“Worth it if you get Qin as your guide and embrace early starts and varied pacing. Think twice if you need detailed pre-trip clarity on costs, accommodation specs, and what 'Hong Kong inclusion' actually means.”
- About £75/day across 12 days
- Dropped £45 recently in our own price tracking
- We only rate a price against this trip's own history once we've tracked it for 21 days — no guessing before that.
- About average per day vs 4 similar trips (~£83/day)
- 4.1★ from 11 traveller reviews
Price movement, fill and the all-in cost come from our own daily tracking— not the operator’s feed. You book on TourRadar; the live price always applies there.
About this trip
Twelve days across China's highlights, covering huge ground from Beijing to Hong Kong with the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors and Chengdu's pandas all in the mix.
You'll travel mostly by public transport, including an overnight hard sleeper train, and get properly stuck into local life — sipping tea in People's Park, eating street food with a local leader who knows the good spots, and cycling through the karst countryside around Yangshuo.
It's a fast, full itinerary rather than a deep dive into any one city. Beijing and Hong Kong get relatively little time, so it's worth adding extra days at either end if you want to explore them properly.
What you'll do
- Walk a section of the Great Wall
- See the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an
- Watch pandas in Chengdu
- Sip tea in People's Park and sample street food with a local leader
- Cycle through the karst mountains and countryside around Yangshuo, taking in Moon Hill
- Finish in Hong Kong with its nightlife scene
- Public transport throughout, including an overnight train in hard sleeper class (six bunks per compartment) — you'll carry your own luggage on and off
- Expect to be on your feet a lot, easily over 10,000 steps most days, so comfortable shoes matter
- Popular sites draw big crowds, so some queuing is likely — check the itinerary for tickets worth booking ahead
Day by day
Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.
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.
- Meals: 1 lunch, 1 dinner
- Activities: Beijing - Mutianyu Great Wall Beijing - Tiananmen Square Beijing - Leader-led Hutong Walking Tour Xi'an - Muslim Quarter Walking Tour and Snack Sampling Xi'an - Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square Walking Tour Xi'an - Terracotta Warriors Tour - leader led Chengdu - Walking Tour (Tianfu Square, People's Park and Kuanzhai Lane) Chengdu - Sichuan Style Hot Pot Dinner Chengdu - Giant Panda Breeding Research Base Yangshuo - Walking Tour Yangshuo - Bike Tour & Moon Hill Visit Yangshuo - Home-Cooked Lunch Hong Kong - Leader-led Walking Tour Hong Kong – Temple Street Night Market Walking Tour
- Transport: Overnight Hard Sleeper Train, Public bus, Private vehicle, High-speed Train, Subway, Taxi
- Accommodation: OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION: The style of accommodation indicated in the Itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. TWIN SHARE: Accommodation on this trip is on a twin share basis, unless otherwise stated in the Itinerary. There may be times when facilities are shared, rather than ensuite, which will also be mentioned in the Itinerary if applicable. CHECK-IN TIME: Throughout the trip we request that hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination before checking in. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION: If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights., 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., GUESTHOUSES: In smaller, rural locations in China we may stay in guesthouses, which are mostly small family run establishments. Facilities are basic compared to hotels and towels may not be provided. Please note that on occasion the group may be accommodated in separate guest houses within walking distance of each other. Hotel (8 nights), Overnight Hard Sleeper Train (1 night), Hostel (2 nights)
- Activities: Other activities and services not included.
- Flights: International flights are not included.
- Optional: Beijing –Great Wall Toboggan Ride - (round trip) - CNY140 Beijing - Lama Temple (entrance fee) - CNY25 Beijing - Temple of Heaven (entrance fee) - CNY40 Beijing - Forbidden City (Entrance fee & Pre booking required) - CNY60 Xi'an - Little Wild Goose Pagoda - CNY50 Xi'an - Great Mosque (entrance fee) - CNY25 Xi'an - Bell & Drum Towers (entrance fee) - CNY50 Xi'an - Cycling on City Wall - CNY99 Xi'an - Karaoke - CNY100 Yangshuo - Li River Cruise - CNY230 Yangshuo - Tai Chi/Kung Fu class - CNY120 Yangshuo - Cooking School & Market Tour - CNY230 Yangshuo - Tea Harvesting - CNY358
- Insurance: Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with Cover Genius to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).
How travellers rate it
Cheapest live departure per day, in £, recorded by our tracker since 17 Jul. Never a brochure “was” price.
Your free day in Beijing
Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Beijing — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).
Worth it if you get Qin as your guide and embrace early starts and varied pacing. Think twice if you need detailed pre-trip clarity on costs, accommodation specs, and what 'Hong Kong inclusion' actually means.
- Guide quality is wildly inconsistent; some leaders lack training, skip itinerary items, and restrict your free time activities.
- Qin, the standout guide, goes beyond the brief—helping with pharmacies, arranging extras, balancing knowledge with fun.
- Budget accommodation is basic but clean; expect lower-cost meals and no surprises if sightseeing matters more than comfort.
- Hong Kong is one afternoon, not a full stop; bike ride around Yangshuo should be fixed, not optional—clarify expectations upfront.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Departing in Jan is cheapest — from £895, about 10% below the priciest month (May).
Getting there
One-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown on Trip.com.
Hotels in Beijing
View more accommodationLive prices via Booking.com & partners, booked on their site — separate from your tour. We may earn a commission; it never changes your price.
On a budget?
Hostels in Beijing for the night before your tour · 5 Jan – 6 Jan
Booked on Hostelworld, separate from your tour. We may earn a commission — it never changes your price.
Common questions
How long is Real China?
It's a 12-day trip. It starts in Beijing and finishes in Hong Kong.
How much does Real China cost?
The land price starts from £895 per person for the 12-day trip. You book on TourRadar, where the live price always applies.
What's included in the price?
The price covers all your accommodation, 2 meals (1 lunch, 1 dinner), transport during the trip, a group leader/guide. Anything the operator lists as optional or not included — see the full breakdown on this page.
What's not included?
international flights and travel insurance (required) are not included, so factor them into your budget. We show typical flight costs and can point you to insurance on this page.
How big is the group?
Groups are capped at around 16 travellers — a small-group trip, mostly solo 18–35s travelling to meet people, not a coach tour.
When does Real China run?
It runs across roughly 12 months of the year, so there's usually a departure to fit your dates. Check live availability and prices in the dates section above.
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