About this trip
This 18-day trip strings together a bullet train dash across China and a stretch of the Trans-Mongolian Railway, taking you from Shanghai's neon skyline to Beijing's ancient sites, then out into Inner Mongolia and across the border into Mongolia.
Expect a real mix of landscapes and paces: glass-and-steel cities give way to the Gobi Desert and the open steppe, with a night in a traditional ger camp and a home-cooked lunch with a family of camel herders along the way.
It's a long haul in distance terms — nearly 3500 km covered by rail — so this suits travellers who enjoy the journey itself as much as the destinations, and don't mind a few long days on the train.
What you'll do
- Ride the bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing
- Watch the sunset from the Great Wall of China
- Travel a section of the Trans-Mongolian Railway from China into Mongolia
- Sleep in a traditional ger camp on the Mongolian steppe
- Share lunch with a family of camel herders in the Gobi Desert
- You'll need a valid visa for both China and Mongolia — the 240-hour China transit visa exemption doesn't cover this route
- The overnight train uses 4-berth compartments allocated on a mixed-gender basis, so you may share with travellers outside your group
- This is a combination of two linked trips, so your group and leader change partway through — check the itinerary for when
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.
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Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Shanghai · 28 Mar – 29 Mar
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