China is an incredible destination for a two week adventure. It is rich in culture and history, full of breathtaking scenery, and home to some of the friendliest people we have met on our travels. With that being said, China was probably one of the most difficult adventures we have planned to date.
Here you will find our ultimate 2 week itinerary for traveling China. Also, check out our tips and tricks to help you prepare for your adventure.
Day 1: Shanghai
Shanghai is the perfect place to start your China adventure. This impressive metropolis will provide you with a wonderful balance of Eastern and Western influences. As you explore the city, there may be moments that you forget you have left your home country.
Use today to get acclimated to the time change and surroundings. But before sunset, head down to The Bund to caught a glimpse of the famous Shanghai skyline. We suggest trying the bar at the Indigo Hotel about 45 minutes prior to sunset. The bar offers tasty cocktails and one heck of a view to watch the lights of Shanghai come to life.
Day 2: Shanghai
Get out and explore the city today! Start the day at the Jing'an Temple, which is located on the famous, bustling Nanjing Road. This is a beautiful temple that dates back over 700 years, yet has been rebuilt multiple times. The temple is open 7:30am-5:00pm and admission is 50 RMB. The temple is one of the most popular in Shanghai, so it has a tendency to get crowded. (Tip: To avoid the crowds, try going in the early morning or later in the afternoon.) Afterwards, venture down West Nanjing Road, which is full of restaurants, cafes, and high-end shops.
Shanghai is famous for it's soup dumplings, which we find delicious. Consider attempting to learn the art of dumpling making through a personalized cooking class. We booking a class with an incredible instructor through Airbnb. Check the class out here! If you don't want to make your own, get a taxi to Jia Jia Tang Bao for some famous dumplings, just expect to wait a bit.
After you have gorged yourself, considering heading over to the Shanghai Museum or the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. We enjoyed the Urban Planning Center as it displayed a massive replica of the city as well as highlighted this city's exponential growth and future goals.
Once you are starting to feel hungry again, head over to the former french concession, known as for dinner at Lost Heaven, which was one of our favorite restaurants in China.
Day 3: Shanghai
Beat the crowds and head to Yu Garden early. The garden opens at 8:45am and admission is between 30-40 RMB (depending on the time of year). Walk through this serene place and imagine what it was like back in during the Ming dynasty. There are six scenic areas within this garden and it may take you anywhere between 1-3 hours to explore. The Yuyuan Bazaar is located just outside the garden's entrance, which houses tons of shops, tea houses, and eateries.
Consider an evening water town tour with a local guide. We highly recommend Miki Tours. We visited Jinze and Xitang Water Towns. Jinze was incredible. It was completely void of tourists and will make you feel like you are stepping back into ancient China. Xitang comes alive at night with locals, when many of the tourists go home. There are many bars and restaurants. The town is lit with red lanterns at night, making this a perfect destination for photographers. Additionally, this water town was a filming site for Mission Impossible III.
Day 4: Shanghai/Yangshou
Catch a domestic flight to Guilin. (Tip: Book your flight through Ctrip.com -- you will save yourself a lot of money!) We suggest you select a countryside accommodation near Yangshuo, since getting back to nature is the reason you are here. We highly recommend Yangshuo Ancient Garden. Contact your hotel/accommodation ahead to time to arrange a transfer from the airport.
If time permits, hire a taxi/driver to take you to Xingping Hill to hike up about 10 minutes for amazing views of the karst mountains and Li River.
Day 5: Yangshuo
This is important! Biking along the Yulong River is an absolute must-do! It was one of our favorite experiences on our China adventure! This is a far superior alternative to anything you can do on the Li River (Tip: Trust us.) With a bit of navigational skill, you can do this on your own. It will take approximately 5-6 hours, with a stop for lunch at the Secret Garden Restaurant.
This route will take you along the river through rice fields, ancient villages, forests, and views of the beautiful karst formations. You can enjoy this ride rain or shine, and chickens outnumber the amount of people you will see. Click this link (coming soon!) to see our post on this route.
In the evening, enjoy your relaxation time and a pot of ginger tea, because you've earned it!
Day 6: Yangshuo
The ancient rice terraces were very high on our China to-do list. However, due to some unfavorable gastrointestinal issues (ugh...), we had to cancel this tour. We suggest that you strongly consider taking a tour hike the rice terraces.
The terraces are approximately 2.5-3 hours from Yangshuo, and 1.5-2 hours from Guilin. The scenery and landscape is absolutely stunning! We recommend you hire a local guide to take you hiking through the most scenic routes and ancient minority villages.
The rice terraces' appearance dramatically change with the seasons; filled with water in the spring, green in the summer, golden in the fall, harvested in the late fall/early winter. (Tip: In 2018, harvesting began the weekend we were in Yangshuo, which was October 20th. This varies from year to year though.)
Day 7: Yangshuo/Xi'an
Fly from Yangshuo to Xi'an.
Stay at the Grand Park Hotel. This beautiful hotel is conveniently located just outside the city wall's south gate. If you contact the hotel before you arrive, they will arrange for a driver/taxi to pick you up from the airport. Also, this hotel offers a wonderful, plentiful, complementary buffet breakfast to it's guests!
Day 8: Xi'an
Surprisingly, Xi'an was one of our favorite stops on our adventure through China. There was so much to explore here. We recommend building up your appetite by biking around the city wall, which is approximately 8.5 miles round-trip. Admission to get up on the wall is 54 RMB. You can rent bikes from the main gates for 45 RMB for 2 hours. Be sure to bring a camera!
Mozy over to the Drum and Bell Towers to fill that empty stomach with snacks from the Muslim Quarter. The streets of this famous area will overload your five senses with a beautiful blend of Muslim and Chinese culture. You could easily spend several hours exploring the various shops and tasting the local delicacies. This market far succeeded our expectations, and was unlike anything we've ever experienced in our travels. (Tip: Be sure to try the meat or fruit pies! Yummy!)
Stop by the Great Mosque while in the Muslim Quarter. This is one of the oldest and largest mosques in all of China. It was built back in 742 AD during the Tang Dynasty.
Day 9: Xi'an
Have you heard of the Terracotta Warriors...? (Joking!) The Terracotta Warriors are a must-see if you visit Xi'an and probably the reason you are there in the first place. The Terracotta Warriors are arguably one of the most significant archaeological sites in history and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The warriors date back to 246 BC, and were discovered by a local farmer who was digging a well in 1974. Adding to the intrigue of the museum, this still is an active archeological site as thousands of warriors wait to be uncovered. Each of the 8,000 warriors has an unique appearance and facial features. Pictures cannot do this place justice... you must go see for yourself!
Try to get to this famous site early before all the tour buses arrive! Admission is 120 RMB and the site opens at 8:30am. To get to the Terracotta Warriors, it's a 45 minute car ride and 1-1.5 hour bus ride.
If you are one for adventure, consider staying an extra day in Xi'an to visit Mount Huashan, which is home to one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Mount Huashan on this visit... maybe next time ;)
Day 10: Xi'an/Beijing
Travel at speeds around 300 km/hr to reach Beijing by bullet train! This mode of transportation will take about 4 to 6 hours, depending on how many stops the train is scheduled to make.
In Beijing, consider staying at an accommodation located within the famous hutongs. We can highly recommend The Orchid, which is located in North Dongcheng. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in one of The Orchid's residences. Here is the link to the wonderful private residence we stayed in for 4 nights.
You have been in China for 10 days now... if you find your mouth watering at the thought of Italian food, head over to Mercante for some delicious wine and Italian cuisine in an awesome location (but kind of hard to find).
Day 11: Beijing
Seeing the Great Wall is one thing everyone thinks of when traveling to China. Honestly, we were skeptical that it would live up to expectations, but it was the most incredible thing we did on our two week trip to China!
There are 8 sections of the Wall open to the public. Choosing a section to visit can be daunting. To escape the crowds, we chose to hike from Simatai West to Jinshanling. We practically had this section of the Wall to ourselves and it was MAGNIFICANT! So picturesque! Portions of this section are very steep, with often large shallow steps. When we hiked this section it was raining, resulting in very slick conditions. If you have any knee, back, or physical issues, please choose this section with caution. You can either hire a driver for the day, or arrange for a tour.
This section houses both restored and nonrestored sections making the hike very unique. We do expect in the future for this area to become busier as China as invested millions into the infrastructure around this area over the past year.
Day 12: Beijing
Stretch out those quads... Today is another day of walking!
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are both popular destinations within Beijing. Plan to visit these spots in the afternoon, since large tour groups visit during the morning hours causing the area to get extremely crowded. This area also houses the Monument to the People's Heros, Great Hall of the People, Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao, and the National Museum of China (Tip: Admission is free).
If you plan to visit these locations, start at Tiananmen Square since you can only enter the Forbidden City from it's south gate. Due to the crowdedness and the fact that it's mostly open plazas, the Forbidden City was not our most favorite destination on our trip. Admission is 60 RMB.
If you do walk through the Forbidden City, you will exit at the north gate. Across the street is Jinshan Park, which houses a hill that you can walk up for a bird's eye of the Forbidden City and Beijing. It's pretty crowded!
Walk the hutongs, back to Nan Luo Gu Xiang to try local foods and snacks for supper. Check out our favorite snacks in China! Or make reservations to try Peking Duck!
Day 13: Beijing/Home
Hopefully, you had the trip of a lifetime! It is time to head home, and start planning your next adventure! :)
