What a 10-day China trip costs: three all-in budgets for two

The totals

Each total covers two adults sharing one double room for nine nights and everything on the ground: rooms, three meals and drinks every day, the trains and the flight between Chengdu and Shanghai, airport links and local rides, the tickets named below, two SIM cards and a 10% buffer for snacks and tips. The prices are for an autumn weekday trip outside public holidays: trains as 12306 listed them for Thursday 5 November 2026, hotel rates for the night of 24 November, rooms as listed, and sights at their April to October prices. A trip from November to March pays CNY 40 less for two at the Forbidden City (CNY 40 a ticket instead of CNY 60). The flight from home is priced separately, further down. At the central parity rate for 23 October 2026 published by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, USD 1 = CNY 6.7180, EUR 1 = CNY 7.5140 and GBP 1 = CNY 8.9749. Your bank or card will give a different rate.

The ten days we priced

The route follows the main north to south line of high-speed rail: three nights in Beijing for the Forbidden City and a day on the Great Wall at Mutianyu, two in Xi’an for the Terracotta Army and the City Wall, two in Chengdu for the giant pandas and two in Shanghai, with a day trip to Hangzhou’s West Lake. If you would rather trade the pandas for karst scenery, our 14-day itinerary adds Yangshuo.

On 25 October 2026, 12306 listed second-class seats for a Thursday in early November at CNY 494 to 618 a person from Beijing West to Xi’an North, CNY 260 to 316 from Xi’an North to Chengdu East and CNY 57 to 87 from Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou East (first class CNY 790 to 988, 421 to 506 and 90 to 140); the totals use a typical fare in each range. The Chengdu to Shanghai flight is an estimate of about CNY 1,000 a person in economy, a typical fare on these routes; fares vary by date. By train, 12306 listed eight direct G trains from Chengdu East to Shanghai Hongqiao that Thursday, 10 h 6 min to 13 h 28 min, at CNY 935 to 1,244 in second class, so the rail alternative takes the whole day. Our transport guide explains how to book the trains.

• Day 1, Beijing: arrive and settle.
• Day 2, Beijing: the Forbidden City, then Jingshan Park for the view back over the palace roofs.
• Day 3, Beijing: a full day at the Mutianyu Great Wall.
• Day 4, Xi’an: train from Beijing West to Xi’an North, 4 h 10 min to 5 h 58 min, then a walk on the City Wall.
• Day 5, Xi’an: the Terracotta Army, and the Muslim Quarter food streets in the evening.
• Day 6, Chengdu: train from Xi’an North to Chengdu East, 3 h 5 min to 4 h 21 min; some Chengdu trains leave from Xi’an East, so check the station on your ticket.
• Day 7, Chengdu: a morning at the Panda Base, then the city’s streets.
• Day 8, Shanghai: a morning flight from Chengdu Shuangliu to Shanghai Hongqiao and, if time allows, Yu Garden.
• Day 9, Shanghai: a day trip to West Lake by high-speed train between Shanghai Hongqiao and Hangzhou East, 45 minutes to 1 h 27 min each way.
• Day 10: the airport transfer and the flight home.

Budget: about CNY 14,730 for two

Simple hotels, noodles and street food, second-class train seats, an economy flight and the metro.

• Rooms, about CNY 4,600. A double at about CNY 600 a night in Beijing and Shanghai, CNY 450 in Chengdu and CNY 350 in Xi’an, estimates from Marriott’s city listings, checked on 25 October 2026.
• Food, about CNY 2,000. About CNY 100 a person a day: breakfast 15, lunch 30, dinner 40, water and snacks 15. That is street food and noodle shops: in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter, the food street by the Drum Tower, a bowl of mutton paomo costs around CNY 30 at most Shaanxi restaurants, and in Shanghai the Huxi Laolongtang Noodle Shop sells scallion-oil noodles at CNY 7 a bowl.
• Getting around, about CNY 5,190. Rail and air come to about CNY 4,120 for two: Beijing West to Xi’an North about CNY 600 a person, Xi’an North to Chengdu East about CNY 300, Chengdu to Shanghai by air about CNY 1,000, and about CNY 80 each way to Hangzhou. Local travel adds about CNY 1,070 for two: airports about 100 (the Daxing Airport Express about CNY 35 a person, the Pudong metro about CNY 7 a person, and the metro to Shuangliu and from Hongqiao at a few yuan a person), eight station rides by metro or taxi about 240 (about CNY 30 for two each on average), the metro and the odd taxi in the cities about 520, the Mutianyu bus 160 (CNY 80 a person return), and the metro and Lintong bus to the Terracotta Army, about 1 h 30 min each way, about 50 for two there and back, an estimate from Xi’an’s distance-based metro fares and a bus fare of a few yuan.
• Sights and tours, about CNY 1,300 for two: the Forbidden City with both extra galleries CNY 160, Mutianyu CNY 400 with the shuttle and cable-car return, the Terracotta Army CNY 280 with both electric carts, the City Wall CNY 108, Yu Garden CNY 80, the Panda Base CNY 170 with the sightseeing bus, and about CNY 100 for Jingshan Park and other small admissions (temples, gardens); West Lake itself is free.
• SIM and extras, about CNY 300 for two SIM cards.
• Buffer, about CNY 1,340.

Mid-range: about CNY 20,280 for two

Four-star hotels, sit-down dinners, the same trains and flight, and taxis for airport and station links.

• Rooms, about CNY 7,050. About CNY 850 a night in Beijing, CNY 1,000 in Shanghai, CNY 650 in Chengdu and CNY 600 in Xi’an, estimates from the same listings, with breakfast counted under food; our 10-day itinerary names a hotel in each city.
• Food, about CNY 3,600. About CNY 180 a person a day: breakfast 30, lunch 60, dinner 70, water and snacks 20. That buys sit-down meals such as long chao shou, Chengdu’s wontons, and other Sichuan snacks at the restaurants on and around Chunxi Road, or a soup-dumpling lunch at Lai Lai Xiao Long in Shanghai, where the Shanghai government gives an average of about CNY 58 a person.
• Getting around, about CNY 6,190. The same rail and air legs, about CNY 4,120 for two, plus about CNY 2,070 for two of local travel: airports about 500 (the Daxing Airport Express about CNY 35 a person, a taxi to Shuangliu about CNY 100 a vehicle, a Hongqiao taxi CNY 100 to 150 a vehicle and a Pudong taxi about CNY 180 a vehicle), eight station rides by taxi about 480 (about CNY 60 a vehicle each on average), taxis and metro in the cities about 730, the Mutianyu bus 160, and a taxi each way to the Terracotta Army at about CNY 100 a vehicle, 200. The taxi amounts are estimates from Shanghai’s published airport fares, the Panda Base’s reference fare from Shuangliu and one Xi’an hotel’s listed fares.
• Sights and tours, about CNY 1,300 for two, the same as at budget level.
• SIM and extras, about CNY 300 for two SIM cards.
• Buffer, about CNY 1,840.

Comfort: about CNY 31,900 for two

Five-star hotels, first-class rail seats where the train has them, hotel-restaurant dinners and a private car to the Great Wall.

• Rooms, about CNY 11,500. About CNY 1,700 a night in Shanghai, CNY 1,300 in Beijing, CNY 1,100 in Xi’an and CNY 1,000 in Chengdu, estimates from the same listings.
• Food, about CNY 7,000. About CNY 350 a person a day: breakfast 60, lunch 110, dinner 140, water and snacks 40. One evening of roast duck at Quanjude or Bianyifang by Qianmen in Beijing costs more than the day’s dinner rate: as a guide, Visit Beijing’s 2018 list gave average spends of about CNY 192 a person at Quanjude and CNY 133 at Bianyifang; current menus are higher. In Shanghai the day buys lunch at Nanxiang Steam Bun Restaurant beside Yu Garden, about CNY 93 a person on the Shanghai government’s average.
• Getting around, about CNY 8,900. First-class rail seats cost about CNY 950 a person from Beijing West to Xi’an North, CNY 450 from Xi’an North to Chengdu East and CNY 125 each way to Hangzhou, with the same flight, which together come to about CNY 5,300 for two. Local travel by taxi and car adds about CNY 3,600 for two: airports about 630 (a taxi from Daxing about CNY 200 a vehicle, an estimate from Beijing’s metered fare, to Shuangliu about CNY 100 a vehicle, from Hongqiao up to CNY 150 a vehicle and to Pudong about CNY 180 a vehicle), eight station rides about 640 (about CNY 80 a vehicle each on average), daily taxis about 1,230, a private car to Mutianyu at about CNY 600 a vehicle, and a car with a driver who waits at the Terracotta Army, about CNY 500 a vehicle for the return trip.
• Sights and tours, about CNY 1,300 for two, the same as at budget level.
• SIM and extras, about CNY 300 for two SIM cards.
• Buffer, about CNY 2,900.

One day at each level: day 3 at Mutianyu

Day 3 is the full day on the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Costs are per person, with half the room, before the 10% buffer.

• Budget, about CNY 700. Half of a CNY 600 room (300), the Qianmen bus (80), admission, shuttle and cable-car return (200), the day’s meals and water (100), and metro rides to and from Qianmen (about 20).
• Mid-range, about CNY 920. Half of a CNY 850 room (425), the same bus and tickets (280), meals and water (180), and a taxi to and from Qianmen, about CNY 70 a vehicle (35 each).
• Comfort, about CNY 1,500. Half of a CNY 1,300 room (650), half of the private car to the wall (300), the same tickets (200), and meals and water (350).

Adding the flight from London

A London return to Beijing, flying home from Shanghai, costs about GBP 650 to 850 a person (GBP 1,300 to 1,700 for two). That is an estimate for an economy return in an ordinary autumn week; fares vary by date. Converted at the central parity rate above and added to the ground totals, the trip comes to:

If you would rather see less, a week of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai costs about CNY 7,030 a person at mid-range; our 7-day itinerary sets out that route.

Booking calendar and ticket prices

Book in this order, earliest first; prices are adult tickets. Tickets for the Palace Museum, Jingshan Park, Mutianyu, the Terracotta Army and the Panda Base are sold in your name, so book with the passport you will carry and take the original with you. The Forbidden City and Yu Garden close on Mondays except statutory holidays, so start the trip on a Tuesday to Saturday to keep days 2 and 8 clear of a Monday.

• First, as soon as your dates are fixed: hotels and the flight. Book the four hotels and the Chengdu Shuangliu to Shanghai Hongqiao flight; book domestic flights on the airline’s own site or app.
• Once your dates are fixed: the Terracotta Army. Every visitor, foreign visitors included, must reserve on the museum’s website or its WeChat account; the ticket is CNY 120 all year.
• Up to 30 days ahead: Mutianyu. The scenic area sells named tickets up to 30 days ahead, one per person per day; the Beijing government lists the adult ticket at CNY 45.
• Up to 15 days ahead, counting the day you buy: the trains. Register on the 12306 English site at home with your passport details and an email address. Once the account shows “Verified” and the email is confirmed, buy each train online as its window opens; if the passport check fails, buy it at the first station counter you reach, with your passport. Beijing West to Xi’an North is about CNY 600 a person in second class.
• Up to 14 days ahead: the Panda Base. An ordinary adult ticket costs CNY 55; the optional sightseeing bus is CNY 30 more.
• Seven days ahead at 20:00 China time: the Forbidden City. There are no same-day tickets, and entry is through the Meridian Gate. The ticket is CNY 60 from 1 April to 31 October and CNY 40 from 1 November to 31 March.
• At least a day ahead, by phone: Jingshan Park. Foreign visitors call (010) 66055431 between 09:00 and 16:00, then buy the CNY 2 ticket at the south gate.
• On day 3, the Mutianyu bus. The Qianmen tourist bus leaves the Qianmen transport hub between 07:00 and 11:00 and returns from 13:00 to 16:00; tickets cost CNY 80 a person return and are sold on the bus from 30 minutes before departure.
• At Mutianyu: plan on about CNY 15 a person for the shuttle and about CNY 140 for the cable-car return.
• Inside the sites: the Forbidden City’s Treasure Gallery and Clocks Gallery cost CNY 10 each; a free shuttle links the Terracotta Army museum and Lishan Garden, and electric carts cost CNY 5 a person at the museum and CNY 15 at Lishan Garden.
• Other tickets: the City Wall full ticket is CNY 54. Yu Garden is CNY 40 from April to June and from September to November and CNY 30 in July, August and from December to March.

Paying, staying connected and staying safe

Alipay and Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) both take foreign cards, and our payments and apps guide covers the set-up. The Shanghai government says a payment of CNY 200 or less is generally exempt from the platform’s service fee, while a larger one may carry a 3% fee on the whole amount, so pay hotels by card at the desk or prepay them when you book. Carry some renminbi: since 1 February 2026 shops must generally accept cash, though online-only and some unattended services still need an app.

The two SIM cards are priced at about CNY 150 a person, based on China Telecom’s published 15-day visitor card at CNY 125 (30 GB, on sale until 30 November 2026). Bring your passport.

The totals assume the 30-day visa-free entry for the listed nationalities, published to 31 December 2026; a 2027 trip without a published extension, or a US or Czech passport, adds a visa fee, which depends on your nationality and the consulate. Our entry guide has the list, the 240-hour transit rule, the arrival card and the passport rules, and sets out the British, German and French advice on detention, protests, photography, drones and internet access.

Carry your original passport at all times: the British government says police run random checks and do not accept printed copies. Check your own government’s current travel advice before you book.