China & Vietnam: The Great Wall to Ho Chi Minh (Self-Launched)

Land at PEK or PKX and take the Airport Express + metro to a hostel near Dongsi or Nanluoguxiang (¥30-50 total, ~£4). Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly — cards are hit-and-miss outside big hotels. Evening wander through the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang and Yonghegong, grab jianbing or zhajiangmian from a street stall, and sort your 12306 train tickets tonight (the app has an English mode and takes foreign cards).

🚌Airport Express + metro from airport (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dongcheng hutong area (~£14)

• →Hutong evening walk (Nanluoguxiang, Yandai Xiejie)
• →Set up Alipay/WeChat Pay
• →Book 12306 train tickets

Go early — Tiananmen security queues are brutal after 9am and you need your passport to enter the square. Pre-book the Forbidden City on the official WeChat mini-programme or gugong.ktmtech.cn (¥60, sells out days ahead, closed Mondays); allow 3-4 hours. Afternoon: Temple of Heaven park (¥34 combined ticket) to watch locals doing tai chi and singing opera under the cypresses. Optional Drum & Bell Towers (¥30) or Lama Temple (¥25) if you have legs left.

🚌Metro (~£1)

🛏Hostel dorm, Dongcheng (~£14)

• →Tiananmen Square (free, passport required)
• →Forbidden City (¥60, book ahead)
• →Temple of Heaven (¥34)
• →Optional Drum & Bell Towers (¥30)

Take the pre-booked direct tourist bus or the 916 Express bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou then a local shuttle to Mutianyu (¥40-60 total), or split a Didi with hostel mates (~¥300 each way, £35 total). Mutianyu entry ¥40 plus shuttle ¥15; the cable car or toboggan is ¥100-140 if you want the shortcut. Walk towers 6→20 and back for the empty ridgeline views. Back in Beijing by late afternoon, then board the overnight sleeper to Xi'an (Z19 or similar, hard sleeper ~¥270, ~£30, 11-12 hrs).

🚌Bus to Mutianyu + overnight sleeper train Beijing–Xi'an (~£30)

🛏Overnight train, hard sleeper

• →Mutianyu Great Wall hike (entry ¥40)
• →Optional cable car/toboggan (¥100-140)
• →Overnight hard-sleeper train

Arrive mid-morning, drop bags at a hostel inside the city walls near Bell Tower. Rent a bike on the Ming city wall (¥54 entry + ¥45 bike) and ride the full 14km loop — best late afternoon light. Then dive into the Muslim Quarter: roujiamo, yangrou paomo, biangbiang noodles and persimmon cakes along Beiyuanmen and the side alleys (eat for £6-8). Great Mosque is ¥25 and worth a look for its Chinese-Islamic architecture.

🚌Metro/walk (~£1)

🛏Hostel dorm inside the city walls (~£12)

• →City wall cycling (¥54 + ¥45 bike)
• →Muslim Quarter street food crawl
• →Great Mosque (¥25)

Get to Xi'an North Station area or take bus 306/游5 from the main railway station east square (¥7, ~1 hr) to the Terracotta Army site. Entry ¥120; hire an audio guide (¥40) or join a GetYourGuide small-group guided tour from ~£25 if you want the context. Go to Pit 1 last so the reveal lands properly. Back in the city by evening — optional Tang Dynasty dumpling banquet show (¥328) or just a cheap bowl of noodles.

🚌Public bus 306 to Terracotta Warriors (~£1)

🛏Hostel dorm, Xi'an (~£12)

• →Terracotta Warriors (entry ¥120, optional guided tour ~£25)
• →Optional Tang Dynasty show + dumpling banquet (¥328)

Morning G-series bullet train Xi'an North → Chengdu East, ~3.5 hrs, second class ~¥263 (~£29). Check into a hostel near Chunxi Road or Kuanzhai Alley, then walk the Wide and Narrow Alleys. Tonight is hotpot: a shared divided pot at a local spot like Shu Jiu Xiang runs ¥70-100 per head with beer (~£10). Very social — invite hostel mates.

🚌High-speed train Xi'an–Chengdu (~£29)

🛏Hostel dorm, Chengdu (~£12)

• →Kuanzhai Alley & Wide/Narrow Alleys walk
• →Sichuan hotpot dinner

Be at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for opening (07:30) — entry ¥55, and take a Didi or the Panda Bus from the city (~¥10-30). Pandas are active and feeding in the first two hours; the nursery is the highlight. Afternoon: People's Park for a ¥20 bottomless cup of jasmine tea at Heming Teahouse, ear cleaners and mahjong players, then wander to Tianfu Square. Evening: Sichuan opera face-changing show (~¥150) if you fancy it.

🚌Didi/metro (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Chengdu (~£12)

• →Giant Panda Breeding Base (¥55)
• →People's Park tea house (¥20)
• →Tianfu Square
• →Optional Sichuan opera face-changing show (~¥150)

Free morning — Wenshu Monastery (free) is a calm, working Buddhist temple with a great vegetarian canteen, or Kuanzhai Alley for cafés. Afternoon domestic flight Chengdu → Lijiang, ~1h20, book on Trip.com or Ctrip, typically £45-75 one way. Land into cool highland air at 2,400m; take the airport shuttle bus (¥20) into town. Easy evening in Lijiang Old Town.

🚌Flight Chengdu–Lijiang (~£60) + airport shuttle (¥20)

🛏Guesthouse near Lijiang Old Town (~£13)

• →Wenshu Monastery (free)
• →Lijiang Old Town evening wander

Walk to Black Dragon Pool Park (¥50 with the old town maintenance fee) in the morning for the postcard reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain over the marble bridge. Then explore Lijiang Old Town: the Giant Water Wheel, Wangu Tower on Lion Hill, and the Mufu Museum. If you want to go up the mountain itself, book a GetYourGuide day tour (~£45-60) including the cable car and Blue Moon Valley — worth it but skip if altitude is a concern.

🚌Walk; optional tour pickup

🛏Guesthouse, Lijiang (~£13)

• →Black Dragon Pool Park (¥50)
• →Lijiang Old Town & Wangu Tower
• →Optional Jade Dragon Snow Mountain day tour (~£50)

Local bus from Lijiang to Jianchuan then a shared minivan on to Shaxi (~¥50-70 total, 2.5-3 hrs) — ask your guesthouse to book it, or use the 8am direct tourist shuttle (~¥60). Shaxi is a sleepy Bai village on the old Tea Horse Caravan Road: Sideng market square, the Ming-era theatre stage, Yujin Bridge and Xingjiao Temple (¥30). Stay in a courtyard guesthouse and eat local wild mushroom hotpot.

🚌Local bus + shared minivan (~£7)

🛏Courtyard guesthouse, Shaxi (~£15)

• →Shaxi Old Town walking route
• →Sideng Old Market Square & theatre stage
• →Yujin Bridge
• →Xingjiao Temple (¥30)

Morning bus to Xizhou (~2 hrs), the thousand-year-old Bai town of carved wooden courtyard houses. Wander independently without a guide (£0 — the architecture speaks for itself), and try Xizhou baba flatbread fresh from the clay oven. Continue by local bus to Dali (¥15-25). Evening in Dali Old Town: Foreigner Street, the lit lanterns and a cheap dinner of rushan cheese and Dali beer.

🚌Local buses Shaxi–Xizhou–Dali (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse, Dali Old Town (~£13)

• →Xizhou Old Town courtyard houses
• →Xizhou baba tasting
• →Dali Old Town evening walk

Free day. Rent an e-bike or pushbike (¥50-80/day) and ride the west shore of Lake Erhai toward Xizhou, stopping at Caicun pier and the wetlands. Alternative: cable car or hike up Cangshan Mountain (¥40 park entry + ¥180 cable car), or the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple (¥120). Afternoon tie-dye workshop with a Bai family (¥80-120) if you want a hands-on souvenir.

🚌Bike/e-bike rental (~£7)

🛏Guesthouse, Dali (~£13)

• →Lake Erhai cycling
• →Three Pagodas (¥120)
• →Bai tie-dye workshop (~£12)
• →Optional Cangshan cable car (¥180)

Bus or train from Dali to Kunming South (~2 hrs by bullet train from Dali station, ¥145), then onward to Jianshui by train or bus (¥60-90, ~3 hrs). Jianshui is a beautifully preserved Ming-Qing town with a huge Confucian temple (¥60), Zhu Family Garden, and the Twin Dragon Bridge. Evening: grilled tofu at a street-side brazier — the local speciality — with a cold beer (£4).

🚌Bullet train Dali–Kunming + regional train/bus to Jianshui (~£18)

🛏Guesthouse, Jianshui Old Town (~£13)

• →Jianshui Confucian Temple (¥60)
• →Zhu Family Garden
• →Grilled tofu street food

Morning self-guided walk of Jianshui's old wells and lanes and a hands-on purple-clay pottery workshop (¥80-150, book same-day). After lunch, bus to Yuanyang/Xinjie (¥60, ~3.5 hrs over winding mountain roads) and on to a guesthouse in Duoyishu or Pugaolao. The rice terraces here are 1,300 years old and UNESCO-listed; sunset at Bada or Laohuzui viewpoint (¥70 combined ticket covers all viewpoints).

🚌Bus Jianshui–Xinjie–Yuanyang (~£7)

🛏Terrace-view guesthouse, Yuanyang (~£15)

• →Jianshui old wells walk
• →Purple clay pottery workshop (~£12)
• →Sunset at Bada terraces (viewpoint ticket ¥70)

Sunrise at Duoyishu viewpoint (be there 06:30 for the mist and mirror-water flooding). Then hike the terrace paths between Pugaolao, Quanfuzhuang and Mengpin villages — 3-5 hrs of gentle but slippery-on-edges stepping through Hani villages. Eat at a village kitchen (¥30 for rice, greens and cured pork). Sunset again at Laohuzui. Same ticket as yesterday covers everything.

🚌Local shared vans/walking (~£3)

🛏Terrace-view guesthouse, Yuanyang (~£15)

• →Duoyishu sunrise viewpoint
• →Terrace hiking between Hani villages
• →Laohuzui sunset

Long travel day. Early bus Yuanyang → Xinjie → Mengzi or Hekou (¥80-110, 6-7 hrs with changes). Get a Chinese eSIM/data plus VPN sorted before you go — Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked. Cross the Hekou–Lao Cai land border on foot (Chinese visa exit + Vietnam e-Visa, apply online in advance, ~£20), then a shared minivan from Lao Cai up to Sapa (¥/₫, ~£5, 1 hr) or the sleeper train Lao Cai–Sapa is no longer running — use the minivan/bus.

🚌Buses to Hekou (~£12) + foot border crossing + shared minivan to Sapa (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse, Sapa (~£13)

• →Hekou–Lao Cai land border crossing
• →Sapa evening wander and market

Book a self-guided or small-group day trek via GetYourGuide (~£22-30) or take a local Hmong guide from the Sapa market (~£15-20 for the day) down through Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai and Ta Van — rice terraces, bamboo and Black Hmong villages. Lunch at a homestay in Ta Van (£5). Afternoon Hmong batik (indigo wax drawing) workshop in Ta Van, ~£8-12. Return by motorbike taxi (₫100k, £3) or trek back up.

🚌Motorbike taxi return (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse, Sapa (~£13)

• →Sapa valley day trek - Y Linh Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van (£20)
• →Hmong batik workshop in Ta Van (~£10)

Morning at leisure — Fansipan cable car (₫800k, £26) if the weather's clear, otherwise a slow breakfast over the valley. Then the Sapa Express bus straight to Hanoi Old Quarter (~5.5 hrs, £10-13) or minivan to Lao Cai for a Vietnam Railways soft-sleeper train to Hanoi (£18-25, arrives early). Check into a hostel dorm in the Old Quarter.

🚌Sapa Express bus or minivan + sleeper train to Hanoi (~£12-25)

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi Old Quarter (~£10)

• →Sapa market and valley views
• →Optional Fansipan cable car (£26)

Ease into Hanoi: a cyclo ride around Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 streets (₫100-150k, ~£4, negotiate first), then walk to Train Street (check current access rules — often police-controlled), Bach Ma Temple and the egg-coffee cafés. Lunch of bún chả or phở (£3). Book tonight for tomorrow's Hanoi Foodie Culture tour via GetYourGuide (~£18-23) and your Halong Bay trip.

🚌Cyclo (~£4) + walk

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi (~£10)

• →Cyclo tour of Old Quarter (~£4)
• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Temple of the Jade Mound
• →Egg coffee tasting
• →Optional Hanoi Foodie Culture tour (~£20)

Book a mid-range overnight junk cruise in advance on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£85-120 for a 2D/1N all-inclusive with transfers, meals, kayaking and cave entry). Transfer bus from Hanoi Old Quarter (~3.5 hrs), then cruise Lan Ha Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay for the quieter karst scenery. Kayak among the limestone pillars, swim, and watch sunset from the sundeck. Dinner of fresh seafood on board.

🚌Shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong return + boat (included)

🛏Halong Bay junk boat cabin (included in cruise price)

• →Overnight junk boat cruise (~£100 incl. transfers, meals)
• →Kayaking and swimming among karst bays
• →Sung Sot / cave visit

Morning tai chi on deck and brunch, then the shuttle back to Hanoi arriving late afternoon. Grab a bánh mì and use the time to wander the French Quarter and St Joseph's Cathedral. Board the Reunification Express overnight soft sleeper Hanoi → Hue (SE3 or SE19, ~12-13 hrs, ₫700-950k / £23-32 four-berth). Book on dsvn.vn or 12Go Asia.

🚌Shuttle bus back to Hanoi + Reunification Express sleeper to Hue (~£28)

🛏Overnight train, soft sleeper

• →Halong Bay morning kayak
• →Hanoi French Quarter & St Joseph's Cathedral
• →Overnight Reunification Express

Arrive early morning, drop bags at a guesthouse south of the river. Walk or cycle to the Imperial Citadel (₫200k, ~£6.50) and spend 2-3 hrs in the Forbidden Purple City. Afternoon: option of the easy-rider motorbike tour to the royal tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda (£15-22, book via GetYourGuide), or DIY by Grab and the Perfume River boat (₫80k). Eat bún bò Huế for dinner (£3).

🚌Walk/bicycle/Grab (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse, Hue (~£12)

• →Imperial Citadel (₫200k)
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Optional easy-rider motorbike tour (£18)
• →Royal tombs of Tu Duc / Khai Dinh

Take the local train Hue → Da Nang (₫70k, £2.50, 2.5 hrs) for the coastal stretch through the Hai Van Pass — one of the best-value train rides in Asia. From Da Nang, a public bus 1 or Grab to Hoi An (₫120k, £4) takes 45 mins. Check into a homestay in the Old Town or An Bang side. Beach afternoon at An Bang, then tailor shops and lantern-lit lanes in the evening.

🚌Train Hue–Da Nang (£2.50) + bus/Grab to Hoi An (~£4)

🛏Homestay/guesthouse, Hoi An (~£12)

• →Hai Van Pass coastal train
• →An Bang Beach
• →Hoi An lantern-lit Old Town evening

Morning: Hoi An Old Town entry ticket (₫120k, £4) covers the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls, Tan Ky ancestral house and the ceramics museum. Midday cooking class — book via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£20-28 including market tour and 4-5 dishes such as cao lầu and white rose). Rent a bike (₫50k) and cycle to Tra Que vegetable village or the rice paddies. Evening: Thu Bon river boat with a lantern (₫100k, £3).

🚌Bicycle rental (~£1.50)

🛏Homestay, Hoi An (~£12)

• →Hoi An Old Town ticket (₫120k)
• →Cooking class with market tour (~£24)
• →Tra Que vegetable village by bike
• →Thu Bon river lantern boat (~£3)

Optional early-start My Son Sanctuary tour (~£22-28 incl. transport, or DIY by Grab ~₫500k return plus ₫150k entry) for Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley — go at 6:30am to beat the crowds and heat. Otherwise: tailor fitting, a massage (£8), and An Bang Beach. Overnight bus or train south toward Ho Chi Minh City tonight or tomorrow morning.

🚌Grab/tour transport (~£8)

🛏Homestay, Hoi An (~£12)

• →My Son Sanctuary (optional, ~£25)
• →An Bang Beach
• →Vietnamese massage (£8)

Morning shuttle to Da Nang, then fly to SGN on VietJet/Bamboo (~£25-40 one way, 1h20) — cheaper and faster than the 20-hour train. Alternatively a sleeper bus from Hoi An direct (~£14, 18 hrs). Check into a hostel in District 1 around Pham Ngu Lao. Evening: bia hoi corner, bun bo nam bo and a walk to Nguyen Hue walking street.

🚌Shuttle + domestic flight Da Nang–SGN (~£32)

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£9)

• →Nguyen Hue walking street
• →Pham Ngu Lao street food

Morning Cu Chi Tunnels tour (book on Klook/GetYourGuide ~£13-18 including bus, or DIY bus 13 to Ben Duoc + ₫35k entry) — crawl the tunnels, see the trap doors and try the tapioca. Afternoon back in the city: War Remnants Museum (₫40k, £1.30), Reunification Palace (₫65k) and Ben Thanh Market. Evening: Vietnamese iced coffee on a rooftop and a final bowl of phở.

🚌Tour bus to Cu Chi + Grab (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£9)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels tour (~£15)
• →War Remnants Museum (₫40k)
• →Reunification Palace (₫65k)
• →Ben Thanh Market

Slow morning — café sữa đá, a last bánh mì, and a wander to the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral. Bus 152 or Grab to Tan Son Nhat airport (~£2-4) for your flight home, or continue north by train if you're extending.

🚌Bus 152 or Grab to airport (~£3)

🛏—

• →Saigon Central Post Office
• →Notre Dame Cathedral exterior
• →Final bánh mì