🏔 Full HK Day — TST · Victoria Peak · Central · Temple Street → Shenzhen
09:00
Morning walk along Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade — Avenue of Stars, Clock Tower, clear morning light on the harbour.
09:30
Star Ferry → Central (upper deck, ~€0.40).
10:00
Take Bus 15 (top deck) from Central Pier Bus Terminal to Victoria Peak — ~45 min scenic ride through skyscrapers and hillside. Lion's Pavilion for the classic panorama. Peak Tram back down (~€16).
12:30
Lunch at The Peak Lookout (colonial terrace restaurant) or Peak Galleria food court.
14:00
Central walking tour — Tai Kwun (heritage police station turned arts centre, free); HK Park (Pondside Café); The Lanes and Graham Street market stalls.
17:00
Star Ferry back to Kowloon. Temple Street Night Market opens — neon-lit stalls, street food, fortune tellers.
18:30
Last Hong Kong dinner — cha chaan teng: wonton noodles, egg tart, iced milk tea.
21:00
Check out. West Kowloon Station → high-speed rail to Shenzhen Futian (~14 min, ~€8). Last trains ~22:30. Late check-in at Shenzhen hotel.
⚠️ West Kowloon last trains to Shenzhen Futian ~22:30. Set up WeChat Pay + Alipay on arrival — Shenzhen is almost entirely cashless.
🏙 Visa Update · Huaqiangbei · OCT Loft · Shenzhen Bay Park
Morning
⚠️ Visa update / extension — visit an authorised Shenzhen visa service centre or immigration office. Confirm your mainland visa status before crossing to Macau on Oct 1. Bring passport + entry stamp + photos.
Morning
Huaqiangbei Electronics Market — world's largest electronics wholesale district. Fascinating even if not buying.
14:00
OCT Loft (华侨城创意文化园) — repurposed factory complex with galleries, indie cafés, murals. Shenzhen's creative heart. Free entry.
17:30
Shenzhen Bay Park — seafront facing Hong Kong. Beautiful sunset walk.
19:30
🚢 Dinner + pack for Macau tomorrow. Book Shekou → Macau ferry (TurboJet / Cotai Jet) tonight if not yet done
Shenzhen Hotel
Thu 1 Oct
Shenzhen → MacauGolden Week Day 1 🎆
⛴ Ferry to Macau · Senado Square · St. Paul's Ruins · Wynn Palace
09:00
Metro to Shekou Ferry Terminal (Line 2). TurboJet/Cotai Jet direct to Macau, ~1h.
11:30
Walk Senado Square (Largo do Senado) — UNESCO-listed heart of old Macau. Portuguese wave-tile pavements, pastel colonial buildings.
12:30
Ruins of St. Paul's — 17th-century Jesuit façade, one of Asia's most photographed monuments.
14:00
Lunch: Lord Stow's egg tarts, pork chop bun, Macanese food in the old town.
16:30
Wynn Palace — spectacular resort with floral art installations, performance fountain, and free gondola ride through the atrium. Stunning interior even without gambling.
19:00
Dinner at Macau Tower 360° Café — rotating restaurant 223m above Macau, panoramic views of the city and Pearl River Delta. Dinner buffet. Book ahead at macautower.com.mo
The UNESCO historic centre is walkable in a half-day. Oct 1 evening: National Day fireworks may be visible from the waterfront. Book the 360° Café dinner in advance — popular on Golden Week.
Free morning in Macau — revisit favourite spots, last egg tarts, leisurely walks through the old town.
17:00
Taxi to Gongbei Border Gate (拱北口岸). Cross into Zhuhai on foot. Taxi to Zhongshan City (~45 min, ~€10). Check in Vienna International Hotel. Meet family — Golden Week, everyone off work.
19:30
Family reunion dinner — banquet-style Cantonese feast. Let family choose the restaurant.
Yum cha breakfast with family at a Cantonese teahouse — har gow, siu mai, cheong fun. The centrepiece of Guangdong food culture.
14:30
中山温泉 (Zhongshan Hot Springs Resort) — China's first Sino-foreign joint-venture resort (opened 1980). Multiple outdoor thermal pools in forested hills. Day admission or afternoon session. Taxi from city ~30 min.
Evening
Family dinner — Cantonese home cooking: BBQ meats, clay pot rice, Guangdong soup.
Book the afternoon hot spring session in advance during Golden Week. Particularly pleasant in early October when the summer heat softens but air is still warm.
🏙 Shamian Island · Zhanxi Watch Market · Canton Tower · Farewell Dinner
11:00
Shamian Island — quiet colonial-era island with European neoclassical buildings, banyan trees, and canal walks. Peaceful contrast to the busy city.
13:30
Zhanxi Watch Market (站西钟表城) — Guangzhou's best variety for watches, hundreds of stalls. Bargain hard, check quality carefully.
15:30
Canton Tower (广州塔) — 600m tower at golden hour, views across the Pearl River Delta. ~€15.
19:00
Return to Zhongshan by intercity train from Guangzhou South to Zhongshan North (~45 min, ~€5). Farewell dinner with family — banquet-style Cantonese feast.
⚠️ Watch markets = great bargains, but check quality carefully — inspect closely, test functions, haggle. Tonight is still a Zhongshan hotel night before tomorrow's Guilin departure.
🛶 Li River Cruise (83km) · Xianggong Hill · Beer Fish
08:30
Bus to Zhujiang Pier(竹江码头). Board Li River Cruise — 4.5h, 83km of dramatic karst peaks rising from the water. Sit on the top deck bow. ~€46 with buffet
13:30
Arrive Yangshuo. Check in.
14:00-16:00
Yulong River rafting (遇龙河漂流) — a scenic rafting experience on the Yulong River, surrounded by karst peaks. from 富里桥码头
18:30
金龙巡游 pick a reseataurant or coffee place closeby we can decide if we want to prioritise having a nice meal after the show, if we are willing to sacrifise the food quality with the comfort of sitting and enjoying the show
Yangshuo → ChongqingYulong River · afternoon in town
🚣 Yulong River Rafting · Train to Chongqing · Hongya Cave
08:00
have nice local breakfast. Go to a closeby viral coffee shop: 天青色 等烟雨 一尺稻田。。。
10:00
Explore 十里画廊 — browse local shops and souvenirs.
11:30
Lunch in Yangshuo（山水农庄） — beer fish or local rice dishes before departure.
14:30
Check out. didi to Guilin west station (~1h).
16:08
High-speed train Guilin west → Chongqing west. ~4h, ~€35. Book in advance on 12306.cn.
~21:30
Arrive Chongqing. Taxi to hotel (~€8). Check in.
22:00
舒家大院老火锅 — 11-storey stilted riverside complex built into the cliffs, fully illuminated at night. Worth the late visit.
This gives you a slower Yangshuo departure while still getting into Chongqing in time for the skyline lights. Save the full hot pot dinner for tomorrow.
Chongqing → ZhangjiajieEvening departure · Night arrival
🚄 Full Day Chongqing · Evening Departure · Arrive Zhangjiajie at Night
08:00
Relaxed breakfast near the hotel.
09:30
Shibati Old Street (十八梯) — atmospheric hillside stairs street with vendor stalls, old Chongqing architecture and city views. A local favourite often missed by tourists.
12:00
Lunch near Jiefangbei — last bowl of xiaomian or chuan chuan skewers.
14:00
Eling Park (鹅岭公园) — hilltop park with sweeping views over the Yangtze–Jialing confluence. Final panoramic view of Chongqing.
17:00
Check out. Head to Chongqing station.
18:30
High-speed train Chongqing → Zhangjiajiexi. ~2.5h, ~€18. Book in advance.
~21:30
Arrive Zhangjiajiexi at night. Taxi to Wulingyuan area (~€8). Check in. Rest — full park days ahead.
🏔 Wulingyuan Park · Bailong Elevator · Yuanjiajie · Golden Whip Stream · 魅力湘西 Show
07:00
Enter park early. Buy 2-day pass (~€33). Head straight to Bailong Elevator (world's tallest outdoor lift, 326m). Queue early.
08:30
Yuanjiajie Scenic Area — the Avatar landscape. Enormous sandstone pillars wrapped in hanging forest rising from deep misty valleys. The "Hallelujah Mountain" is here.
11:30
Tianzi Mountain cable car — different plateau, equally dramatic ridge walks.
14:30
Golden Whip Stream (金鞭溪) — 7.5km flat trail between the pillars along a crystal-clear stream. Wild monkeys common along the path.
17:30
Exit park. Early dinner near the 魅力湘西 theatre area — local Tujia cuisine.
20:00
魅力湘西 (Charm of Western Hunan) — spectacular indoor show depicting Tujia and Miao minority culture through acrobatics, song, dance and traditional ceremony. One of China's best ethnic minority performances. ~90 min. Book tickets in advance (~€20–30).
Post-Golden Week mid-week: crowds are a fraction of summer peaks. Morning mist on the pillars is the defining image. Bring a warm layer — altitude gets cool in October. Book 魅力湘西 tickets before the trip; evening show usually 20:00 or 20:30.
Beian Qingshe Holiday Inn
🍽️ Order:
· Sanxiaguo hotpot
🔥 Try: bee pupae or loach tofu · ⚠️ Very spicy food
Mon 12 Oct
Zhangjiajie → ShanghaiEvening flight ✈️ ~€90
🌁 Glass Bridge · Grand Canyon · Evening Flight to Shanghai
Grand Canyon scenic area — gorge walk with suspension bridges adjacent to the glass bridge.
13:00
Return to city. Check out hotel. Light lunch. Pack and head to Zhangjiajie Hehua Airport (DYG) — allow 30+ min from city centre.
20:35
✈️ China Eastern Airlines (operated by Shanghai Airlines) DYG → PVG · Nonstop · 2h 25m · ~€90 pp. Booking: DYGT2 / PVGT1.
23:00
Arrive Shanghai Pudong (PVG). Airport Metro Line 2 to city centre (~1h). Late check-in at Jinglai Light Luxury Hotel.
Tianmen Mountain is saved for a future visit — today the Glass Bridge morning + a comfortable airport transfer. Allow plenty of time to reach DYG (30+ min from the city centre).
🚤 Zhujiajiao Water Town · The Bund · French Concession · Pudong by Night
07:30
Metro Line 17 from Hongqiao to Zhujiajiao (~55 min). Ancient water town with stone arch bridges, canal lanes and Ming-era houses. Explore North Street, cross Fangsheng Bridge, take a gondola along the canals. Entry ~€10. Allow 2.5–3h.
11:30
Lunch in Zhujiajiao — freshwater fish, scallion cake, glutinous rice dumplings at a canal-side teahouse.
13:00
Return Metro to Shanghai. Check in at hotel / freshen up.
15:00
The Bund — colonial waterfront. Afternoon light on the Pudong skyline. Step inside the Fairmont Peace Hotel lobby (free).
16:30
French Concession: Wukang Road (1930s art deco villas), Fuxing Park. October plane tree leaves turning gold.
20:00
Take the €0.30 ferry across for the definitive night view of the Bund from the Pudong bank.
Breakfast near hotel. Book Forbidden City tickets NOW on the WeChat mini-program if not done on the train — up to 7 days ahead (~€8). Sells out.
09:30
Private car to Mutianyu Great Wall (~€38 round-trip via hotel, ~1.5h). October foliage — leaves red and gold on the hillsides. Cable car up (~€13), walk the wall, toboggan down optional (~€13).
14:00
Lunch at wall base, return to Beijing.
16:00
Temple of Heaven (天坛) (~€4) — the 15th-century circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. One of China's most perfect architectural compositions.
19:00
Dinner near Qianmen: Peking noodles or soup dumplings.
Mid-October Mutianyu is the best season — autumn colour, minimal crowds, excellent visibility. Book Forbidden City tickets on WeChat as soon as you check in.
🏯 Tiananmen · Forbidden City · Jingshan · Nanluoguxiang
07:30
Metro to Tiananmen East. Cross Tiananmen Square in morning calm, enter Forbidden City through Meridian Gate (~€8). Follow the central axis at your own pace — 980 buildings, audio guide app (free). Take the time you need.
12:00
Exit north into Jingshan Park (€0.30) — 10-min climb to the pavilion for the definitive view of golden Forbidden City rooftops below.
14:00
Lunch in Nanluoguxiang hutong — local food stalls and courtyard cafés in an 800m Ming-dynasty alley.
16:00
Drum Tower + Bell Tower — 15th-century towers, drumming performance every 30 min, views over the hutong neighbourhood.
19:00
Lakeside dinner at Houhai — golden October reflections.
The central axis alone is a full morning. Skip the Treasure Gallery unless specifically interested. Jingshan Park's view from the pavilion is the best photograph of the whole trip.
City Comfort Inn · Yonghegong
Sat 17 Oct
BeijingDay 3 · Houhai · Last Night
🏯 Houhai Lake · Drum Tower · 9号汤泉 · Airport Transfer
10:00
Houhai Lake — willow trees, hutong lanes, golden October light. Walk the full lake perimeter (~45 min).
12:00
Nanluoguxiang hutong — local food stalls and courtyard cafés in an 800m Ming-dynasty alley. Lunch from street stalls.
14:00
Drum Tower + Bell Tower — 15th-century towers, drumming performance every 30 min, views over the hutong neighbourhood.
16:30
9号汤泉 — hot spring spa afternoon. Soak and unwind before the long-haul flight home. ~6h session.
22:30
Head to PEK Airport for the early flight. Aim to arrive ~3h before the 03:00 departure.
Mid-October Beijing: crisp air, golden foliage — a perfect last evening. 9号汤泉 in the afternoon is ideal before the overnight flight. Tonight is the airport transfer night for the 03:00 departure.