Highlights of China for Solo Travellers

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Departure

  Travel to the airport for your overnight flight to Beijing.

• Day 2 • Arrival in Beijing

  We'll arrive in Beijing mid-afternoon and transfer directly to our hotel for check in. Those who prefer to "fly and flop" can spend the rest of the day enjoying the hotel's facilities and a well-earned rest by the pool or in the bamboo garden. However, if you can't wait to start exploring, you couldn't be better placed. Located in the Central Business District area of Chaoyang, we're in the heart of Beijing's real downtown area. There are plenty of shops and restaurants within a 15-minute walk away and there’s easy access to the subway line. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner and drink to get to know your fellow travellers better.

• Day 3 • Beijing

  Explore Beijing on a guided tour, beginning at Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s largest public squares and a site of major historical and political significance. See the surrounding landmarks and visit the Forbidden City, the world’s largest imperial palace, with its vast complex of red walls and yellow-glazed roofs. After lunch, visit the Summer Palace, a former Qing dynasty royal retreat featuring extensive gardens, pavilions and Kunming Lake. Highlights include the Long Corridor, Tower of Buddhist Incense, Qingyan Stone Boat and Seventeen Arches Bridge, with panoramic views from the surrounding hills.

• Day 4 • Beijing

  Visit the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China, travelling through farms and orchards before exploring its watchtowers, fortifications and spectacular mountain scenery. Return to Beijing for lunch, then visit the Temple of Heaven, a remarkable three-tiered wooden structure surrounded by gardens and historic pine woods, symbolising the relationship between heaven and earth. In the evening, enjoy a traditional Peking duck dinner at a local restaurant.

• Day 5 • Train from Beijing to Xi'an

  We'll bid goodbye to Beijing this morning and travel like a native to Xi'an on one of China's high-speed trains. These impressive trains - also known as The Bullet Train - can reach speeds of up to 350km per hour which makes traversing across China's 9.6 million square kilometres much faster. And, thanks to China's advanced technology, we're happy to report it'll be a smooth ride! After 5 hours on a train, you'll be ready to stretch your legs in the Ancient City Wall of Xi’an. Built in 1370, it's one of the most complete walled cities in China, as well as one of the largest military defensive systems in the world. The city wall is massive — tall, long and thick - with only two main entrances to the inner city. You can stroll along it to see the complex system of inner and outer walls, watchtowers and moats.

• Day 6 • Xi'an Terracotta Army

  Visit Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, the remarkable underground mausoleum complex of thousands of life-size clay soldiers, horses and chariots created to accompany China’s first emperor into the afterlife. Admire the intricate, individual details of the figures and remaining traces of their original colours. After lunch, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a seven-storey Tang Dynasty pagoda within Ci’en Monastery, built in 652 to commemorate a Buddhist monk’s return from a 16-year journey through the Silk Road and India. Climb the pagoda for views over the city. Later, explore the lively Muslim Quarter, browsing food stalls, shops and handicrafts while experiencing the local culture and community.

• Day 7 • Chengdu

  Take a high-speed train from Xi’an to Chengdu, arriving in the afternoon. Visit Du Fu Thatched Cottage, a peaceful 24-acre park and museum honouring the Tang Dynasty poet, centred around a reconstruction of his original cottage. Later, explore Jin Li Street, a restored traditional shopping area dating back to the Qin Dynasty and Shu Kingdom. Browse historic-style shops selling Shu embroidery, lacquerware, handicrafts, calligraphy and paintings, and relax at traditional tea houses.

• Day 8 • Chengdu

  Visit the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre, a 200-acre facility recreating the pandas’ natural habitat and home to over 100 giant pandas. See the adult pandas, baby cubs and red pandas, and learn about the centre’s conservation, research and breeding work. After lunch, explore Chengdu People’s Park, observing locals dancing, singing, playing mahjong and practising traditional activities. Visit the lake and historic Heming Teahouse, with the option to enjoy a boat ride or tea.

• Day 9 • Guilin

  We'll fly from Chengdu to Guilin, known for its scenery and natural beauty. On arrival, we'll visit the Reed Flute Caves, so named for the reeds that grow at its mouth, which it's said can be used as flutes. Inside are sights that seem plucked from another world; the karst caves are filled with a vast selection of stalactites and stalagmites, lit by colourful lights. They're named according to how they look - Fish Tail Peak, Dragon Pagoda, Sky-Scraping Twin, Virgin Forests and Red Curtain - which only adds to their otherworldliness. More than 70 ancient inscriptions inside the cave dating back to the Tang Dynasty - including travelogues and poems - provide insight into the history of the cave. According to legend, one unfortunate scholar tried to write a poem depicting the cave's beauty, but it took him so long to find the right words that he turned to stone.

• Day 10 • Li River Cruise

  Cruising down the Li River this morning is an absolute delight. The river snakes past a procession of jutting limestone karsts with bizarre names and associated legends. They rise from the flat rice paddies surrounding the river and mountain peaks covered in tropical forests - it's easy to see why this magical landscape has been celebrated by generations of the greatest Chinese painters and poets. Get your cameras ready and look out for farmers tending to their crops in the fields, swaying bamboo groves and maybe even buffalo cooling in the river. You'll want to capture this moment. After our included lunch on board, we'll have some free time to explore the town of Yangshuo, where streets are lined with a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants - bargain hunters might pick up excellent pieces in pearl and jade, or fine Chinese paintings in the stalls here.

• Day 11 • Huangpu River Cruise

  We'll take a short flight to Shanghai. The city has been an economic powerhouse since the British and French forced trading concessions from the Chinese in the 19th century. Its trade in opium, silk and tea, rapidly made it Asia’s most dynamic city and, today, it is an extraordinary blend of colonial and ultra-modern living. On arrival in Shanghai, we'll take a cruise along the Huangpu River. It's one of the best ways to see both traditional and modern Shanghai. The river is a landmark of Shanghai, separating the city into two parts. It's become a symbolic boundary between two Shanghais – west and east, past and future. If you look to the western shores, you'll see colonial landmarks of the Bund, and on the eastern shore, you'll see the steel-and-glass skyscrapers of the Pudong - the blossoming financial empire. The contrast between traditional river traffic of ferries and barges sailing under the futuristic Yangpu Bridge somehow encapsulates the very essence of Shanghai - it's the perfect introduction to the city.

• Day 12 • Shanghai

  This morning starts with a visit to Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai's Old Quarter. Originally a private garden in the Ming Dynasty, it still features shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with fish, pavilions and pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries. (Although, now garden might be a bit of a misnomer, as there are also temples, halls, boathouses and even a theatre to explore - all built in the traditional style.) The vibrant spring and summer blossoms give the air a fragrant, floral aroma. After an included lunch, we'll visit one of Shanghai’s active Buddhist monasteries, the Jade Buddha Temple, which houses two jade Buddha statues imported from Burma in the late 19th century. Originally built in 1882, the temple was destroyed, but the statues were saved, and a new temple was built around them in 1928. One is a massive statue of a seated Buddha covered with jewels, and the other is a reclining Buddha that represents the Buddha’s final moments.

• Days 13-14 • Transfer to the airport and return home

  Say goodbye to Shanghai as we transfer to the airport for your return flight back to the UK after experiencing a truly unforgettable tour.