By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 18th March 2018 | Updated: 1st November 2023
After spending a month travelling through China I thought it best that I share my experience with the travelling community and put together a list of my top 10 must do experiences in China, you just have to do when visiting this amazing country, so here goes!
1 – Walk the Great Wall of China, (well parts of it at least!)
I know I know it’s somewhat of a cliche experience, but until you visit the Great Wall for yourself you will never know the beauty of the place with it’s weaving winding wall over the hilltops for miles and miles or understand the sheer scale of it!
Trudging up and down the steep stone slopes all day can get a bit repetitive but luckily the portion that we visited had a luge/toboggan style route you can take off the wall, rather than walking back the entire way you have been. This is seriously fun, seriously scary, (in a good way!), and you will get shouted at for going to fast if you’re anything like Meryl and I!
2 – Eat street food
Now, this can be a bit of a marmite subject, i.e. people either love street food or hate the thought of it, but trust me street food everywhere I have had the pleasure of visiting has always been incredible.
Shanghai and Beijing both had awesome night markets and Xian has quite possibly the best street food area within China. You can walk along the roads and smell the aroma of dumplings, local delicacies and spices wafting through the air! Make sure you try chickens feet, it is not as bad as it sounds and personally I found them delicious!
3 – Head to the top of Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai
As night falls head to the top of Hyatt on the Bund hotel for a spectacle of the night rolling in over the city. This incredible hotel has a Vue Bar Terrace with quite possibly the best views over Shanghai as well as having hot tubs for you to soak away in what’s not to like! The cocktails are rather nice here too!
4 – Get out in the countryside Wuyishan
Walk and embrace the fresh countryside of China in all its glory, tea plantations, massive canyons, waterfalls and all! The main towns and cities of China can get a bit overwhelming if you’re travelling so make sure you head out into the countryside to get away from it all once in a while.
Wuyishan was a particular favourite of mine, (even though it rained constantly), purely for the views, the awesome hiking routes we did and for the feeling of being in some unknown part of China where there were very few tourists, something that can seem hard to find.
5 – Take an overnight train
Not for the faint-hearted but a really good way to get around China whilst you sleep! We took 3 overnight trains throughout our time there and needless to say bring a good snack supply, make sure you have plenty of card games to play, always and I mean ALWAYS grab the top bunk if you can! We learnt the hard way so I’m letting you know!
The experience of travelling on a train for hours, (we had a 16-hour train once!), with the countryside whizzing past the windows, the gentle rock of the train and the ever so abrupt stops is something you have to witness first hand. Personally, I would do it again and again but I’m sure some of our group might think twice before booking the next one!
Planning your own trip to China? Make sure you check out our Travelling Tedaldi Amazon Store Travel Guides for all your guidebooks and maps. (We’ve done the hard work for you and linked all the things we used to plan our trip!)
6 – Visit as many temples and gardens as possible
Throughout China, (and many other Asian countries) there are some incredibly beautiful temples and gardens, all with there own unique elements. The temples and gardens in China are no exception and are a must-visit if you are ever near them. This was one of my favourite experiences in China. They are all so varied and ornate with little animal figures flowing down the edges of the upturned roofs, (the number of animals between the two human figures indicates how important the building was in terms of ownership). So make sure you check out the roof edges!
7 – Hop on a boat in Suzhou
Suzhou is a beautiful city just west of Shanghai that is famous for its canals and bridges, some may say it has a ‘Venice from the East’ vibe. So what better way to view the city than by hopping on one of the numerous boats and sailing along the Grand Canal. We barely scratched the surface with how far we journeyed along the water but the whitewashed houses with lanterns blowing in the wind is just breathtaking.
Suzhou is also famed for its incredible gardens such as the Lingering Garden and the Couple’s Retreat Garden, both of which are worth a visit if you are there.
8 – Cycle the walls of Xi’an
Xi’an is often a stopover on the way to see the Terracotta Army, (which on a side note, are really quite impressive!) but the capital of the Shannxi Province is one of the oldest cities in China and well worth a visit. The Xi’an City Wall is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved city walls in China and what better way to explore it, and the city, than by hiring bikes and peddling your way around the 14km!
9 – Sing your heart out at a Karaoke bar
Now there’s not much to be said here other than; Karaoke is a big thing in China and yes you will have to do it at some point just for the experience! If you’re anything like me you won’t have a good singing voice, BUT drink some beers have a laugh, get into the swing of it and before you know it you’ll be fighting to get up and sing!
Last but not least on the top 10 must do experiences in China…
10 – Stay with the locals in a traditional Tulou
For a few nights, the group I was with were lucky enough to be invited to stay with the locals in a Tulou, a traditional earth building several storeys high where the entire family would live, generation to generation. We stayed with a family of 6 who were kind enough to let us share their home and I can tell you now, I have never had such a warm welcome and friendly stay with anyone as I did with the Lee family! If you’re considering doing it yourself, you must experience it!
And there you have it, my top 10 must do experiences in China! Make sure you check out my other blog posts on China about all the other places/things you should check out whilst visiting this incredible country.
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Gemma (i.e The Travelling Tedaldi)
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Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.
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