The Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, pandas and the karst hills of Guilin, joined by high-speed train.
China has opened up for British travellers, with visa-free short stays currently allowed and a high-speed rail network that makes a classic route easy. Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai can all be joined by train, with the fastest journeys taking a few hours.
The history is the draw, but so is the food and the scenery: the terraced hills of Guangxi, the pandas and teahouses of Sichuan, the old lanes of Beijing’s hutongs. A good private guide in each city turns an intimidating country into an easy one.
The honest caveats are crowds and practicalities. National holidays, especially the first week of October, bring huge crowds to every sight. Apps and payments work differently from home, so we set you up before you fly and avoid the busiest weeks.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
The Great Wall near Beijing ranges from rebuilt and busy to crumbling and wild. Badaling is crowded; Mutianyu is restored, green and easy for families, with a cable car and toboggan; Jinshanling has a long, partly restored ridge walk with far fewer people. Go early on a weekday, and in spring or autumn for clear air and comfortable temperatures.
The Forbidden City was the palace of the Ming and Qing emperors, and it takes a full morning. Tickets are limited and named to your passport, so we book ahead. Afterwards, climb Jingshan Park for the view over its golden roofs, then explore the hutongs, the old alleyways, by bicycle or rickshaw, with lunch in a courtyard house.
Outside Xi’an, thousands of life-size clay soldiers guard the tomb of the first emperor of China, each face different. Go with a guide at opening time, starting with the largest pit. In the city, cycle the Ming city walls and eat hand-pulled noodles and lamb in the Muslim quarter in the evening. Two nights is enough.
Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, is home to the giant panda breeding base, where pandas are most active at feeding time in the early morning. The city is known for its easy pace: sit in a teahouse in People’s Park with the locals, watch Sichuan opera, and eat hot pot and mapo tofu at full Sichuan heat.
Between Guilin and Yangshuo, the Li River winds through a landscape of limestone peaks that has inspired Chinese painters for centuries. Take a bamboo raft on the quieter Yulong River, cycle between rice paddies and villages, and climb a small peak for sunset. Stay in a countryside retreat outside Yangshuo rather than in the busy town.
Shanghai sets its colonial Bund against the towers of Pudong across the river, best seen on an evening walk. Explore the plane-tree streets of the former French Concession, the Yu Garden and the museums. A day trip to the canal towns of Zhujiajiao or Tongli shows an older world of bridges and boats, best on a weekday.
Stay in a courtyard hotel near the hutongs or a modern hotel with Forbidden City views in Beijing. Xi’an is best inside the city walls, Chengdu near the old streets, and Yangshuo out in the countryside. In Shanghai, pick the Bund for views or the former French Concession for character.
We match each trip in China to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsSpring and autumn are the best seasons, from April to May and September to November, when the north is dry and clear and the south is warm without the summer rain. Summer is hot and humid, the south has typhoons from May to November, and winter in Beijing is cold but sunny.
Holidays matter more than weather. The Lunar New Year, May Day week and Golden Week from 1 to 7 October see hundreds of millions of people travelling, so we plan around them.
A 13-night classic by high-speed rail: the Wall, the warriors, pandas, karst hills and Shanghai. Best in spring or autumn. 13 nights.
The Forbidden City, the hutongs by bicycle and a full day walking the Great Wall at Jinshanling.
Fast train to Xi’an for the Terracotta Army, the city walls by bike and the Muslim quarter.
Train through the mountains to Chengdu. Early pandas, teahouses and a Sichuan cooking class.
Fly to Guilin and drive to Yangshuo. The Li River, bamboo rafts and cycling in the paddies.
Fast train to Shanghai for the Bund, the French Concession and a water town, then fly home.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for China (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
Air China flies direct from Heathrow to Beijing in about 10 hours, and China Eastern to Shanghai in about 11. Fly into one and out of the other.
UK passport holders can currently visit visa-free for short stays under a policy that runs to 31 December 2026. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before booking, as rules may change.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for China (opens in a new tab)
See TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) before travel. FCDO flags altitude sickness in parts of the west, including Tibet. Summers are hot, so carry water.
FCDO notes that payment apps such as WeChat and Alipay are almost universal, while cards are not always accepted outside big cities. Set up an app with your UK card before you fly, and carry some cash.
Many Western apps and sites, including Google and WhatsApp, are blocked on Chinese networks. A roaming eSIM from outside mainland China usually avoids this.
Tipping is not customary in China, and restaurants may refuse it. The exception is your guide and driver, whom you are free to thank at the end.
At the moment, UK passport holders can visit mainland China visa-free for short tourist stays, under a policy that runs until 31 December 2026. It may be extended or changed, so we check the FCDO page before booking and again before you fly. Hong Kong has its own separate entry rules.
Most payments are made with phone apps, mainly Alipay and WeChat Pay, and both now accept UK bank cards. We help you set them up before travel. Hotels and larger restaurants take cards, but small shops, taxis and markets may not, so keep some cash in yuan as a back-up.
For most routes, yes. The trains are fast, smooth and punctual, and stations are often more central than airports. Beijing to Xi’an takes a few hours, and so does Xi’an to Chengdu. For longer hops, such as Chengdu to Guilin, a flight can be quicker. We book seats in advance, which requires your passport details.
Yes, especially for children who like animals and history. The pandas in Chengdu, the Terracotta Army and the toboggan down from the Great Wall at Mutianyu are highlights. Food can be kept mild outside Sichuan. Avoid the national holidays, when crowds make everything harder, and keep train days short.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: April, May, September and November.
Neon Tokyo, temple Kyoto and hot-spring inns, all joined by trains that run to the minute.
A harbour city of dim sum, ferries and skyscrapers, with wild country parks and islands half an hour away.
A long, narrow country of limestone bays, lantern-lit old towns and street food that changes every few hundred kilometres.
