My complete travel diaryâincluding photos, videos, personal recommendations, gluten-free finds, and day-by-day narrationâis saved in my Instagram Stories Highlights. Itâs super detailed, so feel free to check it out there for even more insights and inspo!
Beijing
Hotel: Base-Wangfujing Serviced Apartment
- May 4 / âď¸ Travel day
- May 5 / Arrived in Beijing at 11:40 AM. We walked around and visited Wangfujing Street.
- May 6 / Great Wall (Mutianyu tour, 7 AMâ2 PM). The guide was incredibly helpful with my gluten-free needsâshe even brought gluten-free soy sauce for me, which was such a kind gesture. In the afternoon, we explored Dashilan Commercial Street and Qianmen Street.
- May 7 / In the morning, we visited the Summer Palace. For lunch, we tried Peking duck at Huaâs Restaurant (gluten-free friendly). After lunch, we visited the Lama Temple and then wandered through Nanluoguxiang Hutong.
- May 8 / We visited the Temple of Heaven as part of a free walking tour with Roy (highly recommended). In the afternoon, we toured the Forbidden City and Tianâanmen Square. For dinner, we had New Zealand-style pizza at Gung Ho! A fun surprise was stumbling upon a supermarket disco club (unfortunately, I donât remember the exact name).
Xiâan
Hotel: Jinmao Hotel Xiâan Downtown -May 9 / đ Traveled to Xiâan (2:00 PM â 6:30 PM). That evening, we saw the Tang Dynasty show and explored the lively Muslim Quarter. -May 10 / We visited the Terracotta Warriors with this private tour. Later, we walked around the city center and visited the Bell Tower and Muslim Quarter again. We didnât have time for a bike ride along the ancient city wall, but it looked like a cool option!
Chengdu
Hotel: The Hidden House
May 12â14: We booked a private tour with Windhorsetour. Our guide, Julie, was absolutely amazing, the best guide we had during the entire trip. Highly recommended! She was also incredibly helpful with my gluten-free needs, making the whole experience smooth and stress-free.
- May 11 / đ Took a train to Chengdu at 9:56 AM (4.5h). After arriving, we explored Qingyang Temple and Palace. In the evening, we wandered through Kuan Xiangzi, passing by Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley.
- May 12 / In the morning, we visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Back in the city, we stopped by Peopleâs Park, Wenshu Temple, and its peaceful neighborhood. In the evening, we strolled through Jinli Ancient Street. After dinner, we went to the Sichuan Opera at Shufeng Yayun Theaterâwhere you can also try ear cleaning!
- May 13 / We drove to Dujiangyan to see the ancient river irrigation system. After lunch, we went for a light hike at Qingcheng Mountain, visiting a Taoist temple along the way. On the return, we explored Jiezi Old Town. Instead of heading back to the hotel, I tried acupuncture at Julieâs favorite doctor and clinicâdefinitely a unique experience. (All restaurant names are saved on my Instagram stories.)
- May 14 / Overnight trip outside Chengdu. We visited the Leshan Giant Buddha and took a boat ride to view it from the water. Afterward, we hiked part of Mount Emei and we slept near the Golden Summit at Jinding Hotel.
- May 15 / Early the next morning, we woke up to see the sunrise, we then visited Wannian Temple. At the end of our tour, we were dropped off at Joyhub Cheer Hotel, conveniently located near the airport.
If I had to choose just one destination in China, it would be Sichuan, especially with overnight stays in Chengdu. The regionâs culture, food, and landscapes made it a true highlight of the trip.
Zhangjiajie
Hotel: Baihao Lushanshu Homestay
- May 16 / âď¸ Flight to Zhangjiajie at 9:30 AM. We booked a tour mainly to have luggage storage and convenient transport from the airport to Tianmen Mountain, then back to our hotel in Wulingyuan. In the evening, we went to a nearby bar with karaoke.
- May 17 / We explored Zhangjiajie National Park on our own, our hotel was very close to the entrance. To reach the higher parts of the park, you need to take two cable cars and several shuttle buses. A note about the Bailong Elevator, I usually suffer from vertigo, but this was totally manageable.
- May 18 / We took a series of buses to reach the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge. I actually managed to cross it, and even looked down on the way back! It was a cool experience, but if youâre short on time, Iâd prioritize Zhangjiajie National Park over the bridge. After the visit, we returned to the hotel to grab our luggage and took a đ train to Fenghuang Old Town (Phoenix City).
Fenghuang
Hotel: Dengnilai Qingcheng Hostel
- May 19 / Unfortunately, we only had a short stop in the charming town of Fenghuang (Phoenix City). I highly recommend checking out my Instagram Stories for beautiful photos and vibes from the area. We took a đ train to Guilin, arriving in the evening.
Guilin
Hotel: Wing Hotel Guilin Central Square
- May 20 / We booked a full-day Yangshuo tour (9:00 AM â 10:20 PM), which was originally supposed to include Xianggong Hill, a Li River hike, biking around the Yulong River, and the famous Liusanjie light show.
Unfortunately, due to high river levels and road closures, the itinerary had to be adjusted. To be honest, I wouldnât highly recommend Guilin, maybe we were just a bit unlucky with the weather, but it didnât live up to our expectations.
Hong Kong
Hotel: Nathan Hotel
- May 21 / In the morning, we walked around Guilin, then took a đ train to Hong Kong at 15:43. After arriving, we strolled around the city and headed to the Soho area for dinner, I was excited to try the gluten-free dim sum at Madame Fu (definitely worth it!).- May 22 / We joined a free walking tour (11:00 AM â 1:00 PM) through Hong Kong Free Tours, which was really informativeâwe learned so much about local history and culture. The tour also included a stop at the Man Mo Temple. In the afternoon, we had planned to take the tram up to The Peak, but the weather was too cloudy, so we skipped it and visited the Ladies Market instead.
- May 23 / We took the ferry to Lamma Island and visited a small fishing village. This is one of the best places to eat fresh seafood (we had lunch at Wai Kee). Aside from the food, thereâs not a ton to do on the island, but it was a nice break from the city. In the evening, we explored Mong Kok.
- May 24 / We booked another tour with HK Free Tours, this time the âDark Side Tourâ (super interesting).
- May 25 / âď¸ Travel day â heading home!
Notes & Tips
- Hotels: Mostly booked via Trip.com and Booking.com. Youâll often find better hotel deals on Trip.com than on other booking platforms.
- Essential apps:
- Download WeChat (for communication and payments),
- WeChat Pay or Alipay,
- DiDi (Chinaâs version of Uber),
- Apple Maps works better than Google Maps in China, which is often inaccurate or restricted.
- SIM & Internet: If you use an international eSIM like Holafly, youâre on roaming, so you donât need a VPN to access Western websites or apps. Discount for Holafly (http://rwrd.io/05sxkkk) and Airalo (https://ref.airalo.com/owBC, code: COSTAN1544).
- Gluten Free: I created gluten-free translation cards to show at restaurantsâthey were incredibly helpful throughout the trip, especially in places where English wasnât widely spoken.
- Payment cards: Revolut does not support Chinese Yuan (CNY), while the Wise card does, making it more convenient in mainland China.
Hong Kong: Revolut works well, but itâs a good idea to carry some cash, especially since taxis usually donât accept cards.
