Availability

Check Availability For Entire Week

Please be aware loading availability for full week may take some time

Check all availability
« Previous Week< PreviousNext >Next Week »
Australia

Sydney Airport

Starting From AU$929.00
Starting From AU$929.00

9 Day Beijing to Shanghai, China

Get a taste of China as you travel between two of its biggest cities. With an incomparable mix of both ancient and modern historical sites, a sleepy rural retreat, and lavish self-indulgence, this trip has it all. In less than 10 days, see more of China than you thought possible.

Why we rate it

  • This trip has it all - both ancient and modern historical sites, a sleepy rural retreat, and lavish self-indulgence, this trip has it all
  • Experience nightlife and fascinating colonial past in Shanghai
  • Learn some Mandarin
  • Camp on the Wall and witness the sunrise from there
  • Wander in the bamboo forests
  • Have a blast in Karaoke club

 

Day 1 : Day 1-4 Beijing
day 1-4: Beijing Meet your group and Adventure leader at Leo Hostel. Join them for the mandarin Lesson. It’s time for the Mandarin Challenge! Use your freshly learned Mandarin to complete challenges around Beijing’s ancient streets and alleyways. The winning team earns a prize. Mandatory meal at a local farm to obtain permission to access the locals only sections of the unrestored Great Wall Unmissable Attraction – Hike on totally unrestored sections of the Wall before setting up camp on a deserted section of the wall to watch the sunset on one of the Wonders of the World (Please note, due to cold weather before end of April and after September, we stay in a guest house near the Wall instead of camping, but still return to the Wall to watch sunrise in the morning) Unmissable Attraction – Sunrise on the Wall Return to Beijing Optional: Visit the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium designed by one of the most controversial figures in modern China Optional:A stunning Chinese Acrobatics Performance performed by young talents recruited from around China Enjoyed exclusively by royalty in ancient times, taste Beijing’s signature dish Peking Roast Duck Optional: Take a walk through the globally recognized, Tiananmen Square Optional: Visit the Forbidden City. The largest palatial complex in the world, the grounds boast 980 buildings, and a history of housing 24 different Chinese royalty Optional: Go to Jingshan park for a bird’s eye view of the three palaces: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. Test your bargaining skills in the Fake Goods Market! Push your taste buds to the limit at the WangFuJing night market where you can sample most foods you’ve never tried, like scorpion, dog, cat, bugs and more Optional: Go to the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex dedicated to heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to bring bountiful harvests Board night train to Hangzhou
Meals :None

Day 2 : Day 1-4 Beijing
day 1-4: Beijing Meet your group and Adventure leader at Leo Hostel. Join them for the mandarin Lesson. It’s time for the Mandarin Challenge! Use your freshly learned Mandarin to complete challenges around Beijing’s ancient streets and alleyways. The winning team earns a prize. Mandatory meal at a local farm to obtain permission to access the locals only sections of the unrestored Great Wall Unmissable Attraction – Hike on totally unrestored sections of the Wall before setting up camp on a deserted section of the wall to watch the sunset on one of the Wonders of the World (Please note, due to cold weather before end of April and after September, we stay in a guest house near the Wall instead of camping, but still return to the Wall to watch sunrise in the morning) Unmissable Attraction – Sunrise on the Wall Return to Beijing Optional: Visit the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium designed by one of the most controversial figures in modern China Optional:A stunning Chinese Acrobatics Performance performed by young talents recruited from around China Enjoyed exclusively by royalty in ancient times, taste Beijing’s signature dish Peking Roast Duck Optional: Take a walk through the globally recognized, Tiananmen Square Optional: Visit the Forbidden City. The largest palatial complex in the world, the grounds boast 980 buildings, and a history of housing 24 different Chinese royalty Optional: Go to Jingshan park for a bird’s eye view of the three palaces: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. Test your bargaining skills in the Fake Goods Market! Push your taste buds to the limit at the WangFuJing night market where you can sample most foods you’ve never tried, like scorpion, dog, cat, bugs and more Optional: Go to the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex dedicated to heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to bring bountiful harvests Board night train to Hangzhou
Meals :None

Day 3 : Day 1-4 Beijing
day 1-4: Beijing Meet your group and Adventure leader at Leo Hostel. Join them for the mandarin Lesson. It’s time for the Mandarin Challenge! Use your freshly learned Mandarin to complete challenges around Beijing’s ancient streets and alleyways. The winning team earns a prize. Mandatory meal at a local farm to obtain permission to access the locals only sections of the unrestored Great Wall Unmissable Attraction – Hike on totally unrestored sections of the Wall before setting up camp on a deserted section of the wall to watch the sunset on one of the Wonders of the World (Please note, due to cold weather before end of April and after September, we stay in a guest house near the Wall instead of camping, but still return to the Wall to watch sunrise in the morning) Unmissable Attraction – Sunrise on the Wall Return to Beijing Optional: Visit the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium designed by one of the most controversial figures in modern China Optional:A stunning Chinese Acrobatics Performance performed by young talents recruited from around China Enjoyed exclusively by royalty in ancient times, taste Beijing’s signature dish Peking Roast Duck Optional: Take a walk through the globally recognized, Tiananmen Square Optional: Visit the Forbidden City. The largest palatial complex in the world, the grounds boast 980 buildings, and a history of housing 24 different Chinese royalty Optional: Go to Jingshan park for a bird’s eye view of the three palaces: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. Test your bargaining skills in the Fake Goods Market! Push your taste buds to the limit at the WangFuJing night market where you can sample most foods you’ve never tried, like scorpion, dog, cat, bugs and more Optional: Go to the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex dedicated to heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to bring bountiful harvests Board night train to Hangzhou
Meals :None

Day 4 : Day 1-4 Beijing
day 1-4: Beijing Meet your group and Adventure leader at Leo Hostel. Join them for the mandarin Lesson. It’s time for the Mandarin Challenge! Use your freshly learned Mandarin to complete challenges around Beijing’s ancient streets and alleyways. The winning team earns a prize. Mandatory meal at a local farm to obtain permission to access the locals only sections of the unrestored Great Wall Unmissable Attraction – Hike on totally unrestored sections of the Wall before setting up camp on a deserted section of the wall to watch the sunset on one of the Wonders of the World (Please note, due to cold weather before end of April and after September, we stay in a guest house near the Wall instead of camping, but still return to the Wall to watch sunrise in the morning) Unmissable Attraction – Sunrise on the Wall Return to Beijing Optional: Visit the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium designed by one of the most controversial figures in modern China Optional:A stunning Chinese Acrobatics Performance performed by young talents recruited from around China Enjoyed exclusively by royalty in ancient times, taste Beijing’s signature dish Peking Roast Duck Optional: Take a walk through the globally recognized, Tiananmen Square Optional: Visit the Forbidden City. The largest palatial complex in the world, the grounds boast 980 buildings, and a history of housing 24 different Chinese royalty Optional: Go to Jingshan park for a bird’s eye view of the three palaces: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square. Test your bargaining skills in the Fake Goods Market! Push your taste buds to the limit at the WangFuJing night market where you can sample most foods you’ve never tried, like scorpion, dog, cat, bugs and more Optional: Go to the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex dedicated to heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to bring bountiful harvests Board night train to Hangzhou
Meals :None

Day 5 : Day 5-6 Hangzhou
You’ll arrive in Hangzhou in the morning where you’ll go to your hostel for a late breakfast. Then, you will visit the famous West Lake and take a relaxing boat tour to one of the islands. You will also have the option to learn about China’s trade history with visits to the China National Tea Museum or the National Silk Museum. Later, around 5pm, you will hike up Jiuyao Mountain to catch the view of the stunning sunset reflecting over West Lake.
Meals :None

Day 6 : Day 5-6 Hangzhou
An early start today, to hike up to the Nine Creeks meandering through the Misty Woods. This is where you will witness a peaceful and charming setting in the hills of Hangzhou, with paved paths winding along streams and trails that lead to beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking landscapes. Then you will return to the hostel, check out and have lunch before heading to Shanghai by train, and then you’ll take the metro to the hostel. Once settled in, you will have the option (if it’s a Saturday) to experience the city’s nightlife with the Shanghai Dragon Pub Crawl!
Meals :None

Day 7 : Day 7-9- Shanghai
day 7-9: Shanghai Optional: Take the bus to ZhuJiaJiao Water Town, a Chinese equivalent to the Italian Venice Take the bus back to Shanghai Enjoy the night Chinese-style by going out for some Karaoke at KTV Optional: Walk to the Yu Gardens and back a bustling historical site of a former dignitaries lavish family quarters Optional: See People’s Square, before heading on to the World’s busiest shopping street, Nanjing Road. Afterwards, go for a walk along the bund, a hub of global architecture. To finish off, head to the top floor of a skyscraper to enjoy some champagne whilst sitting in a hot tub. Stroll through the former French Concession to hear a little bit about Shanghai’s international history, visit a secretive propaganda history museum, take in the sights of the ultra modern Shanghai financial district, take a local ferry cross the famous Huangpu river from east to the west of The Bund and finish off the afternoon by visiting TianZiFang a local artisan’s lane that blends the chique and traditional
Meals :None

Day 8 : Day 7-9 Shanghai
day 7-9: Shanghai Optional: Take the bus to ZhuJiaJiao Water Town, a Chinese equivalent to the Italian Venice Take the bus back to Shanghai Enjoy the night Chinese-style by going out for some Karaoke at KTV Optional: Walk to the Yu Gardens and back a bustling historical site of a former dignitaries lavish family quarters Optional: See People’s Square, before heading on to the World’s busiest shopping street, Nanjing Road. Afterwards, go for a walk along the bund, a hub of global architecture. To finish off, head to the top floor of a skyscraper to enjoy some champagne whilst sitting in a hot tub. Stroll through the former French Concession to hear a little bit about Shanghai’s international history, visit a secretive propaganda history museum, take in the sights of the ultra modern Shanghai financial district, take a local ferry cross the famous Huangpu river from east to the west of The Bund and finish off the afternoon by visiting TianZiFang a local artisan’s lane that blends the chique and traditional
Meals :None

Day 9 : Day 7-9 Shanghai
day 7-9: Shanghai Optional: Take the bus to ZhuJiaJiao Water Town, a Chinese equivalent to the Italian Venice Take the bus back to Shanghai Enjoy the night Chinese-style by going out for some Karaoke at KTV Optional: Walk to the Yu Gardens and back a bustling historical site of a former dignitaries lavish family quarters Optional: See People’s Square, before heading on to the World’s busiest shopping street, Nanjing Road. Afterwards, go for a walk along the bund, a hub of global architecture. To finish off, head to the top floor of a skyscraper to enjoy some champagne whilst sitting in a hot tub. Stroll through the former French Concession to hear a little bit about Shanghai’s international history, visit a secretive propaganda history museum, take in the sights of the ultra modern Shanghai financial district, take a local ferry cross the famous Huangpu river from east to the west of The Bund and finish off the afternoon by visiting TianZiFang a local artisan’s lane that blends the chique and traditional
Meals :None

Meet at our starting Hostel at 10:00- details to be sent in the booking pack.

Extras

Accommodation is not provided the night before Day 1 of your trip or for the night of the last day of your trip

Flights to and from China

Aside from the many free un-missable activities The Dragon Trip offers you, we also offer some extra activities which are great value for money, safe and fun.

Food and Drink – Eating and drinking is incredibly cheap in China, but even so, the Dragon Trip still gives you access to a great range of discounts on food and drinks in the liveliest bars in town.

Any train/bus tickets for journeys made after the trip- we provide a booking service at a cost of 30 RMB per ticket booked, on top of the price of the ticket.

Any hostels for after your trip has ended- we recommend that you use Hostel World for booking hostels. We can book hostels for you, however we will charge a service fee of 150 RMB.

Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you to the meeting. In the event of an accident, we may need contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number and your policy number.

Visas

A visa is required for China, so once you’ve made your booking with us, we will send you detailed instructions on applying for your visa, a visa invitation letter and a detailed itinerary, and a number of other items in your booking packet.

You will need at least six months validity on your passport to get your visa. If this means getting a new passport then we will need to have a copy of your most recent passport as well as the one you booked with. You will need to follow the instructions of your countries embassy on applying for your visa and we suggest allowing two weeks for this to be processed. You should apply for your visa within three months of your travel start date. For more information prior to booking you can check the China Visa Application Service Center or the website of your local Chinese consulate. You can also find information regarding visas for Macau and Hong Kong here.

Travel insurance

We require all our customers to have backpackers travel insurance when coming on the trip.

Please bring details of your travel insurance along with you. In the event of an accident, we may need contact your insurance company on your behalf, so we will need the insurance company’s name and phone number and your policy number.

Accommodation

All of the hostels are clean, air-conditioned or have fans, are safe, have good showers, internet, washing machines and most importantly, have real Chinese character. People who stay at hostels are usually young people aged 18 to 35 who are travelling on a smaller budget than people staying at hotels. So it is easy to make friends and fun to hang out at the bar (all the hostels we stay at have cool bars and lounging areas to hang out). If you would like to stay in a private room though, that is absolutely possible as well as we have room upgrades available at the time of purchase.

Upgrade to a private room

Yes! If you’d like to upgrade to a private room the prices are listed below. Just email us at least three weeks prior to departure to let us know you’d like to upgrade. The upgrade fee is for the room, not per person- i.e. if you are a couple upgrading, then you split this price between the two of you.  Room upgrades include single, double and twin rooms.

HK-HK 25 days = $780

BJ-BJ 18 days = $380

HK-HK 16 days = $350

SH-SH 18 days = $380

HK-BJ 15 days = $350

Packing

If you are starting and finishing in the same location you are able to leave luggage at the hostel for only 300 HKD/CNY approx. We advise a rucksack of 50 – 70L but a suitcase is also fine. If necessary absolutely, arrangements can also be made to send things domestically, for an extra fee.

  • Passport with China Visa
  • Chinese yuan or credit/debit card
  • Student card if you have one, as there are a few student deals on the trip
  • Travel insurance policy
  • Photocopies of insurance policy, bank cards, passport photo page, visa
  • Flipflops
  • Sensible walking shoes
  • T-shirts
  • Shorts/skirts
  • Swimming costume
  • Lightweight waterproof
  • Towel
  • Washbag
  • Books and other entertainments for the night trains
  • Mosquito repellent, sun-screen and after-sun
  • Camera and charger – China is a photographer’s dream!
  • Small first aid kit with medicine for diarrhea, paracetamol, disinfectant etc.
  • If travelling before May or after September, please bring a hat, gloves, coat, hoodie and warm trousers with you
  • A big bag and a small rucksack. We sometimes get separated from our big bags, so you’ll need to keep your valuables with you in a small bag.

If you are starting your trip in Hong Kong you can leave a bag in Hong Kong for the duration of your trip for HK$300.  Bring electronic products at your own risk. Some customers choose to travel with iphones, tablets and laptops, but although theft is extremely rare on the Dragon Trip there is petty crime in some areas we visit.