Trans-Mongolian Railway: Ulaanbaatar to Shanghai (Self-Launched)

Land at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and take a metered taxi or the airport shuttle bus into the city centre (~£5-8). Check into a central hostel or guesthouse in the Sukhbaatar Square area. Use the afternoon to sort a local SIM card, draw Mongolian tugrik from an ATM (they can't be exchanged outside Mongolia), and buy your onward overnight train ticket to Beijing at the Ulaanbaatar Railway Station ticket office if you haven't booked online. Evening: walk Sukhbaatar Square and eat at a local khuushuur (fried dumpling) spot.

🚌Airport taxi or shuttle bus

🛏Central hostel/guesthouse dorm or private budget room, Ulaanbaatar (~£12-18)

• →Settle in, SIM card and cash run
• →Sukhbaatar Square evening stroll
• →Local khuushuur dinner

Self-guided city day. Start at Gandan Monastery to see the 26-metre gold-leafed Migjid Janraisig statue (small entry fee, ~£1.50). Walk or take bus #7 to Zaisan Hill for panoramic views over the city and the Soviet-era memorial. After lunch, visit the Bogd Khan Winter and Summer Palace Museum (~£5). Everything is close enough to link up on foot or by cheap city bus (flat fare under £0.50). Evening: arrange tomorrow's steppe driver with your guesthouse or a local tour office on Sukhbaatar Square.

🚌Walking and city bus

🛏Central hostel/guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar (~£12-18)

• →Gandan Monastery
• →Zaisan Hill viewpoint and Soviet memorial
• →Bogd Khan Winter and Summer Palace
• →Arrange shared steppe driver

Hire a shared 4x4 or minivan with driver (best arranged as a split cost with 2-4 other travellers, ~£40-60pp for a multi-day loop) and head west across the steppe to Elsen Tasarkhai, the 'Mini Gobi' dunes beneath Khugnu Khan mountain. The drive takes around 4-5 hours with photo stops. Hike the sand dunes in the afternoon, then check into a local ger camp — traditional felt tents on platforms with two beds, shared bathroom blocks and often electricity only until late evening. Dinner at camp is usually a Mongolian barbecue-style meal.

🚌Shared 4x4/minivan with driver from Ulaanbaatar (~4-5 hrs)

🛏Ger camp, Elsen Tasarkhai (shared facilities, ~£15-20pp half board)

• →Cross-steppe drive
• →Hike Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes
• →Mongolian barbecue dinner at camp

Morning hike up into the pine forests and rocky ridgelines of Khugnu Khan mountain, then down to the atmospheric ruins of Övgön Khiid (Uvgun Monastery) built into the hillside. In the afternoon, your driver can arrange a visit to a working nomadic family ger nearby — agree the price in advance (~£10-15pp including lunch) and join them to make buuz (Mongolian dumplings) and share a home-cooked meal. Return to camp for a quiet evening under enormous skies.

🚌Shared 4x4 with driver

🛏Ger camp, Elsen Tasarkhai (~£15-20pp half board)

• →Khugnu Khan mountain hike
• →Övgön Khiid monastery ruins
• →Nomadic family ger visit and dumpling-making lunch

Continue east with your driver toward Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, a landscape of granite formations, forested hills and river valleys about 70km from Ulaanbaatar. Arrive at a ger camp in the valley, settle in, then take an easy afternoon hike along the Tuul river valley. Note that on a self-launched version you can also do this as a separate vehicle hire from Ulaanbaatar if you'd rather base yourself in the city between the two steppe legs.

🚌Shared 4x4 with driver

🛏Ger camp, Terelj National Park (~£15-20pp half board)

• →Scenic drive to Terelj
• →Afternoon river valley hike

Full day in the park. Visit Turtle Rock, the giant rock formation symbolising longevity, then climb the hillside trail lined with carved Buddhist mantras to Aryaval Meditation Monastery for valley views. After lunch at camp, try traditional Mongolian archery — local operators near the park entrance run short sessions (~£8-12). Finish with an afternoon hike through the river valleys and forest watching for marmots and birds of prey.

🚌Shared 4x4 with driver, plus walking

🛏Ger camp, Terelj National Park (~£15-20pp half board)

• →Turtle Rock
• →Aryaval Meditation Monastery hike
• →Archery session
• →Afternoon wildlife-spotting hike

Drive back toward the capital with a stop at the 40-metre stainless steel Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex (~£6 entry), climbing up to the horse's head for views over the plains. Arrive back in Ulaanbaatar early afternoon and check into your hostel. Spend the rest of the day restocking supplies for the train: water, instant noodles, fruit, snacks and a small breakfast for tomorrow. Confirm your China train departure time and have your passport and visa ready for the border.

🚌Shared 4x4 with driver back to the city

🛏Central hostel/guesthouse, Ulaanbaatar (~£12-18)

• →Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex
• →Train supplies shopping
• →Optional group-style dinner out

Board the K3/K23 overnight train from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing (roughly 30 hours; book a hard sleeper 4-berth for the best value, ~£70-100 one-way, or a soft sleeper for ~£130). Buy online via a Chinese rail reseller in advance or at the station the day before. Settle into your berth, watch the steppe roll past, and expect a stop at the Chinese border at Erlian/Zamyn-Uud where you'll change bogies (the gauge changes) — have your visa and arrival card ready. Bring your own food and a thermos for hot water.

🚌International overnight train Ulaanbaatar–Beijing (~30 hrs)

🛏Overnight train, hard sleeper berth (included in train fare)

• →Overnight Trans-Mongolian rail crossing
• →Border formalities at Erlian
• →Watching the steppe from the window

Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon. Take the metro from Beijing Railway Station to your hostel or budget hotel — make sure WeChat Pay or Alipay is set up and linked to a card before you arrive, as China is largely cashless now. Check in, then spend the evening wandering a hutong neighbourhood (Nanluoguxiang or the lakes around Houhai) and eating Peking duck or jianbing from a local spot.

🚌Beijing metro from railway station

🛏Hutong hostel or budget hotel, central Beijing (~£20-30)

• →Metro into the city
• →Hutong evening walk
• →Local Beijing dinner

Take the early direct tourist bus (Tourist Bus Line 916 Express from Dongzhimen, or the 867 from Qianmen) to Mutianyu, one of the best-restored Great Wall sections, about 1.5 hours away. Entry is around £5; cable car or toboggan down are optional extras (~£12-15). Hike between towers for a couple of hours. Return to Beijing in the afternoon and walk Tiananmen Square (free, but bring your passport for security checks — you'll need to book the Forbidden City in advance if you're doing it tomorrow). Optional evening: Drum and Bell Towers (~£3).

🚌Public tourist bus to Mutianyu and back, plus metro

🛏Hutong hostel or budget hotel, Beijing (~£20-30)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall hike
• →Tiananmen Square
• →Optional Drum and Bell Towers

Book Forbidden City tickets online (they release 7 days ahead and sell out — entry ~£7) for the first slot of the day and spend 3 hours exploring. Afterwards, take the metro to Beijing West Station and board a high-speed train to Xi'an (~4.5-5.5 hours, second class ~£55). Arrive in the evening, check into a hostel near the Muslim Quarter or inside the city walls, and eat your way through the Muslim Quarter food streets — roujiamo, biangbiang noodles, yangrou paomo.

🚌Metro plus second-class high-speed train Beijing–Xi'an (~£55)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel inside the Xi'an city walls (~£18-25)

• →Forbidden City
• →High-speed rail to Xi'an
• →Muslim Quarter food walk

Take bus 306/游5 from the Xi'an railway station to the Terracotta Army site (~1 hour, ~£1) and spend the morning at the three pits — book an audio guide or join a GetYourGuide/Klook small-group tour if you want interpretation (~£15-25). Back in the city, walk or cycle the Ancient City Wall (~£6 entry, bike hire ~£5) and explore the Muslim Quarter. In the evening board the overnight sleeper train to Suzhou (~13-14 hours, hard sleeper ~£35-45).

🚌Local bus to Terracotta Warriors; overnight train Xi'an–Suzhou

🛏Overnight train, hard sleeper berth (included in train fare)

• →Terracotta Warriors
• →Xi'an Ancient City Wall
• →Muslim Quarter
• →Overnight sleeper to Suzhou

Arrive in Suzhou in the morning and check in near the Pingjiang Road canal district. Visit the Master of the Nets Garden (~£6) — book ahead online — then wander the canals of Pingjiang Road on foot and by boat (~£12 for a short canal cruise). Suzhou is small enough to explore entirely on foot and by local bus. Evening: try Suzhou-style noodles and sweet osmanthus desserts.

🚌Walking and local bus

🛏Canal-side hostel or budget hotel, Suzhou (~£18-25)

• →Master of the Nets Garden
• →Pingjiang Road canals
• →Canal boat ride

Take a 30-minute high-speed train from Suzhou to Shanghai (~£6-8, frequent departures). Check into a hostel in the former French Concession or near People's Square, then walk the Bund along the Huangpu River at golden hour for the classic Pudong skyline view. Follow it with a self-guided wander through the French Concession's plane-tree streets. Optional evening: a Shanghai acrobatics show at the Shanghai Circus World (~£20-35) — book through Klook or GetYourGuide.

🚌High-speed train Suzhou–Shanghai, metro and walking

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, central Shanghai (~£22-32)

• →Train to Shanghai
• →Bund skyline walk
• →French Concession wander
• →Optional acrobatics show

Full free day. Options: Yuyuan Garden and the surrounding bazaar (~£5), the Power Station of Art free contemporary art museum, the Propaganda Poster Art Centre, or a half-day water town trip to Zhujiajiao by metro and bus (~£5 transport). In the evening, eat xiaolongbao in a local dumpling house and take the ferry across the Huangpu (~£0.30) for a cheap night-time skyline view.

🚌Metro, local bus and ferry

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Shanghai (~£22-32)

• →Yuyuan Garden
• →Museum or water town excursion
• →Huangpu ferry at night

Check out and take the metro (Line 2 or the Maglev from Longyang Road, ~£6) to Pudong or Hongqiao airport for your onward flight. If you have a late flight, leave bags at the hostel and do a final morning of café-hopping in the French Concession.

🚌Metro or Maglev to airport

🛏Onward travel

• →Departure
• →Optional final café morning