Beijing to Shanghai tour in China
Highlights
Beijing | the Great Wall trekking between the Gubeikou section and the Jinshanling section | Xi’an | Terracotta Warriors | Shanghai | Huangshan National Park trek | picturesque Huizhou region and villagesDescription of Beijing to Shanghai tour in China
Discover the ancient sights and modern delights of China’s north on this 12-day adventure. Journey from Beijing to Shanghai and travel through the ancient city of Xi’an, to the heights of Huangshan, the base of the Great Wall and deep into the Huizhou countryside. Encounter friendly people, bustling markets and amazing historical landmarks as you take in the crazy contrasts and profound experiences that render China such a remarkable country.This is a small group guided trip with journeys on two sleeper trains, to help maximise your time in your destinations, while also giving you a chance to interact with locals and see some beautiful countryside. You will also travel by public and private bus, high speed train, subway and taxi. To keep initial costs down, no meals are included, giving you freedom to decide where and what you eat.
There is a lot packed into a short amount of time on this exciting trip, with highlights including an overnight stay at a family run guesthouse at the Great Wall, seeing the thousands of Terracotta Warriors, exploring the idyllic Huizhou countryside and villages on foot or by bike and discovering the mountain heights of Huangshan, where the stunning rock pinnacles of the Yellow Mountain peek through atmospheric mists.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is one of our Basix trips, designed specifically for budget travellers who still want the security of group travel without lots of added inclusions. These trips don't have many included activities and meals are rarely included in the price, giving you the opportunity to search out local restaurants and sample regional specialities to your heart's content. The amount of free time in these itineraries means that the Basix trips often appeal to younger travellers looking to explore independently and tailor the trip to your own interests. You often won't spend too many days in any one place and you'll pack lots of different locations into your holiday.
As you might expect, accommodation on a Basix trip will be fairly basic! We'll stay in 1-2 star accommodation, often including homestays and there may be nights where the group stays somewhere multi-share / in a dormitory-style. Most accommodation however will be twin share; with solo travellers automatically roomed with a fellow group member of the same sex, this means that there are no single supplements on Basix trips.
On camping trips you will be expected to help out around the camp; putting up and taking down your own tent, helping with meals and other camp duties. We often find the nights where we are without a few creature comforts are those that are most amazing; wild bush camping in Serengeti anyone?! We'll use local transport where ever possible which is a great way of seeing the country and meeting locals as we travel.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
On this trip, we provide all travellers with reusable bags and chopsticks in order to avoid waste. We encourage the use of “tea flasks” for drinking water (or tea, like the locals do!). All travellers in the group will be encouraged to travel with refillable water bottles and purification tablets rather than purchasing water in plastic bottles to minimise waste and your group leader will also be on hand to advise on the responsible discarding of rubbish throughout the trip, recycling wherever possible.We prefer that our passengers don’t purchase plastic water bottles, however any bottles that are purchased are given to the community of waste collectors who rely on this for an income.
Wherever possible we take local transport in China. This means anything from public bus, trolley bus, tram or subway. We also have the opportunity to explore on bikes and on foot and travel overland on all our basix trips.
The Impacts of this Trip
Community:
The list of ways we help the local community:
All left over food after our group meals is collected, boxed up and left for homeless people. During the trip, our local leader will take the time to give all passengers and understanding of the local culture and about people you will meet along the way.
We will travel by trail and stay in the 2nd or 3rd class to give the maximum opportunity to meet other people, share stories, food, games and the journey with local travellers.
On this trip, we appreciate passengers donating unwanted clothes, toiletries or other goods which we then distribute to the local community.
Join your local leader for a walking tour through Old Beijing along the ancient network of alleyways and lanes known as hutong to see how important it is to protect cultural heritage in the face of rapid development.
After the closure of the Simatai section of the wall last year we needed to look for a new route. This has meant that we are now able to stay in a family run guesthouse in a nearby village rather than in a YHA hostel. We can be assured of great local hospitality and a welcome night sleeping out in the fresh countryside air! Most travelers will choose to eat dinner and breakfast at the guesthouse (not included) to sample great local produce and delicious home style cooking.
In Xi’an we meet with our friends at Xi'an Huiling (meaning "wise spirit"). Xi’an Huiling provides adults with learning disabilities opportunities to develop their personal abilities, helping them become fully integrated citizens of the community. All donations through our own Foundation support around 50 global projects.
Xi’an being one of them, monies raised go towards teaching materials, teacher training and equipment that supports independent living training for Xi’an Huiling’s clients, as well as helping to advocate for improved conditions for the disabled.
On this trip, we provide all travellers with reusable bags and chopsticks in order to avoid waste. We encourage the use of “tea flasks” for drinking water (or tea, like the locals do!). All travellers in the group will be encouraged to travel with refillable water bottles and purification tablets rather than purchasing water in plastic bottles to minimise waste and your group leader will also be on hand to advise on the responsible discarding of rubbish throughout the trip, recycling wherever possible.We prefer that our passengers don’t purchase plastic water bottles, however any bottles that are purchased are given to the community of waste collectors who rely on this for an income.
Wherever possible we take local transport in China. This means anything from public bus, trolley bus, tram or subway. We also have the opportunity to explore on bikes and on foot and travel overland on all our basix trips.
The Impacts of this Trip
Community:
The list of ways we help the local community:
All left over food after our group meals is collected, boxed up and left for homeless people. During the trip, our local leader will take the time to give all passengers and understanding of the local culture and about people you will meet along the way.
We will travel by trail and stay in the 2nd or 3rd class to give the maximum opportunity to meet other people, share stories, food, games and the journey with local travellers.
On this trip, we appreciate passengers donating unwanted clothes, toiletries or other goods which we then distribute to the local community.
Join your local leader for a walking tour through Old Beijing along the ancient network of alleyways and lanes known as hutong to see how important it is to protect cultural heritage in the face of rapid development.
After the closure of the Simatai section of the wall last year we needed to look for a new route. This has meant that we are now able to stay in a family run guesthouse in a nearby village rather than in a YHA hostel. We can be assured of great local hospitality and a welcome night sleeping out in the fresh countryside air! Most travelers will choose to eat dinner and breakfast at the guesthouse (not included) to sample great local produce and delicious home style cooking.
In Xi’an we meet with our friends at Xi'an Huiling (meaning "wise spirit"). Xi’an Huiling provides adults with learning disabilities opportunities to develop their personal abilities, helping them become fully integrated citizens of the community. All donations through our own Foundation support around 50 global projects.
Xi’an being one of them, monies raised go towards teaching materials, teacher training and equipment that supports independent living training for Xi’an Huiling’s clients, as well as helping to advocate for improved conditions for the disabled.
2 Reviews of Beijing to Shanghai tour in China
Reviewed on 18 Oct 2012 by Jennifer Jenkins
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The best part of my holiday came unexpectedly on the last day, when I found myself gazing at the roofs of the Forbidden City from the top of Jingshan Temple.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
When packing for your night train trips, make sure to bring your own toilet paper!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I think our holiday benefited local people as our guide was always keen to recommend local shops and restaurants for us to try and we always followed her advice.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a great experience and it made me want to go and explore more of the Asian continent.
Reviewed on 28 Aug 2010 by Pamela Krueger
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
I feel that every part of the journey is memorable - I enjoyed it throughout. It is very difficult to pick a few highlights, as I feel this trip includes most of China's highlights. The Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors were just stunning and definitely a highlight, while Forbidden City was somewhat disappointing due to the absence of exhibits and antiques (which have been shipped to Taiwan). Yanshuo offers one of the most picturesque scenery's on earth. Vibrant Shanghai provides the perfect contrast to previously visited historical sites. Even though I was sceptical at first, but the 'cooking lesson' turned out to be another highlight of the trip.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
- Be open minded and don't expect 'Western Standards'
- Pack for all kinds of weather (don't forget your rain coat and umbrella)
- Bring lots of tissues or toilet paper
- Have room in your suitcase - it's a shopper's paradise
- Learn a few phrases of Mandarin - the majority does not speak English at all
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Having used local tour guides, restaurants and hotels I feel we economically contributed to local people. We also visited Hui Ling, a local initiative to support disabled children. When it comes to the environmental impact, unfortunately I did not feel that this trip made a difference at all - instead of being able to use my own water bottle that I brought, I had to buy bottled water for the most part as the tab water was not recommended for drinking and re-fill options were scarce to none existent (the only place that offered drinking water tabs was at the Shanghai Expo). Also, a lot of local restaurants wrapped their dishes (plates & cutlery) in plastic - I guess to demonstrate its cleanliness. Moreover, even though in every hotel there was a sign in the bathroom that only towels on the floor or in the basket will be replaced, my towels were replaced on a daily basis even though I did not request for it.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was a great holiday - a lot of interesting sights, fascinating history and great people. It was very well organized - however at times the schedule was a bit tight so that all of us felt a bit tired towards the end of it. As we enjoyed the programme so much, we recommend not taking anything out, but maybe extending the trip by 2 - 4 days in order to allow more 'down time' in between.
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