🇨🇳 Discover China – 18-day backpacking trip through central China 🏮Shanghai -> Xi'an

Pack your backpack and join us on a trip through one of the most spectacular countries in the world, China 🇨🇳. Our 18-day backpacking trip through China takes us to some of the country’s absolute must-see highlights. Our journey begins in the world’s third-largest city, Shanghai, takes us along the Yangtze River further and further inland to one of the world’s most spectacular cities (Chongqing), and ends with a visit to the millennia-old Terracotta Army in Xi’an, 2,800 km away. Along the way on our China backpacking trip, we’ll experience the stark contrasts between ultra-modern metropolises, ancient small canal villages, and incredible natural wonders. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ More information ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Our itinerary: Shanghai 🏙️ -> Xitang 🏮 -> Hangzhou 🚣🏻‍♀️ -> Huangshan 🏞️ -> Wuhan 🌇 -> Zhangjiajie 🌄 -> Chongqing 🏙️ -> Xi'an 🏯 Your tripmates: Timo - Trip Leader 🙋🏼‍♂🇩🇪 Jules - Tripmate 🙋🏻🇧🇪 Juan - Tripmate 🙋🏻🇩🇪 Nenad - Tripmate 🙋🏻🇷🇸 David - Tripmate 🙋🏻🇩🇪 ________________________________________ ℹ️ OVERVIEW: Days 1-4: Arrival in Shanghai 🏙️🏯 Our journey begins in Shanghai, China’s largest city and the third-largest city in the world. Compared to other megacities in China, Shanghai blends tradition and modernity in a fascinating way and has grown over many decades. The city impresses with its spectacular skyline, historic districts, and diverse culinary offerings. The city is also relatively international, which makes our introduction to Chinese culture a bit easier. Days 4–5: Xitang – A Charming Canal Town 🏮 In the afternoon, we’ll take a bus from Shanghai to Xitang, a two-hour drive away. The old town features beautifully restored houses, bridges, and canals that create an incomparable atmosphere, especially in the evening. We’ll be staying here in a classic wooden house so we can enjoy the town in peace before and after the day-trippers arrive and have a relaxing beer by the canal in the evening. Days 5–7: Hangzhou – Relaxation at West Lake 🚣🏻‍♀️ Our next stop is the picturesque provincial capital of Hangzhou. In addition to a beautifully restored old town and the famous Lingyin Temple, West Lake in particular attracts numerous visitors every year. A day trip by bike around West Lake also offers the opportunity to visit the Longjing tea plantations along the way. Days 7–9: Huangshan – Villages and Mysterious Mountains 🚣🏻‍♀️ Our next stop is the town of Tunxi, which serves as our base for exploring the surrounding area. In addition to ancient UNESCO mountain villages, many visitors are particularly drawn to the Huang Shan Mountains. Huang Shan (Yellow Mountains) is a rugged, often mystically misty mountain range with more than 70 knife-like peaks, which can be climbed via numerous staircases. Days 9–10: Wuhan – The City on the River 🏞️ Wuhan is a major transportation hub in central China. With its beautiful riverside promenades along the Yangtze and East China Sea, it’s the perfect place for a relaxing stopover to get an authentic glimpse into a well-known yet relatively untouristy provincial capital of China. Days 10–13: Zhangjiajie – Off to Pandora ⛰️ In Zhangjiajie, one of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes awaits us. So spectacular, in fact, that James Cameron used the rocky landscape of Zhangjiajie as the inspiration for his Avatar films. We’ll have two full days of hiking to explore the vastness of the enormous national park and let ourselves be drawn into the world of Avatar by the beauty of the free-standing rock formations, some of which reach 300 meters in height. Days 13–16: Chongqing – The World’s Most Impressive Skyline 🌉 Even though Chongqing is no longer an absolute insider tip, foreign visitors are still the absolute exception in this city of 22 million inhabitants. Yet the city sets new standards even for China with its geography, architecture, breathtaking skyline, and spicy hot pot cuisine. Days 16–18: Xi’an – The Terracotta Army 🏺 The final stop on our China backpacking trip takes us to Xi’an, one of China’s oldest cities. In addition to its historic old town, Xi’an is known worldwide primarily for the world-famous Terracotta Army. The nearly 8,000 life-size clay warrior figures are an absolute highlight and, after all the modern megacities, give us another deep insight into ancient Chinese history. Optional: Days 17–19 – Beijing I will fly back from Xi’an to Bangkok late in the evening on May 25, but part of the tour group will continue on from Xi’an to Beijing and fly back from there after two days. I’m happy to assist with planning and booking. ________________________________________ What can you expect on this trip? ➕ Discover one of the most exotic travel destinations in the world 🎒🇨🇳 ➕ A perfect mix of modern megacities, nature, culture, and traditional villages. 🏙️🏛️🏞️ ➕ A cool travel group, with a maximum of 6 people 👦🏻👩🏽👩🏻👱🏻‍♀️🧔🏻👧🏾 ➕ Explore China’s colonial history in Shanghai 🏦 ➕ Enjoy the relaxed evening atmosphere in Xitang 🏮 ➕ Experience ancient history and culture in Hangzhou, Tuxi, and Xi’an 🏯 ➕ Pandora awaits you—marvel at the Avatar Mountains of Zhangjiajie 🌄 ➕ Marvel at the most spectacular drone and light show in Chongqing 🎆 ➕ Taste the heat of Sichuan cuisine and face the 8,000 warriors of the Terracotta Army 🥷 ➕ Enjoy authentic Chinese street food and a vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet 🍜 What’s included in the tour price? ✅💲 ✅ All transfers (bus, metro, train, taxi, ferry) ✅ All high-speed trains, including seat reservations ✅ Accommodation (17 nights in shared twin rooms) ✅ Entrance fee to the Propaganda Museum - Shanghai ✅ Guided walking tour - Shanghai ✅ Entrance fee to the temple - Chongqing ✅ 1x vegetarian all-you-can-eat dinner - Hangzhou ✅ Free eSIM card (1GB per day) ✅ Complete planning, organization, and management ✅ 24/7 Customer Service and Support by joinmytrip.com What is not included in the tour price? 🚫💲 ❌ (International) Flights to/from Shanghai/Xi'an ❌ Daily Meals, Snacks & Drinks (approx. €5–€15 per day) ❌ Upgrade to private single room €15 per night (except in Shanghai) ❌ All entrance fees for sightseeing spots not listed above (✅) (all optional) ❌ Entrance fees for additional activities (depends on what we want to do) ❌ Everything else not listed or marked with ❌ ________________________________________ ℹ️ TRAVEL SEASON: Best time to travel ☀️🌺 I deliberately scheduled this trip for this time of year because it’s the best time to travel in terms of climate. The monsoon hasn’t started yet, and temperatures are very pleasant everywhere, ranging from 20–30 degrees. The first wave of domestic travel has already passed, and nature in gardens and parks is green and in bloom. 🌺🌳 The last time I was in China was in July, and with temperatures of 30–40 degrees, it was really extremely hot in the cities; on the coast, the monsoon can sometimes bring three days of continuous rain. Hopefully, we can avoid that by traveling in May :) ________________________________________ 🚨 CHINA SPECIAL NOTES 🚨 Please read this and only book if you can handle these circumstances. Despite the restrictions, the country and its culture are absolutely worth experiencing! 1) Privacy 👁️‍🗨️ ➡️ Upon entry, in addition to fingerprints and biometric facial data, a saliva sample (declared as a COVID-19 test) may also be collected. ➡️ Internet access is limited. Many apps do not work without a VPN. The eSIM cards I use allow for relatively broad access, but I don’t know if they will still work in the future. ➡️ You must ALWAYS carry your passport with you. Tickets (train, national park, etc.) are linked to your passport and your Face ID. ➡️ AI (camera) surveillance is ubiquitous in China. Certain topics should not be discussed or searched for online. ➡️ To book train tickets, I need your full passport details, as well as photos of you and your passport. Trains must be booked 2 weeks in advance, as they sell out quickly. ➡️ Payment is only accepted in cash or via Alipay or WeChat. Credit cards do not always work. 2) Security checks 👮🏻‍♂️ ➡️ Security checks at airports are extremely strict. Lighters, for example, are strictly prohibited, as are hairspray and deodorant cans. ➡️ Bag checks and scanners are also present at every subway station, train station, or historic site, though they are usually less strict than at the airport. 3) Cultural Differences 🎓 ➡️ English is not spoken. Even in Shanghai or Beijing, you won’t get very far with English. Chinese people generally expect you to speak a little Chinese. However, translation apps help quite a bit. ➡️ Social norms and culture in China differ fundamentally from those in the Western world and other Asian countries. You should be prepared for the fact that familiar rules of etiquette, behavior, and hygiene do not exist or are not applied in China in the same way. ➡️ Many Chinese people (it feels like 99.5%) have never seen a foreigner before. Therefore, expect to be stared at (without emotion) frequently in everyday life, or in some cases approached and asked for a selfie. ➡️ Smoking is widespread, but protections for non-smokers are slowly improving. However, many hotel rooms still smell of their past. People also still smoke in the aisles of regional trains. ________________________________________ ℹ️💲 Why aren’t all admission fees included in the tour price? Even though China doesn’t attract a particularly large number of foreign tourists, domestic tourism is extremely heavy in certain places, especially during peak times such as vacations, holidays, and weekends. This means that popular attractions have become relatively expensive (by Chinese standards) and tickets are no longer sold on-site. In many places, tickets must therefore be reserved 1–14 days in advance. Since I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep in the worst-case scenario, only admission fees for attractions that can be visited spontaneously on-site, are generally not overcrowded, and are worth the money are included in the tour price. ⚠️ Visits to all other sights and attractions are therefore subject to availability and your own interests. Admission must then be paid for by you at the time of booking or on-site (❌ not included in the tour price!). These include, for example: - Cable car in Chongqing - Mausoleum & Terracotta Army in Xi’an - Zhangjiajie National Park ("Avatar" Mountains) in Zhangjiajie - Cable cars & elevators (if desired) in Zhangjiajie - Huang Shan National Park ("Yellow Mountains") in Huangshan - Cable cars (if desired) in Huangshan - Admission fees for UNESCO World Heritage villages So you can decide for yourself whether the attraction and any potential wait times are worth it and whether we should try to reserve tickets. ⚠️ ℹ️ Why isn’t a visit to Beijing or the Great Wall included in the itinerary? You might be wondering (and quite rightly so) why I haven’t planned a stop in Beijing or a visit to the Great Wall? The answer is relatively simple. Beijing is located about 1,000 km further north from Xi’an, and a visit would make the trip disproportionately more expensive. Also, I visited Beijing and the Great Wall on my last trip to China and realized after 3 days that there would be little reason for me to travel there again. Beijing is twice as expensive, twice as crowded, and twice as complicated as the rest of China. There are more beautiful and amazing places than Beijing, so I’d rather spend my travel days in other parts of China. However, I’d still be happy to give you plenty of tips and advice if you’d like to visit Beijing and the Great Wall on your own (or with part of our group) before or after our China backpacking trip. 😊 ________________________________________