Beijing 北京
Fri Oct 23 – Mon Oct 26 · Regent Beijing, 3 nights
Fri Oct 23 Land + duck
- 15:25FlightStefan lands at PEK on UA888 from SFOEveryone else's flights into Beijing: add yours in the group chat
- 16:30HotelCheck in at the Regent BeijingShower and reset
- 19:00DinnerDa Dong roast duck, Jinbao PlaceWalk from the hotel
- 20:45Wangfujing night walk Alex's rec
Sat Oct 24 Forbidden City + Summer Palace
- 08:00Qianmen → Tiananmen Square
- 09:30Forbidden City tour (booked by Alex)
- 12:40Jingshan Park: the classic view back over the palace roofs
- 13:15LunchFangzhuanchang No. 69 zhajiangmian
- 14:00Summer Palace until ~17:45, 17-Arch Bridge at sunsetDidi from lunch. Through ticket ~¥60: book ahead in the 颐和园 WeChat mini-program or Trip.com, with passports
- 18:30DinnerHen Jiu Yi Qian lamb skewers, Gulou branch很久以前羊肉串(鼓楼店) · 西城区旧鼓楼外大街甲1号 · Henry's rec: skewers cook on machines at your table
- 20:30Sanlitun drinks
Sun Oct 25 The Great Wall
- ~07:00Pickup for Jinshanling, private driver for 4 (booked by Alex)Pickup time still to confirm with Alex
- 09:30Hike Jinshanling until ~13:30: wild, restored-in-places wall with ridge-line watchtowers
- ~17:30Back at the hotel
- 19:00DinnerHen Jiu Yi Qian, Wangfujing APM王府井大街138号 apm 6F L607 · walk
Zhangjiajie 张家界
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28 · No. 5 Valley Lodge, Wulingyuan, 2 nights
Mon Oct 26 Fly south
- 05:45Leave the Regent for the airport
- 08:00FlightAir China CA1953 PEK → Zhangjiajie DYG, lands 10:35Everyone needs to be on this one
- middayTransfer to Wulingyuan, check in
- pmGolden Whip Stream: an easy, flat valley walk under the pillars
Tue Oct 27 Full park day
- all dayBailong Elevator → Yuanjiajie → Tianzi Mountain
Fenghuang 凤凰古城
Wed Oct 28 – Thu Oct 29 · Fenghuang Yunlu Scenic Hotel, 1 night
Wed Oct 28 Old town
- 12:40TrainG6117 Zhangjiajie West → Fenghuang Gucheng, arr 13:38Everyone needs their own ticket; arrive 20–30 min early for the passport check
- pmOld-town afternoon, riverfront and the night lights
- Thu amMorning mist walk before the train
Chongqing 重庆
Thu Oct 29 – Sat Oct 31 · InterContinental Raffles City, 2 nights
Thu Oct 29 Into the mountain city
- 11:03TrainG3847 Fenghuang → Kaili South (11:30), change to G2322 11:53 → Chongqing East, arr 15:56Everyone on this route. Check your ticket actually issued (Shahbaz was waitlisted at one point)
- eveHongyadong + Hotpot
Fri Oct 30 City day
- dayLiziba (the train through the building) · Yangtze cableway · Ciqikou old town
- nightNanshan for the skyline view
Shanghai 上海
Sat Oct 31 · 1 night · hotel still to book
Sat Oct 31 Free day, then fly
- dayFree in Chongqing
- 18:45FlightShanghai Airlines FM9420 Chongqing → Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)Lands at Hongqiao, right next to the train station for tomorrow
- lateTo bookShanghai hotel for 4, ideally near Hongqiao for the 09:16 trainOptional: late Hen Jiu Yi Qian skewers
Huangshan 黄山
Sun Nov 1 – Mon Nov 2 · summit hotel still to book · daypacks only
Sun Nov 1 Up the Yellow Mountain
- 09:16TrainG7313 Hongqiao → Huangshan North, arr 12:02
- ~12:30Didi (6-seater or 2 cars) or tourist bus to Tangkou, ~1 hr
- ~13:30Lunch; leave big bags in Tangkou
- ~14:00Park shuttle to the Yungu cable car (~20 min), up by ~14:30
- 15:00Hike across the top to the hotel, 1–1.5 hrs of stone steps
- ~17:15Sunset
- nightTo bookSummit hotel: #1 Xihai ($220–330) · #2 Bai Yun ($180–280) · #3 Shilin ($160–250). These sell out
Mon Nov 2 · The split
~06:15 sunrise together, hike the morning, cable car down ~10:00 (be there by 9:30 in case wind pauses it)
Stefan → Miami
- ~10:00Cable car down, shuttle to Tangkou, grab bags
- ~10:45Didi to Huangshan North, ~1 hr, ~¥150–250
- 12:13TrainG1396 → Hongqiao, arr 14:35
- ~15:00Hongqiao T2 → Airport Link to Pudong (~40 min)
- 18:50FlightAA128 PVG → Dallas DFW, then AA1314 20:15 → MIALands 00:05 Tue Nov 3
Alex, Shahbaz, Riley → Shanghai
- 16:20TrainG1510 Huangshan North → Hongqiao, arr 19:03
- Nov 2–4To bookShanghai hotel, 3 nightsIdeas: Shangri-La (Alex), Radisson Collection Hyland, TUI BLUE Yangtze, Fairmont Peace + one night at an overnight spa
- Nov 3–4The Bund, neighborhoods, food, overnight spa
- Nov 5?FlightShanghai → Detroit (Shahbaz, Riley; Alex maybe, then Miami). Date unconfirmed
Still to sort
- Shanghai hotel, Sat Oct 31, 4 people
- Huangshan summit hotel, Sun Nov 1, 4 people
- Shanghai hotel Nov 2–4 for Alex, Shahbaz, Riley
- Great Wall pickup time (Alex)
- Summer Palace tickets (book ahead with passports)
- Everyone has G6117 (Oct 28) + the Kaili route (Oct 29)?
- Rooms in Zhangjiajie / Fenghuang / Chongqing fit 4?
- Huangshan station ↔ Tangkou transport
- Splitwise for tours + hotels
- Detroit flight date
Good to know
- Shanghai has two airports. Hongqiao (SHA) is west, beside the train station. Pudong (PVG) is east, ~45 km away, and is the international one.
- Trains: get to the station 20–30 min early for the passport check. Your passport is your ticket.
- Maps: Google Maps needs a VPN or roaming data in China. Amap or Apple Maps work better. Set up Didi (English, card added) before landing.
- Huangshan: no rolling bags on the mountain. Daypack only; leave the rest in Tangkou.
- China Arrival Card: fill it in online at s.nia.gov.cn before landing.