China

China was one of the most amazing trips we have ever done. In August 2025 we spent fifteen days crossing the country: from the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, the pandas in Chengdu, the karst mountains of Guilin and Yangshuo, the tea fields of Hangzhou and, finally, the skyline of Shanghai.

It was a big trip to plan, so we split it into one guide per city, each with what we saw, how we got around and what we paid in 2025. This page is the overview: the route, what to sort out before you go and where we slept. Each city has its own guide, linked below.

Our route

• Beijing, 4 days: the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the hutongs.
• Xi'an, 1 day: the Terracotta Warriors, the City Wall and the Muslim Quarter.
• Chengdu, 1 day: the giant pandas, teahouses and Sichuan food.
• Guilin, 2 days: karst hills, caves and the Longji rice terraces.
• Yangshuo, 2 days: the Li River cruise and cycling along the Yulong River.
• Hangzhou, 2 days: West Lake and the Longjing tea village.
• Shanghai, 4 days: the Bund, Yu Garden, the French Concession and the Zhujiajiao water town.

Tip: Between cities we used high-speed trains almost everywhere. They are fast and comfortable. The only flight inside China was from Guilin to Hangzhou.

Before you go

China is not a trip you can improvise. Several things need to be sorted out at home, before you land. This was our checklist:

• Visa: check the current rules for your passport well in advance.
• Travel clinic: book an appointment to check vaccines and medication.
• Travel insurance, with a copy saved in your email and in the cloud.
• Copies of all your documents.
• Alipay and WeChat Pay: almost everything in China is paid by scanning a QR code. Set both apps up and link a card before you leave.
• A VPN: Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked in China. We paid about €14 for a plan covering two phones.
• An eSIM: we bought ours on Trip.com for about €14. Turn off data roaming on your normal SIM before using it, to avoid huge roaming bills.
• Maps: Google Maps barely works. Use Gaode Maps (Amap) or Baidu Maps, or Apple Maps, which in China is surprisingly up to date with public transport.
• Didi, the Chinese Uber, for taxis.
• Trip.com for train tickets and for most attraction tickets.
• A plug adapter.

Tip: Many attractions only sell tickets online, a few days in advance, and some websites ask for a Chinese phone number. Book through Trip.com whenever you can.

Getting there

We flew with Lufthansa from Porto to Beijing with a stop in Munich, leaving Porto at 6.15am on 31 July and landing at Beijing Capital Airport (Terminal 3) at 4.50am the next morning.

Where we slept

• Beijing: Jingli Hotel Beijing Heshenghui (Dajiaoting Subway Station branch), €142 for our stay.
• Xi'an: Desti Youth Park Hostel Bell & Drum Tower, €41.
• Chengdu: Sonderia Lazybones Hostel, €28.
• Guilin: Travel Light Hostel, €59.
• Yangshuo: Dyed Mount Boutique Hotel.
• Hangzhou: Desti Youth Park Hostel West Lake, €74.
• Shanghai: Crowne Plaza Shanghai Nanjing Road, €300.

What to eat

Every city has its own dishes, and you will find them in each guide. A few to look out for from day one:

• Jianbing, a savoury crepe, and youtiao, fried dough sticks, for breakfast.
• Jiaozi and baozi, dumplings and steamed buns.
• Jidan guan bing, a pancake filled with egg.
• Lamb chuanr, spicy lamb skewers.
• Peking duck in Beijing.
• Tanghulu, candied fruit on a stick.
• Malatang, a spicy soup where you pick your own ingredients.
• Liang mian, cold noodles, and chou doufu, stinky tofu, if you are brave.

Tip: Download Dazhong Dianping (大众点评), the Chinese restaurant review app, to find places to eat nearby. And when you finish eating, lay your chopsticks across the top of the bowl, never stuck in the food.

Souvenirs

Our list was short: watercolour paintings, and fans for everyone. Yes, everyone.