Self-Launched China & Yunnan Express: Beijing to Kunming Independently

Land at Beijing Capital or Daxing airport. Skip the taxi touts in the baggage hall — take the Airport Express train (¥25) to Dongzhimen, then subway Line 2 to Chongwenmen, or use Didi (China's Uber) for about ¥100-120 downtown. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Chongwenmen or Dongcheng, grab jianbing or dumplings for dinner and get an early night to beat jet lag. Get a local SIM or eSIM set up (China Unicom tourist SIM ~¥100) so you have mobile data for maps and Didi.

🚌Airport Express train ¥25 + subway ¥2-5; or Didi ~£12

🛏Dorm bed or twin in a Dongcheng/Chongwenmen hostel or budget hotel (~£18)

• →Airport transfer
• →Neighbourhood wander and dinner

Book Forbidden City tickets yourself in advance on the official English site (gugong.ktmtech.cn) — they sell out and are passport-linked, so reserve the moment your dates open. Enter from the south, exit north into Jingshan Park for the classic rooftop view. Tiananmen Square is free but requires a security check and advance reservation through WeChat. In the afternoon, walk the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang and climb the Drum and Bell Towers (¥30) for sunset. Optional: a rickshaw hutong tour (¥80-180) or a kung fu show in the evening.

🚌Subway around the city (~£1)

🛏Same Beijing hostel/budget hotel (~£18)

• →Forbidden City entry (~£8)
• →Tiananmen Square (free, reserve ahead)
• →Drum & Bell Towers (¥30)
• →Hutong walk

Take the direct tourist bus from Dongzhimen Wai to Mutianyu (¥30, ~1.5 hrs, departs around 8am) or a Didi shared ride, and buy the cable car up (¥100) plus entry (¥45) — the wall here is restored, uncrowded and gives you 22 towers to walk between. Return to the city mid-afternoon, collect your bags and fly Beijing to Xi'an (2h15, book via Trip.com or Klook ~£60-80). Alternatively take the high-speed train (~5.5h, ~£65) if you prefer rail. Check into a hostel inside or just inside Xi'an's city walls near the Muslim Quarter.

🚌Tourist bus ¥30 + cable car ¥100 + flight ~£70 (or HSR ~£65 + airport transfer)

🛏Xi'an hostel in the city walls (~£15)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall entry and hike
• →Cable car
• →Evening flight to Xi'an

Take bus 306 (¥7) from Xi'an Railway Station to the Terracotta Warriors, and either self-guide with the audio guide (¥40) or join a small-group English guide booked on GetYourGuide (~£15). Loop back via the farmhouse restaurants near the site for a local lunch. In the afternoon, rent a bike on Xi'an's Ming-era city walls (¥45) and cycle the 14km loop. Grab dinner in the Muslim Quarter, then board the overnight sleeper train to Suzhou (soft sleeper ~¥350-450, ~13 hrs) — book on Trip.com and keep it to a backpack so it fits under the bunk.

🚌Bus 306 ¥7, flight-free, sleeper train ~£45

🛏Overnight soft sleeper train

• →Terracotta Warriors entry (~£13)
• →Optional local guide (~£15)
• →City wall bike rental (¥45)

Arrive mid-morning and drop bags at a guesthouse near Pingjiang Road. Explore the Master of the Nets Garden (¥40) — the smallest and arguably finest of Suzhou's classical gardens — then wander the canals of Pingjiang Lu and Shantang Street. Optional extras: Suzhou Museum (free, book ahead), Tiger Hill or a short canal boat ride (¥60). Dinner on local Suzhou noodles and squirrel fish if you're feeling adventurous.

🚌Walking and local buses (~£2)

🛏Pingjiang Road guesthouse or hostel, twin (~£20)

• →Master of the Nets Garden (¥40)
• →Pingjiang Lu canal walk
• →Optional canal boat (¥60)

Hop the high-speed train from Suzhou to Shanghai (25-30 mins, ~£7) and check into a hostel in the French Concession or near People's Square. Walk the Bund at golden hour — the colonial architecture on one side, the Pudong skyline on the other — then cross to Lujiazui for the riverside promenade at night. DIY the orientation without a guide: Google Maps doesn't work well in China, so download Amap or Apple Maps offline before you arrive.

🚌High-speed train ~£7, metro ~£1

🛏Shanghai hostel in the French Concession (~£20)

• →Bund walk
• →Ferry across the Huangpu (£0.50)
• →Lujiazui skyline view

Free day: Yuyuan Garden (¥40) and the surrounding bazaar, the contemporary art at M50 or West Bund, or the Shanghai Museum (free, reserve online). Book tickets for the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe at the Shanghai Circus World or ERA show via Klook or Trip.com (¥180-280) — the equivalent of the group excursion, just self-booked. Finish with dinner in the French Concession.

🚌Metro and walking (~£2)

🛏Same Shanghai hostel (~£20)

• →Yuyuan Garden (¥40)
• →Acrobat show ticket (~£25)
• →M50 art district

Fly Shanghai to Kunming (~3h15, book early on Trip.com or Spring Airlines for ~£55-85). Afternoon in Kunming: walk Green Lake Park to watch locals dancing and busking, and eat a bowl of crossing-the-bridge noodles — Yunnan's signature dish. Check into a hostel near Green Lake or the old town area.

🚌Flight ~£70 + metro/airport shuttle ~£3

🛏Kunming hostel near Green Lake (~£13)

• →Green Lake Park walk
• →Crossing-the-bridge noodles

Morning at the Jingxing Bird and Flower Market — a maze of stalls selling songbirds, orchids, herbs, teapots and snacks. Optional: the Stone Forest (¥175 entry, ~1.5h from Kunming by bus) if you want the karst detour. Then take the high-speed train from Kunming to Dali (2h, ~£15) or the express bus (~4.5h, ¥130, ~£15) and check into a guesthouse in Dali Old Town or quiet Xizhou-adjacent villages near Lake Erhai.

🚌High-speed train or express bus Kunming–Dali ~£15

🛏Dali Old Town guesthouse, twin (~£15)

• →Bird and Flower Market
• →Optional Stone Forest (¥175)
• →Dali Old Town evening walk

Rent an e-bike or pushbike (¥50-80/day) and ride the lakeshore loop from Dali Old Town to Xizhou, stopping at Bai minority villages, tie-dye workshops and lakeside viewpoints — Erhai is ringed by a flat, beautifully paved cycling path. Alternatively, join a boat tour on the lake (¥140). Back in Dali, explore the Three Pagodas (¥75) or eat grilled cheese 'rushan' and Bai-style hotpot.

🚌Bike rental (¥50-80)

🛏Same Dali guesthouse (~£15)

• →Erhai lakeside bike ride
• →Optional boat tour (¥140)
• →Three Pagodas (¥75)

Take the local bus or a shared minivan from Dali's Xiaguan bus station to Shaxi (~3.5-4h, ~¥50-60, or ~£15 in a shared van) — an old salt-and-tea-horse-road village of cobblestones, timber houses and an original Ming theatre stage in Sideng Square. Wander the old streets, the Sideng market square and the stone bridge over the Heihui River at sunset. Shaxi is the quiet equivalent of the group's walking tour, just without a guide.

🚌Local bus / shared van ~£11

🛏Shaxi courtyard guesthouse, twin (~£15)

• →Shaxi Old Town walk
• →Sideng Square and theatre stage
• →River walk

Hire a bike or take a local taxi to Shibaoshan (¥50 entry) for its extraordinary grottoes and cliff carvings, or visit Xingjiao Temple (¥30). Alternatively hike in the surrounding hills through Bai and Yi villages, or just sit in a teahouse watching the village go by. This is the trip's best 'slow travel' day — no need to book anything.

🚌Bike or local taxi (~£4)

🛏Same Shaxi guesthouse (~£15)

• →Shibaoshan rock carvings (¥50)
• →Xingjiao Temple (¥30)
• →Hill village walk

Take the shared van or local bus from Shaxi to Lijiang (~2.5h, ~£9). Drop bags and walk the UNESCO-listed Old Town with its canals, Naxi minority murals, wooden balconies, old men with pipes and women in traditional costume — this is a self-guided version of the included visit. Climb the hill to the Wangu Pavilion for a rooftop view. Optional: a Naxi ancient music concert in the evening (~¥60).

🚌Shared van/bus ~£9

🛏Lijiang Old Town guesthouse (~£16)

• →Lijiang Old Town walk
• →Wangu Pavilion (¥50)
• →Optional Naxi music concert

Early bus from Lijiang's long-distance station to Qiaotou (2h, ~¥35-45, ~£5), the launch point for the gorge. Pay the 45-yuan trail fee, stash any extra luggage at a Qiaotou guesthouse, and set off on the High Trail. Day 1 is the climbing section: the 28 Bends, then Jane's Guesthouse or the Naxi Family Guesthouse. Book your night's guesthouse by WeChat or ask the Qiaotou bus stop owner — in peak season beds are limited.

🚌Lijiang–Qiaotou bus ~£5

🛏Trail guesthouse dorm twin (Naxi Family or Jane's, ~£10 incl. dinner)

• →Tiger Leaping Gorge trail fee (¥45)
• →High Trail hike — 28 Bends
• →Guesthouse dinner

Continue the High Trail — the most spectacular stretch — past waterfalls and the famous 'Tiger Leaping Gorge Tea-Horse' signposts down to Tina's Guesthouse (about 5-6 hours walking total). Optional: take the steep ladder trail down to the Middle Rapids (¥10-20 local charge) for the view up at the clashing rocks. Then catch a local bus or shared van back to Lijiang in the afternoon (~£5).

🚌Local bus Qiaotou/Tina's back to Lijiang ~£5

🛏Lijiang guesthouse (~£16)

• →High Trail descent
• →Middle Rapids trail
• →Return to Lijiang

Morning at Black Dragon Pool Park (¥30) for the classic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflection shot, and if you have time, take a bus to Baisha village for its frescoes and quieter old-town vibe. In the late afternoon, catch the high-speed train to Kunming (3.5h, ~£25) and check in near the station for an early departure.

🚌High-speed train Lijiang–Kunming ~£25

🛏Kunming hostel/budget hotel (~£15)

• →Black Dragon Pool (¥30)
• →Baisha village
• →Travel to Kunming

Final morning: breakfast at a local market, last-minute souvenir shopping for pu'er tea, or a stroll in Green Lake Park. Take the metro or airport shuttle to Changshui International Airport (line 6 connects to the airport, ~£1). Flight home not included in budget.

🚌Metro/airport shuttle ~£1

🛏None

• →Last market breakfast
• →Transfer to airport