North China Getaway

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · BeijingBeijing

   

   You arrive in Beijing for a welcome meeting at 6 pm, then settle into your hotel. Spend your first evening getting to know your travel group, with your leader recommending local spots for hand-pulled noodles or spicy food.

2. 2
   Day 2 · BeijingBeijing

   Explore Beijing's hutongs—traditional neighbourhoods dating back the Yuan Dynasty—with your leader to understand old Beijing's character. The rest of the day is yours to visit the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace or Beijing Olympic venues if you've booked ahead.

3. 3
   Day 3 · BeijingBeijing - Overnight Train

   Take a public coach to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Spend time exploring, photographing and learning about this 6,000 km engineering feat, originally built to protect against northern invaders. The well-preserved Mutianyu section has dense watchtowers and offers the option to toboggan down nearby hills.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Xi'anXi'an

   

   Arrive in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province in northwest China. After leaving luggage at your hotel, explore the Muslim Quarter's narrow streets, shops and food markets with your leader. Spend the evening free to visit the Bell Tower or Drum Tower, or sample local food influenced by the Silk Road.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Xi'anXi'an

   Travel by public transport to the Terracotta Warriors, an archaeological site buried for 2,000 years before farmers discovered it in 1974. View nearly 2,000 of the 6,000 warriors across three main pits—each with distinct costumes, heights and expressions, commissioned by Emperor Qin Shi Huang around 264 BC. Return to Xi'an in the afternoon with time to explore the 13 km City Walls and Gates.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Xi'anXi'an - Overnight Train

   Enjoy a free morning in Xi'an before your mid-afternoon overnight train to Shanghai. You might revisit the Muslim Quarter, pick up local snacks for the train or grab a final local lunch based on your leader's recommendations.

7. 7
   Day 7 · ShanghaiShanghai

   

   Arrive in Shanghai early morning and take the subway to your accommodation. Join your leader on a walking tour along the Bund, viewing Art Deco architecture, then wander through nongtangs—Old Shanghai's narrow winding lanes. Gather with travel friends in the evening to explore Shanghai's diverse food scene.

8. 8
   Day 8 · ShanghaiShanghai

   Shanghai is yours to explore freely. Visit Yuyuan Garden and its old bazaar, ascend Shanghai Tower in Pudong for city views, take a night cruise on the Huangpu River, relax in a French Concession café, shop locally or catch the Bund at sunset. Later, head to a rooftop bar to celebrate.

9. 9
   Day 9 · ShanghaiShanghai

   Your trip ends today with no planned activities. You can extend your stay by contacting your booking agent in advance to arrange additional Shanghai accommodation.

What's included

• Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Activities: Beijing - Leader-led Hutong walking tour Beijing - Mutianyu Great Wall day tour Xi'an - Leader-led Muslim Street walking tour Xi'an - Terracotta Warriors Tour - leader led Shanghai - Leader-led Bund walking tour
• Transport: CHINA TRAIN TRAVEL SECURITY: When travelling by train in China you will need to pass through security checkpoints similar to those at airports. Please be aware that items that may be classified as ‘weapons’ might be confiscated (even from your suitcase), as all luggage travels in the compartment with you. We recommend leaving items that fall into this category (eg. pocket knives or scissors) at home. Aerosol spray bottles are not permitted on high-speed trains and can get confiscated at the station. Overnight Sleeper Train, Public Bus, Subway, Taxi
• Accommodation: HOTEL ROOMS: Some travellers have reported that hotels/accommodation in this region tend to have harder bed mattresses than those they are used to at home. You may like to request an extra quilt or bedding from the hotels if you find this an issue. SMOKING ROOMS: Smoking is prevalent in China and hotels generally do not offer specific non-smoking rooms. Larger hotels with central air conditioning will sometimes transport the smell of smoke between rooms. While we ask our hotels to ensure our rooms are well cleaned and ventilated well before occupation in some cases this is not possible, and the smell of smoke may linger. Please speak to your leader about the possibility of changing rooms if you encounter this. WIFI: WiFi is often available in hotel reception areas and sometimes in rooms. Your leader will be able to advise on the best places to get connected. , HARD SLEEPER TRAINS CHINA: We use hard sleeper class trains for most of our overnight train journeys in China unless otherwise specified. These are not as rough as they sound - compartments are open-plan, clean, with padded berths (6 to a compartment) and sheets, a blanket/quilt & pillow provided. We recommend bringing your own sleeping sheet if you are concerned about the quality/cleanliness of sheets being not what you are used to. Basic bathroom facilities with toilets and washbasins are situated at the end of each carriage. As toilet paper isn't always available, it's best to bring an emergency supply.Most trains have a dining carriage where meals or snacks are available and all have hot water in each carriage for tea and instant noodles. While we aim to have our groups staying together there may be times where due to ticket availability the group will be staying in different compartments and carriages. The compartments are not segregated by gender and you may share with locals or other travelers instead of your own group members. Your leader will help you settle in once on board and it’s a great opportunity to experience first-hand how Chinese travel in the country. While railway services are rapidly being modernised in China, some train journeys on less frequented routes may use older rolling stock and the carriages of a more basic standard. Basic Hotel (6 nights), Overnight Sleeper Train (2 nights)

How travellers rate it

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Common questions