It’s been over two months since I returned back to Brisbane from possibly one of the best trips of my life. I must admit I have never been keen on a trip to China - it was never high up on my bucket list. But as I was doom scrolling through my feed one evening it became apparent that China is seriously underrated and I just had to see it for myself!

And so I roped my brother into going on a trip with me and I planned as much as I could to stay within a decent budget. Minus the airfares, here is 2 weeks in China for only $1400 - Full Itinerary with Stays and Activities incoming. Scroll down to the bottom to see the full cost break-down!

DAY 1-3 BEIJING

We wanted to start off our China adventure in Beijing. I thought it would be nice to fly into the capital and have a blend of ancient traditions and modern city life straight off the bat. I was also really excited to see the Great Wall and couldn’t hold off a moment longer.

Aside from the Great Wall, Beijing is also known for famous landmarks, including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. And if food is considered a landmark, then how could we forget about Peking Duck — a nation’s delicacy we tried at Peking Chamber (Siji Mingfu Roasted Duck Restaurant) . We also had hot pot but keep in mind that it is quite expensive if you’re on a budget.

*Please note: all prices are reflected in AUD and are per person estimates

Accommodation: Happy Dragon Hostel $81 (2 nights)

Happy Dragon Hostel is a budget-friendly accommodation option located in the heart of Beijing. Make sure you say hey to the receptionist Willow, she is very lovely and she helped me start my stamp collection. Buy a blank stamp book and start collecting stamps from literally anywhere as you travel through China (see pic below). There’s also a great bagel shop next to the accommodation and convenience store located across the road. Happy Dragon also run their own tours to The Great Wall.

Activities:

The Great Wall > Transport Didi $50 > Entry Cost $40
Forbidden City > purchased on entry
Tiananmen Square > $4 (line-up is huge though so go early!)

DAY 3-5 XI’AN

We arrived in Xi’an around 7am the next morning after enduring the overnight train from Beijing. Okay, I say enduring very lightly because we actually enjoyed the train, we had fresh sheets, slippers, and lots of snacks. I found it to be very comfortable and I slept through the whole night. This is ONLY because I messed up on the dates when booking the tickets so we had to rebook a first-class sleeper. Oops. Otherwise, this might have been a different story in second-class (aka six single beds in each sleeper) This silly mistake did throw the budget out a bit. I would recommend double checking when booking your train dates/times, especially if booking on the small screen (your phone) > I booked all our trains on Trip.com

Accommodation: Xi’an Desti Youth Park Hostel Bell Tower $33 (2 nights)

Activities:

Terracotta Warriors Museum > Transport Didi $10 > entry $50
Spring Lantern Festival Xi’an > purchased at entry $40
Hanfu Experience (see video below) $40-$60 (leave a comment below or dm me @travellyconcierge for more info!)

DAY 5-7 CHENGDU

Jumping on the train again, this journey was shorter to Chengdu and I fortunately got the date correct on our train tickets this time.

We decided to head to Chengdu for one reason: THE PANDA’S. Travelly tips: if you’re going to buy souvenirs and food, don’t buy them in the actual venue as their really expensive (most are Panda themed though so if that’s your thing then go for it!). Instead, go directly outside of the research base once you have finished exploring, and across the road has heaps of shops which are half the price.

Although it was quite a rainy stay in Chengdu and my brother was sick, we still managed to explore some other really cool night-time spots before heading onto our next location.

Accommodation: Mix Hostel Courtyard Poshpacker $26.50 (2 nights)

Activities:

Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding $29.50

| SCROLL DOWN FOR BUDGET BREAKDOWN |

DAY 7-11 CHONGQING

By far my favourite place on this China trip was Chongqing!

We ended up ditching Zhanjiajie, which was depressing because I know it’s a must-do. But sometimes when you’re travelling you need to change up the pace and since we had been jumping between cities every two nights, we definitely needed to slow down. Chongqing was the place we stumbled upon when making that decision. I ended up venturing out to Wulong for a day trip too — more on that in a future blogpost. Chongqing is a MUST to add on your itinerary, I actually wouldn’t mind going back and teaching English there I just vibed so hard with that city.

Accommodation: Desti Youth Hostel $57.20 (4 nights)

Activities:

1949 Chongqing Theatre $60.35
Liziba Viewing Platform > Train going through building > Free
Multi-level Kuixing Building > Free
Hongyadong Folk Custom Scene Area > Free however if you want pictures (see below) then $5 per pic

DAY 11-13 SHANGHAI

Alright and now last on the itinerary is Shanghai. I was low-key leaving the best for last. During my time as a model, especially in Hong Kong, I had met a lot of other models who had worked a contract in Shanghai. I had heard the highs and lows from them first hand and couldn’t wait to see how it compared. Oh, my, god! Let’s just start with the fashion = incredible. Makes sense why models are sent there. I almost bought another suitcase but instead spent that money on more food, cocktails one night with some girls I met at the hostel and visiting the highest building in China.

Accommodation: Weflow Hostel Shanghai $52.50 (2 nights)

Activities:

Shanghai Tower Observatory Deck $82
Sunset @ The Bund > Free

CHINA 2-WEEK COST

This cost break-down is shown in AUD and is per person

If you end up visiting China I would love to know your thoughts and experience. I am almost half-way through my Travel China Series which is posted to YouTube every week and have so much content in back-log on Instagram too. Make sure to check those out here.

As always, Stay safe + travel always,

Love Elly-Grace x

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