Great Wall to Great Cities: Self-Launched China Adventure (Beijing to Shanghai)
10 days · China
The Dragon Trip charges £930
No-markup version: ~£585 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 10-day self-launched version of The Dragon Trip's Beijing–Hangzhou–Shanghai route: camp on an unrestored stretch of the Great Wall, get lost in Beijing's hutongs, ride the overnight sleeper train south, sail West Lake in Hangzhou, then finish with skyline views over Shanghai. You book everything yourself — Great Wall camping/country guesthouse direct, hostels on Booking.com or Hostelworld, trains on the official Trip.com/12306 apps, and day tours via GetYourGuide or Klook. Sensible for a first-time solo traveller to China, but with total freedom over your own pace. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights, visa fees and travel insurance.
Day-by-day
Beijing arrival & camp on the wild Great Wall
Beijing / Jiankou–Mutianyu Great Wall
Land at Beijing Capital or Daxing and take the Airport Express + metro to downtown (¥25-30). Rather than a tour pickup, head out to the Wall yourself: from Dongzhimen long-distance bus station take a bus to Huairou (¥16-20, ~1.5hr) or pre-book a shared transfer/driver to a village near Jiankou (approx £25-35 shared). Drop your bag at a Wall-side farmhouse guesthouse and hike a wilder, unrestored section in the afternoon — book the walk and overnight through a local guesthouse or a GetYourGuide/Klook 'wild Great Wall hike' small-group option if you want a guide. Camp overnight near the Wall if weather allows (guesthouse room is the fallback if it's cold or wet); sleeping bags/kit can be rented locally. Bring snacks and water — food is limited up here. Stargazing is spectacular.
🚌Airport Express + metro (~£3); bus to Huairou (~£2) or shared transfer (~£25-35)
🛏Great Wall-side farmhouse guesthouse or camping on/near the Wall (book direct; ~£10-15)
- →Hike an unrestored stretch of the Great Wall
- →Camp/overnight near the Wall (weather dependent)
- →Stargazing
- →Basic Mandarin phrases with your host
Sunrise on the Wall & into Beijing
Great Wall → Beijing
Get up early for sunrise over the ridges (worth it), walk another section of the Wall, then head back into the city by bus or shared transfer. Check in at a hostel near Wangfujing or in the Dongcheng hutongs. Afternoon is free: pick either the 798 Art District (free, metro line 14) or the Summer Palace gardens (¥30-60). Evening bowl of noodles in the hutongs (~£3-5).
🚌Bus/shared transfer back to Beijing (~£3-30); metro journeys ¥3-7
🛏Hostel dorm in Dongcheng/Wangfujing (book on Hostelworld/Booking.com, ~£12-16)
- →Great Wall sunrise
- →798 Art District or Summer Palace
- →Hutong noodle dinner
Forbidden City, Tiananmen & Peking duck
Beijing
Book Forbidden City tickets in advance on the official WeChat mini-program or Trip.com — they sell out days ahead and you need your passport (¥60). Stroll Tiananmen Square first (security queue, passport needed), then continue to Jingshan Park (¥2) for the classic palace-roof panorama. In the afternoon, wander the Nanluo District hutongs. Book acrobatics tickets via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£15-25) if you fancy it, and finish with Peking roast duck at a mid-range local spot (~£10-15).
🚌Metro ¥3-7 each way
🛏Hostel dorm, Beijing (~£12-16)
- →Forbidden City entry (¥60, book ahead)
- →Tiananmen Square
- →Jingshan Park viewpoint
- →Nanluo hutongs
- →Optional: acrobatics show (~£20)
Temple of Heaven & overnight sleeper train south
Beijing → Hangzhou (sleeper train)
Morning at the Temple of Heaven park (¥34 combined ticket) — go early and watch locals doing tai chi. Squeeze in shopping or a wander, then head to Beijing South/West station for the overnight train to Hangzhou (roughly 10-12 hours, D/Z-class sleeper). Book on Trip.com or the 12306 app: hard sleeper (6-berth, no cabin door) about £25-30, soft sleeper (4-berth with door) about £40-50. Buy snacks and water at the station and stow your bag under the bunk.
🚌Sleeper train Beijing → Hangzhou (~£25-35)
🛏Overnight sleeper train (hard or soft sleeper)
- →Temple of Heaven at dawn
- →Beijing fake-goods market browsing
- →Overnight train experience
West Lake, tea hills & lake-island sailing
Hangzhou
Arrive Hangzhou East and take the metro to your hostel near West Lake. Go easy after the night train — a proper breakfast first. Hire a shared bike or use the metro, then take a public lake boat to an island or a small hand-rowed boat along the quieter western shore (~£4-8). Cycle the Su Causeway, then take the public bus or taxi to Longjing tea village for a pot of local tea in the terraces (~£4). Optional: Lingyin Temple (¥45) and the China National Tea Museum (free). Dinner and a stroll on Hefang Road in the evening.
🚌Metro and local buses (£4-6); boats £4-8
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Hangzhou (~£12-18)
- →West Lake island boat trip
- →Cycle the Su Causeway
- →Longjing tea village tasting
- →Optional Lingyin Temple
- →Hefang Road evening stroll
Nine Creeks in Misty Woods & train to Shanghai
Hangzhou → Shanghai
Take a local bus or DiDi to the Nine Creeks in Misty Woods (Jiuxi Yanshu) trailhead and do the 3-4km forested stream walk — free, and one of the best things near Hangzhou. Have lunch in a small teahouse in the valley, then catch a high-speed train from Hangzhou East to Shanghai Hongqiao (45-60 min, ~£10-13 booked on Trip.com). Metro into the city and check into a hostel near the Bund. Evening: walk the Bund after dark.
🚌High-speed train Hangzhou → Shanghai (~£11); metro £1-2
🛏Hostel dorm near the Bund, Shanghai (~£15-20)
- →Nine Creeks in Misty Woods hike
- →Valley teahouse lunch
- →The Bund at night
Shanghai old town, skyscrapers & nightlife
Shanghai
Morning Mandarin lesson at a local language school (many offer one-off drop-ins or book a 1-2hr tutor on italki/GetYourGuide for ~£15-25). Visit Yu Gardens (¥40) and People's Square, browse West Nanjing Road, then take a public ferry across the Huangpu (¥2) for the best-value skyline view. Optional Huangpu River night cruise via Klook (~£10-15). Join a hostel-arranged or GetYourGuide pub crawl in the evening (~£15-25) if you want to meet people.
🚌Metro £1-2; Huangpu ferry ¥2
🛏Hostel dorm near the Bund, Shanghai (~£15-20)
- →Yu Gardens
- →People's Square
- →West Nanjing Road shopping
- →Public ferry skyline view
- →Optional night cruise or pub crawl
Watertown, museums or Disneyland
Shanghai
Pick your day's adventure. Cheap and cultural: bus/shared van to Zhujiajiao waterway town (~£3-5 each way, ¥free to wander, ¥30-60 for entry tickets) and the Shanghai Museum (free, book a slot online). Big spenders: Shanghai Disneyland — buy tickets on Klook/official app (~£55-65) and take metro line 11 straight there. Otherwise Moganshan Art Street (free) and the fake-goods markets are a good low-cost afternoon.
🚌Bus to Zhujiajiao ~£4-8 return; metro to Disneyland ~£1-2
🛏Hostel dorm near the Bund, Shanghai (~£15-20)
- →Zhujiajiao Watertown
- →Shanghai Museum
- →Optional Shanghai Disneyland
- →Moganshan Art Street
Jinmao Tower deck, French Concession & food crawl
Shanghai
Buy a Jinmao Tower observation deck ticket (~£10-15, Klook is usually cheapest) — or upgrade to the outdoor skywalk 340m up. In the afternoon walk the plane-tree streets of the French Concession, visit the Propaganda Poster Art Centre (¥25, hard to find, in a basement — worth it), and get pleasantly lost in Tianzifang's lanes. Finish with a self-guided food crawl: soup dumplings (xiao long bao), scallion pancakes and skewers, ~£8-12.
🚌Metro and walking (~£2-3)
🛏Hostel dorm near the Bund, Shanghai (~£15-20)
- →Jinmao Tower observation deck
- →French Concession walk
- →Propaganda Poster Art Centre
- →Tianzifang lanes
- →Street-food crawl
Departure
Shanghai
Check out and head to Pudong or Hongqiao airport by metro (Pudong: metro line 2 + Maglev option, ~£2-4) or DiDi. If you have a late flight, leave your bag at the hostel and grab one last bowl of noodles and a walk along the Bund.
🚌Metro to airport (~£2-4)
🛏None — departure day
- →Last Bund walk
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. The Dragon Trip
| This itinerary (self-launched) | The Dragon Trip | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£585 | £930 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £345 per person (37%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more The Dragon Trip-style trips? Check them out here.~£585
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Great Wall to Great Cities: Self-Launched China Adventure (Beijing to Shanghai) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £585 per person for 10 days in China. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with The Dragon Trip?+
Yes — The Dragon Trip charges around £930 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £585 — a saving of roughly £345 (37%) per person.
How long is the China trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through China.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, city-breaks trip through China, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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