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon view. Afternoon: National Tea Museum (free) and Longjing tea village tasting (~£8). Hike Jiuyao Mountain (~1.5hrs up) for sunset over the lake, or visit Lingyin Temple (~£8) and the Feilai Feng carvings en route.

🚌Bus and boat (~£8)

🛏Hostel dorm, Hangzhou (~£13)

• →West Lake boat to Xiaoyingzhou island
• →Longjing tea village tasting
• →Jiuyao Mountain sunset hike
• →Optional Lingyin Temple

Morning hike the Nine Creeks and Misty Woods trail from Longjing village down to the lake (~2hrs, free) with a hostel lunch before checkout. Late-afternoon high-speed train Hangzhou East → Shanghai Hongqiao (~1hr, ~£10). Check into a hostel in the French Concession, walk the Bund at night for the Pudong skyline, or take a 50-minute Huangpu River night cruise (~£15).

🚌High-speed train to Shanghai (~£10); metro (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm, French Concession (~£14)

• →Nine Creeks and Misty Woods hike
• →The Bund at night
• →Optional Huangpu River cruise

Free walking-tour morning through the French Concession (tip-based, ~£5 tip): plane-tree streets, shikumen lanes, Fuxing Park. Then Tianzifang's craft alleys, the Propaganda Poster Art Centre (~£3) and Yu Gardens bazaar (~£5 for the garden). Lunch on xiaolongbao. Rooftop bar on the Bund for skyline views in the evening.

🚌Metro (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Shanghai (~£14)

• →French Concession walk
• →Tianzifang
• →Yu Gardens
• →Rooftop bar city views

Shanghai Museum (free, book ahead) in the morning, Moganshan Art Street (M50) galleries in the afternoon, and the Jinmao Tower observation deck or the free 100th-floor view from a bar (~£16). Evening: join the Shanghai Pub Crawl (~£15-20) or explore Jing'an's bars.

🚌Metro (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Shanghai (~£14)

• →Shanghai Museum
• →M50 Moganshan Art Street
• →Jinmao Tower observation deck
• →Optional Shanghai pub crawl

Metro Line 17 to Zhujiajiao (~£1, 1hr) for a half-day in the canal town — entry to the town area is free, individual gardens/temples £2-4, boat ride ~£8. Back in Shanghai for West Nanjing Road shopping and a last big dumpling dinner. Alternatively, Shanghai Disneyland if you'd rather (~£50+ ticket).

🚌Metro Line 17 (~£2)

🛏Hostel dorm, Shanghai (~£14)

• →Zhujiajiao Watertown canals
• →Boat ride and old bridges
• →West Nanjing Road in the evening

High-speed train Shanghai Hongqiao → Longyan or Nanjing (Fujian) (~5-6hrs, ~£45), then a local bus or Didi to the tulou villages (~£4). Stay in a family-run guesthouse inside or beside a roundhouse (~£15, book via Booking.com or a homestay site). Evening: home-cooked Hakka dinner, karaoke with the family or a movie on the patio — this is the most memorable night of the trip.

🚌High-speed train (~£45) + bus/Didi (~£4)

🛏Hakka roundhouse homestay (~£15)

• →Stay overnight in a Hakka roundhouse homestay
• →Hakka home-cooked dinner
• →Evening with local family / karaoke

Walk between the UNESCO tulou clusters — Tianluokeng's 'four dishes and a soup' formation, Yuchang Lou's leaning wooden tower, and the largest roundhouse (Chengqi Lou) — entry to the scenic areas ~£10-12 total. Cycle to a neighbouring village (~£4 bike hire), and take a traditional Gongfu tea ceremony and tasting with a local tea farmer (~£8).

🚌Bike hire and local buses (~£6)

🛏Hakka roundhouse homestay (~£15)

• →UNESCO tulou walking tour
• →Cycle to local village
• →Traditional tea ceremony and tasting

Hike up into the hills to tea plantations above the villages (~2-3hrs, free) and see the terraced tea fields, then cycle the back lanes between roundhouses and rice paddies. Afternoon free for photography, or a bamboo-weaving/dyeing workshop with a local family (~£8). Early night — big travel day tomorrow.

🚌Bike hire (~£4)

🛏Hakka roundhouse homestay (~£15)

• →Tea plantation hike
• →Bike tour through Fujian tea country
• →Optional craft workshop

Bus or Didi to Longyan/Zhangzhou station, then high-speed train via Shenzhen North to Hong Kong West Kowloon (~5-6hrs total, ~£55). Clear immigration at West Kowloon, and the loop closes. If you're flying home the same day, allow at least 4hrs between arrival and departure. Book the train 2-3 days ahead on Trip.com with your passport details.

🚌Bus (~£4) + high-speed trains to Hong Kong (~£55)

🛏None included (or hostel in Kowloon ~£18 if staying overnight)

• →High-speed rail back to Hong Kong
• →Last dim sum in Kowloon